The DC Universe is home to some truly powerful women characters. Before 2017, there wasn’t much significance handed out to female superheroes in the movies, and they were generally lumped together with male superheroes in team-up movies. However, enormously strong female characters have lived on in comic books for decades, and they are being given their due popularity now.
With films like Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel making female superheroes mainstream names, there is no doubt the coming decades will see many more solo female-led films. DC has generally been ahead of Marvel in introducing powerful female superheroes and villains, and that’s why it’s worth noting the strongest female characters in the DC Universe.
25 Cheetah
The DCEU version of this comic book villain might not have been loved by fans, but she’s inspired by one of the most powerful women in DC comic books. Cheetah has a long history of going up against Wonder Woman, one of the most powerful heroes.
Cheetah doesn’t just have super strength and speed. She’s also incredibly intelligent and in some comic book storylines, has the ability to communicate with and control big cats like her namesake. She’s able to take on some of the most powerful figures in comics and live to tell the tale.
24 Alice
For a while in the comics, Alice is Batwoman’s primary villain. The same is true of CW’s live action Batwoman series. Alice is a complicated woman who turns to villainy in the comics because she’s manipulated, but in the CW series, as a path toward revenge.
In both cases, Alice doesn’t typically have superpowers. She is, however, incredibly skilled thanks to her training to become a fighter. Alice picks up new skills quickly, and she has no trouble using a variety of weapons. Beyond that, however, Alice’s strength comes from her being emotionally tormented during her formative years, but finding a way to deal with all of the pain and trauma of her past to push forward. She can be incredibly manipulative herself, but she also eventually becomes a hero.
23 Vixen
Vixen comes from a long line of women who are able to access the spirits of animals to help guide them. Multiple heroines have used the name, and the characters have appeared in both live action and in animation, most famously in the CW’s Arrowverse.
Mari is a woman who has a strong moral compass, a desire to see justice served, and a firm connection to tradition. She stands up for her convictions and commits to helping anyone who might need her. While that’s true of most heroes in general, Mari also understands that not every hero in the Arrowverse needs to be in the same place. If a city has a hero, she goes where she’s needed and allows them their space. She understands that someone else living the vigilante life might have a better understanding of their own city. It takes a strong hero to step back from the fight as much as it does to enter the fight.
22 Catwoman
There’s a reason Catwoman is one of the most often adapted women in Batman mythology. It’s not just her complicated relationship with Bruce Wayne, but also her ability to keep up with super powered heroes and villains even when she’s not written as a meta-human, and her own strength of character.
Catwoman lives life on her own terms, but she still has a strong moral compass. Despite often being a villain scaling buildings and opening uncrackable safes, she has her own code. Sometimes, she’s a Robin Hood figure, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. There are a lot of lines she won’t cross, which is why she’ll often team up with Batman instead of working against him – to save those she knows can’t save themselves.
21 Batwoman
Katherine ‘Kate’ Kane is the second person to adopt the Batwoman moniker. Though she’s Bruce Wayne’s cousin, she was running her own operation in Gotham independent of the Bat-Family. Batwoman might not have had the infrastructure Bruce developed, but with her father by her side, she was able to become one of the most underrated heroes in Gotham.
Batwoman has gone up against some truly terrifying rogues. Not just the usual foes that Batman deals with but enemies personal to her such as her sister, Elizabeth, aka Alice, and the Religion of Crime. Kate might not have powers, but she’s a real ass-kicker and has an indomitable spirit.
20 Black Canary
One of the longest-running female heroes in DC Comics is Black Canary. A mantle passed down from mother to daughter, the Black Canary sometimes uses a device to “scream” at her opponents. Other times, the heroine is a meta-human who uses her natural canary cry to fight.
Every version of the Black Canary has led a difficult life. One version of the character grows up on the street before training with a martial artist and learning to use her skills to help people. Another version of the character has to work through addiction to become the person she’s meant to be. The Black Canary often becomes a team leader and rallies other heroes to do the right thing.
19 Lois Lane
Her characterization has always been so much more than to be tied to her romance with Superman. Lois has always been a fierce and independent DC character who will never let up. Her outspokenness and never-say-die attitude have made Lois a force to be reckoned with.
Even when Lois has been threatened by beings of otherworldly powers, she’s refused to be intimidated and stuck to her guns by returning to her investigative abilities time and again. That’s more bravery and strength than most since Lois doesn’t have the advantage of special powers.
18 Amanda Waller
If there’s one person who can give any metahuman living nightmares it would have to be Amanda Waller. Her DC storylines have always been of the utmost quality, which she bolsters by bringing her powerful presence, that can dissect any person before her.
Waller is one of the handful of people who’s never been intimidated by Batman’s threats and has actually been the one to put him on the back foot. Her total control in all of her activities has made her the boss of beings more powerful than her on paper, but Waller doesn’t display even a hint of apprehension.
17 Batgirl/Oracle
Batgirl has always been on wish lists for any Batman media, mainly because her characterization allows her to fit in any role. She’s been a badass superhero in her own right while remaining a threat from behind the scenes whenever a story has given her the Oracle role.
She’s got all of Batman’s abilities on the field and has shown to have carved her own efficiency where mind games and strategies are concerned. So much so, that Batman has been shown to rely on her skills in order to complete his detective duties.
16 Harley Quinn
While other DC media has shown a relatively topsy-turvy presentation of Harley Quinn, the DCEU version has portrayed the character at her most powerful, where her mental wellbeing is concerned. This Harley has retained all her funny qualities and been able to channel her emotions to the betterment of others, even if that might be unintentional. Birds of Prey showed how she was capable of standing tall after she fell to her lowest point, bringing in a new level of leadership quality and the ability to think fast on her feet. She’s so far faced both mystical and underworld threats, coming out on top each time.
