To be fair, Mandarin discovered his technology. He didn't create it. Much as you've pointed out before, Kang The Conqueror discovered his technology, and thus you've used that information to try to discredit his genius. I see no difference between Kang and the Mandarin, finding their technology, and learning how to use it, and learning to create from it.
Granted, Mandarin is a little bit smarter than Kang, but Kang would still woop his ass in a fight ;-).
anyway...
the top 6? Don't know about #6, but the top 5 is obvious. In fact, it's damn near stated in Heroes reborn.
01. Reed Richards
02. Victor Von Doom
03. Anthony Stark
04. Bruce Banner
05. Henry Pym
as for 6?
The Mandarin, En Saba Nur, Nathaniel Essex, & The Moleman are all possibilities.
I don't consider Cable being on Reed's level to hold much weight; that's a BRAND-NEW edition to the canon, that wasn't even in handbooks. As short a time as two or three years ago, Cable was recieving an above average rating for intelligence, which would put him in the intellectual company of his own parents, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and a few others. Not to say he's dumb, but for the first 10-12 years of his existence, Cable was written as being of above average intelligence, nothing more.
quote]
The Class of Super Genius, Earth 616 according to the current handbooks:
Bruce Banner (Hulk)
Victor Von Doom (Doctor Doom)
Harvey Elder (The Moleman)
Nathaniel Essex (Sinister)
High Evolutionary
The Mandarin
En Saba Nur (Apocalypse)
Henry Pym (Yellow Jacket)
Nathaniel Richards (Reed's Dad)
Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic)
Tony Stark (Iron Man)
Samuel Sterns (The Leader)
these twelve men, in some order are the smartest men on the planet, with Cho presumably smack dab in the middle. All other geniuses from 616 21st Century Planet Earth (Xavier, Magnus, McCoy, Forge, Connors, Warren) are just regular geniuses. The ones above are the only unchartable "Super geniuses".
Extraordinary Genius:
01. High Evolutionary
02. The Leader
03. MODOK
04. Cable
05. Nathaniel Richards
06. Mr. Fantastic
07. Doctor Doom
08. Apocalypse
09. Sinister
10. Iron Man
11. The Hulk
12. Mandarin
13. The Moleman
14. Yellow Jacket (Pym)
15. Franklin Richards
Genius:
16. Cassandra Nova
17. The Mad Thinker
18. Professor X
19. Kid Omega
20. Magneto
21. Forge
22. Beast
23. Stryfe
24. Baron Zemo
25. Sasquatch
26. Black Panther
27. Doctor Octopus
28. Justin Hammer
29. Doctor Strange
30. Spencer Smythe
31. Kang The Conqueror
32. The Iron Monger
33. The Jackal
34. Morbius
35. Graviton
36. Lizard
37. Hyde
38. Arcade
39. Red Skull
40. Tinkerer
41. Green Goblin
42. Crimson Dynamo (1)
43. Allistair Smythe
44. The Red Ghost
45. Madman
46. Gremlin
47. Temugin
48. Baron Mordo
49. Ant-Man (Lang)
50. Goliath (Foster)
I read comics, read as many different handbooks as I could...and at certain points I winged this...and this is what I get for the 50 most intelligent in Marvel.
This list is only made of: Humans, Mutants, Mutates, and Sentient Computer life.
This list excludes: Cosmic Beings, Demons, Gods, Aliens, and alternate versions of the same man (Dark Beast, Immortus etc)
I may go to 100, and figure out the gifted break off.
1. Reed Richards
2. Tony Stark
3. Dr. Doom
4. Hank Pym
5. M.O.D.O.K.
6. Beast
7. The Leader
8. Amadeus Cho
9. BlackPanther
10. Arin Zola
11. Bruce Banner
12. Baron Von Blizschlag
13. The Wizard
14. Professor X
15. Forge
16. Black Goliath
17. Norman Osborn
So here is what I gather so far from this thread.