The DC Comics universe spans far and wide. Ever since its inception, it has featured countless heroes, each more powerful, hopeful and inspiring than the last. In fact, the DC pantheon of superheroes has always been one more recognized as iconic, in the way that the characters appear to be modern legends. On the other side of the spectrum, most of Marvel's characters have always been more down-to-earth and approachable, like they were lifted from the street and given extraordinary powers. But when it comes to DC, almost every character has an innate, nearly god-like quality that makes them stand apart from the superhero pack.

But what about the actual gods that inhabit this vast multiverse? Like all universes, the DCU is a place with its own history and mythology, where gods cross paths with mortals and superhumans all the time. Some are ancient, as old as the universe itself, while others are fairly new, each locked in a battle to see who is the most powerful. Here, CBR turns its attention to all DC movies, from cartoons to live-action, to rank the 15 most powerful gods that have appeared on-screen. Which deity is the most powerful? Read on to find out!

15 ENCHANTRESS

In the DCEU's Suicide Squad, Enchantress was introduced as a powerful entity that was under Amanda Waller's control. However, the sorceress proved so strong that she managed to free herself from Waller. She then didn't waste any time, unleashing total destruction upon Midway City. Through her magic and sorcery, Enchantress was able to create an army of monsters, as well as a machine that would destroy the world.

Although she needs a human host to survive, Enchantress' power can barely be contained. She is an ancient force, one that was kept preserved by her devout worshipers until she was set free once again. So far, in the DCEU staple of movies, she is as close to an actual deity as we have seen. But she still was easily defeated by a team of second-rate villains who barely have any superpowers.

14 TRIGON

In the animated movie Justice League vs. Teen Titans, we saw the animated universe's version of the Teen Titans team go up against the horrific threat that was a demon-possessed Justice League, something that was facilitated by Trigon. Trigon is the lord and master of a dark dimension known as Azarath, and he is an incredibly powerful presence in the pantheon of the DC Universe.

Not only is Trigon able to subdue most of the Justice League, he could very well destroy entire worlds if he went unchallenged. Trigon came into being centuries ago. He is an ancient demonic force and, outside of his immortality, he has many powers that make him a true deity on the evil side of the spectrum. His power is so strong that it required the combined might of both the Teen Titans and the Justice League to stop him.

13 KRONA

In Green Lantern: Emeral Knights, the Guardian of the Universe known as Krona essentially filled the role of the Anti-Monitor. He was alive billions of years ago, and he was the one who managed to create the anti-matter universe. If that isn't a feat befitting a god, we don't really know what is. Although he was transformed into pure energy, he managed to pull himself back from the void.

Krona returned insanely powerful, energized by the anti-matter universe with an army of shadow entities at his command, and he posed a very real threat not just to the entire Green Lantern Corps, but the universe itself. Although a being of immense potential, Krona was limited by his weakness of being affected by regular matter, which the Green Lanterns used to destroy him.

12 BIG BARDA

In Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, we saw the likes of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman go up against the New Gods of Apokolips. But to wage this battle, they wouldn't necessarily be alone. On their side, they had a god of their own, one who was both big in stature and popularity to DC fans -- a New God who goes by the name of Big Barda.

Barda once was a soldier of Apokolips, the leader of the cruel Female Furies. But, eventually, she turned to the side of good. In the movie, Barda led DC's trinity to Apokolips, and it was there that she helped them rescue Supergirl. Fighting against her own kind, Barda proved that the strength of a god isn't just in the power they wield, but in the goodness and the light that is in their hearts.

11 BEKKA/WONDER WOMAN

In the animated movie Justice League: Gods and Mortals, we were introduced to a different kind of Justice League in a universe different from the main continuity of the DCU. In this reality, Superman is the son of General Zod, Batman is a vampire Kirk Langstrom, and Wonder Woman is actually a New God from New Genesis, a woman known as Bekka to her people.

As a New God, Bekka instantly stands apart from the pack. She is incredibly strong, and has a mighty sword at her side, just like the regular Wonder Woman. She turned her back on her people when they opted for slaughter instead of peace, and she strives, in her own way, to be a hero. She might not be the most powerful New God from her race, but she is still one of its strongest, both inside and out.

10 HIGHFATHER

In the animated Justice League: Gods and Monsters alternate reality film, we saw a Highfather that was actually very different from the one in the main DCU. Yes, this Highfather was also the leader of the New Gods on New Genesis, the very opposite to Darkseid – a man who is supposed to be a force for good. And yet, this version of Highfather lived up to the “monsters” part of the movie's title.

Highfather arranged for Bekka to marry Darkseid's son Orion in an attempt to broker peace between the two peoples eternally at war, but he did so under false pretenses. His intent was never to achieve peace, but to annihilate. In a move worthy of a good Game of Thrones episode, Highfather slaughtered all gods from Apokolips in attendance at the ceremony – Darkseid included. That's right. He killed Darkseid.

9 ARTEMIS

In the DCEU film Wonder Woman, we learned that the Greek gods were very real, and that they had, during ancient times, lived among men on the surface of the Earth. In the Justice League film, we got to witness a little bit of that fact in a flashback sequence that showed humans, Atlanteans and Greek gods fighting alongside one another against the might of Apokolips.

In this battle, we saw the Greek goddess of the Hunt Artemis wield a golden bow into battle. She was efficient and absolutely deadly. In fact, her power was so great that she was able to destroy Steppenwolf's own ship with her arrows. Such an act is no small feat, and her efforts were crucial in pushing back the forces of Apokolips -- something that makes her one of the most powerful gods in the DCEU.

