Within the annals of the DC Comics Universe, there are tons of powerful characters that threaten to defy conventional understanding. There’s no denying that superheroes like Superman, Green Lantern, and the Flash are awe-inspiring, but even they pail in comparison with the heaviest hitters in their universe and even the Multiverse. In fact, these gods are so mighty, that they can reshape reality to their will, freeze time, and do whatever they desire. Because many stories focus on earthbound heroes, mortals, it’s difficult to understand these cosmic beings, much less fully appreciate the scope of their power.
The concept of gods is a tricky one. In DC Comics, even God isn’t called ”God” but referred to by a different name. Numerous other gods are gods in name alone, having proclaimed themselves as deities. Yet their mighty is so profound, there’s no better words to describe these individuals. After all, there was a time when those in lower realms and peoples worshiped them, despite being more alien than divine. Even though there are too many gods to count, not all of them are created equal; some are vastly stronger than others. Today at CBR we’re looking at and ranking the most powerful gods in DC Comics.
26 HERCULES
Arguably one of the first superheroes in all of fiction, the legend of Hercules is known far and wide. Though while the Greek myths have the son of Zeus hoisting the planet Earth on his back and performing all manner of outrageous deeds, the DC Comics version of the demigod is slightly weaker -- that doesn’t make him any less impressive. The Greek Gods are well established in the DC Universe, thanks in part to Wonder Woman and her interacting with all manner of deities. Some comics depict Wonder Woman as the direct offspring of Zeus, but you know who is the child of the famous god? Hercules! Truly, Hercules is one of he more prominent and powerful out of all of Zeus’s children.
All things considered, the comic book origin of Hercules is pretty consistent with the tone of the original myth. He’s the super strong, durable, prone to violence, and has gone on many an adventure. Granted, this version of Hercules, just like his mythic self, wasn’t always a hero, considering how he once imprisoned the Amazon Queen and tried to subjugate her people. Yet eventually, at least in the comics, Hercules was able to find redemption and discover what it means to be a hero. Even so, this Hercules has been defeated multiple times and recently perished at the hands of Darkseid’s daughter, Grail.
25 GRAIL
Speaking of Grail, the daughter of Darkseid, she’s a relatively recent addition to the DC Universe but has quickly cemented herself as one of the deadliest individuals on Earth. Having killed Hercules, along with a bunch of Zeus’ children, Grail is especially competent in the art of combat. Nearly as powerful as Wonder Woman, she even possesses a couple powers that the Amazon Princess does not. Born from Darkseid and the Amazonian assassin Myrina, Grail was birthed on the same day as Wonder Woman. Unlike Princess Diana however, the union that spawned Grail was the literal combination of Old and New Gods. While she has some of the powers and abilities of her dad, she was raised by an Amazon and learned to fight like one of their warriors. A quick learner, Grail mastered the art of slaying opponents early in her life.
Known for her merciless attitude, Grail is so skilled and powerful, that similar to Wonder Woman, she too has taken on the entirety of the Justice League and almost come up on top. However, Grail’s true strength lies in guerrilla attacks and sneaking up in her prey, and though she’s is great at ambushing, occasionally she’ll become too over-confident. If Grail loses the element of surprise, it’s possible to defeat her. That said, with her ability to teleport, absorb energy, and fire Omega Beams from her eyes, good luck surviving her.
24 BIG BARDA
Despite being one of the most famous of the New Gods of Apokolips, Big Barda is a hero unlike many others. Though she was originally the leader of the malevolent Female Furies, a group of (generally) evil powerful females who served Darkseid unconditionally, once Barda met Scot Free, aka Mister Miracle, she turned her life around. From there, the she became a die-hard force for good.
