The DC Universe is home to some of the smartest characters in fictions – tactical, scientific, and investigative geniuses who operate on the same level as mystic beings and otherworldly gods. Named for ‘Detective Comics,’ it’s no surprise that DC loves smart characters – from science-savvy superheroes to conniving villains defined by their monstrous ambition. However, as a living, ongoing tangle of stories, the hierarchy of DC’s smartest characters is always changing.
Here are the 10 smartest characters in DC canon, with a focus on those currently operating in the comics and getting the opportunity to showcase their intimidating intellects. With an impressive command of science, aptitude for strategy and breadth of knowledge, these key figures represent the best of heroes and the deadliest of villains.
10 Tim Drake’s Robin Is at the Top of His Game
From Multiversal Rescue Missions to Street-Level Crime, Tim Is an Investigative Marvel
As Batman’s third Robin, Tim Drake often goes underrated in the shadow of Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne. However, recent stories have shown how the young hero applies knowledge and learning to saving his friends. In the recent Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Scorched Earth #1 (Chip Zdarsky, Tini Howard, Nikola Čižmešija, Mike Hawthorne, Wade Von Grawbadger and Mark Morales), Tim took down an army of Gotham villains, revealing that he’d used his time in the Batcave to study all their inventions and find the weak points. Tim has also been striking out as a detective in his own self-titled series, but also rescued Batman from the multiverse and used his emotional intelligence to forge a new dynamic with Jason Todd during Knight Terrors: Robin (Kenny Porter and Miguel Mendonca).
9 Penguin Has Never Been More Capable
DC Has Revamped Penguin into a Truly Terrifying Mastermind
The face of organized crime in Gotham, Penguin has been one of Batman’s most conniving foes since his debut, however DC has spent the last few months emphasizing how dangerous he actually is. Having all but monopolized the city’s criminal enterprise in the past, the villain later faked his own death, framing Batman in the process – an act which still has the Dark Knight dealing with the fallout.
Having since been approached by Amanda Waller in Tom King and Rafael de Latorre’s The Penguin, Oswald Cobblepott is now in the process of retaking his criminal empire, bending former heroes and rival villains to his will. As part of that process, fans have seen Penguin’s origin, and how he perfectly played Batman to not only take out his superiors in the mob, but set him up as the king of Gotham crime by helping him buy the crime den known as the Iceberg Lounge.
8 Steel’s Genius Is More Influential Than Ever
John Henry and Natasha Irons Are Reshaping Metropolis
John Henry Irons has been a core member of the Superman family since he adopted the Steel mantle during the “Death of Superman” arc in 1992. An engineer by trade, Irons fights villainy using his suit of armor and signature sledgehammer. As his story has progressed, more attention has been paid to the character’s genius-level skill as an inventor. During Michael Dorn and Sami Basri’s Steelworks, the hero has reasserted himself as one of Metropolis’ greatest minds, working with his niece – the second Steel – to rebuild Metropolis as a new utopia.
7 Amanda Waller Plays the World Like a Game of Chess
Waller Has Seized Control of America with Her Bureau of Sovereignty
Amanda Waller has been one of DC’s smartest villains for years now, but she recently took a huge step-up by founding the Bureau of Sovereignty. Waller has parlayed the worldwide threat posed by ‘Garro’ in Tom Taylor and Ivan Reis’ Titans: Beast World to force the president to hand her supreme power, all while placing a bounty on each and every one of DC’s heroes. Waller has an army of superpowered operatives, the support of the public, and legally obtained political power even despots dream of. 2022’s War for Earth-3 (Dennis Hopeless, Robbie Thompson, Steve Pugh, Dexter Soy, Brent Peeples) event saw Waller trying to claim another reality as her personal fiefdom, and the way things are now shaping up, it’s likely DC’s heroes wish they’d let her have it.
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6 Mister Terrific Is the Ultimate Multi-Tasker
Mister Terrific Has Become DC’s Go-To Consulting Genius
Mister Terrific has served as a key member of the Justice League and the Justice Society. Throughout his history, the scientist, physicist and inventor has proved his intellect through his skills in the field, and an ability to retain everything he learns. Recent adventures in The Terrifics (Jeff Lemire, Ivan Reis, et al) and Strange Adventures (Tom King, Evan Shaner and Mitch Gerads) have seen Holt operating on a multiversal level and as the hero who other genius heroes call when they’re stumped. However, his continuing presence in The Flash (Simon Spurrier, Mike Deodato Jr.) as Wally West’s boss is stressing the true breadth of his genius, as he acts as the first port of call for problems that could shake reality itself to pieces.
