Certain characters in the DC Universe have been hailed as some of the greatest minds in all of comics. Between the likes of Batman, Lex Luthor, Michael Holt, and many more, all sorts of scientific accomplishments have been made in this world. However, while some characters are recognized for their extraordinarily keen minds, many other characters simply just don’t measure up.
Though these characters aren’t exactly stupid by any means, several of them are far smarter than most people may realize. To honor some of those characters, here is our list of 10 DC characters who are way smarter than they let on.
10 Booster Gold
Booster Gold has a very light-hearted, fun personality that many fans can easily support. However, a lot of his attitudes often lead to reckless behaviors. Because of his antics, Booster Gold has nearly destroyed the timeline on several occasions, leading many to believe that he has very little to offer in terms of intelligence.
However, Booster has actually proven to be incredibly smart over the years. Though he is definitely not one of the smartest beings in the DC Universe, Booster is a lot more calculated than most people realize. During one of his solo runs, he noted how he often acts really stupid so that his enemies underestimate him, giving him an advantage in battle. Furthermore, Booster has a lot of knowledge of future events and is able to manipulate certain situations to achieve the best possible outcome. While he may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, Booster is far more intelligent than he lets on.
9 Green Arrow
While Oliver Queen’s skills as an archer are practically unrivaled, it is no secret that he is prone to making poor decisions. In fact, Oliver’s misguided mindset has even cost him his entire company at one point. Despite his often poor ability to run a company, Oliver is actually far smarter than most people give him credit for.
Not only is he an incredibly skilled archer and hand-to-hand fighter, but Oliver is also an expert survivalist. Using his wits alone, he was able to return from one of the most extreme situations after being missing for years. Furthermore, Oliver grew up rich, meaning he attended great schools. While his grades may prove otherwise, Oliver still knows a lot from his time as a playboy. Though he certainly isn’t an expert in certain fields, Green Arrow is far smarter than he comes across.
8 Harley Quinn
After getting herself into a horrendous romantic relationship with the Joker, as well as suffering several beatings from Batman himself, Harley Quinn doesn’t come across as the most intelligent Batman villain. Her random nature and devotion to her puddin’ have made her incredibly dangerous over the years, no matter how easy she is to put down. Yet, despite her troubled past, Dr. Harleen Quinzel is actually incredibly brilliant.
Not only is Harley a literal doctor, but she has done an extensive amount of research into the inner workings of the brain. In fact, that is how she got assigned to the Joker’s case to begin with. Since her recent behavior has suggested otherwise, it is easy for fans to forget just how smart Harley Quinn truly is.
7 Plastic Man
Plastic Man is often viewed as the Deadpool of DC, thanks to the character's witty and often inappropriate personality. Though he has proven to be a valuable member of the Justice League, he certainly wasn’t recruited for his brainpower. Despite this, his troubled past as a common crook has actually made him aware of certain behaviors.
Because of this, Plastic Man is aware of certain tells when things are a bit off. In one instance, Plastic Man was even able to assume leadership of the entire Justice League due to the situation at hand. Though he is still far from intelligent, Plastic Man is still smarter than most people give him credit for.
6 Bane
Popular media hasn’t exactly been kind to Bane over the years. After Batman and Robin (1997) portrayed the villain as a mindless brute, Bane’s comic book reputation took a massive blow. Even Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (2012) didn’t do the villain justice, though it was certainly better than what came before.
In the comics, Bane is easily one of Batman’s smartest villains. After enacting a plan that freed almost every villain from Arkham Asylum, Batman was driven to the point of extinction, making it incredibly easy for Bane to break Batman’s back. In more recent years, Bane has even attacked Batman in a whole new way by making the Dark Knight happy only to rip it away from him. Despite what some people may think, fans of the comics know just how terrifyingly smart Bane can be when he needs to be.
5 Damian Wayne
As the son of Batman, Damian Wayne is constantly trying to prove that he is a worthy successor to the Batman mantle. However, because of his cocky attitude and recklessness, he has made his fair share of dumb mistakes. In actuality, Damian’s innocence as a child is more responsible for his mistakes than his actual lack of intelligence.
In spending most of his earlier years with his mother, Damian actually spent most of his days studying. Growing up with the League of Assassins made Damian an expert fighter as well as a great strategist, mathematician, forensic scientist, and criminologist. Though he is hard to take seriously at times, Damian Wayne is far from ignorant.
4 Guy Gardner
Guy Garder is considered by many to be the worst of Earth’s Green Lanterns. His rude attitude and cocky nature make him incredibly difficult to work with, as well as be near. As Guy began to develop more and more as a character, though, it became apparent that there was far more to him than people initially believed.
As a young child, Guy actually tried really hard in school, hoping to earn the approval of his father. While that didn’t exactly turn out the way he had hoped, Guy still completed college and made a life for himself. With his power ring, Guy Gardner has set a far better example than his father ever has, and while he may not be the smartest person out there, his heart is still in the right place.
3 Captain Cold
Thanks to his reputation as an incredibly skilled thief, Captain Cold doesn’t need much else to strike fear into the hearts of Central City residents. However, if he wanted to, Leonard Snart could actually contribute greatly to the scientific community. Though he didn’t receive the best education due to his past, Snart actually has a natural gift with technology.
Shortly before becoming Captain Cold, Snart was able to reverse engineer the prototype weapon that would become his cold gun. Even beyond that, he has been shown to be a great strategist and possesses many great leadership qualities. Though he unfortunately uses his gifts for selfish gain, Captain Cold could still be very useful if he were a good guy.
2 Shazam
Just because Billy Batson is young, doesn’t mean that he is stupid. Like Damian, Billy’s innocence often gets mistaken for ignorance, which is a mistake that the 2019 Shazam! film certainly didn’t make. While he is far from the smartest person alive, Billy still has a lot of knowledge to offer the rest of the DC Universe.
Especially with the Wisdom of Solomon at his disposal, Billy knows far more than people give him credit for. Over the years, Billy has even figured out several key plots against the Justice League. Despite all other abilities at his disposal, this one seems to be commonly overlooked.
1 Orphan
Ever since her introduction, Cassandra Cain has been a woman of few words. Though she doesn’t come across as stupid in any sense, her silence makes it easy to see why some would underestimate her intelligence. Going beyond her incredible combat skills, Cassandra is actually very well imbursed with the works of William Shakespeare.
Furthermore, while practicing lines with Clayface, she showed an understanding of the material as well. Batman himself has even stated that Cassandra could potentially outmatch him in every way, should she receive a bit more practice. While something that is no easy feat, it goes to show that Orphan is far smarter than she lets on.