Superman is the core of the DC Multiverse, the hero who made it all possible. He represents the power of hope and the entire multiverse is fueled by him (well, other than the Absolute Earth). He’s the one that everyone looks to for leadership and he’s the one who is supposed to save the day. There’s always a job for Superman and he’s been able to take care of them every time. Well, just about every time. Over the years, the Man of Steel has tasted defeat. Most of the time, he comes back to win the day, saving all of existence, but that doesn’t change that he’s been on the receiving end of some of the worst beatings imaginable.
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Superman fights some of the most dangerous villains ever. Some of them have been able to beat and some have even been able to kill him. He may be invulnerable, but he can be hurt and these beatings have put his tolerance to the test. These are ten times Superman was completely beaten and you can guarantee that they hurt.
10) Zod, Ursa, and Non Beating Him in “Last Son”
“Last Son” was a fantastic Superman story, bringing back General Zod, Ursa, and Non. The three of them were able to escape the Phantom Zone and hunted down Lor-Zod, the son of Zod and Ursa they had used to break free. He was with Superman and a titanic tussle ensued, one that Supes lost. He got beat on by three Kryptonians. He was at full power at least, but it definitely hurt him. He was knocked unconscious and dropped in the Phantom Zone himself, forced to break free and team with Lex Luthor’s Superman Revenge Squad to win.
9) Batman Beating Superman in The Dark Knight Returns
The Dark Knight Returns turns 40 in 2026 and for the last four decades, we’ve been talking about this fight. Batman was able to get a weakened Superman, thanks to the Man of Steel getting caught in a nuclear attack, to Gotham City and went to town. He used a Kryptonite arrow, the entire electrical supply of Gotham, acid, sound weapons, and finally just a good old-fashioned beating. Supes was certainly in bad shape when he got there and none of Bats’ attacks helped. This was another knock out and Clark was almost certainly happy to lose consciousness to escape the pain.
8) Alfred Beating Injustice Superman
Injustice isn’t a favorite of diehard DC fans, mostly because it was entirely too grimdark. The comic based on the game was about a war between an evil Superman and Batman, with the heroes and villains of the world choosing sides. One of the biggest moments of these stories came when Superman was robbed of his powers and Alfred beat him like there was no tomorrow. This is one of the most savage beatings any Superman has ever taken and you best believe it hurt a lot. Alfred went hard in the paint and this one was almost certainly as painful as it is legendary.
7) Perpetua Defeating the Justice League
The Justice League’s battle against Perpetua in Justice League (Vol. 4) saw her defeat the team a few times with the last time seeing her completely destroy not just the Justice League, but the entire multiversal order. Readers didn’t get to see the end of this last fight so the beginning of Dark Knights: Death Metal would be a shock for readers but it was bad. Supes was imprisoned and used to power Metropokolips, so he would have been out of it for a while. Perpetua beat the brakes off the team and Superman definitely got a lot of the worst of it (at least he lived; Batman died and only came back because he had a Black Lantern ring).
6) The Anti-Monitor Beating Him Almost to Death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7
The Anti-Monitor is one of the most dangerous villains in DC history and he proved it multiple times in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Issue #7 saw the heroes take the fight to him and Superman made a beeline for the villain. This was pre-Crisis Superman, so he could throw planets like they were nothing. However, the Anti-Monitor beat him almost completely to death. It was a hardcore beating and it caused Supergirl to get involved in the fight. Supes was completely out of it and would have died if it wasn’t for his cousin’s sacrifice, so it’s safe to say this one hurt a lot.
5) Gog’s Superman Killing Spree
Kingdom Come is a ’90s DC legend, but most fans don’t know there was a sequel. The Kingdom was partly about Gog, the man who helped make Magog into the violent brute he was in the first story, who wanted to kill Superman. He killed the Man of Steel and then went back time a day and did it again. And again. And again. Superman’s died numerous ways, some of which were quite painful. Some of these versions of Supes definitely welcomed death when it came.
4) Superman’s Death in Batman: The Last Knight on Earth
Batman: Last Knight on Earth took readers to a dark future where a villain named Omega took over the world. Superman was taken out before he ever attacked; Lex was able to fool him into a televised debate, where he set up a Kryponite trap for the Man of Steel. Look at the placement of those spikes; this was an extremely painful way to die, especially because of the effect on Kryptonite on his internal organs and tissues. Supes suffered a lot here.
3) Wonder Woman Killing Superman in Wonder Woman: Dead Earth
Wonder Woman: Dead Earth is one of the coolest comics ever, full of amazing action from writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson. One of the best parts of the book was the battle between Wonder Woman and Superman. The two had an amazing fight, one that wrecked the entire planet. Diana was able to get the upper hand and was eventually able to kill the Man of Steel. Wondie is the greatest warrior of the Themyscirans and she knows how to hurt someone. Kal-El went through a lot in this one before he died and it probably took a while, even with her having ripped his heart out. At least, it must felt like forever to him.
2) “Death of Superman”
“Death of Superman” is one of the most legendary defeats in Superman history and if you don’t think he was hurt badly by the end, then you need to go and read it again. Supes battled Doomsday for a long time before they got to Metropolis and he got wrecked constantly. By the end, he almost certainly had many broken bones, organ damage, torn muscles of all kinds, and just about every other injury you can imagine. He kept fighting though, meeting his death with bravery. And a load of pain.
1) The Death of Earth-Two Superman in Infinite Crisis
Earth-Two Superman is the best Superman; no further discussion is needed. He returned in Infinite Crisis after defeating the Anti-Monitor in Crisis on Infinite Earths, learning that Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three and Superboy-Prime have an evil plan to remake the multiverse. He joined the battle against them and eventually ended up going after Prime with Superman. They pushed him through Krypton’s red sun onto Mogo, with the elder hero weakened significantly. Prime beat him to death, a terrible, bloody death for the greatest hero in the history of the multiverse. The whole thing was almost certainly made worse because of the red sun and it was easily the most painful death of Superman.
What do you think is the most painful Superman beating? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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