DC Comics’ very first superhero was an alien who came to Earth; so naturally over the years, DC has expanded its universe to include countless planets teaming with alien life and the superheroes to protect them and the villains to threaten them. Despite this vast cosmos, most of the DC Universe’s heroes fight crime on Earth. However, some notable heroes spend their time exploring and fighting crime across the stars. And with a universe that’s crawling with extraterrestrial villains like Darkseid, Brainiac, Starro, and Despero, these cosmic heroes are indispensable to keep the Earth and the rest of the cosmos safe. With their vast power and advanced gadgets, these heroes protect DC’s final frontier.
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DC Comics is home to plenty of superheroes who can achieve feats of cosmic proportions. However, what truly defines a cosmic hero is how much time they spend away from Earth, traversing the universe to fight intergalactic villains and save alien civilizations.
10) Captain Comet
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A defining part of the Silver Age for DC Comics was its transition from pulp noir tales to science fiction space adventures, and Adam Blake, aka Captain Comet, was one of the first heroes of this new age. Adam was born in 1931 with powers that humans could potentially develop over a hundred thousand years in the future. As the pinnacle of human evolution, Captain Comet possesses a vast array of powers, including super-strength, telekinesis, hyper-intelligence, telepathy, super senses, energy blasts, and teleportation. With these incredible abilities, Captain Comet became one of DC’s first cosmic heroes because almost all his adventures took him to the far reaches of space and had him fighting all manner of bizarre alien menaces. To this day, Captain Comet rarely comes back to Earth because he’s so busy keeping the universe safe. Although he’s not remembered as much today, Captain Comet was still a game-changer who opened the door to many other spacefaring adventures and heroes.
9) Big Barda
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During Jack Kirby’s short time at DC Comics, his greatest accomplishment was the creation of the Fourth World and the New Gods. Whereas the malevolent New Gods like Darkseid reside on the hellish world of Apokolips, their heroic counterparts live on the utopian planet of New Genesis. Big Barda is a New God of both worlds, as she was raised on Apokolips to become the head of Darkseid’s royal guard, the Female Furies. However, that all changed when she fell in love with Mr. Miracle, and the two ran away to New Genesis to be together. Now, Big Barda and her husband are a part of the front lines of defense for New Genesis, Earth, and the entire universe from Darkseid and his minions. Big Barda is among the mightiest warriors in the cosmos, with centuries of combat experience and strength comparable to Wonder Woman. With Mr. Miracle and her powerful Mega-Rod weapon at her sides, Big Barda is a force to be reckoned with.
8) Mister Miracle
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Like his wife Big Barda, Scott Free, aka Mister Miracle, is a New God who defends New Genesis and the rest of the universe from Darkseid. When Scott was just a child, his father, the ruler of New Genesis known as Highfather, swapped him with Darkseid’s son as part of a peace treaty between the warring planets. As one can imagine, this was not in Scott’s best interests. He was raised in the deepest pits of Apokolips and was tortured his entire early life by the vile Granny Goodness. However, despite the villain’s best efforts, Scott’s iron willpower never broke, and he, along with Barda, eventually escaped from Apokolips to return back to New Genesis. After fleeing Apokolips, Scott took on the name Mister Miracle. He became renowned as the greatest escape artist in the universe. With his New God strength and advanced technology, Mister Miracle travels across the cosmos and acts as a key soldier in New Genesis’s war against Apokolips.
7) Adam Strange
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Few superheroes better represent the space adventure craze of 1950s and 60s comic books than Adam Strange. Originally Adam was an ordinary archeologist, but then he found himself thrust into the stars when he was accidentally shot by a Zeta Beam that transported him to the planet Rann. Despite his lack of powers, Adam used Rannian technology like a jetpack and laser gun to quickly become the alien planet’s high-flying hero. When the Zeta Beam eventually returned him to Earth, Adam felt lost. His newfound love of space, Rann, and his girlfriend Alanna ultimately led Adam to find his way back to his real home and his new family. Now, with his wife Alanna and his daughter Aleena by his side, Adam Strange protects Rann from local crime and intergalactic invaders such as the fearsome Thanagarians. Adam Strange may be a human, but he has more than cemented himself as a hero of cosmic proportions.
6) Orion
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Of all the New Gods of New Genesis, none are more dedicated to defeating Apokolips and saving the multiverse from Darkseid’s evil than the villain’s own estranged son, Orion. Orion was a part of the peace treaty child swap between Apokolips and New Genesis. He was given up by Darkseid to be raised by Highfather on New Genesis. However, unlike Mister Miracle, who never lost his New Genesis roots, Orion managed to suppress his dark heritage by growing up in a world of peace with people who loved him. As an adult, Orion leads the charge against Darkseid’s campaign to conquer all of existence. Since he’s so dedicated to the war against Apokolips, Orion spends most of his time engaging in fierce battles across space while riding his trusty Astro-Harness. Nicknamed the Dog of War, Orion is one of the strongest New Gods in the universe as he regularly challenges the might of other powerhouses like Wonder Woman, Superman, and Darkseid himself. Despite his dark origin, Orion may be the DC Universe’s best hope against his malevolent father.
