There is a huge problem with Superman in DC Comics. It is similar to the situation that Hulk faces in Marvel Comics. When a comic has a character who is extremely powerful and has no absolute limit to how strong they are, it is hard to find villains who can realistically threaten to hurt them. This makes it challenging to tell compelling Superman stories because the creative teams either need to depower Superman in some way, introduce another form of Kryptonite, or put the Man of Steel in a situation where brute strength can’t win a battle on its own. However, with that said, DC Comics has created some villains who can give Superman a run for his money.
From countering Superman’s strength with someone’s intelligence, bringing in magic or mental prowess, or throwing a villain whose strength and durability are equal to Superman, here is a look at the villains who can actually hurt Superman in the comics.
10) Maxwell Lord
It seems almost ridiculous to think that Maxwell Lord can do anything to hurt Superman. However, it has happened in DC Comics. Lord had worked on both sides before, serving as the leader of Justice League International and also working to conquer the world. In Infinite Crisis, the story revealed that Maxwell Lord was never trustworthy and used the JLI to gather important information on superheroes’ weaknesses. He then mentally brainwashed Superman and had him set out to kill other Justice League members. Wonder Woman stopped him and fought Superman to a standstill. To end the threat, Wonder Woman killed Maxwell Lord when he stated that he would never stop using Superman as a weapon, which ultimately ruined the relationship between Diana, Superman, and Batman. For a short time, Lord had complete control over Superman, defeating the Man of Steel.
9) Mister Mxyzptlk
Mister Mxyzptlk has been, thankfully, a trickster for almost his entire existence. The imp has proven time and time again to have the power to make Superman’s life a living hell, which seems to be Mxyzptlk’s entire goal in life. He has one of the leading powers that Superman can’t combat — magic. The only way that Superman has beaten him has been by tricking him into saying his name backward, which banishes the imp back to the fifth dimension. That said, the only way that Superman could beat Mister Mxyzptlk for good was to kill him, which happened in Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? storyline, which drove Superman into retirement after ending the imp’s life.
8) Lex Luthor
It makes sense that Lex Luthor is Superman’s greatest nemesis. Just like in Marvel Comics, where Hulk’s main enemy became Leader, who had a superpowered brain rather than muscles, it is Luthor’s genius intellect that makes him a danger to the Man of Steel. Luthor has beaten Superman several times. Lex became President of the United States, and there was nothing Superman could do to stop him. Lex has the technology to create weapons that can hurt Superman, and he seems to have an endless supply of Kryptonite. Pitting Lex’s intelligence against Superman’s might is always the most interesting battle in DC Comics. The fact that Lex believes he is in the right about stopping Superman makes him even more dangerous.
7) Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime is a tragic character, but one whose actions have caused any sympathy readers may have had for him to dissipate. Superboy-Prime was a hero from a world where there were no heroes and the DC superheroes were comic book characters. However, he had powers, and soon showed that they were as strong as Superman’s. He was a hero in Crisis on Infinite Earths, but his fate of being locked away to protect the universe drove him to madness. When he escaped in Infinite Crisis, he sought revenge and killed Golden Age Superman, Superboy (Conner Kent), 32 different Green Lanterns, and several others. In his rage, he then beat down Superman before the two heroes both fell, and the Guardians of the Universe showed up to finally contain Superboy-Prime with a red Sun-Eater.
6) Failsafe
The joke is that Batman can beat anyone with enough preparation time. Sadly, he has no trust in his Justice League teammates and has devised ways to defeat them all in case they were to turn evil. He then created Failsafe, an android designed to defeat him in case he ever turned evil, demonstrating that he doesn’t even trust himself. However, Failsafe can do more than beat Batman. When Penguin frames Batman for murder, Failsafe is activated and then sets out to stop him. Just as Failsafe was ready to finish off Batman, Superman showed up and Failsafe used Kryptonite shards to impale him, easily defeating him. When Superman attacked later with protective armor, Failsafe knew Superman’s pressure points and beat him again, this time without Kryptonite. Thanks to Batman’s training, Failsafe knew precisely how to stop the Man of Steel.
5) Brainiac
Brainiac has several advantages over Superman. Just like Lex Luthor, Brainiac has superior intelligence and advanced technology. However, he is more dangerous than Luthor since Brainiac is an alien with superhuman powers as well. In Justice League: No Justice #1, Brainiac doesn’t just beat Superman, but he beats the entire Justice League when he invades Earth. What is embarrassing is that Brainiac then left and said he just wanted to prove that the Justice League wasn’t prepared to defend the planet. Another problem is that even when Superman defeats Brainiac, the alien can replicate himself or send his consciousness into another form, and then return for more.
4) Parallax
When Parallax corrupted Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern became the most powerful villain on Earth, and no one, not even Superman, could stop him. This was made even more apparent when Superman faced Parallax in its true form. One of Parallax’s primary powers is Fear Projection, which is based on the yellow power similar to that of the Sinestro Corps. He can cast a strong enough fear to scare almost anyone, and it was shown to work against both Superman and Wonder Woman. He also has mind control powers, which were powerful enough to allow the entity to take control of Superman in Superman Vol. 4 #30.
3) Doomsday
Anyone familiar with Superman in DC Comics knows that he has died once. It was one of the most iconic stories of the 1990s, and Death of Superman was one of the best-selling comic books of all time. His death came at the hands of an alien known as Doomsday. This creature was genetically engineered to die and revive, and when this happens, it can never die in the same manner again. After numerous resurrections, it was ready to take on Superman. In Superman #75, Doomsday and Superman fought until both dropped dead. While they both ended up resurrected, it was the first time anyone truly defeated Superman in a fight.
2) Anti-Monitor
The Anti-Monitor was the main villain in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Every hero from every Earth joined forces to battle this villain, and they couldn’t do anything to beat him. The battles even resulted in the death of Superman’s cousin, Supergirl, which was a moment that traumatized the Man of Steel. What was frightening was that, even with multiple Supermen in the battle, they couldn’t beat Anti-Monitor or even slow him down. Every time he destroyed a new universe, he became more powerful. It took someone even more powerful than Superman to finally end the threat when Barry Allen’s Flash used his superspeed to disrupt the antimatter cannon and destroy it (at the cost of his life). The Spectre, Darkseid, and Alexander Luthor all took their shots before Superman from Earth-2 finally downed him. However, Superman couldn’t do it alone, and the main Superman couldn’t do it at all.
1) Darkseid
There is a reason that Darkseid is not considered a Superman villain. He is, and he always will be, a threat that needs the entire Justice League to bring him down. Darkseid is too powerful for any one hero to fight, and he is almost too powerful for the Justice League to fight. Most of the time, he is forced to withdraw to Apokolips because Superman and his allies can’t defeat him. More than once, Darkseid has enslaved Earth, and it took an all-out war to get him to retreat. The most prominent example was in Final Crisis, when Batman realized he had to make an exception to his no-kill rule to shoot Darkseid, but ultimately died himself (Batman actually went back in time). However, Superman couldn’t beat Darkseid, and has always known that it would take an ultimate act to end the threat.
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