DC is home to some of the most powerful beings in modern fiction. As far as the publisher’s expansive universe is concerned, the New Gods are in a league of their own. From Darkseid and his gaggle of loyal followers to Highfather and the good folk of New Genesis, Jack Kirby’s Fourth World overflows with characters of incredible formidability. Of course, this can only mean one thing -- some of the New Gods are far more powerful than others. At their core, each of the characters is equipped with a basic set of abilities. These abilities include superhuman strength, invulnerability, and immortality. Naturally, all New Gods share the same weakness as well -- a toxic substance called radion can kill one of them under the right circumstances.

Some Fourth World beings have powers that extend beyond their nature of their physiology, though. For instance, apart from his daughter Grail inheriting the ability, Darkseid’s Omega Beams are exclusive to him. Thus, like the “Old Gods” before them of Greek or Roman myth, the New Gods have specific roles and powers assigned to them. This massive universe, which simultaneously exists within an even larger universe, has provided the backdrop for many of DC’s greatest stories. And they don’t all take place within the confines of the fourth world, either. These characters travel the Multiverse, wreaking havoc or offering a helping hand whenever they see fit. This kind of freedom only adds to their dominance. But, again, not all New Gods were created equal. Here are 20 of the Fourth World heroes and villains ranked from least to most powerful.

20 KANTO

Whether or not Kanto is the weakest of the New Gods is debatable. After all, Darkseid does not make Kanto his personal assassin for nothing. When compared to everyone else, though, the assassin does come up short. Outside of his innate power of immortality, this character is limited with regards to what he can do. However, as a hand-to-hand combatant and sword-fighter, Kanto is considered quite formidable in some respects.

His unshakable loyalty to Darkseid also keeps him in check. While others under Darkseid’s subjection, such as Steppenwolf or Big Barda, like taking initiative and carving their own path, Kanto seems content with merely being another of the Apokoliptan despot’s lackeys.

19 BIG BEAR

Big Bear is best known for his role as a member of the Forever People, a team of young heroes who were raised on New Genesis. Like other New Gods, he has incredible strength and immortality. Beyond the abilities given to all of his race, Big Bear lacks any special skills of his own. However, his hulking physique, incredible fighting abilities, and technological prowess does offer Big Bear an advantage over a few of his peers.

He and his team are often tasked with fighting Darkseid and his myriad forces. Without the help of his crew, the Forever People, Big Bear does not make for much of a threat against other New Gods, especially those who harbor superpowers.

18 GRANNY GOODNESS

If this were a list for the scariest New Gods, Granny Goodness would be among the top five, of that there is no question. Her torture practices alone helps make Granny Goodness a terrifying force to be reckoned with, not to mention how she uses that fear to raise, manipulate, and train the youth of Apokolips. As one of Darkseid’s right hands, her power rests in who she answers to; facing Granny’s wrath seems akin to facing Darkseid himself.

However, Granny Goodness is absent any real superpowers. Beyond her innate New God abilities, she’s nothing special. Furthermore, when it comes time for a fight, Granny is quick to hide behind her Furies or other elite guards.

17 MARK MOONRIDER

Mark Moonrider is another hero raised on New Genesis whose legacy has close ties to the Forever People. As expected, his being a New God is imperative to his overall strength. However, unlike Big Bear, Mark Moonrider does have at least one special ability -- the Megaton Touch. This power allows him to generate bolts of energy, which he projects from his hands.

He’s also a skilled hand-to-hand combatant. Thanks to his Forever People connection, access to advanced technology and a Mother Box is tantamount to his success as a hero. Compared to other characters in the DC Universe, he should be quite the powerhouse. Of course, power must be graded on a different scale when the New Gods are the topic of discussion.

16 FEMALE FURIES

The Female Furies are an elite military guard under Granny Goodness’ strict leadership. First and foremost they are to remain loyal and subservient to Darkseid. Granny ingrains this commitment in them throughout their childhood, while she raises them in her orphanage. Under her tutelage and the teachings of Kanto, the Furies are taught advanced military tactics and combat strategies. In short, they are trained to fight and kill for Darkseid.

There are many members of the Female Furies. The most notable include Big Barda, Bloody Mary, who can drain an enemy’s energy, and Lashina, a wielder of electrified whips. This team of Darkseid loyalists sometimes go head-to-head with Wonder Woman and the Amazons.

15 BIG BARDA

As a member of Granny Goodness’ Female Furies, Big Barda is one of the fiercest New Gods. Over time, she rises in the ranks to lead the Furies. Eventually, Big Barda turns on Granny and escapes Apokolips. She arrives on Earth, where she’s later accepted as a heroic figure and inducted into the Justice League. The New God even spends time with the Birds of Prey.