5) Starfire
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Princess Koriand’r, aka Starfire, may be a core member of the Teen Titans, but her alien heritage means that she’s no stranger to cosmic escapades. Born on the planet Tamaran as its princess and rightful ruler, Starfire escaped to Earth after being enslaved and tortured by the evil Citadel Empire. Although Starfire views Earth as her new home and the Teen Titans as her family, she’ll often find herself having to fulfill her royal duties in the depths of space. On several occasions, Starfire has liberated Tamaran from the cruel rule of her evil sister, Blackfire, and restored power to their people. Starfire has also been pulled into a cosmic odyssey with Adam Strange and Animal after getting lost in space. In addition, she participated in the interstellar Rann-Thangarian Holy War and fought the malevolent conqueror, Lady Styx. Now having left the Teen Titans, Starfire is bound to partake in even more adventures in space.
4) Supergirl
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If the DCU’s latest movie Supergirl showed us anything, it’s that the Woman of Tomorrow is no stranger to traveling the cosmos and fighting evil no matter on what planet it may be found. Since Supergirl was a teenager when Krypton exploded, she oftentimes feels more at home among the stars than on Earth. Indeed, while Supergirl has no shortage of heroic escapades on Earth, she’s also not one to shy away from traveling into space to save the day. Many of Supergirl’s most acclaimed stories, including Woman of Tomorrow, “Red Daughter of Krypton,” and Supergirl: Condor, all take place primarily on alien planets. And as a Kryptonian, she has the power to destroy alien starships and fly countless light-years with ease. Supergirl also has spent a significant amount of time as a member of the cosmic crimefighting team the Legion of Superheroes. Supergirl may have settled on Earth, but she won’t hesitate to travel light-years to save innocent people from catastrophe.
3) Legion of Superheroes
In the 31st century, Earth is a part of the interstellar coalition known as the United Planets, and its greatest heroes are the Legion of Superheroes. This massive team is made up of teenage superheroes from countless worlds. Many of the Legion’s members, including Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Ultra Boy, Mon-El, Star Boy, Dawnstar, and Phantom Girl, all derive their incredible powers from their alien physiologies. The Legion of Superheroes are the primary defenders of the 31st century, with their heroic escapades mainly occurring in the far reaches of space. The Legion regularly battles the worst alien tyrants and intergalactic criminals of their time, including the Fatal Five, the Dominators, the Time Trapper, the Legion of Supervillains, and the Sun-Eater. If patrolling and protecting the entire universe wasn’t enough, the Legion’s access to time travel technology also makes them vital defenders of the timestream as well. The Legion of Superheroes shows that humanity’s future is among the stars.
2) Superman
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Superman changed the DC Universe forever when he was rocketed to Earth as a baby from his dying homeworld of Krypton. The Man of Tomorrow may be best known for protecting the citizens of Metropolis and a defender of humanity; many of his adventures have him returning to the stars from which he came. Never one to ignore someone’s call for help, Superman’s enhanced senses and advanced Kryptonian technology let him detect aliens who are in mortal peril thousands of light-years from Earth. With his incalculable speed, Superman always arrives in the nick of time to save these extraterrestrials from invasions and disasters. These acts of intergalactic heroism have led to Superman being viewed as a symbol of hope not just on Earth, but across the entire universe. And, like Superman, many of his villains are aliens with incredible power, including Brainiac, General Zod, Doomsday, Mongul, and Darkseid. Superman is a hero who’s always ready to help people in need, no matter where they are.
1) Green Lantern Corps
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In the DC Universe, there’s no group more vital to the security of the universe than the Green Lantern Corps. Founded millions of years ago by the Guardians of the Universe, these immortal aliens harnessed the green light of willpower to create the first Green Lantern rings. These rings then traveled across the universe and found aliens who could use their indomitable willpower to craft hard-light constructs limited only by their imagination. Now, there are several thousand Green Lanterns across the universe who each patrol dozens of worlds within a specific Space Sector. Although most of the Green Lantern Corps’ members are extraterrestrial, more than a few rings have found their way to Earth. Heroes like Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, and Simon Baz have proven themselves to be among the Corps’ mightiest members and the first line of defense against extraterrestrial threats. For no matter where evil may hide in the cosmos, it always learns to beware the power of Green Lantern’s light.
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