Man seekquaze, talking to you has been the most fun I've have on a message board in some time, normally I post something like this and I get a bunch of blank stare smiley icons.
 
Wolverine, Ironman, and Thor all confirmed that it was Caps body, his mind or soul depending on who you ask was what was sent back in time.

According to what's known, all humans have the potential to evolve beyond just being a baseline human.  Whether through technology or the X-Gene, it just depends on the individual, that's why Mutants are another species, they evolved with the X-Gene, others like Ironman use Technology to go beyond what's normally capable.
 
What Vali Hawkwind was talking about was going beyond the gods, that's why all those items were required.  I'm with you though, I really want to see where all of this is going.

Wow, with just what U.S.Agent said is powerful, I like characters like Herc and Thor, but I personally think that "gods" like Thor are just powerful being from some other dimension or something close to that.

Belief is the main factor much like you stated. Though only a part of the equation, Faith, Love, Truth, Peace and Justice the others. Though Beauty is a factor it will come later

the celestials didnt create the gods.
 
when the earth form it gained conscience (demuirge)
and created the elder gods including gaea who were beyond physical form but manifested in physical form
gaea then created every other earth god there is, they all descend from her
 
gaea is much older than any eternal
and the eternals are pretty much based on the gods (expecially the olympions)

I think in Marvel (and DC) a 'god' is more of a classification term for a being with 1) innate cosmic powers; 2) a direct connection to both the physical and mystical world and; 3) embodying a major Abstract entity/concept/force. It's not a religious term so much as a sort of related powerset - like a mutant.

I still say the are  just acient Superhumans or ancient aliens.

" I still say the are  just acient Superhumans or ancient aliens. "

They're not really Gods.

i stand corrected

"i stand corrected "

Interesting.

"

The term "god" in my book is comparing one to a human or normal mortal, which if you do compare Thor to say a regular normal citizen, he is very much indeed a "god", but if you compare him to some of the other superheroes in the marvel universe he seems "just a above average student in the class", if in marvel Thor is considered a god, than silver surfer, thanos, and even the magus is godlike.

"

" @PowerHerc: Makes me wonder something though. Have any of this ''gods'' have talked about TOAA? "

" @PowerHerc: Sorry for the late reply, that musta've been cool, I also heard that Thor once went to a chruch. "

ye gods in marvels are like they should be

"? "

Probably I guess

"
I never really considered Gods in comics Gods, I've always thought of them as superhumans. For example, I never thought of Hercules as a God, he's no different than the kid from the X-Men or anyone else with super-strength. I mean if that's the case then wouldn't the Beyond be the God of....the Beyond or something like that?Yes, a silly comparison, but that's how I feel. We should be praising Storm as a goddess thanks to her power over the weather, Jean Grey should've been praised since she was almost to god status, and let's not forget dear old Wanda who can bend reality like a piece of paper. The case I'm arguing might be a bit confusing, but hopefully everybody gets the jist of what I'm sayin' here. "

"
I never really considered Gods in comics Gods, I've always thought of them as superhumans. For example, I never thought of Hercules as a God, he's no different than the kid from the X-Men or anyone else with super-strength. I mean if that's the case then wouldn't the Beyond be the God of....the Beyond or something like that?Yes, a silly comparison, but that's how I feel. We should be praising Storm as a goddess thanks to her power over the weather, Jean Grey should've been praised since she was almost to god status, and let's not forget dear old Wanda who can bend reality like a piece of paper. The case I'm arguing might be a bit confusing, but hopefully everybody gets the jist of what I'm sayin' here. "

lol.....man those are gods in comics godsin real life are way more powerful than that......... :)

They are deities. 
They were worshiped by various cultures.   Cultures such example Celtic, Norse or Germanic, and Greek peoples. 
Of course in Marvel's hierarchy  these beings are not at the top.  Over time Marvel (and DC have) made beings who are way more powerful than these deities.  However that doesn't change the fact that they were seen as divine beings by cultures.  In Greece there are ruins of temples to these beings still left.

Too many awesome and epic posts for me to refer to, and I am probably repeating, but my quick 2 cents, is to reply directly to the title, what they claim, and how people interpret their claims to be a totally different things.  
Many of these characters who are considered gods, literally preexist, in a sense before the english language as its used today. Which sets up an interesting and funny problem? If Thor as a child really was speaking English? lol 
 
The word, origin, and meaning of the term god can be pretty loose and applied in a variety of ways. and so your answer on these matters will depend entirely on how you apply these definitions with consistency. God (small g, god, the use of capital G there being for the start of the sentence) characters really are gods can be right, or god characters are just mutants, or meta humans or even just humans and so on, and be right too.  
 