One of the strongest women in the DC Universe, Big Barda is very well a match for heroes like Wonder Woman and even Superman. Far mightier than nearly any New God, she’s been a member of the Justice League of America and the Birds of Prey. Considered one of the best hand-to-hand and melee warriors in then entirety of DC Comics, her skill is all the greater thanks to her being a New God. Big Barda is the host to many incredible powers, including teleportation, invulnerability, and energy blasts thanks to her Powerful Rod. Yet that’s not everything. She’s immortal, she can fly with the aid of some fancy technology, she’s proficient with any weapon, she’s lifted a million tons, and even hit a planet with another force to crack it in half. All things considered, it would take a lot to bring down Big Barda.
23 STEPPENWOLF
Ever since it was announced that Steppenwolf would be the big bad in the relatively recent Justice League movie, he’s developed more and more attention. While it’s certainly obvious that he’s nowhere near the strongest god, Steppenwolf is still a mighty force to be reckoned with and can easily take on fan-favorite superheroes like Wonder Woman. Created by comics maestro Jack Kirby and first appearing in New Gods #7, Steppenwolf is the uncle to Darkseid and one of the best generals under the latter’s command -- Steppenwolf has literally thousands of year’s worth of combat experience. He’s helped Darkseid raze world after world. With strength at the very least on par with Wonder Woman, Steppenwolf’s real claim to fame occurred towards the beginning of DC Comics’ series Earth-2.
Taking place in the alternate universe of Earth-2, Steppenwolf, leading the charge for Darkseid, succeeds in destroying the world. Thanks to both his raw power and military genius, he’s able to kill Wonder Woman easily, before maneuvering events so that Superman and Batman are the next to fall, plunging the world in darkness. From there, he became the ruler of Earth-2, and would’ve reigned supreme if not for eventually being killed by an evil clone of Superman.
22 WONDER WOMAN
One of DC Comics’ most iconic and beloved superheroes, Wonder Woman is a shining beacon of love and hope. Raised from childhood to be a warrior, Diana has trained for literal centuries. Receiving her powers from the Greek Gods, Wonder Woman was endowed with the strength of Hercules, the speed of Hermes, wisdom of Athena, and armed with indestructible bracelets that could deflect any projectile. Her unbreakable Lasso of Truth is used to ensnare opponents, rendering them helpless, and her tiara can be used as a lethal boomerang. Ever since the New 52, Diana’s origin was retconned so that she was the daughter of Zeus, making her a demigod. Diana even went on to become the new God of War for a time, pushing her powers to new heights. Although that transformation has been retconned too, that wasn’t her only brush with godliness, as seen when she was once the Goddess of Truth.
Among the Justice League, Diana’s power level is second only to Superman, but with her superior fighting skill, she’s defeated him on more than one occasion. Take into account that she’s also a being of magic, and the Man of Steel really shouldn’t be able to touch her. Diana is a master tactician and strategist. She’s beaten the Reverse-Flash while blind, pulled the Martian Manhunter out of a black hole, and deflected the full might of Olympus. The premiere melee fighter in the DC Universe, there are few mortals (and immortals) Diana cannot defeat.
21 ORION
Though he’s the biological son of Darkseid, The Highfather raised Orion. In one of the penultimate battles between New Genesis and Apokolips, Darkseid and Highfather realized they needed to form some sort of truce, else watch as both their worlds be destroyed. The two made a deal to exchange their sons, and Darkseid raised Scott Free and Highfather would look after Orion. It was a way to ensure each had a bargaining chip in case the other decided to ignore their truce. Since then, Highfather, realizing Darkseid would eventually go back on his word, groomed Orion from birth to defeat his real father.
Because Orion has Darkseid’s blood in him, he shares his father’s penchant for violence. This resulted in Orion spending much of his life trying to control his inner rage and madness. Even though Orion never gained perfect control, this served him to become one of the strongest warriors in DC Comics. Though he fights for the good guys, Orion won’t suffer insults from anybody and will fight anyone he deems worth fighting. Orion’s feats are pretty extraordinary, as he’s beaten Superman on occasion, nearly killed Darkseid’s other son, Kalibak, and even proved successful at killing Darkseid, but ramming his fist through his adoptive father’s heart. While the New 52 has weakened Orion a bit, he’s still easily capable of throwing down with Superman and Wonder Woman.
