When all is said and done, and no matter who your favourite is, Superman is the definitive superhero. As one of the first superheroes, he’s often the one considered to be the one that ushered in the modern era of superheroes since his arrival in the 1930s. Due to his enduring popularity, he has had many team-ups with other heroes, as well as having fought a few too.
While Superman has met most of the characters in the DC universe, and thrashed most of the ones he’s fought, Marvel/DC team-ups remain few and far between. Therefore, “Who would win a fight between Superman and…” battles remain hypothetical. That being said, we’ve taken a look at a few of Marvel’s heavy-hitters who could exploit Superman’s weaknesses or possibly just outmatch him in of raw power and considered how they may be able to beat the big blue boy scout in an outright slugfest. No guys, these are characters that COULD take him down, not ones that necessarily WOULD.
Here’s 15 Marvel Characters That Could Beat Up Superman.
15. Thor
Marvel’s adaptation of the Norse god owes as much to Thor even has a red cape and a similar level of power.
If the two characters were to fight each other, it’s likely to be a straight-up slugfest with the two men hammering each other with their incredible strength until one goes down for the count. While possibly an even match in of strength, and even fighting skill, Thor does have one advantage: his ability to use magic. Superman is as vulnerable to magic as any other mortal and Thor is the son of Gaea as well as Odin, giving him enormous magical potential. While he rarely uses magic for more than opening portals or summoning lightning, he does have more than a few tricks up his sleeve. It’s by utilizing this power that Thor could potentially de-power Superman or force him to expel all his solar energy, making him vulnerable enough to take down.
14. Phoenix / Jean Grey
The Phoenix force is one of Hulks. In its favourite host, Jean Grey, the Phoenix is even more powerful. Jean herself has enormous psychic power and is possibly Marvel’s most powerful mutant.
A battle with Superman could well be over fairly quickly. While Superman’s strength and speed could make him a worthy foe for the Phoenix, he does have a weakness that Phoenix would certainly exploit: his mind. While a genius by human standards, his mind is vulnerable to telepaths meaning that the Phoenix/Jean would be able to overwhelm his mind with a psychic assault he would most likely have little defence against.
13. Gladiator
Another Marvel character that owes a lot to Superman is Gladiator. Once the leader of the Shi’ar imperial guard and later the leader of the empire itself, Gladiator is almost unparalleled in physical power. Like Superman, he can fly, is invulnerable to all but the most powerful of superhuman blows, and can split a mountain in half with a single punch.
A battle between the two is a simple, old-fashioned, punch out. Gladiator lacks the ability to use magic, and would likely have no access to Kryptonite, therefore it’s going to come down to fists. While Gladiator may not be able to use Superman’s weaknesses against him, he’s not without a weakness of his own. Gladiator’s power is linked to his confidence. If he doubts himself, even for a moment, his power levels can drop allowing Superman to take him out. For Gladiator to win this particular fight, he’d have to keep his head in the game at all times. This one could be very close indeed.
12. Rogue
For much of her history, Rogue possessed the physical power of Thor and several others.
In a battle with Superman, Rogue would only need to be able to catch Superman off-guard long enough to make skin-to-skin . Not only would she gain instant access to his full Kryptonian powers, he himself would be weakened by the encounter. With the two foes evenly matched, Rogue would only have to absorb the powers of anyone else who happened to be nearby in order to tip the balance in her favour.
11. Molecule Man
He may not look like much, but Owen Reece A.K.A Molecule Man is one of the most powerful beings in the marvel universe. Able to alter the molecules in matter, he can create or destroy anything he wants to with little more than a thought. He is currently rebuilding the multiverse one molecule at a time after the events of Secret Wars.
If Superman were to attempt to battle him, it should be over in an instant with Molecule Man simply scattering Clark’s molecules. However, it might not be as simple as that as Superman’s great strength comes not just from the absorption of solar energy but also from his incredibly dense cellular structure. If his molecules are in fact so dense that Molecule Man is unable to merely ‘wish’ him away, there could be one heck of a battle. It could take Molecule Man quite some time before he was able to figure out that Superman has any sort of weakness allowing the Man of Steel to give him a serious beating.
