Strongest Demons In DC Comics, Ranked

Summary

• The strongest demons in DC have god-level powers, reality-warping abilities, and immense strength.
• Not all demons are inherently evil, some assist heroes.
• Demons like Trigon and Nekron pose universe-level threats, challenge the mightiest heroes, and have unique weaknesses.

DC’s mightiest heroes don’t just have superpowered villains to contend with. If they’re really unlucky they have to battle the very forces of Hell too. Over the years, DC has fleshed out its supernatural side, and some of the biggest threats the DC Universe faces have mystical origins. In particular, quite a few demons have been introduced and are sharing the spotlight with some of the publisher’s biggest characters.

Almost all of these demons are incredibly powerful and make even Batman’s most evil villains look like pushovers. Many of them rank among DC’s strongest characters and pack reality-warping, god-levels of power. Despite being demons, not all of these characters are evil though. In fact, some of them are known to help heroes more than hinder them. We’ve ranked DC’s strongest demons based on their strengths, weaknesses, and feats in the books.

8

Anton Arcane

Swamp Thing’s Demonic Nemesis

You know you’re a really bad guy if, when you die and go to Hell, you’re received with open arms. That’s Anton Arcane. In life, Arcane was the worst kind of scientist, performing sick and twisted experiments in an attempt to unlock the secrets of the universe. After dying, he was allowed to return from hell as a superpowered demon fueled by the Rot.

He’s a monstrous necromancer with power over decay and death. He can manipulate dead tissue, raise monsters, and regenerate from the worst injuries. He’s pretty much the opposite of Swamp Thing, who is fueled by his connection to the life-giving Green. However, while dangerous in his element, Arcane pales in comparison to other demos on this list. His powers are all localized, and he lacks the kind of reality-warping and potentially universe-ending powers other demons on this list possess. Giving Swap Thing a run for his money is no small feat, but Anton Arcane gets bottom-ranking.

7

Mazikeen

Lucifer’s Right Hand And Leader Of The Lilim

Having first appeared in some of the best Neil Gaiman’s books Mazikeen and her master, Lucifer, have a complicated relationship with DC lore. These days, the Sandman universe is largely treated by DC as a separate entity from the rest of its books, but these characters do pop up occasionally in other DC books. Mazikeen is one of the Lilim, the child of Lilith and a demon Ophur.

Mazikeen is usually depicted as being Lucifer’s right hand, meaning she helps rule over hell. Traditionally, she was drawn as having a half-human, half-skeletal face, but that’s been healed. She’s one of hell’s greatest warriors with millennia of battle experience, superhuman strength and agility, and a merciless reputation. In a one-on-one fight, there are few who can stand up to her, and she’s even briefly ruled over Hell at times. However, like Anton Arcane, she isn’t packing the overpowered magical abilities most of the other entries have.

6

Etrigan The Demon

This Rhyming Demon Packs A Punch

Etrigan is one of DC’s more well-known demonic characters. While rarely the star of the story, he’s often shown teaming up with the likes of Batman and Swamp Thing. Despite being a demon, he normally uses his impressive powers for good, even if he isn’t exactly driven by altruism. Usually, it’s his tether to his host, Jason Blood, that stops the demon from overindulging in his love of bloody violence.

One of Etrigan’s most interesting quirks is that he only speaks in rhymes although his reasons for doing so change from writer to writer. Some have claimed it’s the result of a curse, some that he derives power from rhymes, and some, like Gaiman, have said the rhymes denote his ranking as a high-level demon. Still, he’s more of a warrior than a poet. Etrigan has survived going toe to toe with some of the Justice League’s most powerful members and has survived cosmic-level threats. But he has his limitations. Etrigan is a powerful magic user and few can survive his hellfire but he’s more of a brawler. His connection to Jason Blood is both a strength and a weakness, and he isn’t packing the god-level powers of higher-ranking entries.

5

Neron

Demon Lord Of Hell And Master Manipulator

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From here out there’s a pretty big jump in power levels. While earlier entries excelled in combat, Neron is a different kind of demonic beast. As a demon lord of hell, Neron prefers not to get his hands dirty. Instead, he prefers to make bargains, manipulating some of DC’s most powerful heroes and villains to do his bidding.

