Since the dawn of the Golden Age of Comic Books, DC Comics Has stood among the best publishers in the industry thanks to heroes like Batman and Superman. While the publisher often does some of its best work through street-level heroes, DC also boasts some of the most outrageously overpowered characters in fiction. From cosmic deities to heroes with almost unmatched strength, the publisher is arguably more stacked with power than even Marvel.
Arguably better known for its powerful cosmic and magical heroes than any publisher in the industry, DC often takes pride in its handling of these figures, spawning rivalries that span millennia, involving gods, monsters and fantastical creatures from other dimensions. Although some of the company’s most powerful characters have been notably absent in recent years, others continue to make their presence known in current events. These are exactly Some of the most powerful characters in the DC Universe right now.
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The Phantom Stranger
First appearance: Phantom Stranger #1 (John Broome & Carmine Infantino)
As perhaps the most enigmatic character in the DCU, the Phantom Stranger wanders the Earth offering his help to those in need. During the Silver Age, he often protected the vulnerable from threats from the supernatural world, taking on evil spirits, witches, curses and more. Since then, he has made his presence felt during various crisis events, typically serving among the magical users to ward off the forces of darkness. in Titans #9 (Tom Taylor & Lucas Meyer), the hero made his first appearance since Lazarus Planet, confirming his return to the quintessence team of DC’s most powerful beings.
The Phantom Stranger’s mastery of magic is rivaled only by his wisdom, which has been accumulated over thousands of years of existence. Many readers subscribe to his origin as a cursed Judas Iscariot, doomed to walk the earth forever. He has the ability to manipulate reality, resist powerful spells and teleport, being one of the few heroes to casually associate with Darkseid without breaking a sweat. His only vulnerability seems to be characters like Spectre, who are powered by the Presence – seemingly confirming the Judas theory.
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swamp thing
First appearance: House of Secrets #92 (Len Wayne and Bernie Wrightson)
As an elemental force influenced by the Parliament of Trees, Swamp Thing is the protector of the green, using various dead humans as his host to guard the welfare of the natural world. Most famously controlled by Alec Holland, the hero learned to manipulate the green, allowing him to call on the trees to help him in battle. During the events of Dark Crisis on Infinite EarthsHe proved a key asset in defeating the Great Darkness.
Swamp Thing is practically invulnerable, capable of resurrecting a new body for itself from any plant life anywhere in the universe, as long as it is part of the green. This even allowed him to visit other planets. As a master over one of the universe’s core elements, the hero can prove disastrous if he’s so inclined – and the havoc wreaked by malevolent avatars of the Rot have shown just how powerful these beings can be.
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Amazo (and Amanda Waller)
First appearance: The brave and the bold #30 (Gardner Fox & Mike Cekowski)
Created by Professor Ivo, Amazo is designed to be an android capable of imitating the abilities of anyone it comes into contact with. This ability meant that the machine could effectively become a one-man Justice League, ensuring it would always be the perfect match, physically at least, for its opponent.
Recently, Amanda Waller cemented her own status as one of DC’s most powerful characters by deploying a small army of Amazons, and using her resources to oppose the world’s heroes. Taking on characters like Wonder Woman and Superman, the android continues to prove itself the most dangerous machine in the DCU. The heroes typically have to resort to the one thing the robot can’t replicate: their brains.
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dreamer
First Appearance: Supergirl “American Alien” (Robert Rovner and Jessica Quiller), DC Pride 2022 #1
Nia Nal, known as Dreamer, has been making waves in the DC Universe since her transition from live action to comics. A Naltorian-human hybrid, Dreamer is capable of astral projection, precognition and the creation of energy constructs, but her greatest strength has just been unveiled: invulnerability.
Even if her body is destroyed, she can rebuild herself in the dreamscape if someone in the living world dreams about her – which Jon Kent does, after her presumed death in Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. This makes Dreamer effectively immortal, and therefore one of the most indestructible beings in DC’s canon..
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Superman
First appearance: Action comics #1 (Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster)
Superman has, since his creation at the dawn of the Golden Age, consistently ranked among the most powerful beings in the DCU—at least, under a red sun. With a seemingly infinite strength that has allowed him to bench press planets, the hero is a walking, one-man army, with speed to match the flash, the endurance of a god and the mind of a supercomputer.
Superman continues to lead the pack as far as DC’s superheroes are concerned, receiving a power boost in the wake of the events of the “Warworld Saga.” Despite being vulnerable to magic, kryptonite and red suns, the hero has always found a way to overcome his opponents.
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The Flash (Valley West)
First appearance: The bottle #110 (John Broome & Carmine Infantino)
Since inheriting the Flash mantle from Barry Allen, Wally West has more than earned his title of “Fastest Man Alive”. His deep connection to the Speed ​​Force enables him to tap into vast reserves of power and surpass every other speedster in the DC Universe. Recently, Wally discovers the ability to step in and out of reality to dissect his enemies in the blink of an eye.
Using this power, he defeats cosmic enemies known as Arc Angles, putting him on par with gods. The Flash isn’t just the fastest man alive, he’s the fastest being in the multiverse.
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Metro
New gods #1 (Jack Kirby)
Created by Jack Kirby, the New Gods are a race of god-like beings who receive various powers from the Source. In Metron’s case, he is a being defined by his intelligence, which he uses to build various technologies for the characters of Apokolips and New Genesis, such as the Mother Boxes. Through his Mobius chair, he became the god of knowledge in the DCU.
Metron’s vast knowledge makes him borderline omnipotent, an underrated power that has allowed him to avert some of the worst crises in the DCU. It also made him indispensable to both sides of the New Gods. When Batman took control of his throne, his sheer power became apparent as the hero became the new god of knowledge, allowing him to prevent crimes before they happen.