In the end though, Molecule Man would be able to analyse Superman’s molecules and figure out his weakness, willing Kryptonite into existence and ending the Man of Steel for good.
10. X-Man
At his classic power levels, X-Man is a telepath and telekinetic powerhouse without limits. During a battle with the Hulk X-Man was able to match the jade giant blow for blow, augmenting his physical strength with telekinetic body armour. X-Man also has telepathic power that eclipses even Charles Xavier’s making him an ideal person to battle Superman.
Superman has several advantages in of raw strength, speed, and combat experience. However, X-Man’s telepathic ability means he would likely be able to break apart any psychic defence the Man of Steel would be able to utilize. This may not be as simple as it would first appear as Superman remains a physical powerhouse and X-Man would have to match his physical power and use his own telepathic skills simultaneously, not an easy thing to do when being pummelled by fist that have pounded the likes of Doomsday, Mongol, and even Darkseid.
9. Cable
Genetically identical to the aforementioned X-Man, Cable generally lacks the ability to use his full potential due to being infected by a techno-organic virus as a child by the villain Apocalypse. He grew up in the far future where he became a general and leader of a resistance army. After returning to the modern day, he became a mentor to the team of mutants that became the first X-Force.
While Cable is generally not at the peak of his power, he has a tactical genius that matches Batman’s. when he targeted the Avengers, he used their various weaknesses against them and almost took out the whole team despite being close to death at the time himself.
In a battle with Superman, he would only need some prep time to come up with an appropriate strategy. As one of the most resourceful men in the Marvel Universe, he would potentially be able to synthesise Kryptonite or develop a similar means to capture or even kill Superman.
8. Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards has the power of a god in the form of a boy. His powers are seemingly without limit meaning that, in theory, there’s nothing he can’t do. Essentially, it’s not just a question of if he could defeat Superman, it’s how he’d choose to do it.
As a child, Franklin is still using his powers based on pure instinct instead of any tactical, or even conscious, knowledge. He’s unlikely, therefore, to simply blast Superman with intense energy or force. He’s more likely to wish Superman away and teleport him to the moon. Potentially, he could alter the sun to become a red son, leaving Superman powerless. He could even create an entirely separate dimension, as he has in the past, and send Superman there.
Whatever method Franklin used to defeat Superman, it’s certain that he’s far more powerful than the Man of Steel. The question really is, what circumstances could bring Superman to want to harm a child in the first place?
7. Silver Surfer
Superman and the Silver Surfer should be kindred spirits. Both are the last of their kind, incredibly powerful, and noble warriors. While the Silver Surfer doesn’t often fight other heroes, he has used his cosmic power to match the likes of Thor, Cable (who was at full power at the time), and The Hulk.
Superman’s usual weaknesses wouldn’t seem to apply here as the Silver Surfer has no telepathic or magic ability nor does he have access to Kryptonite. But as Superman found when he first fought Doomsday, he can be beaten by a foe who is simply more powerful than he is. Silver Surfer is significantly faster than Superman which would give him a significant edge in a battle, despite the two being, arguably, equally strong.
A battle between the two would be destructive, to say the least, as the energies to take each man down would probably level whatever city or possibly even country they were in.
6. Absorbing Man
Not quite the powerhouse that some other entries on this list are, Crusher Creel A.K.A The Absorbing Man, does have one potential weapon to defeat Superman, the ability to absorb the properties of any matter he touches. He wouldn’t need to use a Kryptonite Weapon on Superman, he merely needs to touch Kryptonite to become a walking Kryptonite powered weapon himself.
Of course, this does assume that Creel could access Kryptonite. But as he tends to operate on behalf of others it’s possible that a mastermind such as The Leader could acquire Kryptonite or synthesise a decent enough facsimile. If Creel were to be able to absorb this Kryptonite, he could morph his limbs into Kryptonite hammers or blades, making short work of Superman by pummelling or stabbing him before he could escape. As far as the hypothetical battles on this list go, this could be one of the shortest, and bloodiest, of all.