20 ARES
Ares, the God of War, is among Wonder Woman’s most iconic foes. A being with neigh unlimited power, defeating his physical form isn’t enough -- he’s fueled by war and the evil in men’s hearts. So long as there’s violence, Ares will be there. He’s fought Wonder Woman on multiple occasions and even if she pushes him back, it’s only by the skin of her teeth. Luckily for her, Ares prefers manipulating others into doing his bidding rather than engaging in physical combat. That said, Ares can teleport, uses necromancy, and has superhuman strength, mind control, energy projection, telepathy, etc. etc. While physically Wonder Woman might not be able to beat Ares, she’s beaten him through more devious means. Once she hogtied him with her lasso, making him experience the suffering he’d wrought on the world.
Even so, Ares has an unassailable drive for combat and destruction and it will never truly be quenched. Though occasionally some writers have Ares trying to move on from his immortal life of war, it’s only because he has another scheme or two cooking and is trying to throw folks off his trail. A masterful tactician, as is to be expected from the literal god of war, Ares is an agent of chaos, and remains one of the most brutal deities Wonder Woman has ever come across.
19 HERMES
The Greek Gods of DC Comics are among the strongest and most revered beings in the entire universe. While the powers of many Greek Gods tend to focus on very specific areas, there are a couple, like Zeus, who are powerhouses all around. One of the mightiest, and definitely the fastest, of all the Greek deities is Hermes. Over the course of decades DC Comics has presented many different versions of Hermes. He’d usually interact with Wonder Woman, helping her, or other times he was something of a birdlike trickster figure. It doesn’t really matter what continuity you pick from, Hermes has been, and likely always will be, one of the biggest guns in DC lore.
Just like in Greek myths, Hermes is mesmerizing in his speed. The messenger god of Olympus, he’s the patron of travelers and thieves. Presumably even faster than the Flash, Hermes is even faster than any god in the DC Universe. Additionally, Hermes can teleport anywhere at will with the use of his staff, he can shapeshift, is immortal, and can heal almost instantly from any wound and is virtually unkillable. Like with many gods however, Hermes doesn’t just rely on brute force. He’s one of the cleverest gods and uses his intellect to his advantage and stays a step ahead of his adversaries.
18 GOG
Out of all the gods in the DC Universe, one of the more peculiar is the entity known as Gog. There have been multiple Gogs in DC Comics and they’ve all proven to be insanely powerful. From a paradise known as the Third World, Gog’s world was destroyed at one point when the old gods went to war with one another. Refusing to take sides, Gog was cast out. He fled into the Bleed and went from dimension to dimension until he came up Earth and found William Matthews. William had been parading around as Gog, but he actually wasn’t the real deal. From there, Gog was determined to wipe out any and all false gods, which sort of included superheroes.
Gog possesses all the fancy powers you might think a god would possess, including bending time and reality, super strength, energy blasts, and flight. One power of Gog’ that separates him from the masses is his unique ability to grant people wishes! Occasionally, it might even appear that Gog’s power is without limits. It’s been show time and again in how he could kill Superman repeatedly, each time in a matter of seconds. In Mark Waid’s The Kingdom, Gog, imbued with unearthly power, goes back in time and kills Superman over and over again. Then he travels back a day into the past, killing the Man of Steel once more. He repeats the process over and over again.
17 SWAMP THING
Before Alec Holland became Swamp Thing, the avatar of The Green, he was a respected botanist. Following a horrific accident, Holland transformed into the aforementioned Swamp Thing and became a god. Serving The Green, the elemental force that connects all plant life in the DC Universe, Swamp Thing’s solidified his place as a peculiar, but incredibly powerful, force in the DC Universe. With the ability to control and manipulate any form of vegetation, thanks to his intimate connection to all plant life, Swamp Thing dedicates his time to protecting both humanity and the plant world. Swamp Thing is virtually immortal, and if his body is ever destroyed, he can regenerate and “resurrect” himself in all plant life, even out of something as tiny as a seed.