Neron is capable of granting mortals immense power through his deals and has the ability to alter reality. At his strongest, he can challenge cosmic beings through his manipulations. But, Neron’s greatest power is also his greatest weakness. Neron has to rely on his contracts and others to do his bidding. While he’s supernaturally intelligent, his contracts can be turned against him if he’s tricked or outsmarted. These limitations mean that while Neron is undoubtedly powerful, he can’t quite match our higher rankings.

4

Nekron

The Embodiment Of Death And Darkness

Nekron’s inclusion is a bit of a cheat. In the DC Universe, Nekron embodies death and darkness. He wields an insane level of power of life and death and was responsible for the rise of the Black Lantern Corps and the entire “Blackest Night” event (one of the most pivotal moments in DC Comics). That means he’s a universe-level threat capable of threatening the entire universe and bringing DC’s mightiest heroes to their knees. And then reanimating them.

However, it’s debatable if he counts as a “demon”. He rules over a realm that’s Hell adjacent and formed before the creation of the universe. Still, he has enough demon-like traits to be included here. Nekron is one of the most powerful dark forces in the DC Universe with power over death and the dead, but he isn’t omnipotent. He’s trapped in the Land of the Unliving unless he has a link to the main universe, like a mortal anchor. Even worse, as death and darkness personified, he’s canceled out by the courageous, and he’s weak to white light which represents life and creation. This is how the White Lanterns were able to defeat him. These weaknesses and the fact he’s not a “true” demon mean Nekron gets a mid-ranking.

3

Trigon

A Nigh-Omnipotent Demon With Almost Limitless Power

Trigon is one of DC’s heaviest hitters and strongest-ever villains. He’s an inter-dimensional demon who has conquered millions of worlds and countless dimensions. He’s pretty much evil incarnate and is driven by a desire for conquest and a need to corrupt the good. He’s mainly a Teen Titans antagonist, being Raven’s father, but can shrug off attacks from Superman and has even slaughtered gods like Ares.

Trigon has two ways of achieving his goals. When he can, he likes to act from the shadow. He can easily possess most mortals and thrives on corrupting good souls. Like Neron, he’s a master manipulator who excels at bringing out the worst in humans and manipulating them into doing his evil bidding. But he doesn’t have to rely on mortals to achieve his goals. Trigon is a god-level threat with reality-warping powers that mean he can grant himself pretty much any superpower. He’s been defeated multiple times in the books, but that’s arguably because the likes of the Teen Titans have never had to face him at full power. The only thing really holding Trigon back is his arrogance, which nearly always leads to his defeat, no matter how powerful he might be.

2

Lucifer Morningstar

A Fallen Archangel And Second Only To The Presence

Lucifer Morningstar isn’t just a demon, he’s the Devil. He’s one of the most powerful beings in DC Comics, often depicted as being second only to The Presence (aka God with a capital G). Before his fall, he was the most powerful archangel in creation and, as such, could harness almost limitless power. Manipulating reality, matter, time and space is a matter of child’s play for a being who can create entire universes and squish cosmic threats like bugs when he can be bothered.

Lucifer’s only weakness is his apathy. He could be the most powerful being in existence if he could be bothered, but the only thing he usually cares about is rebelling against his creator. Lucifer tends to be a character that DC uses sparingly since his nigh omnipotence makes him difficult to write. Thankfully, despite being the Devil, he’s more of an anti-hero who prefers to be left alone so he can do his own thing. DC’s cosmology has gotten increasingly complicated, but there are very few characters who are stronger than Lucifer.

1

The Great Evil Beast/ The Great Darkness

A Primordial Force And The Presence’s Opposite

The Great Evil Beast, also known as The Great Darkness, is the ultimate source of evil in the DC Universe. Once more of an abstract concept, in recent years, it has been given a form and is the opposite in every way of the Presence. It is a force of nature that has existed before existence and represents the primordial darkness. The Great Darkness is the equal and opposite of God (DC’s version at least).

At this scale, it becomes almost redundant to talk about power levels. Capable of threatening Heaven itself, The Great Darkness’s power is immeasurable. In the events of American Gothic, The Great Darkness went head-on with The Presence and almost won. Usually depicted as an abstract concept rather than a flesh and blood character, The Great Darkness has no weaknesses and its ultimate merging with The Presence highlights how it is a fundamental aspect of the DC Universe and vital to its balance. There can be no DC Universe without The Great Darkness.