5 Brainiac Is Back and Making Galactic-Level Plays
DC’s New Trinity of Evil All Appear on This List
An android from Colu, Brainiac is one of Superman’s most important villains. He’s also one of the franchise’s most dangerous. This enemy is programed to collect all the information in the universe, famously collecting cities from planets that he subsequently destroys. The upcoming House of Brainiac saga (Joshua Williamson, Mark Russel, Steve Pugh, Edwin Galmon, et al) will unleash his army of Czarnian warriors on Earth – a species previously believed extinct. However, that’s only the start of the genius villain’s comeback.
DC will spend 2024 assembling a new Trinity of Evil – villains as influential as the iconic Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman alliance. The three foes in question are Amanda Waller, Brainiac, and Failsafe (more on him later), who are rising to power off the back of their master plans coming to fruition. Brainiac is a terrifying alien mastermind, and he’s never been more dangerous than right now.
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4 Failsafe Is Batman Without Limits
This New Form of the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh Easily Beat Superman
When news broke of Batman apparently killing Penguin, the Failsafe android was activated with one mission – kill and replace Bruce Wayne. This devastating contingency plan of Batman’s own design became even deadlier when its robotic body was possessed by the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh in Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jiménez’s Batman #140 – an alternate persona created by Bruce which has since grown a mind of its own, acting as a vicious Batman without human restraint. Failsafe/Zur-En-Arrh is Batman without the respect for life, and is currently making the Dark Knight’s life hell, including sending him on a one-way trip deep into the multiverse (from which he was thankfully rescued by Tim Drake.)
One of DC’s Trinity of Evil, Failsafe is just getting started in his rise to power, but has already proved he has contingencies in place to stop every hero and villain. What’s more, the Zur-En-Arrh persona is now spreading through the multiverse like a virus, building an army of extremist Batmen. Most impressively, Zur-En-Arrh set all this up while lurking – seemingly imprisoned – in Bruce’s mind.
3 Lex Luthor Is the Epitome of the Evil Genius Trope
Superman’s New Era Is All Lex’s Doing
DC’s definitive evil genius, Alexander “Lex” Luthor is Superman’s nemesis, but recently had a change of heart regarding the Man of Steel. Resolving to control Superman rather than fight him, Lex removed Superman’s identity from almost every mind on the planet in Action Comics #1050 (Tom Taylor, Joshua Williamson, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Clayton Henry, Nick Dragotta, and Mike Perkins), then handed over control of his company to his longtime enemy. Luthor is slowly but surely remaking Superman in his own image, even as the secrets of his own past as Metropolis’ first superhero protector come to light.
2 Batman Remains DC’s Ultimate Crime-Fighting Genius
Even Without His Fortune and Allies, Bruce Wayne Is Still an A-List Operator
Thanks mostly to his obsessive nature and ability to push past any boundary, Batman remains DC’s smartest human, with a grasp on pretty much any subject fans could want. While he lost his fortune in the Joker War and has damaged his relationship with his allies in the Gotham War, Batman remains the definitive tactician and detective of the DC Universe.
Of course, Batman’s genius makes him a great hero and a major danger – the twin threats of Failsafe and the spreading influence of Zur-En-Arrh are both the consequences of Bruce Wayne’s unrivaled genius. However, what really seals the deal is that even pursued by a homicidal robotic doppelgänger and an army of corrupted multiversal Batmen, Bruce is still managing to stay one step ahead, even outthinking an army of himself in his last face-off with Failsafe.
1 Metron Is the God of Knowledge
Metron Is All But Untouchable as DC’s Smartest Character
Through his all-knowing Mobius Chair, Metron can access all the knowledge of the universe, an ability which he uses to ferret out unknown secrets and mysteries on a cosmic level. While Metron isn’t a major player in DC Comics right now, he never really has been – Metron is the ultimate source of knowledge that heroes and villains seek out in their darkest, most desperate moments, and he still holds that position with no apparent challenger. When the gods discover a problem they can’t solve, they call Metron.
Those are the ten smartest characters in DC Comics right now, but as the Trinity of Evil rise and Penguin finally returns to Gotham, this ranking is sure to change soon – and Screen Rant will be sure to chronicle it as it does.
