Astro City is one of the most loving and fun homages to comic books that exist in comic book form. An intricately woven world and continuity, Astro City takes all the best elements of various comic book inspirations for Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross, and the rest of the creative team.

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Gods, aliens, and sorcerers populate Astro City. That's a lot of power in a fairly small space. But who among the characters is the most powerful? A hero? A villain? Someone in between? Here are the ten most powerful characters in Astro City, ranked.

10 Steeljack

Steeljack's skin can transform into solid steel, making him impervious to a lot of hurt people might deal out. He's extremely strong and durable as a result. Steeljack might seem a little like Colossus at first blush, but there are major differences that make Carl Donewicz a truly compelling character. He's much older, and kind of a criminal who volunteers to be turned into a steel person to become a supervillain. After some time in the clink, he became a private eye and the definition of 'hard-boiled.'

9 N-Forcer

N-Forcer is a hero who by virtue of wearing the N-Forcer has the power of flight, energy projection, and energy construction. The identity of the man inside the armor is a bit of a mystery. At least two versions of N-Forcer exist, the first a member of the Justice League-like Honor Guard, and the second a more modern interpretation. The power seems to belong solely to the suit, suggesting that anyone could wear it and be gifted with the same extraordinary set of abilities.

8 Starwoman

Starwoman like N-Forcer possesses the ability to fly and shoot awesome energy beams. Where she differs is in her alien physiology. Pr'slla of K'ntar was originally from an alien world who came to Earth to help the Honor Guard defend it against an invasion by the evil Dark Aurora. Starwoman fought alongside the Honor Guard in the 50s and the 60s but later retired to start a family. Her title and powers passed on in a way to a new hero, Starfighter.

7 The First Family

The First Family is an obvious and acknowledged homage to the Fantastic Four, but the First Family might be much more powerful than their inspiration. The team consists of the Fursts: Augustus, Julius, Nick, Natalie, Rex, Astra, Sasha, and Karl.

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Astra Furst can turn into a being of pure energy, as well as fly and project energy; Rex Majestros is a member of subterranean lizard race with superhuman strength and endurance; Sasha Furst is a shapeshifter who can assume any earthly shape. Together, they're one of the most powerful teams in Astro City.

6 The Broken Man

Little is known about the Broken Man, but he possesses an ability unlike any other in Astro City: the ability to break the fourth wall. The Broken Man directly addresses the reader, not unlike Deadpool, but Deadpool doesn't have the agency of Broken Man. The Broken Man appears to have some say in how events unfold, perhaps a result of the mysterious set of circumstances that led to his creation. He's been shattered and reconstituted many times, his form taking on new identities for different eras.

5 The Confessor

The Confessor is a dark-robed vigilante who has been protecting the streets of Astro City at night for a long, long time. But he's more than an ordinary man taking up an extraordinary cause. He's actually a vampire. His vampiric abilities allow him to turn into mist, become invisible in any kind of mirror or reflective device, and if that wasn't enough, he's also really strong and really fast. The Confessor also a super high tolerance for pain: he wore a cross on his chest - not good for vampires - to keep him from drinking the blood of others.

4 Winged Victory

Winged Victory is unique - and controversial - among the heroes in Astro City. She focuses her efforts to help people exclusively on women. Hard to argue that women don't need help, but her choice to not help men stirred some feathers. She has enough of those to keep her above the fray. Her wings allow her to fly at supersonic speeds, and she's also very strong, one of the strongest people in Astro City. What's more, when things get tough, she can call on the Council of Nike for backup.

3 Cleopatra II

The second woman to bear the name Cleopatra, Sara Brandeis is sort of like Storm, if Storm were also a sorceress. Cleopatra possesses the Sun Staff of Ra which is as awesome as it sounds. With the staff, Cleopatra has access to a mystical force known as the Power Pyramid.

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She can use this power to bind her enemies, and because having dominion over a mystical force isn't enough, she can also control the weather. Cleopatra's assets only keep getting better: she can fly, she's super strong, and she doesn't need to breathe in space.

2 Samaritan

The Samaritan from Astro City flying through the clouds with a stoic look on his face

The First Family is an analog for the Fantastic Four; Samaritan is Superman. Born in the 35th century, he was sent back in time to save earth from ecological disaster. On the way, he was suffused with the power of time and space itself, making him one of the strongest beings around. His most unique power is the Empyrean Web, an energy field he shoots from his hands. This web does everything from catching bad guys to catching meteors. On top of that, he can fly, he's super strong, super tough, and when things just get too much, he can shift into a pocket dimension called the Closet.

1 Eterneon

Eterneon is the Lord of Time. Whether or not he's from Gallifrey, no one knows. Very little is known about the being, except that he's able to hang in a fight with Samaritan and Winged Victory, and oh yeah, controls and defends the time stream. This allows him to manipulate time, which might be the single greatest power of all. In addition, Eterneon has shown the ability to adjust his size, making him a difficult target even for the most equipped heroes of Astro City.

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