Capable of being multiple places at once, inhabiting any plant(s) at any time, nowhere is safe from Swamp Thing. So long as there’s some form of vegetation he can never be completely eradicated. At least as physically strong as Superman, if not stronger, his Swamp Thing’s strength is tied directly to the his connection to the Earth. If he needs additional power, The Green can supply it to him, meaning the top tiers of his physical power is unknown. Furthermore, Swamp Thing can astral project, possess people, create multiple versions of himself, and can even grow wings which enable him to fly. The only ways to hurt Swamp Swing are by either destroying the planet or, weirdly enough, pollution.
16 X'HAL
Fans of the Teen Titans are most likely pretty familiar with the hero Starfire and her tendency of yelling out the name of her god… like, all the time. X’hal is the god of Starfire’s people, the Tamaranians, and she’s also one of the more powerful cosmic beings residing in the DC Universe.
First appearing in The New Teen Titans Annual #1, X’Hal is actually the leader of an alien race called the Okaaranas. Yet after a series of rather horrible and long-winded events, the alien beings known as the Psions, captured X’Hal. They performed horrible experiments on her and in one altercation she ended up getting killed. Upon being reanimated, X’Hal returned with a vengeance, angrier than ever before with her power was at an all-time high. Flash forward a bit later and X’Hal destroyed three of the 23 planets in the Vega System -- tens of thousands died in an effort to imprison her. When the Teen Titans met her years later, the young superheroes discovered that the goddess was much more flawed, complicated, and mad, than anyone was expecting. Thanks to the torture she endured, her mind is fractured and while she can be warm and motherly, she can also be destructive and manic.
15 TAKION
First appearing in Takion #1, Josh Saunders was a blind psychologist who Highfather chose to become an elemental of The Source. Turned into a living god, Josh, now known as Takion, was given the ability to manipulate energies from The Source. Effectively an avatar of the light side of The Source, Takion’s true purpose was to serve as a security measure in case Highfather ever died. After his initial transformation, Takion’s energy was so intense that it attracted Captain Atom, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, and Wally West as the Flash. Within moments, he defeated three of Earth’s most powerful heroes, but then left the planet, aware that his abilities were too great to be contained to Earth.
One of the greatest manipulators of The Source energy, aside from beings like Highfather, Takio was bestowed the gift of Omnipresence, which let him know everything, from the past, present, and future. Because of his connection to The Source, Takion had a massive shopping list of powers and he could do almost everything Highfather and Darkseid could. Takion’s greatest power however, was his speed. He was so fast that he was literally everywhere at the same time. Because Takion’s power was so great, even Darkseid felt threatened and went to great lengths to create a dark counterpoint to the young god. For all his might, Takion ended up getting killed in the Death of the New Gods series, his life ended by the dark energy of The Source.
14 THE WIZARD SHAZAM
“Shazam!” The calling card of DC’s Captain Marvel, every boy wants to yell up to the heavens and receive the gift of the gods via magic lightning. However, there was a time before the Wizard Shazam had chosen Billy Batson to be his mortal champion on Earth. In fact, when Shazam was a boy, over 9,000 years ago, six forgotten gods chose him to become their hero. From there, Shazam rose in the ranks of gods until he became a member of the Council of Eternity and the caretaker of the Rock of Eternity.
In current events, ever since the New God of Evil perished, Shazam decided to undergo something of a pilgrimage into The Source itself. Because The Source is where gods go to die, Shazam was forced to recruit new gods to empower Captain Marvel. Before (and even after) he needed a champion, Shazam was one of the mightiest gods around. Similar to Captain Marvel and Black Adam, the wizard had incredible powers, including telepathy, energy blasts, invulnerability, flight, and was a master of magic. Even when he became more aged, Shazam continued to boast sensational might and was one of the most powerful magical beings in the entire DC Universe. In the New 52, he became even stronger and was more than capable of taking on nearly any mortal, including people with Superman’s level of power.