With the League or Birds of Prey, Big Barda makes for an incredibly powerful force. Her strength and combat ability rivals Wonder Woman’s. When considering her positioning amongst her fellow New Gods, however, Big Barda is relatively not as strong. She can still edge out a win against her former Fury allies and some of Darkseid’s elite guard, though.

14 STEPPENWOLF

Despite his most recent role as the Justice League film’s main villain, Steppenwolf is not even the strongest among Darkseid’s guard -- he definitely doesn’t rank high in the most powerful of New Gods. Other than his innate abilities, Steppenwolf harbors no special powers. His formidability, then, manifests in his experience and combat prowess. He’s a master strategist, a genius tactician, a good leader, and a fighter most folks would want to avoid on the battlefield.

Similar to Granny Goodness, fear is imperative to his success among Darkseid’s elite. As a threat, Steppenwolf is often hard to match. After all, he’s fought some of the World’s Finest and come out on top. Still, brute strength isn’t enough to land a character far on this particular list.

13 KALIBAK

To an extent, Steppenwolf and Kalibak are evenly matched. Their both being militaristic New Gods does not constitute the sole reason, either. Both rank high in Darkseid’s guard and enjoy taking initiative. Because he is Darkseid’s son, Kalibak holds a slight advantage. Another advantage exists in Kalibak’s harnessing a power that Steppenwolf lacks in Psi-beams. Similar to Darkseid’s Omega Beams, though not nearly as potent, Psi-beams allow Kalibak to emit a stream of energy.

While the Psi-beams are capable of eviscerating his foes, Kalibak also favors the use of a piece of weaponry. The villain’s Beta Club projects a beam of devastating energy. Yet, this equipment and his Psi-beams are no match for some of his New God brethren.

12 MANTIS

Mantis serves as little more than a flunky of Darkseid's. Along with the standard powers of a New God, Mantis also has special abilities, which he owes to his master. When Mantis is first brought aboard, Darkseid gifts him with flight, energy absorption and projection, and thermal manipulation. Mantis’ most potent ability comes in the form of the anti-matter touch.

With the ability to manipulate anti-matter, Mantis can destroy any object with a simple touch from his hand. Projecting anti-matter radiation can prove an even more devastating attack. Yet, his powers rarely see him succeed. Mantis has lost quite a few battles on both Earth and in the fourth world. Suffice it to say, he’s unlikely to rise above his status as a Darkseid minion.

11 ORION

As Darkseid’s biological son, Orion and power are synonymous. Though his birthright is Apokolips, a peace deal between the fiery planet and New Genesis means the Highfather raises him. Thus, Orion learns compassion, love, and how best to temper his anger. These traits arguably make him all the more powerful. However, even Orion sometimes fails to keep his rage in check, which can benefit him in battle.

Orion’s physiology as a New God gives him strength, immortality, and healing abilities. But it’s the Astro Force he wields, in addition to his remarkable combat skills, that provides him formidability. Through Astro Force, Orion manipulates energy that’s capable of shielding him from the effects of Omega Beams.

10 LIGHTRAY

Lightray incidentally obtains his powers while on New Genesis, absorbing light energy from an attack by Apokoliptan scouts. Evidenced by his name, Lightray’s powers are light-based in nature, allowing him to fly and project energy. His flying abilities aren’t akin to those of others, though. Lightray can travel at the speed of light. The energy he blasts from his hands takes the form of fire, which has the capability to tear into the skin of some of the strongest beings.

His incredible abilities don’t stop there, either. With his energy blasts, Lightray has been shown to manipulate matter on an atomic level. Even more impressive is the hero’s ability to generate energy that rivals that of the sun.

9 DESAAD

Were it not for the likes of Darkseid or Granndy Goodness, Desaad’s maliciousness would stand unmatched amongst the New Gods. His central role is that of a torturer for Darkseid, which Desaad accomplishes through his magical abilities. These powers include mind control, possession, illusion casting, telepathy, and hypnosis. Additionally, he can conjure, control, and absorb the emotions of his subject if he chooses. Desadd’s torture practices are effective beyond measure -- they even work on the Man of Steel.

Because his abilities are so wide-ranging, Desaad’s is good for more than just mentally and emotionally distressing the foes of Apokolips. For instance, during the New 52, he takes on the guise of the second Mister Terrific, Michael Holt.

8 MISTER MIRACLE

Born as Scott Free, Mister Miracle is the other child traded between Apokolips and New Genesis to maintain peace. Just as Highfather raises Orion (Darkseid’s son), Darkseid raises Mister Miracle (Highfather’s son). However, Mister Miracle isn’t granted the good values that Orion receives. He is instead placed in Granny Goodness’ orphanage, trained to serve and protect Apokolips at all costs. Fortunately, Mister Miracle’s good naturedness wins out.

