15 Incredible New DC Characters Who Overhauled the Universe in 2024

Another year has come and gone and with it, new characters and teams to make the DC Universe even bigger. 2024 was a huge year for DC Comics, with exciting, brand-new Elseworlds stories and the debut of its hardcore Absolute Universe.

Between all the one-shots, crossovers, miniseries, and ongoing titles, the DCU had a lot of new additions, ranging from helpful allies to powerful threats. As a new year begins for the iconic comic world, now’s the time to look back on the previous year and look at 15 new characters that really left an impact on the DC Universe.

15 Jungle League of America Went Ape on Bad Guys

Created by: John Layman and Karl Mosert

Don’t call this team a bunch of second bananas. In DC Ape-Ril Special #1, the world was under threat by DC’s most sinister simians and the only ones that could stop them were its most heroic ape or ape-like heroes. Detective Chimp, Sam Simeon, Gleek, Beppo the Super-Monkey, and even Monkey Prince came together to form the Jungle League of America and put an end to the Legion of D(oo-oo-ah-ah)m. Though they’ve only had one official adventure together, their skills and abilities proved that this Justice League didn’t monkey around and that they were a force to be reckoned with.

14 The Crown of Thawnes Was Far Scarier Than the Reverse-Flash

Created by: Simon Spurrier and Mike Deodato, Jr.

The Flash delved into some dark parts of the DC Universe in his current series and lurking in the hidden planes of reality were sinister forces known as the Arc Angles. Wanting to purge all life in the DCU, the Angles crafted the most sinister weapon possible: The Crown of Thawnes. The Crown was a parasitic entity composed of thousands of copies of the Reverse-Flash from all across the multiverse. This weapon even wormed its way into the Flash's head to incubate before later being injected into the heart of the Speed Force, where it nearly destroyed reality.

13 Razer Returned to Be a Canon Green Lantern Ally

Created by: Giancarlo Volpe and Jim Krieg

Green Lantern: The Animated Series fans all remember Razer, the former Red Lantern whose journey of growth was ended prematurely by the series’ cancelation. Well, after years in the ether, Razer made his return in the canon DC Universe as an old ally of Green Lantern Hal Jordan (semi-canonizing the cartoon). Razer helped Hal discover that someone was destroying the Emotional Spectrum’s Central Power Batteries and aided the Green Lantern Corps in their rebellion against the organization’s new leader, Lord Premier Thaaros. Though Razer is still trying to find himself, he’s been a welcome addition to the Prime Universe.

12 Aethyr Transformed the Phantom Zone for the Worse

Created by: Mark Waid and Travis Moore

Superman’s controversial prison, the Phantom Zone, was discovered by the powerful entity known as Aethyr, who was disgusted at the treatment of the imprisoned Kryptonians. Aethyr modified the Zone so that the prisoners became corporeal and would have physical matter to interact with. However, Aethyr didn’t count on the criminals’ violent ways and once they began harming each other, he turned on his charges, bringing in horrifying aliens from other dimensions to keep them in check. He even created the Eye of the Zone, a torture that nearly sent Superman back to the beginning of the universe.

11 The Justice League Expanded with Cool Members like Cadejos and Rana Dorada

Created by: Mark Waid and Dan Mora

Amanda Waller’s attack on the metahumans was a worldwide threat, and as such, new heroes across the world rose up to stand against her. Two such heroes appeared in Costa Rica to fight off one of Waller’s enforcers during Absolute Power: Rana Dorada and Cadejos. Cadejos is the muscle of the two, with a powerful werewolf-like form with flames and chains surrounding him, while Rana Dorada is more agile and acrobatic. The two helped lead the heroes to victory and even later appeared as full members of the expanded Justice League.

10 Sorrow Arrived to Bring Sadness to the DCU

Created by: Jeremy Adams and Xermánico

fThanks to Lord Premier Thaaros’ attacks on the Emotional Spectrum, the force that once had a limited number of emotionally-related lights began creating new Lanterns. Nathan Broome was the first to discover that, as being left at the altar caused him such unfathomable misery that he became the first Lantern powered by sadness. Taking the name Sorrow, the greyish Lantern ventured out into the world to seek revenge on Star Sapphire and make the rest of the DC Universe as miserable as he is.

9 Absolute Superman is Powerful, New Man of Steel

Created by: Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval

In Darkseid’s new world, this Superman wasn’t raised on Earth. But now that he’s landed on the planet, he’s doing what he does best: Stand up for the disenfranchised and exploited. Absolute Superman may be younger and not as worldly as his counterpart, but he’s just as powerful and even guided by an artificial intelligence in his costume. He’s only been on Earth a short time, but Superman is already taking on one of the most powerful corporations in the world with every power (both old and new) at his disposal.

8 The Party Animals are Making the Absolute DCU a War Zone

Created by: Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta

The Absolute version of Gotham became a war zone thanks to the Party Animals, a gang that works for the notorious and secretive mob boss, Black Mask. This gang is ruthless and is willing to kill anyone, including children (they even set a daycare on fire). In just three months, the Party Animals managed to raise the crime rate in Gotham City by up to 700 percent. But as bad as they are (and they’re terrible), their operation is finally starting to be dismantled thanks to the Absolute Batman.

7 The Star Shroud Went All Out to Get Vengeance on Green Lantern

Created by: Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Montos

John Stewart has had plenty of enemies in the past, but none as personal as Varron. Once a Green Lantern, Varron was assimilated by the Radiant Dead, who used his body to pursue John. However, after Green Lantern destroyed Varron’s physical body, parts of him lived on, now somewhat empowered by the Old God Olgrun’s poisoned light. This new entity called itself the Star Shroud, and it went on a personal mission to make Green Lantern suffer, by tormenting and killing John’s mother, Shirley.

6 Brainiac Queen Made Absolute Power Possible

Created by: Joshua Williamson and Rafa Sandoval

Desiring to not feel alone in the world anymore, Brainiac created a powerful monstrosity known as the Brainiac Queen. The Queen was one of the most powerful living weapons in the DCU and after Brainiac was forced to send her to Earth, she fell into Amanda Waller’s clutches. Waller conditioned the Brainiac Queen to see Waller as a mother, then used her to launch a misinformation campaign against Earth’s heroes. The Brainiac Queen was also crucial in transforming Superman’s son Jon into a powerful asset to help Waller hunt down Earth’s heroes.