Superman is basically the key to the defense of the Earth in DC Comics. He’s the example that everyone follows, the leader that everyone looks to for guidance, and the muscle that often wins the day. He defends the multiverse from every terrible threat out there, and has faced off against some of the most formidable foes ever. The Man of Steel has one of the most dangerous rogues galleries in comics; he defeats all of them and does it with the kind of good nature that defines who he is. Clark Kent was raised to be a good person, and he can’t bring himself to hate even the worst bad guys out there. He’s a pure being to his core, and this has had an effect on his battles.
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Over the years, looking at the attacks his foes have made and the way he’s handled them, this attitude has cost the people he protects. He’s treated numerous villains with kid gloves and this has allowed them to keep their evil going. Superman lets these seven villains off too easy, and it’s allowed them to keep doing what they do, with terrible consequences.
7) Livewire
Livewire first appeared in Superman: The Animated Series, a mouthy electric-powered “shock jock” who hated Superman and talked about him on her radio shows. She and the Man of Steel have fought numerous times and her crimes are usually pretty low-level. Kal-El treats her with kid gloves because she’s often more annoying to him than evil, but that’s a problem. She’s an angry person willing to push boundaries far beyond what they should be; it’s how she got famous. She’s going to do something terrible one day, and Superman is going to blame himself.
6) General Zod
There are only a few villains who can hurt Superman, and chief among them is General Zod. Zod is a fellow Kryptonian, given great power by the yellow sun, and was the greatest soldier of his dead world. He and the Man of Steel have clashed numerous times, and Supes does seem to take his threat seriously, but he could end it at any time without killing the general. The hero has access to Gold Kryptonite, which he can use to take away the villain’s powers. He never does, constantly believing that the good in Zod will win out, and this allowed the Kryptonian bad guy to keep attacking the Earth.
5) Prankster
Superman has been around for a long time and he has some villains that are a relic of those earlier days in the comic industry. The Prankster is one of these. He’s a low-level gimmick villain, using weaponized pranks to commit crime across the city. He’s something of a pushover and the Man of Steel treats him as such, but the problem is that he always has the potential to do terrible things. His technology is extremely dangerous, and yet Supes just keeps treating him like he’s a nobody. If Prankster ever broke even badder, he could kill many before Superman was able to stop him, and the hero needs to take his threat more seriously.
4) Toyman
Toyman is basically the same as the Prankster. He’s a gimmick villain who uses weaponized toys against Superman and Metropolis, and is known for his powerful robot marionette body. Much like Prankster, he’s been around for a while and has been everything from a funny villain to a serious enemy (the post-Crisis versions was teased to be someone with a predilection for children). However, regardless of that, he’s treated like a scrub. He’s honestly much more dangerous than he gets credit for, and his robotic creations are deadly. Superman takes him down, but he never takes him as serious as he should.
3) Bizarro
Bizarro is an extremely dangerous enemy, and yet he’s also treated like a joke. He’s the perfect imperfect duplicate of Superman and is often played as a childlike monster. However, this is a being with the strength and power of the Man of Steel and none of the morals or goodness. He may talk in opposites and is kind of pathetic at times, but he can destroy the Earth if he so chose. Superman sort of feels bad for the villain, and will treat him like he’s not a beast with planet-destroying power. This is a mistake, and it’s going to come back and bite everyone.
2) Mr. Mxyzptlk
Mr. Mxyzptlk is another Superman villain that was always looked at as a joke, which is a huge problem for a being like him. He’s a Fifth Dimensional imp; time, space, and reality are his to manipulate in whatever way he sees fit. He’s more of a nuisance than a killer, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a killer. Superman often works to mitigate the damage Mxy can do, but he doesn’t take the attacks nearly as serious as he should. If Mxy wants to, he can do anything he wants, and he’s a much more serious threat than Superman gives him credit for.
1) Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a completely unhinged villain, and is Superman’s greatest enemy. The Man of Steel seemingly takes Lex very seriously, but the problem comes with the hero’s way of looking at the world. The Man of Steel believes that everyone is good deep down, and he grew up with Luthor. He still believes that he can somehow find the good in the world’s most smartest man, and this has allowed the villain to pull off some things that he definitely shouldn’t have been able to. Clark doesn’t want to push his old friend to be even worse, so he sometimes takes it easier than he should.
What villains do you think Superman goes too easy on? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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