There are many superpowers missing from the DCEU that can now be used in the DC Universe. DC Studios is preparing a fresh start for their cinematic universe in the wake of The Flash, with co-CEOs Peter Safran and James Gunn crafting a 10-year plan for the new setting. While only the first chapter, titled Gods and Monsters, has been defined so-far, it is believed that the new universe will be far more varied than the DCEU, drawing upon the full range of DC Comics’ creations.
Certainly the heroes and villains of DC Comics display a wide variety of superpowers. While certain powers, like super-strength and flight, are fairly common, there are also some truly unique abilities, such as the Suicide Squad member TDK and his power to detach his limbs from his body. However, despite the new management of DC Studios being willing to draw upon the more obscure side of DC Comics, there are some famous superpowers that have yet to be featured extensively on the big screen.
10 Shape-Shifting
Also known as metamorphosis, the ability to change one’s appearance is a surprisingly uncommon one in the DC Universe. It is the bread and butter of the pliable hero Plastic Man, who has been rumored to be a part of the upcoming Batman: Brave and the Bold movie. It is also employed with far more subtlety by the Martian Manhunter J’onn J’onzz, who typically uses his shape-shifting powers to hide his alien appearance. J’onn has been known to use his shape-shifting powers offensively, changing himself into exotic Martian animals to terrify his enemies.
9 Telepathy
Telepathy is one of the most versatile superpowers in the comics and one of the go-to abilities of the Martian Manhunter. A telepath can read the thoughts of other people and make their own thoughts known to others without speaking. Strong-willed telepaths can control the minds and bodies of others, although heroes rarely do this for ethical reasons. Telepathy also covers a host of related powers including illusions, memory manipulation and astral projection. As impressive as it is, telepathy is also one of the hardest powers to portray cinematically, given its subtle nature.
8 Telekinesis
The ability to move things with one’s mind is usually paired with telepathy, but there are exceptions. One of the more notable ones is Superboy Conner Kent, whose tactile telekinesis allows him to replicate the super-strength and flight of other Kryptonian and half-Kryptonian heroes, while also offering him a unique ranged attack option. Telekinesis is also employed by the Martian Manhunter and the Teen Titans Raven.
7 Invisibility
While speedsters like The Flash can move so quickly as to be unseen by the naked eye, there are some heroes at DC Comics who can honestly obscure themselves by becoming invisible. The Martian Manhunter is perhaps the most notable of these, having the ability to make his body completely transparent as a side effect of his shape-shifting while using his heightened Martian senses to account for his loss of sight. Other heroes, such as the light-manipulating The Ray, are able to become invisible by bending the light around their bodies.
6 Shrinking
Hank Pym and Scott Lang don’t hold a monopoly on shrinking superpowers. In fact, DC Comics’ Mighty Mite, The Atom, predates both characters in comics, with Ray Palmer having created a size-changing belt using a fragment of a white dwarf star one year before Ant-Man’s first appearance. Both Ray and his protégé Ryan Choi had prominent roles in the Arrowverse, but have yet to make an appearance in a DC Comics movie. It’s unlikely they will do so soon for fear of being seen as Ant-Man rip-offs, but the possibility is still there.
5 Stretching
While similar to shape-shifting, stretching is a distinctly different power and far more limited. While shape-shifters are generally able to remold themselves into anything, those with stretching powers have to stick to a basically humanoid shape. Despite this limitation, stretchers can disguise themselves by twisting their bodies to look fatter or taller. The most notable stretching hero at DC Comics is the ductile detective Ralph Dibny, aka The Famous Elongated Man. Ralph had a supporting role in The Flash show, but has yet to appear on the big screen, despite being historically notable as the first superhero to operate without a secret identity and the first superhero to get married.
4 Object Creation
While the Power Rings of the Green Lantern Corps offer a number of unique abilities, the most famous is the ability to create whatever objects the wielder can will into existence. Typically, the Green Lanterns use this power to fashion weapons and armor for combat. The more creative Lanterns, however, are capable of fashioning unique constructs with a life of their own. This was a notable hallmark of the Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, an artist who favored sizable mecha and barbaric hordes over the guns, fists and hammers employed by his allies.
3 Force Fields
The Green Lanterns are also capable of creating powerful force fields with their Power Rings. Beyond protecting them from physical attacks, the force fields also protect the Lanterns from the vacuum of space and generate whatever gases the Lantern needs to breathe. The most powerful force field in DC Comics may be that employed by the time-traveling Booster Gold, whose force field is powerful enough to protect him from telepathic attacks and bacteria and once allowed him to survive the destruction of a planet at the subatomic level.
2 Translation
One of the more underrated powers possessed by the Green Lantern Corps is that of translation. With the universe divided into 3600 sectors and multiple worlds contained within each sector, it would be impossible for even the most diligent of Lanterns to learn every common language employed in their sector, much less learn the languages of all their fellow Lanterns. It was for this reason, and to encourage greater understanding among sentient beings, that the Guardians programmed a universal translator into each Power Ring. This power is likely to figure prominently in the upcoming Lanterns television series.
1 Magic
The one power that is potentially every power, magic is a major force in the world of DC Comics. While the Shazam movies explored the existence of magic in the DCEU, Billy Batson and his family lacked the sheer versatility of characters like Zatanna or Constantine, who could use their magic to emulate multiple superpowers on the fly. While DC Studios is no longer working on a Justice League Dark franchise overseen by JJ Abrams, a Zatanna solo movie is being shopped around to other streaming services. In any case, it seems highly probable that magic will play a major role in the new DC Universe.