10 Most Powerful DC Heroes Of All Time

10 Most Powerful DC Heroes Of All Time

whatculture.com

Jun 4, 2018 2:29 AM

DC sure has some heavy hitters. These hit the heaviest.

DC Comics

When it comes to the most powerful heroes in comics history, DC has the lion’s share. When Action Comics first hit newsstands in 1938, DC Comics showed its might with the debut of Superman, one of the most powerful characters of all time. Soon we were greeted by dozens of superheroes whose power could rival that of the Man of Steel.

Beings that could move faster than the speed of light, push whole planets out of orbit, or probe the minds of everyone on Earth all at once, were now a reality in the pages of DC Comics.

As years have gone by, it has become harder to determine which DC heroes top the list as most powerful, as new powers get invented and new skill sets are added seemingly every year. Regardless we've managed to the narrow the field down to the biggest, strongest, fastest and most versatile heroes in DC has to offer.

With that, lets take a look at the 10 Most Powerful DC Heroes Of All Time!

10. Martian Manhunter

DC Comics

J’onn J’onnz - the Martian Manhunter - has been described as more powerful than Superman (even by the Man of Steel himself), and has been a vital part of every team he chooses to be on. As the last green Martian, J’onnz's alien biology allows him to shape shift, giving him the ability to change his mass, shape, color and size at will.

His skills include an enhanced healing factor, plasma beam projection, flight, telekinesis, speed that rivals any speedster, not to mention enhanced strength, and durability. He is one of the strongest telepaths around, using his skills to mentally link every single member of the Justice League of America together during missions.

Manhunter’s telepathy is so strong that he once scanned every living mind on earth at once, fought back against intense psychic attacks, and was able to enter the mind of the Spectre, another immensely powerful figure in the DC universe.

J’onnz's main weakness is a crippling fear of fire. In JLA #34 J’onnz is able to overcome that fear and transform into the villainous Fernus. As Fernus, he was able to battle the Justice League single-handedly, before being stopped by Plastic Man.

9. Dr. Fate

DC Comics

Using the combined power of the helmet of Nabu, the cloak of Destiny, and the amulet of Anubis, mild mannered Kent Nelson is able to harness the powers of the Lords of Order and become Dr. Fate.

Dr. Fate not only has the distinction of being one the most powerful magic users in all of DC, but he is also one of the publisher’s oldest characters, debuting shortly after Superman and Batman in 1940. His ancient artefacts are imbued with mystical power that date back before the dawn of time. Using these artefacts, Fate works alongside the Lords of Order to maintain a cosmic balance in the universe.

In one of his earliest adventures, he was able to fend off both Superman and Martian Manhunter, who were both being brainwashed by Darkseid. He also broke Darkseid’s control over the heroes and saved the day. His mastery of the mystic arts allows him to fly, become intangible, and teleport across large distances.

Fate can manipulate fire, ice, lightning, and wind, and has the ability to travel through time, and between universes. He can also create constructs out of pure magical energy, turn invisible, and cast illusions, making him a formidable adversary to anyone who dares challenge him.

8. Orion

DC Comics

When the rulers of Apokolips and New Genesis traded offspring, they did so as a truce between their warring planets. Highfather’s son - who would become Mr. Miracle - was raised by the sadistic tyrant Darkseid in Apokolips, while Darkseid’s son Orion was raised in New Genesis by Highfather.

Being a member of the New Gods means Orion has super speed and strength, a rapid healing factor, immense endurance, stamina, and invulnerability. The New Gods are thought to be immortal, although they are vulnerable to radion. Orion has brought the fight to his father Darkseid multiple times, and in one battle was able to plunge his hand into Darkseid’s chest with such force, that the wound resembled the fire pits of Apokolips themselves.

While ruling Apokolips, Orion gained access to the Anti-Life Equation. The equation is a formula for total control over the minds of all sentient beings. Known for his untethered rage as a result of his lineage, Orion uses Mother Box technology to keep his short temper in check.

He has been known to wield the Astro Force, a force of limitless destruction capabilities not unlike the Omega Force. He is definitely a force to be reckoned with and, given his lineage, it would appear that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

7. Swamp Thing

DC Comics

Swamp Thing, also known as Alec Holland, is the avatar of the green, an elemental force that connects all plant life. Imbued with powers to help him defend “the green” Swamp Thing possesses immense strength and durability.

Able to tap into power supplied by the earth, he can control all forms of plant life, from vines and roots, to microscopic algae. This power extends to even alien vegetation, showing the true scope of Holland’s power, as he was able to save Superman from the effects of a Kryptonian plant.

He can re-grow severed limbs, and appendages, heal rapidly from physical attacks, and even transfer his consciousness from one form of plant life to another, creating tangible bodies as he sees fit. It is because of this ability that most consider Swamp Thing immortal.

The only way to destroy Swamp Thing completely would be to rid the earth of all forms of vegetation. His ability to create and control plant life has seen him create his own army on more than one occasion. He can grow in size, and has gone toe to toe with some of the heaviest hitters in DC’s history, knocking out Captain Atom, and taking down Etrigan The Demon with one punch.

6. Phantom Stranger

DC Comics

Described by Black Hand to be neither dead nor alive, the Phantom Stranger is one of the most mysterious characters DC have ever created. It was only after the launch of the New 52 event that Phantom Stranger was implied to be Judas Iscariot, the former disciple, and eventual betrayer of Jesus Christ.

To account for his deeds, the Stranger walks between space and time, facing off against all forms of the occult. Phantom Stranger is an avatar of The Presence, DC’s version of God in comic continuity. As such he posses many god like abilities such as matter manipulation, telepathy, omniscience, and vast cosmic awareness among other things. He can traverse heaven and hell, travel between realities, and visit different universes as well.

