DC Officially Confirms One Justice League Hero Is More Powerful Than Superman
Published Sep 23, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT
Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows.
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A famous Justice League hero wields the superpowers of all his teammates, putting Superman's innate power and heroism into perspective. The most powerful DC superheroes manage to save the universe from cosmic extinction on a weekly basis, yet they're ultimately incapable of keeping the world completely clean of everyday crime. Powerhouses like Superman and the Flash can move planets and rewrite timelines, but their godlike power can never fully eliminate corruption, poverty, or human greed. A superhero can't use heat vision to stop a white-collar embezzlement scheme, nor can they use the Speed Force to outrun the social decay that breeds crime in cities like Gotham or Metropolis.
The Justice League Unlimited has become the perfect system of global protection, with a constantly rotating roster that divides into smaller squads specifically designed for every mission's unique requirements. Led by tactical masterminds like Mister Terrific, Red Tornado, and Martian Manhunter, the Justice League can reach any corner of the world in record time and call for all kinds of support if the situation requires it. Magic-heavy threats are dispatched to specialists like Zatanna, covert political operations are handed to detectives like Question, and potentially catastrophic battles bring in heavy-hitters like Shazam, Aquaman, and Superman.
As if the Justice League's joint forces weren't enough, a single device can also create a whole new JL within a single body, which can be both a blessing and a curse.
Mister Terrific Knows Exactly How To Use Every DC Hero's Powers Together
Justice League Unlimited #23; Written By Mark Waid; Art By Dan Mora & Tamra Bonvillain
After defeating Despero in Dronnda, Mister Terrific claims the power bank housing the Justice League's superpowers, gaining the powers of all his metahuman colleagues. Michael Holt doesn't hesitate to kill every villain standing in his way, and the alien Scavengers are the next opponents unlucky enough to challenge him. In Justice League Unlimited #23, Mister Terrific freezes one of the villains with Superman's breath, melts another's wings with Firestorm's energy, and electrocutes another with Aquaman's Blue-powered hydrokinesis. Then, as he prepares to murder Kanjar Ro after reading his mind, Mister Terrific's friends stop him, arguing there's no need for more spilled blood.
Mister Terrific's immense power isn't limited to his offensive capabilities. Michael Holt's genius intellect also allows him to combine the Justice League's superpowers in creative ways. While confronting Kanjar Ro, Mister Terrific evacuates the Hykraian civilians from the battlefield with nothing but a snap of his fingers, instinctually mixing teleportation and telekinesis to send every innocent life far away from danger. This superpower combination alone would be extremely useful for the whole Justice League, as it would singlehandedly make collateral damage a thing of the past.
Only Superman Can Handle Near-Omnipotence Responsibly
Even The Most Responsible Justice League Hero Starts Crossing A Line When Presented With Limitless Power
Mister Terrific is one of the most logical and cold-headed leaders of Earth's metahuman community, but even he succumbs to ambition when he adopts the combined powers of the Justice League. When a genius of Michael Holt's caliber, whose entire heroic identity is built on pragmatism and self-control, becomes corrupted by a sudden influx of godhood, it's clear that the perception of morality and authority is something only a few characters can truly understand in the DC Universe. In fact, Mister Terrific's intellect may play against him, since the fastest way to end a battle isn't always the most moral one.
Superman is one of the select few heroes capable of wielding near-omnipotent power precisely because he has lived with it since his earliest memories. Unlike heroes who acquire power as adults, Clark Kent grew up in a world "made of cardboard", spending an entire lifetime learning exactly how to hold back and calculate the precise amount of force needed to save lives without using excessive force. Superman's restraint is a lifelong habit forged through decades of empathy, to the point that a great number of heroes and villains have grown frustrated with his squeaky-clean approach to crime-fighting.
Which DC character deserves a chance to wield omnipotence?
Justice League Unlimited #23 is now available from DC Comics
Writer Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Brian Michael Bendis, Gardner Fox, Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Geoff Johns
Penciler Jim Cheung, Jorge Jiménez, Mike Sekowsky, Dick Dillin, Kevin Maguire, Howard Porter, Doug Mahnke, Jim Lee, Ivan Reis, Jason Fabok
Penciler(s) Jim Cheung, Jorge Jimenez, Mike Sekowsky, Dick Dillin, Kevin Maguire, Howard Porter, Doug Mahnke, Jim Lee, Ivan Reis, Jason Fabok
Publisher(s) DC
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and other heroes unite as the Justice League, Earth's first line of defense against threats no single champion can defeat alone. Across decades of DC stories, the team's roster repeatedly changes as its members confront alien warlords, ancient demons, powerful sorcerers, and Darkseid.
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