DC Comics is home to the most powerful superheroes and villains in comics. Sure, the Marvel Universe has more than its share of potent characters, but most of them are cosmic characters. In the DC Multiverse, power levels are just plain higher. When the most powerful hero on Earth is a Kryptonian hopped on yellow sunshine that can travel faster than the speed of light and is commonly known for planet-cracking strength you know that it skewers the power level. Even the normal human heroes are more formidable, accomplishing feats that would be impossible for humans in other universes. Power is very common in DC Comics.
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Looking at some of the most powerful DC characters, though, it’s plain to see that they never actually use their power to their fullest extent. They hold back more often than not, even through readers have seen them do astounding things over the years. These seven DC character rarely use their full power, holding back their greatest abilities.
7) Alan Scott
Alan Scott is one of DC’s greatest icons, having established the mantle of Green Lantern back in the Golden Age. As the years went on, he would learn that his lantern and ring were actually the Starheart, a magical green flame molded by willpower. Eventually, he would absorb the power of the Starheart, becoming a being of energy. Scott is more powerful than ever, but he rarely explores the power of being a person made of pure magical energy. He still uses his powers as if he’s fully human, rarely reaching his potential.
6) Dr. Fate
Dr. Fate is DC’s most storied magical hero, having fought the forces of evil since the Golden Age of comics. There have been numerous Fates over the years – Kent Nelson, his wife Inza, Linda and Eric Strauss, Jared Stevens, Hector Hall, and currently Khalid Nassour – all of them powered by the Helmet of Fate. The helm is home to Nabu, a Lord of Order with vast power over reality. The various Fates have rarely tapped into Nabu’s full reality-altering power and most of them have barely plumbed the mysteries of the Tower of Fate, which is home to countless magical tomes and objects of power. Dr. Fate is powerful, but has barely reached past the tip of the power iceberg.
5) The Spectre
The Spectre is the Angel of God’s Vengeance and one of the oldest, most powerful angels of the Silver City. In the Golden Age, slain policeman Jim Corrigan bonded with the angel, becoming the most powerful hero of the Justice Society. The power of the Spectre is limitless; he can mold reality into any shape he wants and is as strong, durable, and large as he needs to be. Hosts give the Spirit of Vengeance focus, and this limits the power they can tap into. The Spectre without a host, unleashed against those who deserve vengeance, is one of the most frightening forces in the universe. He was able to destroy the entire magical community, even the most powerful, ancient forces in the cosmos. He’s all power and rarely ever uses all of it.
4) Perpetua
Perpetua is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, villains the heroes of the DC Multiverse ever faced. She was a Hand and created the DC Multiverse, meaning for it to be a mobile weapon that would destroy her fellow Hands and the Judges of the Source. She was betrayed by her children the Monitor, the Anti-Monitor, and the World-Forger and imprisoned outside the Source Wall. When it was broken, she returned, with Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom harnessing the Seven Dark Forces of the Totality to give her back her power. While she was destroying universes left and right, she never was able to regain her power to create multiverses, unable to tap into her full power.
3) The Anti-Monitor
Crisis on Infinite Earths redefined DC Comics, all because of the rampage of the Anti-Monitor. He was the ultimate evil (until his mother showed up) and was able to destroy countless universes with waves of anti-matter energy. He was so powerful that he could kill Kryptonians and he could reach into any universe he wanted. He was a dynamo, but once he brought back, he never reached those same levels of power again. The closest he came was the New 52 version, but even he only destroyed one universe and couldn’t even beat the Crime Syndicate, let alone Darkseid without major assistance. He was still powerful, but he was never what he once in his first attack.
2) Darkseid
DC K.O. saw Darkseid become the Final God, his most powerful form yet. He has control of his own universe and is able to the harness the Omega energy of the prime DC Universe. He has lived up the “god” in “God of Evil”, yet he always had the potential to be more powerful than he seems. For example, his Omega Effect can kill just about anything at full power, yet he never uses it at its highest level. He could use the Omega Sanction to make someone a time-traveling Omega bomb, but he’s only done that once. His power has always been a part of the fabric of the universe, yet he’s rarely fully tapped into it. His death can deform the multiverse itself. He rarely uses any of his powers to their utmost extent and you know that’s true because the heroes still exist.
1) Superman
Superman is the most powerful being in the DC Multiverse, his energies powering the metaverse around it. The Man of Steel’s power level is whatever it needs to be for a story, but regardless of if he’s able to throw planets or merely lift tens of thousands of tons, he has to hold back. He lives in a world made for beings much weaker than him, and he can shred the people and places around him if he’s not constantly careful. He can’t fly as fast as he wants, because the shockwaves he could create would level cities; if he’s careless with any of his powers, he could cause catastrophic damage to everything around him. We’ve even seen him reach godlike levels of power from absorbing yellow sun. His entire life is about limiting himself for everyone else’s protection, and he rarely if ever gets to fight anyone that can use his full power against. When he does, it shakes the firmament itself.
What DC character do you think holds back the most? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
