DC Comics created the first superheroes in the Golden Age, with iconic mantles originating during this time. DC’s heroes became the exemplars of superheroics. Soon various companies and creators tried copying the best the company had to offer. Over the years, these heroes have changed in multiple ways, keeping them fresh for readers.
Many of DC’s heroes have gotten significant upgrades, whether it be as characters or with their powers. The most recognizable improvements have changed the way readers looked at these characters. At other times, they’ve allowed the characters to reach their full potential or have been part of some of DC’s most memorable stories.
Updated April 14th, 2023 by David Harth: DC’s superheroes have survived many trials and tribulations, allowing them to take their place as the greatest heroes in the Multiverse. Many of these characters have been around for decades and have been upgraded in multiple ways. Sometimes, it’s their powers that change. Others take on new, better costumed identities. Whether their upgrades are permanent or temporary, they affect DC’s heroes in a variety of ways.
15 Jason Todd As Red Hood
Batman friends often turn into foes, something that happened with Jason Todd. The Joker killed Todd, but eventually, he was resurrected. Taken in by Talia al Ghul, Todd was trained in the ways of the League of Assassins, becoming a better fighter than ever. He returned to Gotham as the villainous Red Hood, out for revenge against friend and foe alike.
Upon his return, Jason Todd was a more dangerous person than ever before. He could fight Batman to a standstill and took control of multiple gangs in Gotham City. Todd eventually rejoined the Bat-Family, and while he was the black sheep, his increase in skill and experience made him a greater hero than he ever was as Robin.
14 Barbara Gordon As Oracle
Barbara Gordon has been Batman’s ally for years, but an attack by the Joker changed her life forever. Paralyzed from the waist down, she could no longer be Batgirl, but that didn’t mean her place in the superhero community was gone. Gordon used her intelligence and computer skills to become Oracle, a source of information for Batman and the heroic community.
Oracle became a superheroic staple. She was co-founder and leader of the Birds of Prey, helped teach Cassandra Cain how to have a normal life, joined the Justice League, and basically became more important than she ever was as Batgirl. Oracle is a legend and many fans would rather Barbara still work as Oracle than Batgirl now that she can walk again.
13 Jon Kent As Superman
Jon Kent was introduced during Convergence, at the tail end of the New 52. He’s soon became the new Superboy, working with Damian Wayne’s Robin in the comic SuperSons. Fans loved him and were looking forward to his adventures as a child, but then Jon was aged up to a teenager, held on Earth-3 by Ultraman for years. Many fans weren’t happy about this change, but it led to bigger things.
Jon Kent would eventually join the Legion Of Superheroes and, upon returning to the present, became a trusted partner by his father. He took Superman’s place when Kal-El’s powers started to wane and knocked it out of the park. Jon proved he was ready for the big time, reaching a new height in the superhero community than before.
12 Cyborg’s New 52 Origin
DC’s New 52 changed a lot about the DC Universe. Some characters’ origin were pretty drastically changed, with Cyborg’s origin making him more powerful than ever. Vic Stone was caught in an explosion of a Father Box during Darkseid’s invasion of Earth. It bonded with him, transforming him into Cyborg. He joined the battle against the God of Evil and helped found the Justice League.
Cyborg was more powerful than ever before, his strength, durability, and powers increased. The Father Box allowed him much greater control over technology than ever before and gave him the power to create Boom Tubes. While he was mostly misused during the New 52, this version of Cyborg is way better than he gets credit for.
11 Kate Kane’s Batwoman
Batwoman was first introduced in the 1950s as a love interest for Batman. The character existed to head off the idea that Batman, Alfred, and Robin were a homosexual family unit. As such, this version of Batwoman wasn’t anything special as far as heroics go, merely getting into romantic shenanigans and playing the damsel in distress with the original Batgirl, Betty Kane, who was Robin’s love interest. She’d eventually disappear from continuity and was completely wiped from existence by Crisis On Infinite Earths.
Several attempts were made to reintroduce Kathy Kane to Batman continuity, but they all came to naught. However, 52 would introduce the best version of the character. Kate Kane left her wealthy family to join the military, had a fling with GCPD detective Renee Montoya at some point, and returned to the city. She eventually became Batwoman, a smart, tough crimefighter who could match Batman. DC has reimagined many characters, but none were as upgraded as well as Kate Kane’s Batwoman.
10 Nightwing
Nightwing has basically become DC’s main character, and his biggest upgrade is the fact that he’s Nightwing. Dick Grayson started out as Robin, Batman’s first partner and the first kid sidekick to a superhero. As Robin, he was always at Batman’s side and became an icon, helping found the Teen Titans and making Robin a household name.
Dick Grayson became Nightwing during his tenure with the New Teen Titans. He was becoming an adult and wanted to make a name for himself outside of Batman’s shadow. Becoming Nightwing made him a hero on his own merits, becoming the protector of Blüdhaven and even taking over for Batman in Gotham. He became a star completely on his own.
9 Aquaman In The Mid-90s
Aquaman was dead in the water in the early 90s. The character didn’t really fit into the grim aesthetic of the time, even if fans loved The Atlantis Chronicles, which gave readers the history of his home. However, things were about to change. Aquaman lost his left hand in a fight with Charybdis, changing his look and his feel.
