5 DC Variants Who Completely Outclass Their Original Counterparts

DC Comics for decades was defined by their multiverse. The idea of alternate Earths was introduced to DC in 1953’s Wonder Woman #59, with its taking the form we known and love in 1961’s The Flash #123. Readers got to see numerous versions of the top heroes, especially Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, until the end of the multiverse in 1986’s Crisis on Infinite Earths #12. However, even then, the publisher was all about showing us different versions of various heroes with the Elseworlds comics, one-shots or miniseries’ that presented disparate vision of what the DC superhero community can be on other Earths. It’s since returned to existence, with all new versions of the greatest heroes in comics showing up.

The DC Multiverse is known for two things – its extreme power level and the sheer amount of variants out there. Over the years, the publisher given readers various versions of its coolest heroes and villains, some of whom have been able to overpower and outclass their original counterparts. These five DC variants are better than the originals, their powers and abilities giving them a leg up.

5) Dark Multiverse Lois Lane

“Death of Superman” was a gamechanging comic, taking readers on a ride they never expected to go on, as the world lost its greatest hero and had to pick up the pieces. Over the years, DC has taken this classic story and told new versions, with one of the best being Tales of the Dark Multiverse: Death of Superman #1. In this version of the story, Lois blamed the heroes for the loss of her fiance, believing that they could have made a bigger difference. She eventually ended up bonding with the Eradicator, gaining Kryptonian-level power and becoming a dark avenger, destroying the villains of the world. When Clark showed up, she fought alongside him in Engine City, but because she was the Eradicator and not the robotic version of the original story, she couldn’t change the Kryptonite gas that Cyborg Superman used against him, ending with his death. This drove her even crazier, driving her to greater acts of violence. This Lois’s powers were far above her mainline version and she proved to be a rather formidable fighter, destroying the most dangerous foes out there.

4) Wally West

Wally West is the current Flash, using the Speed Force to defeat every threat to Central City. An argument can be made that calling him a variant isn’t exactly correct, since he is the Flash on the mainline Earth, but I would say that he counts since there are at least three Flashes right – West, Jay Garrick, and Avery Ho (Barry Allen is around, but he’s not using the name anymore) and he’s not the original – he counts. Wally West began his journey to becoming the most powerful Flash began back when he first learned his uncle Barry was the Flash, with Allen recreating the accident that gave him powers to give his nephew super speed. As Kid Flash, his powers eventually started to fade away, but the death of Barry in Crisis on Infinite Earths saw them stabilized. Over the years as the Flash, Wally learned about the existence of the Speed Force and began to master its power. He is, without a doubt, the most powerful Flash of them all. Jay never reached his level of power, nor did Barry, and he’s proven that he’s the most powerful Flash, constantly discovering new powers (for example, right now, he’s become precognitive). He’s the most powerful human on Earth and easily the most powerful Flash.

3) Superboy-Prime

Superboy-Prime is an amazing character, his arc over the years being one of the best in DC history. He first appeared in DC Comics Presents #87. Hailing from Earth-Prime, the “real world” of Bronze Age DC (you haven’t lived until you’ve read the Justice League comics from the ’70s where DC writers entered the multiverse and fought the heroes), he met Superman during Crisis. He was the Kal-El of this universe and the only person with superpowers. He ended up helping defeat the Anti-Monitor and being shunted to a paradise dimension, where he and Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three came up with a plan to create the perfect Earth. He became a villain and a killer, battling Superman and the heroes many times, but has since been redeemed. Superboy-Prime has the power level of a pre-Crisis Kryptonian, making him vastly more powerful than the current Superman. His knowledge of DC comics also helps give him advantages that Superman and other heroes don’t have, which also lets him tell the best jokes and figure things out that others couldn’t.

2) The Batman Who Laughs

The Batman Who Laughs was positioned as the greatest villain the DC Multiverse ever faced for a span of several years. He hailed from the Dark Multiverse, coming from a world where Batman decided to finally kill the Joker. However, the Clown Prince of Crime was prepared for this, using a special Joker toxin to break the sanity of the Dark Knight. He became as insane as his now-dead foe. He killed the Bat-Family first and then targeted the rest of planet, killing the heroes, the villains, and finally everyone else. He was recruited by Barbatos and began his war against the heroes. He’d eventually steal the power of both Doctor Bathattan (yes, it’s exactly what you think) and Perpetua to become the Darkest Knight, leading Wonder Woman gaining godlike power using Crisis and anti-Crisis energy to defeat him. The Batman Who Laughs showed exactly how dangerous that the Caped Crusader can be without his morality and was able to outthink and outplan his counterpart numerous times, showing his superiority.

1) Pre-Crisis Superman

Crisis on Infinite Earths changed DC forever, ending the old DC Multiverse and doing away with the most powerful version of Superman ever. Pre-Crisis Superman is the one you think of when you think of the Man of Steel’s greatest feats. Back in those days, he could move planets, fly through space and time like it’s no thing, and even destroy entire solar systems with a sneeze. This was very different from the power level that the hero had back in the Golden Age. The Superman that would become Earth-Two Superman was powerful at first, but he couldn’t fly and definitely couldn’t move planets, and wouldn’t start reaching greater levels of power until his reappearance in the Silver Age; however, he was still weaker than Earth-One Supes. Pre-Crisis Superman is one of those few characters that you can all ridiculously powerful and it fits him to a tee; his feats were often completely ridiculous. While the current Superman has been amped up, he still hasn’t reached the level of pre-Crisis Superman.

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