Who The DCEU's Most Powerful Superhero Is (& How It Could Change)
Who's the most powerful superhero that the DCEU has introduced so far? The DC extended universe started strong with Man of Steel in 2013. It presented a darker, more grounded, and vastly more powerful version of Superman (Henry Cavill), compared to the rest of his live-action adaptations. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice quickly expanded the roster of live-action DC superheroes with the introduction of Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), plus several cameos by the founding members of the Justice League, including Cyborg (Ray Fisher), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Aquaman (Jason Momoa).
The ensemble films Suicide Squad and its Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) spinoff Birds of Prey focused on a less powerful but more unpredictable corner of the DCEU, where the strongest characters that stand out among the deranged groups of criminals are the fire-bending El Diablo (Jay Hernández), and the interdimensional sorceress Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), but they died or were depowered before Suicide Squad's final credits rolled. Then, the solo movies Wonder Woman and Aquaman revealed the true scope of their respective protagonists' powers, while Shazam! introduced the lifelong Superman rival Captain Marvel/Shazam (Zachary Levi), a superhero with the powers of seven Olympic gods.
In short, the DCEU is a very competitive landscape in terms of power, but there's one hero that outshines all others. The spectrum of power includes gods, monsters, and meta-humans (as well as a really rich man with an armory full of deadly toys). The question, as with any collection of hugely powerful characters, is who should emerge as the most impressive of all.
Shazam has super strength, super speed, flight, enhanced endurance, and the ability to summon lightning. However, he's inexperienced and immature, which leads him to give up his advantage in battle and lose control of his own abilities. On the opposite end is Wonder Woman, who has fought a yet unspecified number of battles for several decades, but finds it difficult to fly and summon lightning (although she has hinted at a future development of these abilities). Still, she can hold her own against creatures like Doomsday and Cheetah (Kristen Wiig), and she even managed to singlehandedly defeat the Olympic god Ares (David Thewlis). Aquaman is even more powerful, with super-strength, Atlantean physiology, and hydrokinesis, plus his most useful ability: telepathy. With the latter, he can control all of the Earth's sea life, which would make him the most powerful character in the DCEU if it weren't for Cyborg. As the Snyder Cut trailer revealed, the bionic hero can hack into every nuclear arsenal in the world and destroy the Earth with a flick of his wrist.
Finally, there's the DCEU's true powerhouse: Superman. With so many different metahumans running around, it's easy to forget that the Man of Steel wiped out Metropolis during his aerial fistfight with General Zod (Michael Shannon), as well as how Batman's Batmobile bounced off him like it was a toy car. As a definitive proof of his power, Justice League temporarily turned Superman against his fellow superheroes in a one-sided fight, showing that if all the rest of DCEU superheroes assemble to stop him, they have absolutely no chance of moving him back an inch. Even Flash, with the near-unlimited power of the Speed Force, can barely escape Superman's super speed.
Granted, most of the DCEU's superheroes aren't close to their full potential by the end of Justice League, but Superman is so naturally powerful that a full team-up isn't enough to restrain him. This is all set to change when new characters like Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) and the Justice Society join the DCEU. Warner Bros. doesn't seem to have much hope for Superman's cinematic future, which gives Black Adam, Hawkman, and Doctor Fate the chance to put their abilities on display and replace the Man of Steel as the most powerful metahumans in the DCEU. Besides, Barry Allen will soon tap into the Speed Force to time travel in The Flash, which will give him the power to alter the very fabric of reality.
Superman has been the most powerful superhero in the DCEU since its conception. The shared universe has focused on him up until both versions of Justice League, but it's about to change its direction. Accordingly, new heroes will rise and will give him a run for his money.