Aquaman replaced the missing appendage with a harpoon he fired like a projectile. He replaced his orange scale shirt with something more like what Roman gladiators wear, and his fish telepathy was expanded so that he could use it to attack humans. It was the coolest he’d been in ages and it’s still considered among his best runs as a character.
8 Black Canary As Justice League Chairwoman
Black Canary has a long DC history, starting with the Justice Society of America. She joined the League in the Silver Age, after multiversal shenanigans, and her post-Crisis origin would see the current version become the daughter of the Golden Age Canary. She was a Justice League mainstay, as well as leading the Birds of Prey and having a short stint with the JSA.
Post-Infinite Crisis, Black Canary joined the Justice League again and was unanimously voted as chairwoman of the team. This was the perfect version of the character, as she’d proven herself as a leader and was among DC’s most popular women. Unfortunately, the New 52 wiped this version of Black Canary off of DC’s map.
7 Kyle Rayner As White Lantern
Kyle Rayner faced challenges like few others. He became the sole Green Lantern in the universe, keeping the flame alive until the Corps was resurrected when Hal Jordan returned. He was given the rank of Honor Lantern and was gifted with the power of Ion, becoming the living embodiment of the willpower-based entity of the same name.
Kyle Rayner eventually lost Ion’s abilities but was still a top Green Lantern. Eventually, he was blessed with arguably a greater power, the power of the White Lantern. This allowed Kyle to tap into the entire emotional spectrum. Rayner was already among the best ring-slingers in the universe, so gaining the combined powers of every Corps made him even more formidable.
6 Hal Jordan As The Spectre
Earth’s Green Lanterns are a varied lot, each of them bringing something different to the table. Hal Jordan had the best reputation, but years of secret exposure to the fear entity Parallax broke him. He destroyed the Green Lantern Corps, absorbed its power, and became a villain. However, when a rogue Sun-Eater destroyed Earth’s sun, Jordan sacrificed himself to relight the star.
Strangely, Hal Jordan’s life wasn’t over. He came back as the Spectre, the all-powerful Spirit of Vengeance. It was a very interesting change for Jordan. Like other Spectres, Jordan had to learn to control the rather bloodthirsty force. It was a completely new direction for the character, which is always great.
5 Shazam As The Wizard Of The Rock Of Eternity
Shazam has a long history, at one point even outselling Superman. DC would eventually acquire the character, and he’d join the DC multiverse, at first on his own Earth and then as a denizen of Fawcett City post-Crisis. Shazam was always more of a B-lister, working on his own and as a member of the Justice League, Justice Society, and the leader of the Shazam Family.
When the Wizard was killed by the Spectre in the lead-up to Infinite Crisis, Billy Batson gained his old mentor’s power and took the Wizard’s place in the Rock of Eternity. Billy as the Wizard was a big change for the character, and it was a pretty great update for Shazam. However, it didn’t last and became a squandered opportunity for DC.
4 Wally West As The Flash
By the 1980s, Barry Allen was basically played out as a character. Fans just weren’t interested in his adventures anymore. The patron saint of DC’s Silver Age met his end in Crisis on Infinite Earths, and his sidekick Wally West, the former Kid Flash, took over. There were some growing pains at first, but soon Wally West became a legendary DC hero.
Wally West was the best possible upgrade for the Flash’s mantle. He could mix the heroics of his mentor with a more approachable vibe. Wally grew and changed as a character, proving a superhero could be married with kids. Wally took a dead mantle and made it a blockbuster again while showing that a superhero could grow and change over time.
3 Wonder Woman As The Goddess Of Truth
Wonder Woman has been drastically affected by DC’s many continuity changes. Post-Crisis continuity brought her more in line with Greek myth, and eventually, she received the biggest upgrade of her career and become the Goddess of Truth. She joined the Greek Pantheon in Olympus while her mother, Hippolyta took her place on Earth.
Wonder Woman as the Goddess of Truth is such a no-brainer it’s amazing it isn’t her default form. Diana’s main weapon is the Lasso of Truth, and she’s always fought to uphold the truth. It’s another great idea that didn’t really get the play it deserved, but it was a perfect step in the character’s evolution.
2 Batman In His Hellbat Armor
DC has created many influential heroes, with Batman becoming the greatest vigilante in comics. Over the years, the character has become more than a crime fighter, working with the best heroes in the world. He’s become the hero who can defeat pretty much anyone in battle given enough time and is known for creating armor and weapons to even up the odds.
Batman’s best armor is the Hellbat armor. He created it specifically to battle Darkseid. It’s his most powerful weapon, but it comes with a huge drawback. It can kill him if he uses it too long. However, there are times when the world is more important to him than life, and Batman is always willing to make a sacrifice.
1 The Prime Superman Of The 853rd Century
Superman has an amazing mix of powers. Even when he’s not the most powerful hero on the field, he’s among the most potent, as he understands how to use his powers in creative ways. The pre-Crisis Superman was known for being superlatively powerful, but he’s not the most powerful version of the Man of Steel. That’s the Prime Superman of the 853rd Century.
Having absorbed yellow sun energy in his Solar Fortress of Solitude for millennia, Superman basically became a god. His control over his incalculable strength and power was unmatched. This was Superman at his most creative, experienced, and formidable.