Although he generally avoids direct contact he has been shown fighting on the side of good, even though he has had to put many a hero in their place.

For instance, he was able to physically restrain Swamp Thing, and shrug off magical attacks from high powered mystics like Etrigan and Madame Xanadu. When Raven, a powerful magic user herself, sought to strike the Stranger, he was able to redirect the energy right back at her. Always tipping the scales in the shadows, the Phantom Stranger is not a being to be trifled with.

5. The Flash

DC Comics

While most speedsters are particularly powerful, Barry Allen might be the most powerful of all. Using the mysterious energy called the Speed Force, the Flash is capable of some awesome feats.

Barry pioneered the “infinite mass punch”, a punch described as having the impact of a dwarf star, which is achieved by traveling across vast distances at full velocity. His mind works at super speed as well, giving him a defense against mind control and possession, as well as allowing him to out-think his enemies. He can move his molecules so fast that it allows him to phase through solid objects as well.

The Flash’s speed allows him to walk on water, run up buildings, and travel the multiverse. The Speed Force also acts as a protective aura around Barry shielding him from harm while he runs. Flash has a healing factor, meaning most physical damage done to him is repaired shortly after. Previously only able to time travel using the cosmic treadmill, Allen can now travel through time without any equipment at all.

This ability means the hero can go backwards in time, and set off a chain of events that can alter history forever, as he did in the now famous "Flashpoint" storyline.

4. White Lantern Kyle Rayner

DC Comics

As a Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner used his background in design to generate innovative and creative hard-light constructs. As Ion, he was the living embodiment of all the powers the Guardians of the Universe posses. It is his tenure as a White Lantern however, that saw Kyle at his most powerful.

You see, as Ion, Rayner was as powerful as the entire Green Lantern Corps, but they are just one Corps in the emotional spectrum. After showing he can harness the power of every emotion by wearing each Corps' ring individually, Kyle creates a White Lantern ring. With that Rayner became a White Lantern, and now had mastery of every power each Corps had to offer.

Using the power of the Indigo Tribe, Kyle can teleport large distances. Using rage, as the Red Lanterns do, he can spew volcanic blood. He has all the standard powers of a normal ring wearer (flight, construct creation, force fields, etc), and then some.

Aside from those powers, the white ring allows its user to resurrect the dead, with the White Lantern acting as the avatar of life. Upon seeing Kyle use his abilities, he was described by one of the Guardians as “godlike”.

3. The Spectre

DC Comics

The Spectre is the living physical embodiment of God’s Wrath, placed on Earth to judge and punish the wicked and cruel alike. The entity itself has chosen three different hosts since the character’s debut in 1940, Jim Corrigan, Hal Jordan and currently Crispus Allen.

All hosts are given extraordinary abilities in order to properly deal vengeance. His methods of torture may seem graphic and cruel, but Spectre has found himself more on the side of good than evil. The Spectre is also immortal, making him impossible to defeat.

He also has limitless control over matter, the ability to manipulate space and time, and reality warping abilities. He is such a powerful entity his footsteps cause earthquakes in hell, and his mere presence inspires awe in the Phantom Stranger, another immensely powerful being.

Size also isn’t an issue for the Spectre, who has managed to alter his size so that he eclipses whole planets. When Superman flew at him at intense speeds, the Kryptonian ricocheted off The Spectre's massive figure. With the power to resist the Lasso of Truth, the magic to render Dr. Fate useless, and with enough strength to take on the Anti-Monitor, and remake all creation as a result, The Spectre is just plain frightening.

2. Dr. Manhattan

DC Comics

Jon Osterman was a regular run-of-the-mill nuclear physicist,

until an accident with a radioactive particle test transformed him into the vastly powerful superhuman known as Dr. Manhattan. The accident caused Jon to shed his human body in favor of a more malleable energy-based visage that can change in size.

Dr. Manhattan can manipulate matter at the atomic level, dissembling machinery and causing humans to spontaneously combust, simply with a thought. He can create identical versions of himself, who act independently but share the same mind. Flight, intangibility, invulnerability, and energy manipulation are also in his skill set, and by using cosmic awareness he is able to understand the working of the universe at every scale.

Manhattan perceives events of his own past present and future as happening all at once, giving him foresight although he doesn’t have the ability to change those events. He is even being credited as the force behind DC’s New 52 reboot, with many accusing Dr. Manhattan of altering DC’s reality.

Although he later chooses to abandon humanity as a whole, Manhattan has been seen a member of The Crimebusters in 1966, and fights alongside the Unites States in the Vietnam War.

1. Superman

DC Comics

Often considered the “one who started it all”, Superman’s abilities have grown exponentially since his awe-inspiring debut in the late 30’s. While the original Superman was faster than a speeding bullet, and more powerful than a locomotive, the current incarnation has since eclipsed those feats.

Superman’s strength and abilities come from his unique kryptonian physiology, which allows him to draw power from Earth’s yellow sun. Doing so grants the character near invulnerability, heat vision, ice breath and a myriad of other handy powers, making Superman a literal “jack-of-all-trades”.

He has enough strength to move the entire Earth, enough speed to travel at light-speed, and enough durability to withstand the full impact of an exploding nuke. Although he is famously shown to be vulnerable to magic and kryptonite, the Man of Steel has overcome both when necessary to get the job done.

Superman has ran neck and neck with the Flash, he is equal with Wonder Woman in terms of strength, and his durability can’t be matched. He has fought gods, entities, and even evil versions of himself, always ensuring victory. He doesn’t even require food, water, sleep, or oxygen, to survive, making Superman one of the most powerful heroes of all time.

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