7 Most Powerful Heroes DC Forgot About

There are, without exaggeration, hundreds of superheroes in DC. From the staples of heroism like Wonder Woman and Superman, to underrated stars like Ragman and Animal Man, DC has no shortage of beloved heroes that can take center stage and save the day. While it’s unfortunate, there are only so many panels to go around, so not everyone can star in their own book or storyline. DC has to prioritize the characters that either draw the most attention or show the potential to do so, and that means that the C and D-Listers are destined to be shoved off to the side. This, of course, leads to plenty of characters being forgotten, and that is a crime that must be corrected.

Today, we’re going to take a look at seven characters that DC hasn’t just shoved aside, but who have been entirely forgotten. These heroes’ combined number of appearances in the last decade can be practically counted on one hand, and that’s especially egregious given how powerful these characters are. Considering how many forgotten heroes there are, we need to categorize them somehow, and today, that means looking at seven of the most powerful heroes ever written off. Superheroes tend to be some of the strongest characters in fiction, and these heroes are all strong enough to shake the foundations of the universe, if they’re ever given the chance. With all that said, let’s remember these forgotten heroes.

7) Damage

One of DC’s most disappointing initiatives was its New Age of Heroes, which introduced numerous new faces that served as pastiches of some of Marvel’s biggest names. One of those heroes was Damage, DC’s take on the Hulk. Ethan Avery wanted to be a hero, but undergoing a government experiment transformed him into Damage, an unstoppable monster of pure destruction. Damage is strong enough to go exchange hits with Wonder Woman for a full hour, and she even claimed he hit harder than Superman. However, Ethan can only stay in his Damage form for an hour each day, and he can’t control his much angrier alternate personality. Anyone who can smack and get smacked by Wonder Woman is definitely a heavy-hitter.

6) Ibis the Invincible 

Ibis was a powerful sorcerer created by Fawcett Comics, who eventually made his way to DC. He made semi-regular appearances in Shazam’s early adventures, where he demonstrated his impressive sorcery. Ibis’s power comes from the Ibistick, a divine staff gifted to him by the Egyptian god Thoth. The Ibistick is capable of nearly any magical feat, so long as it’s used for the forces of good. It once placed Ibis and his beloved wife, Taia, in suspended animation for four thousand years, and has created force fields to cover entire cities. Ibis was a masterful magician, but he was permanently retired as he passed his role onto his successor, Daniel Khalifa, who is just as forgotten, unfortunately. 

5) Jemm, Son of Saturn

Long ago, the Martian people colonized the empty moons of Saturn, populating them with clones created to work the land. These clones would evolve into their own offshoot of Martians, and the leader of all of them is Jemm. Jemm is insanely powerful, as he has all the same abilities as Martian Manhunter. J’onn is already one of the strongest members of the Justice League, and Jemm has shown that he can match him in every physical and mental stat. He’s a close ally of Martian Manhunter, sharing a brotherly dynamic, and it would be wonderful to see that explored more, as J’onn is criminally underrated himself.

4) Tim Hunter

Tim Hunter is DC’s own version of Harry Potter, and he’s actually much more fun than he sounds. He’s a young British boy who is prophesied to wield the legendary Books of Magic, which are instructions on every form of magic in the universe that only he can read. Tim is destined to become the world’s greatest magician, and everyone who knows that either wants a piece of him or to protect him, and Tim has already had to prove to everyone that, while he’s nowhere near his peak, he’s still one of the most powerful wizards alive. He’s limited to needing a wand to cast spells, but even while limited, he’s an incredibly interesting character we can see grow into an unstoppable warrior.

3) Triumph

Being forgotten isn’t just something that happened to Triumph; it’s a part of his backstory. He was actually a founding member of the Justice League, but sacrificed himself to a time rift, which made it so he never existed, until unstable time anomalies brought him back. He was the League’s original heavy-hitter. He can control electromagnetism, one of the universe’s fundamental forces, and is practically Magneto on steroids. In addition to magnetism, he can control gravity, most forms of energy, and even other people by shifting the electricity in their brains. Triumph is absurdly powerful and, funnily enough, absurdly hated by DC’s staff. He was killed off for being too annoying and forgotten just as much as when he entered the time rift.

2) Zauriel

Zauriel was a member of the JLA during Grant Morrison’s legendary run on the title. He was originally planned as a new version of Hawkman, although editorial vetoed that because of the character’s convoluted history. While Hawkman’s strength is underrated enough, Zauriel is on a whole other level. He was a guardian angel, acting as one of the four generals of the Heavenly Hosts. Given his angelic nature, he’s one of the strongest beings in DC, as while he’s not on the level of the Spectre, he is immortal and physically beyond any mortal. He even wields Archangel Michael’s sword, which can cut dimensions in half. Heck, his sonic scream can take down the Spectre, which is as good a showcase of strength as you could possibly ask for.

1) Takion

Takion might just be the most forgettable character DC has ever made, which is insane, considering how important he could have been. He was the chosen successor of Highfather of the New Gods, and thus, was given a direct connection to the Source. This connection granted Takion limitless power. He was near omnipotent and able to manipulate every force in reality, up to and including the Emotional Spectrum, Captain Atom’s energy, and the Speed Force. That was just the tip of the iceberg, as Takion could do literally anything he wanted, accidentally wiping out an entire town of people with a thought. Takion is one of the strongest characters DC ever created, and almost nobody knows.

So there we have seven of the most absurdly powerful heroes who just couldn’t find an audience. Which of these forgotten heroes is your favorite? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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