Who Is the Strongest DC Character? Here Are Our 20 Picks

The DC Universe is renowned for its colorful cast of powerful characters. Superman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash are three superheroes blessed with immense powers. They use these abilities to keep the streets free from crime. Likewise, there are just as many villains with special abilities. Darkseid, Anti-Monitor, Doomsday, and the like are all super strong characters who use their powers to carry out evil deeds and bring society to an end. All of these characters possess special powers that make them stronger than the average human. But who is the strongest DC character?

That’s a tough question to answer. Is it Superman with his immense strength and ability to fly? Or maybe it’s Dr Manhattan with his time manipulation powers? Well, we have the answer for you right here. We have combed through all the major DC titles and discovered the most powerful characters in the DC universe.

1. The Presence

When you talk about the strongest DC character, it’s hard to top The Presence. In the DC Universe, this being is the equivalent of god. While it is true a number of Greek gods also feature in the DC comics, The Presence is more in line with the Christian faith. The creator of all things, the being’s powers are limitless. The Presence is the creator behind all life. He gave the Spectre his powers, resurrected the murdered Justice Society, and is the creator of the Council of Eternity. 

The few times The Presence has appeared in human form, the character has done so as an elderly gentleman. Dressed in a dark suit with a bowler hat, umbrella, and grey mustache, The Presence looks nothing like the all-powerful being he really is. 

2. Anti-Monitor

Anti-Monitor is one of the great comic book villains. The universe destroying baddie is responsible for the famous Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, where he wreaked havoc amongst the worlds. He has killed more DC characters than any other supervillain. Not only is Anti-Monitor massive in stature, aiding his physical strength, he is also extremely durable from attacks. He can also shoot dangerous beams of energy, warp reality, and argument other people’s powers. But his most powerful gift is his ability to absorb energy, meaning he can literally engulf entire universes. What’s more, he can’t actually die. He really isn’t the kind of guy you want making trouble in your neighborhood. 

3. Superman

There is no surprise the Man of Steel appears on this list. Superman is the strongest and most powerful member of the Justice League and is in a class of his own. Drawing his power from the sun, Superman can do it all. Faster than. speeding bullet? Check. More powerful than a locomotive? Sure. Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound? No problem. The man known as Clark Kent is almost indestructible. His only weakness is kryptonite, which has caused him some problems in the past. That aside, he is a super-powerful being and one of the strongest DC characters.

4. Darkseid

Another of the great DC villains, Darkseid is responsible for the formation of the Justice League. Ruling the planet Apokolips with fear, Darkseid’s vision is to conquer and enslave all the known universes. As one of the New Gods, he has omnipotent powers, meaning he is pretty much immortal. Not only that, but he can also shoot laser beams from his eyes, is possessed with incredible strength, and has the ability to teleport to other universes when things get hairy. He is kind of like an evil Superman, just with fewer weaknesses. 

He has appeared in DC comics, movies, and TV series and is the Justice League’s ultimate nemesis. Although he can and has been defeated, Darkseid is too powerful to be kept at bay forever and always manages to make comeback.  

5. Guardians of the Universe

Don’t be deceived by these funny-looking fellas. The Guardians of the Universe are extremely powerful beings who are the founders of the Green Lantern Corps. They are all about seeking out truth and justice in the universe, making sure the balance of power never tips too far in one direction. These short, blue aliens might not be possessed with super strength, but what they lack in muscles they make up for with their minds.

The Guardians of the Universe have a vast knowledge of the universe and its inner workings. They can also fly, are durable to most attacks, and have psionic powers manifested through their own willpower. The Guardians also possess the ability to time travel, which is kinda neat. They might look harmless, but you don’t what to mess with the Guardians. 

6. Shazam

First known as Captain Marvel, teenager Billy Batson was gifted his superpowers by ancient gods. He was a big hit with comic book fans in the 40s before going through a dry patch. He is now back on top and recognized as one of DC’s most powerful beings. When Batson says the word, “Shazam!” he takes the powers from the immortal elders Solomon (wisdom), Hercules (strength), Atlas (stamina), Zeus (power), Achilles (courage), and Mercury (speed). Dressed in his familiar red suit with a gold lightning bolt on the front, Shazam can share his powers with others and uses them to fight crime. 