15 Talia Al-Ghul
Stories featuring the Al-Ghul family have always been ahead of their time, Talia’s involvement being the most complex for Batman. Her strength comes from her ability to manipulate anyone she wants to the point where Talia can string around multiple people to fit her own needs.
She’s perhaps the only person that Batman has lowered his defenses for, being a villain for whom he’s harbored genuine feelings. If Talia wanted, she could bring peace on Earth considering how incredible her powers of persuasion are. While she remains bad for the most part, she could bring the world to its knees if that was her plan.
14 Dove
Dawn Granger took over the role of Dove after the previous one perished during Crisis on Infinite Earths. Dawn’s powers come from Terataya, a powerful Lord of Order that grants Dawn enhanced strength and speed, as well as the ability to sense danger in all its forms. Dove is generally paired with the hero Hawk, whose fiery personality contrasts with her gentle demeanor.
Don’t mistake Dove’s pacifism for weakness as she was crucial to DC’s heroes winning during Blackest Night. Dove was revealed to channel the White Light of Creation, a power that made her the one person who was able to put down a powerful Black Lantern Anti-Monitor for good.
13 Zatanna
Rather than being a “witch,” Zatanna really is a powerful magician. This gives her the ability to cast various illusions and mask her true powers without revealing their true depth. Zatanna is one of the most powerful sorceresses, having genetic powers instead of acquiring them. She can cast spells and can use her magic for larger purposes, such as defeating enemies like Parademons, or for menial tasks without speaking.
Her powers are such that, by not using them, they end up increasing in strength. She’s also able to use divination and foresight. It’s not known how far her powers can go, with seemingly endless potential, such as resurrecting Metropolis and even manipulating time and space.
12 Poison Ivy
Fans can tell that a character is pretty powerful when all she needs to do is plant a kiss on someone to instantly poison them. Poison Ivy’s body itself can produce toxins in a variety of forms, with their deadly potential based on how much pain she wants to inflict.
Her own immunity reaches super levels as she’s been shown to be one of the few characters who can withstand Joker’s fear venom. Perhaps the greatest trick in her arsenal is her ability to control the minds of men to do her bidding, and this even extends to men with extreme mental fortitude like Batman. Then again, the power to control plant life to do what she wants them to is pretty unparalleled in itself.
11 Mera
It would be curtains for most people if they were ever trapped in a tsunami. For DC’s hero Mera, though, a tsunami is like jumping into a pool. She’s not only completely resistant to all water-based attacks, but Mera’s powers are also amplified with them.
She can easily breathe underwater and has super speed in this realm. Her speed is so ferocious, she can use it to annihilate submarines or other kinds of weaponry underwater. The ability of Hydrokinesis comes naturally to her, and, with manipulation of water, she can effectively create mini-tsunamis of her own. Her super durability means it would take powerful beings like Superman to beat her in a fight.
10 Ice
Tora Olafsdotter, aka Ice, is one half of the duo Fire and Ice, two members of Justice League International, one of the more curious incarnations of the League. Ice is generally portrayed as a sweet and kind individual, but one who also wields an incredible amount of power.
Ice has complete mastery over snow, ice, and frigid temperatures all due to metahuman powers that kicked in at a young age. Tora can do everything from creating light flurries to outright blizzards. She has been shown to easily lose control of her powers, though, making her a potential danger to her enemies, her allies, and herself.
9 Big Barda
All you need to know is that Big Barda is a New God, and it’s pretty obvious how powerful she is. She comes from the same race as Darkseid (who’s generally the most powerful DC character you can find) and has genetic abilities that rival Superman’s.
Her godly powers easily give the super strength that allows her to lift hundreds of tons with a simple gesture. She can put up with the best of them in a fight thanks to her warrior-like training, and the armor she wears—forged in Apokolips—makes it near-impossible for her opponents to attack her. She’s also naturally resistant to most toxins produced.
8 Hawkgirl
She has the usual powers one would expect from a super being – super strength, durability, speed. However, what makes Hawkgirl truly unique is the ability to be magic-resistant. This power cannot be understated, as it allows Hawkgirl to be a cut above most of the rest.
She was able to use her mace (which is made of Nth metal) to nullify attacks from someone as insanely powerful as Doctor Fate. It also means that every other magic attack against her can be countered by Hawkgirl, making her a figure for all magic-based characters to fear. There’s also the fact that she can swiftly fly, and use her super-strength to make her mace more powerful.
7 Jesse Quick/Liberty Belle
Jesse Chambers is the offspring of two powerful Golden Age heroes: The speedster Johnny Quick and the super-strong Liberty Belle. As such, she inherited both traits from her parents, making her quite the standout of the Flash Family’s many members. Technically Jesse isn’t a natural speedster, but she can access incredible speeds by reciting her father’s patented speed formula.
And while she mostly goes by her father’s mantle, Jesse still puts the power given to her mother to good use. When the Earth came under attack by an alien army during the One-Minute War, it was Jesse’s strength, not her speed that was crucial to helping the turn the tide in the Flash Family’s favor.
6 Raven
Raven, daughter of a demonic entity, makes full use of her wide array of powers, which include other-worldly abilities like astral projection, fear inducement, and dark energy. She can extract herself from her physical body and use her soul to travel great distances and render herself incorporeal.
Raven can also absorb wounds on others, effectively healing them and herself. Using her soul form, she can take control of a person’s mind and cast them into darkness. Along with fear inducement, Raven can also induce pain in her opponents, which means she doesn’t even need to be in contact with them.