13 ZEUS
Obviously, it comes as no surprise to learn that one of mightiest gods in DC’s Greek God pantheon, is none other than Zeus himself. The leader of the Greek Pantheon, Zeus has proven time and time again that he’s far more than just the lightning and thunder he’s known for. Like his mythic counterpart, Zeus has a long and astonishing history. Among other things, he’s known for giving birth to Hercules, and in the New 52 and onwards, it’s been established that he’s the father of Wonder Woman too. The Father of Olympus, God of Lightning, Skies and Earth, even cosmic beings like Highfather and Darkseid respect Zeus’s authority. The child of the Titan Cronus and Rhea, Zeus’s power was second to none for the longest time. In recent years, his power has dwindled somewhat since the only ones who believe in him are the Amazons. In recent issues of Wonder Woman, Zeus was slain by Darkseid and the New God’s machinations, but it looks like the leader of the Greek Gods is on the road to recovery.
When it comes to powers, Zeus’s skill in magic is such that he can use it to do whatever he needs. This includes freezing time, controlling the weather and the air, resurrecting the dead, shapeshifting, energy blasts, and is physically stronger than any superhero, including Superman. That said, it’s pretty easy to manipulate Zeus and his emotions, which leaves him vulnerable to attack or causes him to make sloppy decisions.
12 ATHENA
Though it’s easy to assume that Zeus is the most powerful Greek God, if only because he’s the head of Olympus, this isn’t actually the case. The god who gets the spot as the strongest in the Greek Pantheon is Zeus’s daughter, Athena. Among other things, Athena is known as the primary patron of Wonder Woman. The Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare, she is the one responsible for nearly all of Wonder Woman’s powers, be they of a physical or intellectual nature, and was instrumental in Wonder Woman’s creation (having originally brought Diana to life from clay). She’s repeatedly lent Diana fractions of her strength whenever Wonder Woman calls to her for help.
The most cunning and intelligent of all the gods, her mastery of war and strategy puts even Ares to shame. Athena is such a skilled strategist that she can recognize patterns, predicting the outcome of event so fully, that at times she appears omniscient. She has all the traits of the rest of the Greek Gods and she’s so proficient in battle, that Athena is reportedly unbeatable in a fight. There isn’t a single god who can match her in single combat. When Zeus died, Athena was grated all his power, further enhancing her might to astronomical levels.
11 RAO
Similar to how the Teen Titan Starfire will call out her patron god X’Hal in moments of excitement or duress, Superman does the same. Calling upon Rao, the deity is the God of Krypton. Rao is also the name of the Red Sun that orbited Krypton before its destruction. The oddly colored sun was named after the original God of Krypton, a fiery red deity who once ruled over Superman’s home planet.
Rao is insanely powerful, which stands to reason, as this is the guy Superman worships. In many stories, Rao is depicted as a humble god, with many Kryptonians (including the El family) still worshiping him long after his rule. The story goes that Rao is the first being to be born out of the void of the universe. Then late one evening, Rao was feeling particularly lonely, and decided to create a number of planets, Krypton being among them. He favored Krypton, considering it his personal jewel. However, with all the other gods who are said to have created the universe, it’s hard to know what’s truth and what’s superstition left over from Krypton’s early days. Regardless, in the New 52, Rao’s history was slightly altered. Rather than being a kindly god, he took humanoid form and became an evil false idol that tried to achieve immortality by siphoning the life from his followers, Superman included.
10 HIGHFATHER
Just because Highfather looks like an old man and isn’t as popular as Darkseid, doesn’t mean he’s weak. In fact, he’s one of Darkseid’s oldest enemies and if you can survive thousands of years against Darkseid, then you’ve got to be doing something right. Highfather is leader of the New Gods of New Genesis in the Fourth World. Since birth he’s been at odds with his biological brother, Darkseid. Never quite as violent as Darkseid, Highfather, whose real name is Izaya, is a cold and calculating God. He’s a general, and though he prides himself in overseeing the wellbeing of New Genesis, will do whatever it takes to stop his sibling.
