Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Superman

Superman has finally hit theaters and is stuffed with some particularly powerful DCU characters, though some are more powerful than others. In fact, if Superman‘s opening exposition is anything to go by, there are plenty more powerful DC characters on the way in future DCU installments. For now, the power dynamic of the DCU has a clear ranking.

Superman established that Metahumans have been an established part of the cinematic universe for three centuries, but they don’t have a monopoly on power. While Batman is a clear example of an upcoming DCU hero who attains power through external means, Superman also hosts a handful of resourceful mortals. With that in mind, these are Superman‘s most powerful characters.

12

Lois Lane Is Talented But Not Super-Powered

Portrayed By Rachel Brosnahan

Lois Lane is a human journalist whose power lies in her distinctly human characteristics. Her journalistic skills have earned her widespread renown (no doubt helped by her unique proximity to Superman), making her the Daily Planet’s foremost reporter. She is also fearless, resourceful, intelligent, and perceptive, though it isn’t made clear if she independently discerned Clark Kent’s true idenтιтy.

Nevertheless, despite being one of the most talented people in Metropolis, her power pales in comparison to most other stars in Superman. Thankfully, her allegiance to such powerful characters as Mister Terrific and Superman himself helps to keep her safe during the most perilous aspects of her job.

11

Rick Flag Sr. Is A Fearsome (But Human) Soldier

Portrayed By Frank Grillo

Rick Flag Sr., who made his debut in the DCU’s Creature Commandos, is an immensely skilled and decorated army veteran and the director of ARGUS. His role repeatedly puts him in the path of Metahumans, despite being an average human himself, which is indicative of his skills when pitted against vastly more powerful characters in the DCU.

The animated Creature Commandos is canon in the DCU.

Rick Flag Sr. is a master tactician and combatant, though his powers are confined to the limits of an average human. Nevertheless, depending on the materials he has access to, Rick Flag Sr. is powerful enough to stand up to powerful characters, as evidenced mostly by his time in Creature Commandos.

10

Hawkgirl Doesn’t Have Much Of An Opportunity To Outshine Her Colleagues

Portrayed By Isabela Merced

Kendra Saunders is a member of the Justice Gang, a three-turned-four-member band of superheroes who operate under the purview of Maxwell Lord. Although she isn’t fleshed out in the space of Superman, Saunders is traditionally a reincarnated Thanagarian (a winged alien race) with a standard smattering of superpowers, including super strength, super speed, and, of course, flight.

Although she is responsible for killing President Vasil Ghurkos of Boravia, Hawkgirl doesn’t achieve too much in Superman. She is evidently a formidable combatant, but she achieves little in the fight against the Kaiju, leaving it up to Justice Gang colleague Mister Terrific to strike the finishing blow with exploding T-Spheres.

9

Mister Terrific Is A Super-Genius And Engineer

Portrayed By Edi Gathegi

Michael Holt is a brilliant tactician and inventor, and one of the DCU’s most intelligent characters. Although he is not a metahuman, his inventions provide him with a vast and versatile array of abilities, mostly provided by his T-Spheres. These drone-like spheres are exceptionally multifaceted, with the ability to:

• Produce forcefields
• Provide video imaging
• Explode
• Bludgeon enemies
• Scanning

Mister Terrific plays a more prominent role in Superman than his Justice Gang colleagues and is thus given more space to demonstrate his capabilities. He makes quick work of several Raptors, soldiers in Lex Luthor’s personal army, and takes down a Kaiju by detonating T-Spheres in its stomach. His brilliant mind is also deployed to help counteract a developing rift in Metropolis.

8

Guy Gardner Is A Powerful Green Lantern

Portrayed By Nathan Fillion

Guy Gardner is a Green Lantern, and the first to be introduced in the DCU ahead of the upcoming DCU show, Lanterns. Gardner leads the Justice Gang and uses his Power Ring to generate giant green constructs and force fields. These constructs take several forms in Superman, which are limited only by Gardner’s imagination.

