The world of DC Comics it is home to countless powerful gods: beings who can create and destroy entire universes or even entire realities. Although they don’t appear often, they are always a major cause for concern when they do. While the Justice League heroes are certainly powerful, taking on literal gods is something even they struggle to keep up with.
The Justice League knows great threats, but there are some beings that simply cannot be fought. From the creator of the universe, Perpetua, to the supreme god in the Presence, some beings are simply too powerful to stop. But with so many gods in one universe, the question arises as to who exactly is the strongest. Some are threats to DC’s heroes, while others are allies. But one thing is unquestionable: how dangerous these divine characters can be.
15
The Justice League’s divine forms
Justice League #2 by Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson and Rob Leigh
It may be surprising to learn that the Justice League actually became gods at one point. During the events of Darkseid Warseveral members of the Justice League gained god-like abilities, such as Batman becoming the God of Knowledge. While these powers aren’t the strangest to ever exist in a Justice League comic, Batman still gained total omniscience, and each hero still gained a significant upgrade to the powers they normally possess. While Superman as the God of Strength certainly had a terrifying amount of destructive power, it pales in comparison to the power of true divine beings.
14
Nabu, the God of Destiny
More fun comics #67 by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman
Nabu is a strange being because readers rarely get to see his true form. Nabu is often contained within the Helmet of Fate, and whoever wears it becomes Dr. Fate and gains access to his incredible powers. As far as magic users go, Nabu is one of the most powerful, and his abilities are said to be on par with Arion and the Phantom Avenger. These are incredible people to compare to, as Arion was the God-King of Atlantis and the Phantom Stranger is a true divine being, empowered by the Presence to help those in need.
13
crown
Green Lantern #40 by John Broome, Gil Kane, Sid Greene and Gaspar Saladino
Krona is another strange case, as it’s not necessarily his power that makes him notable, but rather his effect on the multiverse. Without Krona, there would be no Multiverse to begin with. Krona has very little in the way of real power other than mind control, possession, and immortality. But Krona’s vision of the creation of the universe caused the Multiverse to split. Krona also unleashed the concept of evil. Without Krona, there would be no evil and no Multiverse. While he’s not the most impressive in a straight fight, his actual impact on the DC Multiverse is greater than most gods.
12
Volthoom
Annual Green Lantern #1 by Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver, Hi-Fi Design and Sal Cipriano
The Green Lanterns have a deep history with many powerful characters in their catalog. One of the biggest is Nekron: essentially the grim reaper who commands the Black Lanterns. But an even greater threat than Nekron is Volthoom, the first Lantern. Volthoom possesses complete power over the emotional spectrum, allowing him to use all colors of Lanterns, including Nekron’s Black Lanterns, whenever he wants. Volthoom was sealed away due to the threat he posed, but after he escaped, his powers were able to cause cracks in reality itself. While not technically divine, he definitely wields divine power.
11
The Wizard Shazam
Whiz Comics #2 by Bill Parker and CC Beck
The Wizard, also known as Shazam and sometimes as Mamaragan, is an Australian god who has incredible control over lightning. While his abilities aren’t exactly varied, his command over lightning is one of the strongest in the DC Universe. He is also the source of some of DC’s most powerful heroes and villains, being the source of power for Shazam and Black Adam. The Wizard is also a member of the Quintessence, a group of DC’s strongest divine beings. His membership alone demonstrates that he is one of the main gods of the DC Universe.
10
Zeus
Superman #28 by Jerry Siegel, Ira Yarbrough and George Roussos
While there is no denying how powerful the Wizard is with his lightning magic, when it comes to powerful lightning there is no one who can match the Greek god Zeus. After Superman conquered the world of Injusticehe was able to crush anyone who stood in his way – except Zeus. When Zeus came down from Olympus, it seemed like Superman’s reign was truly over, as there was simply nothing the Man of Steel could do against him. This confrontation is especially notable because this version of Superman was the same character who killed the entire Green Lantern Corps, including Ganthet. But against Zeus he was powerless.
9
Superior Father
New Gods #1 by Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta and John Costanza
While people mostly talk about his more villainous brother in Fourth World lore, there’s no denying that Highfather is just as powerful. While Darkseid has his iconic Omega Effect, Highfather has the Alpha Effect. Through the Alpha Effect, Highfather can summon Alpha Bullets. These projectiles can travel anywhere, including through time. While Darkseid’s Omega Effect is all about total destruction, the Alpha Bullets can resurrect anyone and even restore those who have been erased by the Omega Effect. Although Highfather rarely has to fight, there’s no denying how much power he can summon when he needs to.
