Justice League Gods and Monsters Clip

Marvel might rule the live-action scene, but for decades DC has been dominating when it comes to animation. From classics like Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League to modern entries like Gods and Monsters, DC's animation team has put out some amazing movies and TV shows. That got us thinking, who is the most powerful figure in the DC Animated Universe? It's a tricky question to answer, considering DC has been putting out cartoons for several decades. With that in mind, we decided to narrow it down to characters who have made an appearance in the recent Justice League: War or the following movies so we have a bit of a baseline to work with. That being said, we will use the comics and other mediums to support our arguments. Here are the 12 Most Powerful Figures in the DC Animated Universe.

12. Batman

Batman

Let’s get  the obvious out of the way first, Bruce Wayne does not have any superpowers; one could argue that he does not deserve to be one this list. That being said, Batman has defeated many superpowered opponents in the past and has devised plans to take out the entire Justice League. At one point, Superman even called him the most dangerous man on the planet, so we think he deserves a spot on this list even if it’s at the bottom.

Bruce Wayne isn’t the only Batman to appear the DCAU; Gods and Monsters introduced us to a new Batman in the form of Kirk Langstrom. Langstrom was a brilliant scientist whose experiments involving bats ended up turning him into a vampire granting him supernatural strength, speed and a thirst for blood.

11. Mera

Mera, One Of The Most Powerful Animated DC Characters

Aquama’s wife, Mera, was raised as an assassin in the realm of Xebel. Her training makes her an excellent hand-to-hand combatant, but her true power lies in her sorcery. She has control over water and is able to create weapons, shields and other objects from water similar to a Green Lantern ring. While it’s rarely mentioned, her control over bodies of water could theoretically mean she could manipulate the blood inside a human being which would make her a truly terrifying opponent. Sadly, Mera herself hasn’t done much in the DCAU outside of Young Justice, but hopefully that will change in the future.

10. Cyborg

Cyborg, One Of The Most Powerful Animated DC Characters

Victor Stone was a talented football player until an accident changed his life. His father,desperate to save him, bonded him with technology from Darkseid’s world of Apokolips, transforming him into Cyborg. Thanks to the alien tech powering his suit Cyborg has access to a wide array of devastating weapons including an energy cannon, a sonic cannon capable of taking out the likes of Superboy, and an ice gun that would make Mr. Freeze jealous. While not necessarily a weapon, Cyborg’s built in 'motherbox' allows him to teleport anywhere in the universe.  In addition to his diverse array of weapons, Cyborg’s computer systems allow him to interface with nearly any computer system on the planet and translate any language.

9. Green Lantern

Green Lantern, One Of The Most Powerful Animated DC Characters

There are thousands of members of the Green Lantern Corps scattered across the universe, but this entry focus on the first human to be recruited into the corps, Hal Jordan. Powered by the user’s will, the Green Lantern rings are often considered to be the most powerful weapon in the DC universe. The rings’ upper limits have never truly been specified, but, as a general rule, they are capable of doing pretty much anything as long as the wielder has the strength of will to back it up. One of the most impressive examples was when Hal Jordan used the power of his ring to contain the explosion of a supernova. The DCAU hasn’t shown us any feats quite as amazing as that, but it’s given us plenty of awesome set pieces. One of the coolest occurs in Throne of Atlantis when Jordan uses his ring to create a giant robot that vacuums up the Ocean Master’s invading army.

8. Aquaman

Aquaman, One Of The Most Powerful Animated DC Characters

Arthur Curry, better known as Aquaman gets a lot of hate for his terrible showing in the old Superfriends cartoon, but in reality he is one of the most powerful figures in the DCU. Before going any farther, let’s address one of his more mocked powers, the ability to talk to fish. While it makes for good jokes, Aquaman does not “talk” to sea life, but simply commands them such as when he summoned a great white shark to devour a group of parademons during the Justice League's first encounter with Darkseid. His Atlantean heritage grants him superhuman strength and his skin, which has evolved to survive the crushing pressure of the ocean, is all but indestructible. It also helps that his trident was once wielded by the god Poseidon and allows Aquaman to hurl bolts of lightning at his foes and summon tidal waves capable of devastating entire continents. 

7. The Flash

The Flash, One Of The Most Powerful Animated DC Characters

Barry Allen, better known as the Flash, is the fastest man alive. Thanks to his connection to the Speed Force, the Flash is faster than Superman and is able to travel at speeds exceeding the speed of light. One of the neatest examples of his speed in DCAU comes from Justice League V. Teen Titans where the Flash is able to run on the balls of hail created by Weather Wizard.  In addition to his amazing speed, the Flash’s mind works much faster than a normal human’s, and his body is able to quickly heal from wounds. The Speed Force doesn’t grant the Flash any superhuman strength, but he is able to move so fast that it isn’t really needed. Force=mass times acceleration, and and the speed of light provides plenty of force no matter your mass.

