Who The Arrowverse’s Most Powerful Superhero Is (& Why)

Across nearly a decade, the Arrowverse has produced countless powerful heroes, but none more so than Supergirl‘s own J’onn J’onzz (aka Martian Manhunter). Created by Joseph Samachson and Joe Certa, the character made his debut in 1955’s Detective Comics #225. After being unwittingly pulled to Earth in “The Strange Experiment of Dr. Erdel” story, he found himself stranded. In order to blend in as he awaited rescue, Martian Manhunter assumed the form of a detective in the fictional Middletown, USA. He would go on to serve as an original founding member of the Justice League alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern, and Batman.

Martian Manhunter has since been adapted multiple times in live-action and animation. In the Arrowverse, the character is played by David Harewood and made their debut back in 2015. Initially disguised as DEO commander, Hank Henshaw, his true nature was revealed in Supergirl season 1, episode 7, “Human for a Day”. Harewood remained with the series after it switched networks from CBS to The CW. As a firm ally to the team and a father figure to Kara and Alex Danvers, Martian Manhunter has remained a recurring presence throughout the five already-aired seasons. The character will likely remain as such for the extent of Supergirl‘s recently announced sixth and final run of episodes.

Over the years, Martian Manhunter has demonstrated a wealth of powers. Just like his comic book counterpart, he has super-strength, as well as enhanced speed, durability, and endurance. He also has regenerative healing and enhanced vision. He can fly. He can shapeshift. He can render himself intangible. And he has both telepathic and telekinetic abilities. This combination of abilities has served him well. They have enabled him to survive several world-ending threats and defeat countless villains. They would equally serve him well against other Arrowverse heroes… if it ever came to that. Such street-level vigilantes as Oliver Queen’s Green Arrow or Kate Kane’s Batwoman would stand little chance — even on a mere combat level but especially if he put even one of his other abilities in play. One jolt of his sensory-based powers and they would be incapacitated.

The same goes for the combined might of Legends of Tomorrow’s titular team. While such warlocks as John Constantine may have a shot, J’onn could simply alter his memory to forget all and any useful spells. In the Arrowverse, his command over human memories was depicted after the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. He singlehandedly restored memories of the past timelines when everybody forgot. Therefore, he stands to reason that he could just as easily wipe entire histories away if he so desired or it was necessary. Equally, Martian Manhunter could take Constantine down before he had a chance to even finish an incantation. Even led by the formidable Sara Lance and featuring heroes with several different power-sets, J’onn J’onzz could render each o the others ineffectual with little effort.

The Elseworlds crossover established that The Flash was one of the Arrowverse’s most powerful heroes. Oliver even made the deal to sacrifice himself based on how badly the world needs him. But even his speed is no match for Martian Manhunter. His shapeshifting would make him near impossible for Barry Allen to even find. And his ability to make himself intangible would mean no attack would even land.

The closest to Martian Manhunter in sheer strength would be Superman and Supergirl. However, like The Flash, their strength, and myriad other powers of their own, would be useless for the same reason. Martian Manhunter would just be able to dodge their attacks by becoming intangible and attack with his mind. In the comics, Kal-El even stated that Martian Manhunter was the most powerful being on Earth. That has proven no less true in the on-screen universe… at least as it currently stands. His powers are perfectly positioned to negate those of the others. As such, the heroes of Supergirl and the rest of the Arrowverse should breathe a sigh of relief that he fights for the side of good.

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