8
Green, red and gray
Swamp Thing #47 by Alan Moore, Stan Woch, Ron Randall, Tatjana Wood and John Costanza
Every God so far exists because they have a world to exist in. Without the forces of Red, Green and Gray, there would simply be no world to live in. These are not Gods in the ordinary sense; instead of being specific beings, they are literally forces of nature. Green represents all plant life in the universe; Red is all flesh-based life, such as animals and humans; the Gray is all fungal life. Without these three primary sources, the DC Universe would simply have nothing in it.
7
Anti-Monitor, the Monitor and the Forger of Worlds
Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, Dick Giordano, Anthony Tollin and John Costanza
Some of the most powerful beings to ever exist in the DCU are the Anti-Monitor, the Monitor, and the World Forger. Each of them has their own duty: the Forger of Worlds creates the worlds that populate the DC Universe, and the Monitor watches over them, ensuring they are able to grow properly. The Anti-Monitor is the scariest of them all, as he is the one who sets out to destroy planets and even the entire universe if he decides that things need to be reset. The iconic Crisis on Infinite Earths The event occurs because the Anti-Monitor attempts to destroy the Multiverse.
6
The infinite
Sandman #1 by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Robbie Busch and Todd Klein
Desire, Dreams, Despair, Destiny – every living being in the DC Universe has these things, and it’s all because of Infinity. Humans are only able to dream because of the Dream of the Endless. Things only die because the Death of Infinity is waiting for them. And all things must be in accordance with what is written in the Book of Destiny, carried by Destiny of the Endless. These characters, although they are not exactly “gods”, are the living personifications of these elements that all living beings need. Without Death or Dream, there would be no people to populate this universe.
5
Darkseid
Superman’s Friend Jimmy Olsen #134 by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta
Normally, Darkseid would be aligned in power with his brother Highfather. But due to recent events in DC everything special #1 by Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, Wes Craig and Daniel Sampere, Darkseid has become much more powerful than before. Not only has Darkseid regained his full strength for the first time in comic book history, but he also rules his own universe now, where he is the only god, with no one above him. Darkseid’s power is now absolute and there appears to be no way anyone can defeat him. Instead, the heroes of this new universe will simply have to try to fight their dark designs.
4
Perpetua
Justice League #8 by James Tynion IV, Mikel Janín, Jeromy Cox and Tom Napolitano
Everything has to come from something, and DC’s Prime Universe is no exception. The Dark Goddess Perpetua was responsible for the creation of DC’s Prime Universe, but instead of simply creating a universe and letting it flourish, as was her job, Perpetua intended to use this universe as breeding ground for a dark army. Perpetua hoped to use this army to rise up against her brothers and take ultimate control over the Multiverse, but fortunately, this did not happen. While Perpetua never directly fought the Justice League, it’s probably for the best since she had the power to easily eliminate them.
3
The Darkest Knight
Dark Nights: Death Metal #2 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia, Tom Napolitano
Very few characters manage to ascend to the rank of godhood, but the Dark Knight was certainly one of them. The Batman Who Laughs’ insane, infected brain fused with Dr. Manhattan’s body and gave rise to the most sadistic god DC has ever seen with the Dark Knight. His powers allowed him total control over reality and near-invulnerability. He was so powerful that he managed to kill Perpetua, a character so powerful that she literally created the universe.
2
The Great Dark
Swamp Thing #49 by Alan Moore, Stan Woch, Alfredo Alcala, Tatjana Wood and John Costanza
Every light casts a shadow, and this is true even of a god. Every bit of darkness in the Multiverse comes from the Great Dark. The Great Darkness has been described as the very shadow that God casts, and its presence plunges entire universes into pure darkness. Although the Great Darkness itself cannot actually fight, its avatars have been some of the most evil and terrifying villains the Justice League has ever faced, such as Barbatos, Mandrakk the Dark Monitor, Upside Down Man, and Trigon the Terrible. Fortunately, the Great Darkness is little more than a force of nature and has no active desire to destroy everything.
1
The Presence
More fun comics #52 by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily
Every being in the DCU, including the gods, only exists because the Presence wants it to. At one point, Green Lantern manages to kill Darkseid, only for him to be instantly revived as the Presence demands he exist. The Presence is the absolute God in the DC Universe; there is nothing above it and everything below it. He created the omniverse and all the multiverses within it, as well as all the characters that exist in those universes. While the Presence is ultimately a force for good, it also doesn’t tend to directly interfere with things, allowing DC Comics’ heroes to fight to save themselves.