6. Shazam

Shazam, The Flash, One Of The Most Powerful Animated DC Characters

The wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury: these were the gifts given to young Billy Baxton when he was chosen to become the hero known as Shazam. These supernatural gifts give Billy a wide-array of powers including strength to rival Superman and Wonder Woman, speed to match the Flash, vast knowledge, and the ability to fly and throw hurl the lightning of Zeus. Shazam’s power is such that he’s often able to end fights before they truly begin, but one of his greatest strengths is his endurance. Thanks the stamina of Atlas (the titan cursed to bear the weight of the world) he will never tire meaning he could theoretically outlast beings such as Superman and Doomsday.

5. Raven

Raven, Shazam, The Flash, One Of The Most Powerful Animated DC Characters

A longtime member of the Teen Titans, Raven is the daughter, and occasional vessel, for the demon Trigon and one of the more powerful sorcerers in DCU. Gauging her full power is a really tricky thing because we only see her in one movie, Justice League V. Teen Titans, and her powers tend to fluctuate a whole lot in the comics. Part of this is due to the simple fact that she often appears in team books and writers often limit the more powerful members so they don’t overshadow the rest of the team. What we do know is that when Raven goes “darkside” she is easily able to overpower her teammates, so she is likely the most powerful of the Titans. Speaking of heroes fighting heroes, in one of the crossover events she was able to stand toe to toe with Dark Phoenix, among the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe.

4. Trigon

Trigon, Raven, Shazam, The Flash, One Of The Most Powerful Animated DC Characters

Trigon is more of an opponent of the Teen Titans than he is of the Justice League, but he’s still one of the more powerful threats to show up in the DCAU. A powerful demon lord, Trigon has been shown to destroy entire worlds and possesses a host of abilities. Some of them are standard fare such as energy blasts and strength, whereas others are a bit more unique, such as the ability to alter reality itself. Like a lot of heroes and villains in comics, Trigon’s power tends to fluctuate depending on the needs of the plot. Sometimes he’s a word-ending threat capable of taking on the Justice League and the Teen Titans. Other Times, he’s not so impressive. His sole appearance in the recent DCAU outing, Justice League V. Teen Titans, made him out to be a fairly competent threat.

3. Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman, Raven, Shazam, The Flash, One Of The Most Powerful Animated DC Characters

There are actually two versions of Wonder Woman in the DCAU. The first is, of course, Diana Prince the amazonian warrior sent to protect man’s world. Her gods granted powers make her nearly as strong as Superman, but without his vulnerability to magic. Whereas Superman relies on raw power, Wonder Woman’s training has made her one of the most skilled combatants in the DCU.

The second version of the character comes from Gods and Monsters which gives a version of Wonder Woman, known as Becca, who hails from New Genesis after her grandfather, the Highfather, killed her husband. In addition to the natural strength of a New God, this Wonder Woman carries a sword forged in the fires of Apokolips. The blade can cut through nearly anything, but it’s true power lies in the motherbox embedded in its hilt, allowing Wonder Woman to teleport anywhere in the universe.

2. Superman

Superman, Raven, Shazam, The Flash, One Of The Most Powerful Animated DC Characters

Arguable the most powerful hero in the DCU, and comics in general, Superman is the face of the DCU. Hailing from the doomed planet of Krypton, Superman, also known as Kal-el or Clark Kent, is able to absorb the energy of Earth’s sun giving him incredible power. Always at the forefront of every battle, Superman has stood toe to toe with some of the greatest villains in the DC Universe. With super speed, strength, flight heat and x-ray vision, Superman’s power has led others in the DCU to compare him to a god. In fact, it’s a good thing that this list is limited strictly to the animated movies, because in the comics Superman has had pretty much every power under the yellow sun.

1. Darkseid

Darkseid, Raven, Shazam, The Flash, One Of The Most Powerful Animated DC Characters

Arguably the most powerful villain in the DC universe, Darkseid is the ruler of Apokolips and poses a constant threat to the Justice League. Darkseid possess incredible strength, is nearly immortal, and has an army of followers at his command, but his most powerful weapon is the Omega Effect. The Omega Effect, normally harnessed as eye beams, is a form of energy that is capable of erasing nearly anything it touches from existence.  

The upper limits of Darkseid’s power tends to fluctuate. Sometimes, as in Justice League: War, he is able to defeat the entire League on his own whereas other times Superman is able to take him down by himself. We’ll likely see another take on Darkseid in the upcoming Justice League movie, as it’s been heavily implied that he the main villain.