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Captain Atom
First appearance: History of the DC Universe #2 (Joe Gill & Steve Ditko)
As powerful as Superman is, a fellow Justice League hero easily overpowers him, and that’s none other than Captain Atom. After undergoing a risky experiment, the former soldier Nathaniel Adam was exposed to the “quantum field” and he received superhuman abilities.
These powers allow him to manipulate quantum energy to create massive blasts, and he can also alter the atomic structures of enemies he faces to dismantle or reassemble them at will. His most notable feat is his ability to cancel Superman’s X-ray vision with his nuclear radiation. Even the Man of Steel is no match for this Justice League powerhouse.
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The specter
First appearance: More fun comics #52 (Jerry Siegel & Bernard Bailey)
As DC’s spirit of vengeance, the Specter has long been responsible for pitting justice against evil, and often doing so in creative fashion. The character was once a demon, Aztar, who sought forgiveness from God, who turned him into an instrument of justice. The character took several hosts, most famously Jim Corrigan, a detective possessed by the spirit.
The Specter is a being that exists outside the tangible plane of reality, and can change matter and time itself, with powers that transcend the understanding of regular heroes. Compared to an advanced magic user like Zatanna or Constantine, Specter makes their abilities seem like ordinary tricks. He recently demonstrated this through his help in defeating the Great Darkness during Dark crisis.
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Mr McKizftlk
First appearance: Superman #30 (Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster)
Mr. Mxyzptlk is among Superman’s oldest and, according to some readers, most irritating enemies. Motivated less by malice and more by mischief, this imp of the fifth dimension often appears in the DCU to annoy the Man of Steel, and can only be sent home if he says his own name back. Like other imps, he can change reality at will, can teleport and manipulate matter.
Mr. Mxyzptlk recently appeared alongside bat-mates to Batman and Superman in the pages of The best worldWhere the two imps formed their own version of the dynamic duo. Previously, the villain also triggered a multiversal crossover when he swapped the heroes of DC with those of Jeff Lemire. Black hammerProving – at least in one series – that his powers extend beyond DC.
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Darkseid & Highfather
First appearance: New gods #1 (Jack Kirby)
As opposite ends of the same spectrum of power derived from the Source, Darkseid and Highfather represent the embodiment of evil and good respectively. Where Darkseid rules the hellscape planet of Apokolips and seeks to dominate the will of life in the universe, Highfather assumes a role inspired by various biblical figures, such as Moses and God himself. The villain is more terrifying in one key respect: his Omega Beams can literally erase people from existence.
Darkseid has presented one of the greatest threats in the DCU, often appearing as a villain to Superman and the Justice League, who use all their power to steal him.. In the beginning to Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (Josh Williamson & Daniel Sampere), the villain tried to protect the encroaching Great Darkness, later used as his pawn. The villain, along with Highfather, is immortal, and derives his power directly from the source. And how of DC All In Special Darkseid is more powerful than almost any other being in DC’s multiverse.
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Eclipso
First Appearance: House of Secrets #61 (Bob Haney & Lee Elias)
There is one god in the DC Universe who puts Darkseid to shame: Eclipso. The embodiment of God’s wrath, Eclipso’s most evil power is his ability to possess anyone So that they may submit to his revenge, and make war for him. He draws his strength from hatred and darkness, and this source of power makes him a cut above the rest of DC’s cosmic pantheon.
in DC All In Special #1, Eclipso confirms that he is stronger than even the likes of Darkseid in a world where the sun does not shine, cementing the dark god as a true force to be reckoned with.
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Trigon
First appearance: New Teen Titans #2 (Marv Wolfman & George Perez)
One of DC’s several personifications of evil, Trigon is an extra-dimensional demon, and is best thought of as DC’s answer to the Devil. The father of Teen Titan Raven, the villain is one of the most persistent threats to the multiverse, and has conquered millions of worlds in his dimension. Should he ever take full form in Earth-Prime, he would present a threat too great for even Superman to stop.
Trigon is the most powerful villain in the Teen Titans’ rogues gallery, possessing superhuman speed, strength, and stamina—not to mention near-absolute invulnerability. To make matters worse, he is practically immortal, always coming back no matter how crushing the defeat. In Titans #9, the villain took possession of his daughter, tricking the young heroes and putting Raven on par with Darkseid.
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Raven
First appearance: DC Comics Presents #26 (Marv Wolfman & George Perez)
As the half-demon daughter of Trigon, the Titans’ Raven has inherited her father’s mystical abilities to perform countless spellcasting feats, from psychokinesis to hellfire manipulation. Now, she has proven her power exceeds even that of her father. In Titans #15, Raven merges with her dark counterpart—the Dark-Winged Queen—to unlock a massive transformation clad in white that enhances her magic exponentially.
Wearing her fellow Titans as jewels in her crown to combine their powers with her own, Raven defeats Trigon in battle once and for all and solidifies herself as one of DC’s most powerful wizards.
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The presence
First appearance: More fun comics #52 (Jerry Siegel & Bernard Bailey)
The Presence has, since its first appearance, effectively served as the DCU’s response to God. This character has assumed several forms, but is most often depicted as a gentlemanly figure in a suit, a giant cosmic hand or a source of bright light and disembodied voice in the sky. While the likes of Doctor Manhattan and Phantom Stranger can alter reality, the Presence creates it.
The Presence came to heroes in times of need, offering spiritual, moral and, through the specters, direct help. Famously, he was responsible for granting Hawkman his immortality, turning Jim Corrigan into Specter and, of course, the creation of the universe. He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, and is the all-encompassing force that binds the DCU.