Iron Man from Marvel Comics is synonymous with armored superheroes. Indeed, with his immense brilliance and vast wealth, the Armored Avenger has created countless suits that let him stand amongst superhumans and gods. However, he’s not the only hero who suits up in power armor to fight the forces of evil. In DC Comics, there are plenty of ordinary humans who make up for their lack of superpowers by donning in powerful battlesuits that are armed to the teeth and virtually indestructible. Many of the armored heroes in DC Comics have suits so advanced and powerful that they can even rival Iron Man’s strongest suits.
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Iron Man’s plethora of high-tech armors makes him a force to be reckoned with. Not to be outdone, DC Comics has made heavily armored heroes of its own and many of these could defeat the Armored Avenger or, at the least, the fight of his life.
5) Steel
When Superman died protecting the world from Doomsday, a new Man of Steel emerged to continue the hero’s legacy. John Henry Irons was a former weapons engineer-turned construction worker who, like Iron Man, sought to atone for the many people who died because of the weapons he had created. To make up for his lack of Kryptonian powers, Irons created a powerful suit of armor and became Metropolis’s new protector, Steel. Over the years, Steel has made several suits, each more powerful than the last. Steel’s suit is more than tough enough to tackle some of Superman’s strongest villains, including Cyborg Superman and Metallo. Steel’s armor is also outfitted with high-power rocket boots and a cannon. Steel’s trademark weapon, the Kinetic Hammer, can knock over a series of buildings like a line of dominoes. The hammer can also deliver more force the farther it’s thrown and can instantly be summoned to Steel’s hand with a voice command. With this suit and hammer, Steel is essentially DC’s combination of Iron Man and Thor.
4) Blue Beetle
What allowed Jaime Reyes to become the most powerful hero to take on the Blue Beetle mantle was his bond with the Scarab. Originating from the alien race known as the Reach, Khaj Da, aka the Scarab, is a biomechanical device and artificial intelligence that latches onto its hosts’ backs, granting them extraordinary powers. When the previous Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, lost the Scarab, it found its way to the teen Jaime, and the two combined. The Scarab can cover Jaime in a powerful biomechanical suit of armor that greatly enhances his strength to the point that he can even match the intergalactic conqueror Mongul in combat. The suit’s most notable function is that, like Iron Man’s nanite suit, it can create a wide variety of tools and weapons, including wings, swords, maces, blasters, and even nuclear weapons. When working together, Jaime and the Scarab are a well-oiled fighting machine that can take on all extraterrestrial threats.
3) Hardware
When Curtis Metcalf, aka Hardware, was brought from the Dakotaverse to the main DC Universe, he brought with him one of the most advanced armors in these universes. He was a child prodigy and brilliant inventor and, after realizing that the company he worked for had ties to a criminal organization, Curtis decided to use his gifts for good. . As the hero Hardware, Curtis developed a powerful suit that’s armed to the teeth and outfitted with nanobot technology. Hardware’s suit can analyze and mimic numerous fighting styles, repair any damage, adapt to new environments, and allow him to lift several tons. The armor is also outfitted with a plasma whip, retractable swords, force fields, and a jetpack. Hardware’s most versatile weapon is his Omni-Cannon that can fire lasers, nets, explosive shells, and metal-eating nanobots. Like Iron Man, Hardware is constantly upgrading his suit, outfitting it with new features to counter specific threats and villains.
2) Booster Gold
Hailing from the 25th century, Michael Carter, aka Booster Gold, stole one of the most powerful battlesuits in the universe to get rich as a superhero. What Booster Gold lacks in smarts and humility, he more than makes up for with his suit’s raw power. The primary function of Booster’s Battlesuit is that it gives the wearer the ability to traverse the timestream, something not even Iron Man has ever incorporated into any of his suits. Not only that, but the Battlesuit gives Booster Gold the strength to survive a fight with Doomsday. And when Booster finds himself against a foe who is physically stronger, he deploys his indestructible force field. This energy shield is so impenetrable that it can block out bacteria, telepathic attacks, and even withstand the destruction of the Earth. Booster can also use the force field to throw attacks right back at his enemies. In addition, his force field t can be used to envelop enemies and crush them into paste.
1) Batman
Batman may be most comfortable in his tough but flexible batsuit to fight crime, but when fighting against god-like villains or brainwashed Justice Leaguers, he pulls out the big guns. Given his vast wealth and intelligence, which rival Iron Man’s, Batman has some of the strongest power suits in DC Comics history. Even some of Batman’s weakest power armors let him fight on par with Superman. Armors like the Insider Suit and Justice Buster give the Dark Knight powers that are either comparable to members of the League or can directly counter them. Yet, neither of these armors compares to Batman’s most powerful suit, the Hellbat Armor. Created with the help of the Justice League, the Hellbat Armor is a near-unstoppable warsuit that gives Batman the power to tear through the armies of Apokolips and even defeat Darkseid. Batman has always been DC’s equivalent to Iron Man, and these armors surpass the Armored Avenger’s toughest suits and make him more than a match for Iron Man.
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