7. Elaine Belloc

Wanting to introduce a new character for his hit series Lucifer, creator Mike Carey came up with Elaine Belloc. The daughter of Michael Domiurgos (based on the archangel Michael), she is a young girl with immense abilities groomed by Lucifer as his successor. When her father was killed, she absorbed his powers and became omnipotent. Despite having all this power, Belloc still struggles to control it and often finds herself in dangerous situations. When she is angered she can often lose control and the consequences are deadly. 

8. Martian Manhunter

One of the original members of the Justice League of America, this cape-wearing superhero is extremely powerful. Martian Manhunter has been a mainstay of the DC Universe over the past 70 years and is possessed with a wide range of special powers. Being part of the Green Martian race means he has powers that include super-strength, telepathy, regeneration, flight, telekinesis, invisibility, shapeshifting, and heat vision. 

Although he is vulnerable to fire, he has managed to overcome this through the use of his other powers. A main player in the recent DC cinematic features, he has appeared in the movies Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, as well as the TV series Smallville, Supergirl, and other Arrowversse shows. 

9. Superman Prime

Superman Prime is an alternate version of Superman who is even more powerful than the Man of Steel. Known as the Last Son of Krypton, he has all the same powers as normal Superman, just multiplied by 10. While he is susceptible to kryptonite, it can only be from his universes. So if he visits any other world where there is kryptonite, it will have no impact on him. This makes Superman Prime one mighty individual.

The reason for his immense powers? He lived inside the sun for a lazy 15,000 years. Superman Prime can travel through time and space and is said to have even visited heaven and hell on his multi-dimensional journies. 

10. The Darkest Knight

While Batman doesn’t have any special powers, there is a version of him that is all mighty. In the Earth-22 universe, Batman is tormented by the Joker and infected with a poison that turns him into the evil The Batman Who Laughs. He goes on to slaughter all the heroes in his world and is then offered the chance to invade other universes by Barbatos.

A lot of bad shit goes down and using the powers of Dr Manhatten, The Batman Who Laughs transforms himself into The Darkest Knight, an omnipotent force. This is the vilest and most evil version of Batman ever created. He is responsible for killing the biggest heroes in the DC comics world. While almost invincible, it is Wonder Woman who finally puts him out of his misery and saves the day, but not before the near destruction of many worlds. 

11. Lucifer Morningstar

It should come as no surprise that the leader of Hell ranks on the DC power scale. Lucifer Morningstar first appeared in the pages of Sandman before getting his own spinoff series, both in comic book and television form. Following the story of the Bible, old mate Lucifer is kicked out of Heaven and sent to Hell, where he quickly asserts himself as the leader. After thousands of years ruling Hell, he gets bored and decides to move to Los Angeles, as you do. Even on Earth, Lucifer retains his god-like powers, often manipulating people to do his bidding and getting into all sorts of trouble. 

12. Dr Manhattan

Jonathan Osterman is a nuclear physicist who is transformed into the blue being known as Dr Manhattan after an experiment goes wrong. He is one of the main characters from Alan Moore’s Watchmen and the only superhero in the graphic novel with real powers. He has control over his atomic makeup and can do a number of incredible things, such as alter his size, pass through objects, teleport, and manipulate reality. Dr Manhattan is an immortal being who also features heavily in the Doomsday Clock storyline, where he is responsible for much of the carnage that happens. 

13. Black Adam

Black Adam is one of those complicated antiheroes. While one of Shazam’s greatest villains, he is also on his own path of redemption. During his initial run in the comics, he is a corrupted, ancient Egyptian baddie who makes his way to modern times to take down Captain Marvel. In newer versions of the character, he is an antihero trying to clear his name. This is the version of the character The Rock is set to play in the big-screen adaptation of Black Adam. Similar to his rival Shazam, Black Adam possesses the same powers, making him on par with the superhero. 