He has all the abilities afforded to every other New God. Additionally, he’s a master escape artist, harnesses a genius level intellect, uses an array of gadgets, and has impeccable hand-to-hand combat skills. In short, Darkseid would consider him invaluable if he wasn’t keen on being the hero.

7 HIGHFATHER

Highfather rules the more pleasant of the fourth world planets, New Genesis. Unlike his brother Darkseid, who thrives on destruction, Highfather’s main goal is to achieve peace. As with others of his race, his physiology as a New God grants him incredible power. He also has psionic abilities, though they are minimal in range. Interestingly, it is his access to the Life Equation that offers him power above some of his fellow New Gods. His ability to wield the power in full is limited, however.

The Life Equation permits the wielder to alter reality in any way they see fit. Because it is in his position for such a fleeting period of time, Highfather’s potency exponentially lessens when compared to a New God like Darkseid.

6 INFINITY MAN

The story behind Infinity Man’s existence is somewhat complex. In the New 52, however, things are a bit more simplified. Conceptually, he represents a piece of the Source. Yet, Infinity Man is also a fragment of Highfather, as he bears Highfather’s consciousness. Infinity Man’s connection to the source, along with his New God abilities, makes him a force to be reckoned with. His various powers include telepathy, control of gravity, magnetism, matter manipulation, phasing, and the ability to project Infinity Beams.

This character is most closely associated with the Forever People. He offers them aid whenever they are in need. Essentially, he acts as the team’s main line of defense. In the Post-Crisis continuity, he’s seen acting as an emissary of sorts for the Source Wall.

5 BLACK RACER

The Black Racer is a physical embodiment of death. It’s not just any death, either. This particular character represents death for the Gods. To put it succinctly, he is their Grim Reaper. With merely a touch Black Racer can weaken and evil kill a New God. So great is his power that he, with help from the Anti-Monitor and Flash, is able to destroy Darkseid.

Another aspect of the Black Racer that makes him so formidable manifests in his ability to possess others. It’s this power that gives him the strength to kill Darkseid, when Black Racer is merged with The Flash for a time during "Darkseid War".

4 GRAIL

If Grail incites fear, being the offspring of Darkseid is not the sole cause. Half Amazonian and half New God, Grails seems a compelling mix of two worlds. And she would be, if an Oracle hadn’t prophesied that she would act as a bring of untold destruction. Eventually, Grail proves the prophecy correct. Darkseid’s daughter plays a pivotal role in the events of "Justice League: Darkseid War".

Because she’s the offspring of an Amazon and a New God, she harnesses the powers of both. Grail also inherits her father’s Omega Effect, allowing her to use Omega Beams, too. Additionally, she's a skillful magic user, whose mystic abilities hail from supernatural Amazonian practices. For instance, this magic helps her resurrect Darkseid.

3 METRON

Considered the most intelligent being in the DC Universe, Metron’s power is difficult to measure. How much power does knowledge truly wield? There exists no right answer, per se. However, given this New God’s continuous neutral standing on matters of the universe, even those concerning Apokolips and New Genesis, he must be doing something right to have survived so long. Everything isn’t set in stone for Metron, though.

He owes his greatest power, knowledge, to the Mobius Chair. The device provides him with omniscience, various modes of support, and a way in which to traverse the multiverse. Without it, Metron is seemingly but another super-intelligent New God.

2 YUGA KHAN

It only makes sense that Darkseid and his father are worthy of consideration as the two most powerful New Gods. Technically, in New 52 continuity at least, Yuga Khan is regarded as the last of the Old Gods. His first appearance in 1990, however, deems him the strongest of the New Gods. Even Darkseid, for a time, is not willing to test his luck where his father is concerned.

Yuga Khan bears all the powers of any other New God, yet he does have a few other tricks up his sleeve. He’s a telepath who can fly, generate energy constructs, and cast illusions at will. Furthermore, he revels in destruction that even gives his son pause.

1 DARKSEID

In the New 52 continuity, Darkseid commits patricide, ending his own father to absorb the power that transforms him into a New God. A tyrant, Darkseid rules Apokolips with an iron fist, a trend he intends to continue throughout the multiverse. Of course, his eye of desire falls on Earth primarily. Whenever he and his hoards of followers wreak havoc, getting the world, any world, back on track becomes an arduous task.

Along with typical New God abilities, Darkseid harnesses a host of powers that his fellow Gods could only dream of having. His Omega Beams is the most well known. However, the Omega Effect offers him other skills as well. A few include, resurrection, erosive abilities, and the power to alter his size at will.