From what I’ve read about him, dude is more powerful than Superman and Flash. The guy is OP in the Quantum Field. Let’s discuss!
Captain Atom is a serious powerhouse. I don’t think he’s more powerful than Doctor Fate, and the Flash’s abilities are remarkably versatile for a single-power hero, but the Captain would have to be in the top five at least.
The Rise and Fall of Captain Atom is a really good storyline.
@BatJamags Cap beat the Flash and even manipulated the Speed Force. Heck, apparently he’s also immune to magic. Dude is OP.
Small fact Dr Manhattan is based off of captain Adam
1 Like
Ehhhh, depends on if we include the extended league and shirt term menders. I mean THE MONITOR just joined the league thos month! The Archangel Zauriel is a powerhouse. If we are talking about PURE REALITY WARPING POWER, my money is on Zatanna.
*Short term members.
Following up on what @CrimsonOwl said, I never saw much resemblance between Dr Manhattan and Captain Atom (Charlton or DC), but is Manhattan just further along in the development of his powers? Can anyone see Atom turning into Manhattan?
I just dont understand why people underestimate supes. It makes no sense. There’s times where his strength is literally what it needs to be…
2 Likes
I mean, the most powerful is obviously the Phantom Stranger, but he’s sort of a part-timer/honorary kind of person.
After him, I definitely have to rank Doctor Fate above any of the others. Psychic abilities and magic are two of the most broken powersets in the DC Universe (the other big one being speed), and Fate is one of the most powerful users of both. He can teleport, he’s traded punches with Superman even in the Silver Age, and he’s immortal. Dude’s got the whole package.
After that, though, the amount of energy Captain Atom can bring to bear is ridiculous, and he’s able to replicate a lot of other characters’ weaknesses using his abilities. The other heavy-hitters I’d rank up here are the Flash, Zatanna, Firestorm, and maybe Martian Manhunter for his psychic powers and Superman-ish physical abilities. Not sure any of them could actually take Captain Atom, though.
Superman is a very strong sort of generalist superhero, but he’s got fairly standard powers, just amped way up. He can bring a lot of physical force to bear but is sort of a blunt instrument without much specialization or versatility. And even as a generalist, he’s slightly outclassed by Captain Marvel, since Billy doesn’t have any specific weaknesses the way Clark does.
I think I did a top-ten ranking somewhere on here, and Superman did make the top ten (#9, I think?) but he doesn’t have to be the most powerful superhero ever. He’s tough enough that his strength level is a common benchmark for everyone else, but more important is his character and charisma. The fact that there are more powerful heroes just emphasizes the fact that not everyone could be Superman given Superman’s abilities. Not that people like Captain Atom aren’t heroic, but Superman is Superman.
This kind of became a response to @LEXC0RP’s response halfway through, so I’ll just say that I’m bringing all this up because you seem to be taking suggestions that someone other than Superman is the most powerful JLA member as an insult to Superman. All I’m saying is that I simply don’t think that’s true.