14. Flash

Barry Allen might not be your first point of call when it comes to powerful DC characters, but don’t underestimate Flash. While it’s true the costumed hero’s main gift is the ability to travel faster than the speed of thought, it is a power he can use in a variety of ways. Obviously, he can run super-fast, which is great, but his speed also enables him to time travel, which is neat. He also has the ability to absorb kinetic energy and shoot lightning bolts. He can speed read and shift his thoughts so quickly that his mind can’t be read. All in all, Flash has some of the strongest powers that make him a worthy addition to this list. 

15. The Spectre

The Spectre is like the manifestation of God’s wrath. He has taken on the form of many different DC characters, including Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern, and has the abilities of God. The Spectre can manipulate time and space, has limitless strength, can control matter and energy, and can force those he is taking vengeance upon to do his bidding. He is almost indestructible, with his only weakness being magic. The Spectre can also be killed by the Spear of Destiny. 

He first appeared in More Fun Comics #52 in 1940 and has been an ever-present villain since. He became a key component of The New 52 revamp of the DC Universe in 2011, making his presence felt in Gotham. 

16. Michael Demiurgos

The father of Elaine Belloc and brother of Lucifer Morningstar is a powerful being in his own right. Michael Demiurgos led the armies of Heaven against the uprising of Lucifer and his cronies. He is the one responsible for Lucifer being deported to Hell. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to enjoy the spoils of war as he was kidnapped by the fallen angel Sandalphon. He goes through a lot of shit–has a child, gets killed, and is resurrected–before eventually dying and passing his powers onto his daughter Belloc. 

While alive, Michael possessed the Demiurgic power that allowed him to create anything out of nothing. He was also super strong, had the ability to fly, could talk to animals, and teleport. His power was only matched by that of his brother and his father, God. 

17. Doctor Fate

Not to be confused with Doctor Doom or Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Doctor Fate is a masked superhero possessed with a vast number of superpowers. The original version of this character was trained by the Lord of Order in magic for two decades before he went on to form the Justice Society of America.

He is almost unmatched as a sorcerer and has many impressive powers, including flight, invisibility, teleportation, dimensional travel, and necromancy. He is considered one of the most powerful users of magic in the DC Universe. The use of the ‘Artifacts of Fate’ is also a big help for Doctor Fate and a source of some of his power.  

18. Mister Mxyzptlk 

Here is a strange character who possesses infinite powers. Mister Mxyzptlk, or Mr Mxyzptlk, is a trickster whose sole goal is to mess with people. He hails from the 5th dimension and is often a thorn in Superman’s side. He has reality-warping powers that he uses to play ticks on Superman. Mxyzptlk can teleport anywhere and can’t be harmed. The only way to defeat him is by making Mister Mxyzptlk say his name backwards. You might think this is a hard task, but Mxyzptlk is quite gullible and easily tricked.

While he has immense power, being able to teleport anywhere with no physical flaws, Mxyzptlk is less of a villain and more of a hindrance to Superman. 

19. Eclipso

Eclipso is a supervillain that first appeared in 1963s House of Secrets #61. He is a being who is responsible for carrying out God’s dirty work until he was replaced by The Spectre when he turned evil. Eclipso has many of the standard superhero powers, such as flight, super speed and stamina, immortality, but can also shoot beams of light from his eyes. He can also perform magic and absorb the powers of others, making him super strong. 

This hulking beast has possessed many different bodies during his reign of terror, with the most notable being poor Bruce Gordon. He is featured not only in the comics but also in several animated movies and TV shows, including the hit series Stargirl. 

20. Orion

Despite his father being one of the most powerful villains in the DC Universe, Orion uses his powers for good. The second son of Darkseid, this New God has many of the same powers as his father. He has super strength and is near indestructible. A great warrior, he also has Darkseid’s rage that runs deep within him. He often struggles to keep the evil side of his personality at bay, lashing out in violence against those around him. But more often than not he manages to gain control of his emotions and succeed in doing the right thing.