DC Comics has been creating superheroes and supervillains for 88 years now. One thing that DC does better than anyone else is creating powerful characters. There was once a time when Superman could move planets and fly many times the speed of light. The Speed Force has made the various Flashes the most powerful heroes around, and magical characters like Raven, Doctor Fate, and Zatanna are all powerhouses. DC’s heroes and villains are often much more powerful than their marvelous counterparts; even though the general power levels have gone down, the publisher still puts out the most powerful characters in comics.
There are some heroes who are just as powerful as they seem, but there are others who aren’t. These DC characters have higher power level than it looks on the surface, their true power level often not shining through. These ten DC characters are more powerful than most fans realize, and are some of the strongest characters in comics.
10) Wonder Woman
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Wonder Woman is a part of the Trinity, and one of the most famous heroes ever created. Most people will say that she’s powerful, but a lot of fans don’t really understand how truly formidable she is. Diana is a child of magic, created by the gods as a reward to Hippolyta, and can tap into greater magic than most fans realize. Wonder Woman doesn’t have the most formidable villains, so she rarely has to dig deep into her magical powers. However, books like Justice League Dark (Vol. 2) have showed how powerful she can be once she taps into her magical potential.
9) Red Tornado
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Red Tornado is DC’s version of the Vision, an android created to destroy the Justice League that learned the power of friendship and love, becoming a great hero. Reddy eventual bonded with a wind elemental, making his tornado powers even more formidable. Red Tornado’s old body was basically indestructible; he’s been rebuilt numerous times over the decades, with his “soul” returning to his renewed body many times. It wasn’t until recently that his old body was completely destroyed, forcing him into the Watchtower computer systems while trying to create a new body. Reddy doesn’t get the credit that he deserves, as he’s more powerful and skilled than most fans realize.
8) The Demon
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The Demon Etrigan was once an angel in the Silver City, but followed Lucifer into rebellion. Etrigan is known for his great strength, durability, and fire-breathing, but he’s also a magical powerhouse. Angels are extremely powerful, and demons kept most of that power after their rebellion. Etrigan hasn’t had a lot of spotlight lately (although he did show up in DC K.O. and got to round two), but anyone who’s followed the character over the decades knows how formidable he can be under the control of creators who understand his true power level, and that’s before we get into the magical power of his human form, Jason Blood, who is a brother of Merlin.
7) Vixen
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Vixen is the recipient of the Tantu Totem, an artifact that links her to the Red. This has allowed her to take on the powers and characteristics of any animal on Earth. She’s been a linchpin on numerous Justice League teams over the years, and in the 21st century tapped into a power that she never had before, allowing her to copy the powers of the people around her as well. She kept this upgrade a secret for a while, but has since accepted this new power and learned to use it better. She’s just as powerful as anyone around her, giving her so much potential power it’s not funny.
6) John Constantine
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John Constantine is an extremely formidable magic user, and is well-known for defeating everything in his way. However, for the vast majority of his existence, he was played as more clever than powerful, doing things that his enemies didn’t expect with his more limited powers. However, recent years have seen him get more and more powerful, especially since he started hanging out with the superheroes more. Recently, Batman/Deadpool #1 saw Doctor Strange say that John Constantine was the Sorcerer Supreme of the DC Multiverse. This confirms that he’s on a whole other level of power than most fans realized.
5) Poison Ivy
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Poison Ivy has grown into one of the most powerful tweeners (a wrestling term meaning someone that is both a hero and a villain) in comics. Ivy’s gained control over plant life as the years have gone by, building a connection to the Green. While she’s not as powerful as someone like Swamp Thing, she has mastered many of the same abilities that he has, and can even create entirely new bodies for herself if her old one dies, although this is very hard for her. Her powers have made her more formidable than ever, and there might be a chance that she eventually does reach Swamp Thing levels of control over the Green.
4) Beast Boy
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Beast Boy’s power to shapeshift into animals has made one of the Teen Titans/Titans’ most formidable members. Recent years have seen him reveal a new power, becoming swarms of insects when he needs to, which is definitely a gamechanger. He’s also shown the ability to become animals that no one thought that he could have, like Starro the Conqueror. The Titans’ funnest member can transform into one of the most feared beasts in the cosmos, and could probably turn into a Sun-Eater if he tried. His powers have gotten even better than ever, and this has taken him to a whole new level of power.
3) Animal Man
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Animal Man, much like Beast Boy and Vixen, has become a much more powerful animal-based hero over the decades. At first, he was just a silly Silver Age hero who could take on the powers of animals, but it was eventually revealed that he was the avatar of the Red, which allowed him to tap into the morphogenetic field and take on the powers of animals from across the universe. There’s really no limit to the power that Animal Man has, and he’s become a favorite of DC fans thanks to his time being written by Grant Morrison in the late ’80s classic Animal Man.
2) Mister Miracle
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Mister Miracle is the most popular New God, and he’s also one of the most powerful. While his brother from another father and mother Orion is often given credit as the most powerful New God that isn’t Highfather or Darkseid, Scott Free is actually much more powerful. He’s shown the ability to tap into the Alpha Effect, a power that is diametrically opposed to Darkseid’s Omega Effect. Instead of being able to kill anyone with one-shot, he can heal and preserve, and bring light and love back to any place that is full of darkness and hatred. He doesn’t tap into this power very often, but it’s part of why he’s one of the most formidable New Gods on New Genesis.
1) Martian Manhunter
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Martian Manhunter is the most underrated DC hero. He has all of the best superpowers, like super strength, super speed, super senses, flight, Martian vision, invulnerability, shapechanging, invisibility, and intangibility, and is a powerhouse on a level with characters like Superman and the Captain. He’s the most powerful telepath on the planet, and can transform into any attack form he can imagine. Martian Manhunter has always been one of the most powerful beings on Earth, and most fans don’t even realize it.
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