Plus remember how people define themselves vs how they are labeled can be a delicate subject as well. Some cultures and countries are stricter than others as a whole, others allow more personal choice and freedom. 

God and godlike can be quite different as well.  
 
Silver Surfer is godlike, but place him in a room with kids after a year of mythology classes and scandinavian history lessons, and he is just a powerful alien. Put Thor there, and he is a god. He might not be considered the real god (especially if they were good students considering Marvel's Thor), but if he ticks enough of the right boxes, his look, his hammer, and especially his name, have power. People form opinions based on those things, and their knowledge plays into things. We know, as humans, we learn things about each other and the past, and what words mean. Words or appearances do not have to be used accurately to send a message.  Probably over time, (definitely in the past) Surfer may progress from being godlike to considered as a god. Especially once he starts hitting newspapers and educational books (or cults pop up)
 
If tomorrow a giant truck transformed into a robot in the middle of New York with Autobot stickers and logos on it, is it an actual Autobot Transformer? Or could it be a shapeshifting fairy from England that makes people see things? If a short, large headed, green, humanoid jumped out a flying saucer two days from now, saying its from Mars, what will people make of it? It fits a generic and popular perception of what aliens are. it could just be a very mutated guy from Canada with a very advanced plane. 

(other then TOAA) these are all the gods that marvel needs.

"@PowerHerc:
Not in the least bit, dude. I'm sayin' that even though they supposed to be the same Gods from the mythologies doesn't mean they actually are. I added in Storm, Jean, and Wanda by means of sayin' these "Gods" are no different than the other superhumans in Marvel. You could say I'm agreeing with what U.S.Agent had to say about them which he had a good point. "

I don't know, in one sense if people started wanting that strictness of accuracy then people would have to stop using the term black and white when it came to describing people of other color, since its not fully accurate. (or rather those words have developed new meanings)
 
I think people get to hung up on the power side and distinctions, are gods not also defined by worship, prayer and ability to aid? Then if you go up the ladder to characters like Odin, then you get characters who can 'create life' and his ancestors in one sense, created all that they know of him as the highest power.  
 
I agree with the difficulty to kill one too. Marvel seems pretty on to it with explanations when it comes to Eternals, and they use to with Thor side of things, I winder why they still don't. I think its a history thing. 

"I don't know, in one sense if people started wanting that strictness of accuracy then people would have to stop using the term black and white when it came to describing people of other color, since its not fully accurate. (or rather those words have developed new meanings) I think people get to hung up on the power side and distinctions, are gods not also defined by worship, prayer and ability to aid? Then if you go up the ladder to characters like Odin, then you get characters who can 'create life' and his ancestors in one sense, created all that they know of him as the highest power.   I agree with the difficulty to kill one too. Marvel seems pretty on to it with explanations when it comes to Eternals, and they use to with Thor side of things, I winder why they still don't. I think its a history thing.  "

hmmm Chaos War...That Mika0something being is an Abstract right?

" @SC said:

"I don't know, in one sense if people started wanting that strictness of accuracy then people would have to stop using the term black and white when it came to describing people of other color, since its not fully accurate. (or rather those words have developed new meanings) I think people get to hung up on the power side and distinctions, are gods not also defined by worship, prayer and ability to aid? Then if you go up the ladder to characters like Odin, then you get characters who can 'create life' and his ancestors in one sense, created all that they know of him as the highest power.   I agree with the difficulty to kill one too. Marvel seems pretty on to it with explanations when it comes to Eternals, and they use to with Thor side of things, I winder why they still don't. I think its a history thing.  "

Good points on ability to create life and being recognized as the 'highest power.'  I don't know why Marvel hasn't stayed consistent with their traditional postition on how difficult it is/was/should be to kill a god.  I suspect it has something to do with trying to show just how powerful one (or more) of their characters is/are.  I mean, what better way to show how bad-ass a character is than to have him/her kill a god? "

"hmmm Chaos War...That Mika0something being is an Abstract right?"

" @PowerHerc: Which brings me to this......WHERE THE F*CK IS THE LIVING TRIBUNAL???? Taking a lunch break? "

" @PowerHerc: Which brings me to this......WHERE THE F*CK IS THE LIVING TRIBUNAL???? Taking a lunch break?"