The Justice League is filled with the strongest and most powerful superheroes the universe has ever seen. They regularly battle villains who can reshape reality at their whims, crush planets with a pinky, and set the universe ablaze. When the multiverse is in peril, the last line of defense is always the Justice League. No matter the opposition or threat they face, they always find a way to rise to the occasion and save the day. Their success is in no small part due to their absolutely stacked roster, which boasts some of the biggest names in heroism there will ever be. Of course, there can only be one hero who stands as the strongest one around.
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Today, we’re going to take a look at the ten physically strongest Justice Leaguers and rank them. Before that, though, let’s set some ground rules. We’ll only be considering raw super strength, not cheating powers that mimic it like magic or reality alteration, so no one like the Spectre makes the cut. Also, we’re counting heroes who have been Leaguers for a good portion of time, not including one-offs or those of uncertain status like the World Forger or Damage. And, to keep the list interesting, we’ll be grouping equivalent heroes together. We don’t need the entire Shazam Family or Supergirl and Power Girl getting separate spots, after all. That’d be boring. With all that said, let’s spell out DC’s strongest superheroes.
10) Aquaman
Aquaman might be the butt of more jokes than any other hero, but that doesn’t mean he can’t pack a serious punch. He’s shown on multiple occasions that he’s able to throw down with the worst of them. He’s regularly forced to test his mettle against Superman and Wonder Woman, and while he never wins those fights, he’s always able to send them flying or break their holds, which still takes an unbelievable amount of power. He lifted most of a city block in Aquaman (2003) #17, and lifted a tectonic plate in Aquaman (2011) #4. Aquaman is a heck of a lot stronger than most give him credit for. Don’t underestimate the King of the Seas.
9) Lobo
The Main Man is the number one bounty hunter in the universe, and that’s mostly due to his inability to die and immeasurable strength. Lobo regularly dukes it out with the Man of Steel, proving that he’s able to fight on even footing with the toughest in the universe. If that’s not impressive enough, one of Lobo’s more ridiculous feats showed up in The Authority/Lobo: Spring Break Massacre. The Main Man crushed an entire city, reportedly trillions of tons, into a single, bite-sized ball that he promptly chewed. Only one mean, majorly strong Bastich could do something like that.
8) Big Barda
Big Barda is one of the strongest New Gods around, and she’s shown it whenever she clashes with the worst that the universe has to offer. She was chosen by Granny Goodness to lead the Furies, the strongest of Apokalips’s forces, and to this day she bashes through Darkseid’s warriors like they’re nothing. While she has far too many impressive fights to list, one of her best feats came in JLA (1997) #1000000. She fought Wonder Woman One Million to a near-standstill, and with the help of her Meag-Rod, struck with a power of five tons per square inch. Since she’s around seven feet tall, let’s assume her fist is about five inches wide, which would mean that punch packs around twenty-five tons of force.
7) Orion
Arguably, the adopted son of Highfather could sit higher on this list, but his strength is too inconsistent to warrant getting above some of the heaviest hitters that stock the top spots. Still, Orion is definitely one of the strongest heroes around. He’s New Genesis’s number one warrior and has battled Darkseid and Superman multiple times, even rarely beating his evil father in a one-on-one. He’s beaten Kalibak, stunned Highfather, and bashed everyone from here to the Source Wall at one point or another. Orion is inarguably powerful, but the rest of our entrants are just a tad stronger more often.
6) Supergirl
This spot is shared by Supergirl and Power Girl, along with most of the Superman family, though Kara stands as the third strongest of the bunch. Regardless, Supergirl’s strength is easily the most inconsistent on this list. Sometimes, she’s shown to overpower her cousin and stand at the top of the world, but other times, she’s batted aside by foes she should be able to handle. She is more than capable of sending Superman flying, once sending him through the Great Wall of China. Supergirl has all the Kryptonian strength of her cousin, but she’s usually depicted as a close second in raw power. While her highs claim she’s stronger, more often, she’s just almost there, so she can’t stand any higher than sixth.
5) Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is one of the most criminally underrated heroes when it comes to raw power. She’s blessed with the Strength of Gaia, which lets her smack around gods like Zeus and Hercules. She does battle with divine beings, monsters, and even her fellow heroes like Superman, all the time, and proves that she’s able to push back against them all. In Wonder Woman (2006) #40 and #41, Diana fought Power Girl, easily proving that she could match and overpower the mind-controlled Kryptonian. Wonder Woman beat Grail, daughter of Darkseid, immediately after a five-on-one from some of her most dangerous foes in Wonder Woman (2023) #6. Diana is easily the best fighter on this list, but the others have her just a bit outclassed in raw power.
4) Captain Atom
Captain Atom has one of the most overtuned powersets in comics, but the only thing that matters for this list is that he can match Superman with nothing but his muscles. For a recent showcase of his raw power, he went blow-for-blow with Superman in DC K.O.: Superman vs Captain Atom, winning the first round through raw power. At his peak, Captain Atom is practically unstoppable and is always one of the first people called to stop an out-of-control hero. Unfortunately, he’s also the first person to get beaten up to establish that someone else is strong, so I can’t rank him any higher than fourth in good conscience.
3) Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter has repeatedly been said to be just as strong as Superman, and he more than has the resume to back up that claim. Even ignoring his litany of insane abilities, his pure strength has let him repeatedly match and occasionally overcome the Man of Steel. He’s beaten Black Adam handily, and heck, he’s even been able to knock down Superboy-Prime and Darkseid. Martian Manhunter is just as capable as Superman in every physical sense, and should never, ever be underestimated.
2) Shazam
The Big Red Cheese is imbued with the strength of Hercules, but he’s far, far stronger than just that. Back in the day, he was considered the only hero who could hold a candle to Superman, and it’s no question as to why. He can regularly push the Man of Steel to a level that nobody else can, and although their fights are rarely conclusive, he’s always able to smack him down at least a few times, which is something that almost nobody else can say. One of his most impressive recent feats came in Shazam (2023) #5, where he single-handedly slowed down the moon’s rotation to normal after it had been sped up by a warp drive. The Captain is one of DC’s strongest, arguably, the strongest, but our number one spot could only belong to one hero.
1) Superman
Obviously, Superman takes first place as the Justice League’s strongest hero. He’s the strongest superhero of all time and has been defying impossible odds since he blasted onto the scene. Superman has dragged planets out of orbit, sent Darkseid flying like he was a gnat, and even once blasted a solar system apart with a sneeze. Superman is undeniably the de facto strongest hero in pure power. He’s the number one guy people call when they need someone to hit with force that can shatter planets, and he always has more strength in the bag. However, you can also make the cas that his son, Jon, is just as strong, if not stronger. Either way, Superman is the Man of Steel, and he’s the strongest one there is.
Which Justice Leaguer do you think is the strongest? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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