His power is nearly unparalleled among mortals or corporal immortal beings. The caretaker of New Genesis, Highfather’s is the strongest of all the New Gods of New Genesis. In an instant, Highfather can destroy entire planets, smash Green Lantern constructs, and can even transform lesser beings into New Gods. Unlike Darkseid, Highfather’s power comes from his ability to communicate with The Source, a type of power that may or may not stem from or be God. His trademark staff acts as a conduit, enabling him to tap into The Source and utilize its vast power.
9 DARKSEID
We all know Darkseid -- he’s one of the most famous villains in the entirety of DC Comics and he’s only become more popular in recent years. Yet the hype is real, for Darkseid’s strength is the stuff of legends. The whole universe quakes at just his name. Throughout the cosmos, there are few entities who can, or would even want, to take Darkseid head-on in battle. Cementing himself as one of the DCU’s biggest bad guys, the New God is at the heart of almost every major event. Even if he’s not directly responsible for a crisis, you can bet he’ll try and take advantage of it to further increase his power.
Ultimately, Darkseid’s goal is to rule the universe and eliminate free will. In his never-ending quest to possess the dreaded Anti-life Equation, there are few lengths the dreaded New God won’t go to in order to make his dream a reality. Having defeated even the likes of Zeus, it’s rare that Darkseid comes across individuals who can challenge him. The only planet that seems to have successfully thwarted his advances is Earth, and that’s only because the world is home to the likes of the Justice League. With super strength, telekinesis, immortality, energy and mass manipulation, his Omega powers, and nearly countless others, there’s little he cannot do. In spite of his power, Darkseid’s been killed several times, but like a cockroach he always comes back.
8 TRIGON
When it comes to sheer looks, there are few gods who are as horrifying as Trigon. An interdimensional demon and one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, the monster known as Trigon has enslaved too many worlds to count. An adversary of the Teen Titans, Trigon is also the father Raven. Aside form her, Trigon has sired plenty of demonic offspring, all of which are frighteningly powerful. Though nobody knows for sure, Trigon claims to have existed since the beginning of the universe. A magical creature, his power far exceeds anything most mortal could ever imagine.
Completely immortal, Trigon is also telepathic, invulnerable, telekinetic, can discharge energy projectiles, and can totally manipulate reality and transmute matter. Only beings like the 5th Dimensional Mister Mxyzptlk have any chance of taking him on. Even then, such battles don’t consist of beating Trigon physically, but sealing him away or making sure he doesn’t get a foothold on the Earthly plane. His powers practically immeasurable, Trigon can open wormholes, grow in size, and even once reshaped the entire Earth to his whim, becoming omniscient in the process. Yet to this day, and despite all his feats, Trigon’s full power has never completely realized.
7 YUGA KHAN
Darkseid might be one of the greatest threats to all sentient beings in the universe, but even the ruler of Apokolips is nothing next to his daddy. The most feared and powerful New God of the Fourth World, Yuga Khan was the first ruler of Apokolips, long before Darkseid was even born.
First appearing in New Gods #8, Yuga Khan was alive and kicking before the Fourth World had even formed. Feared even by Darkseid, Yuga Khan maintained an insatiable quest for power, desiring to be the mightiest being in the entire universe. He was also obsessed with discovering the reasoning behind creation. In trying to unravel the mysteries of the Source, he went more than just a little mad. His journey led him to getting imprisoned in the Source Wall, but because this is Yuga Khan, he was so strong that he broke out, something never before done, causing the entire universe to shake. Upon returning to Apokolips, Darkseid used his Omega Beams on his father, but Yuga Khan effectively laughed them off, before easily beating his son into submission. Attempting to list out Khan’s powers is a daunting and otherwise pointless task. The man is large enough to hold planets in the palm of his hand, he’s immortal, can manipulate the life force of others, and yet, his greatest ability is being able to tape into The Source directly, using it’s power to do anything from destroying planets to, well… doing pretty much anything he has a mind to.