8 STEPPENWOLF

Steppenwolf was the main threat in the Justice League film. His invasion of Earth was so threatening that it required to world's finest superheroes from banding together and forming a team that could stop him. No other force on Earth even stood a chance against him. When Steppenwolf arrived on Themyscira, he completely destroyed the Amazons that stood against him.

The fiercest soldiers, who had trained for thousands of years in the art of combat, stood no chance against this foe from Apokolips. With his blazing ax and a might that could barely be matched, Steppenwolf was essentially unstoppable. That is, he was until Superman returned from the dead, and managed to shake his confidence. But even after all of that, Superman wasn't the one to defeat him -- an army of Parademons took care of that.

7 PARALLAX

No matter how you ultimately felt about the Ryan Reynolds-starring Green Lantern movie, there is no denying the fact that Parallax was a great and ancient force from the cosmos. We saw many times just how powerful the entity of fear was, and we saw that, if unchecked, it could easily wipe out entire races and entire planets, even if it didn't really have any shape or form to it.

Parallax qualifies as a god because it is a creature that feeds on fear, one that is as old as the universe itself. Not a single living being, human or superhuman can destroy it. Hal Jordan gave it his all, and he did manage to defeat it, but it still required the help of a blazing sun to actually stop the fear entity for good.

6 GRANNY GOODNESS

Granny Goodness was essentially one of the main antagonists in the animated film Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. Although she doesn't necessarily look like it, she qualifies as a DC god instantly because of her status as a New God from Apokolips. Granny is as dangerous as she is horrible, using torture and pain to create her army of Female Furies -- Apokolips' most lethal and cruel team of soldiers.

Next to Darkseid, Granny is perhaps the most recognized mainstay on Apokolips, which perhaps speaks to her popularity. In the movie, Granny was able to turn Supergirl against her own cousin, Superman, training her to become the newest member of her Furies. And, with Supergirl as her weapon, she could have easily unleashed total destruction if the heroes hadn't stopped them.

5 ZEUS

Zeus only had a few brief appearances in the DCEU, but they were still very notable moments. In Justice League, we saw him appear briefly in the flashback sequence that saw Olympians, mankind and Atlantis join forces to repel Steppenwolf and his Parademons. Zeus was in the midst of battle, striking all enemies he could reach with his lightning bolts, a crucial member of an alliance that managed to save the world from invasion.

But in his first appearance in Wonder Woman, we saw him fight Ares in the clouds, hurling thunderbolts in the hopes of defeating his enemy. While Ares was cast out of Olympus, Zeus was also defeated, meaning that the two gods were pretty evenly matched. However, Ares somehow managed to survive, meaning that Zeus may not be the most powerful Olympian after all.

4 ARES

Ares spent a great deal of time being nothing more than a mystery in the DCEU film Wonder Woman. His presence was teased, but at every corner, we wondered if perhaps Ares wasn't real, that man waged war only for the sake of it. But, as it turns out, Ares was very real - he just wasn't the one forcing mankind to fight one another. He was simply an instigator, a motivator.

But make no mistake, he was incredibly powerful. When he revealed himself, he unleashed his powers upon Diana, showing just how formidable an opponent he was. He could create weapons out of anything, he could fly and his raw strength could barely be contained. There was actually only one could stop him – someone whose power was greater than his own.

3 SHAZAM

Billy Batson may only be a young kid with a strong heart, but his alter-ego Shazam is an actual god. Well, six of them, actually. In fact, as we saw in the animated film Justice League: War, Shazam can fly, shoot lightning and he also has super-strength and speed. Each of these powers were given to him by a Wizard, and each of these powers are derived from a separate deity.

His wisdom comes from Solomon, his lightning, from Zeus and so on and so forth. Shazam might be young at heart, but he is one of the most powerful superheroes in the DCU. With the combined powers of six gods, there isn't much that can stand in his way, and his inclusion in the Justice League proved crucial in repelling the Parademons and defeating Darkseid.

2 WONDER WOMAN

It may have taken a while for Diana Prince to discover the power she possessed, but when she did, she didn't hesitate to go out into the world and stop Ares from destroying mankind. As the daughter of Zeus, Diana spent the entire film developing her powers, finding out how strong and powerful she was. It started with deflecting bullets, but soon she was lifting tanks and taking the fight directly to the god of War himself.

Diana proved to be the superior fighter, not just by being the better god, but by demonstrating that she was also very human. Her strength is only matched by the reach of her heart, and that makes her nearly unstoppable. Once she accepted who she was, she destroyed Ares with ease. Furthermore, she was absolutely crucial in defeating Steppenwolf in Justice League, and the only one able to fight him in armed combat.

1 DARKSEID

Darkseid may not have physically appeared in Batman v. Superman and Justice League, but his presence was still very much felt. Either by his Omega symbol or with a mention of his name, we had confirmation that he existed, and that all of these pieces were set in motion by him. Steppenwolf was only a general of Darkseid's army, meaning that his power must be even greater.

The Parademons are his soldiers, and they are able to turn their victims into more of these horrific monsters, essentially growing the number of Darkseid's army with each victory. He is not only a New God from Apokolips, he is the ultimate source of evil, the leader and tyrant of a planet filled with horrific deities. If Steppenwolf is only a sign of things to come, then Darkseid truly is the most powerful god in the DCEU.