One such use of his Power Ring sees Guy Gardner subdue an entire battalion of the Boravian army, effortlessly generating giant hands (including some that flip the bird) to topple tanks and infantry alike. Gardner’s arrogance could work against him, however.

7

Lex Luthor’s Power Lies With His Wealth And Genius

Portrayed By Nicholas Hoult

Lex Luthor is the arch-nemesis of Superman, whose schemes almost kill the Man of Steel. Although he is a human, and staunchly prejudiced against Metahumans and Superman in particular, he is a decidedly formidable foe. Lex is a genius with access to near-limitless resources, which he uses obsessively against Superman to great effect.

He is at least indirectly responsible for defeating Superman more than once by siccing his super-powered lackeys on him.

Although most other stars of Superman trounce Lex Luthor in raw power, due to his human physiology, it’s his brilliant mind and access to resources that work in his favor. He uses both to create a Superman clone, Ultraman, and create an entire pocket universe to imprison his enemies.

He is at least indirectly responsible for defeating Superman more than once by siccing his super-powered lackeys on him. Nevertheless, he is effortlessly overpowered by Superman and Krypto when they eventually gain direct access to the villainous mastermind and facilitate his incarceration.

6

Krypto The Superdog Is A Canine Version Of Superman

Krypto Is A Kryptonian

Krypto the Superdog is a Kryptonian canine temporarily fostered by Superman despite being revealed to be owned by his cousin, Kara Zor-El. As a Kryptonian, he boasts a similar, if not identical, array of powers to his bipedal counterparts. In Superman, Krypto can fly and boasts super-strength, super-senses, and super-speed.

Krypto’s greatest feats of strength in Superman include making quick work of Lex Luthor’s raptors while aiding Superman, and even giving Superman himself grief. Given the fact that he boasts the powers of his master, Krypto is one of the most powerful characters in Superman, limited only by his intelligence.

5

Metamorpho Produces A Sun With His Powers

Portrayed By Anthony Carrigan

Metamorpho, introduced as The Element Man, debuts in Superman as Superman’s cellmate. He has the unique ability to create any material from his body, which Lex Luthor forces him to use to create kryptonite and subdue Superman in his cell. He is also able to replicate a small star, thereby re-powering Superman when he opts to rebel against Luthor.

Given that he is seemingly able to shape materials, his ability to compose them of various elements makes him more versatile than Guy Gardner.

This latter use of his power makes Metamorpho one of the most powerful characters in Superman. He later makes short work of Luthor’s Raptors by spraying them with acid, and crushes a tank with a giant steel hammer. Given that he is seemingly able to shape materials, his ability to compose them of various elements makes him more versatile than Guy Gardner.

4

The Engineer Nearly Defeats Superman

Portrayed By María Gabriela De Faría

Angela Spica, AKA the Engineer, is imbued with nanites in her bloodstream that allow her to form limitless structures and transform. The nanites in her body can also move independently. However, Engineer still needs to be within the vicinity to control them, as evidenced by Superman freeing himself of her nanites by making her fall unconscious.

Still, the fact that Engineer was almost able to kill Superman speaks to the scale of her powers. She uses her nanites to subdue both Superman and Krypto, and is also able to hack into Superman’s Fortress of Solitude and restore the damaged recording of his biological parents, further proving the versatility of her powers.

3

Ultraman Is A Superman Clone

Portrayed By David Corenswet

Ultraman is introduced as a mysterious, immensely powerful henchman of Lex Luthor and later revealed to be a Superman clone. As such, he boasts the same litany of powers as the original, including super-strength, flight, and laser vision, which he utilizes repeatedly against Lex Luthor’s nemesis and the citizens of Metropolis.

Superman’s clone in DC Comics is Bizarro, which Superman‘s Ultraman appears to be partially based on.

Given that Ultraman is a clone of Superman, he trounces nearly every other character in Superman in terms of raw power. Working against him, however, is his seeming lack of mental capacity, which Superman uses to his advantage to ultimately defeat his clone and send him flying into a black hole.