7 Marvel Villains Who Could Beat Superman In a Fight

Superman is the Man of Steel, the Last Son of Krypton, and one of the most powerful superheroes ever to exist. Arguably, at his peak, he is the strongest. As a Kryptonian, Superman can absorb yellow sunlight to attain unmatchable power and abilities. No matter what kind of threat he faces, from despotic billionaires to the embodiment of evil itself, Superman has always risen to the challenge to save the day. A subset of fans even claims that Superman is too powerful, and that the lack of challenge makes his stories boring. In actuality, as powerful as Superman is, even he isn’t invincible. Today, we’re going to be looking at seven villains from across the company pond that stand a chance at beating the Man of Tomorrow.

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Before that, though, let’s set some ground rules. There are countless cosmic or divine beings that could wipe Superman from existence without a thought, and I could just name seven of them, but that’s boring. There are a few of those characters on this list, but only the ones that I think would provide an interesting battle. The rest will be what I think are underrated characters that still have a shot at stopping Superman. To be clear, this is not a statement that these characters will always defeat the Man of Steel. If push came to shove, I’m sure Superman could beat anyone here. This list catalogues those who are capable of potentially bringing down Superman. With that said, let’s fly right into this.

7) Beyonder

Let’s start by getting the instant-win-enemies done first, and work our way to the more interesting opponents. The Beyonder is the perfect representative of the former category. He is a nigh-omnipotent reality-warper who can reshape the universe to his whims. He is a member of the Beyonder race, who are the direct servants of the Celestials, watching over the multiverse from outside it. Before the several retcons that lowered his power, the Beyond was actually much, much more overpowered than he is today. Pre-Retcon Beyonder is likely the most powerful being in Marvel, sans the One Above All. It’s crazy to think that he’s been weakened so much and still outclasses Superman by a country mile.

6) Molecule Man

Speaking of the Beyonder, our next entry is his cosmic other half, Molecule Man. Owen Reece has powers equal to those of the Beyonder, having been created as the multiverse’s self-destruct button by the Beyonder race. After the construction of the Eighth Cosmos, he was empowered to even greater heights, able to pull apart the fabric of reality in any manner he wanted. I imagine that Superman fighting Molecule Man would be a lot like fighting a Mister Mxyzptlk without rules. The fifth-dimensional imp always limited himself to the rules of a game, but Molecule Man is just as, if not more powerful than him, and can’t be stopped by saying his own name backwards.

5) Chthon

Chthon is an Elder God and the creator of Chaos Magic, the very power that makes Scarlet Witch so strong. As the first practitioner of black magic, Chthon’s vast power has been used to do everything from destabilize the universe to make the first zombie. In a lot of ways, he’s Marvel’s version of Trigon, which is what made him interesting enough to earn a spot on this list. One of Superman’s only weaknesses is magic, putting him at a massive disadvantage from the start. This would be just as much a spiritual battle as a physical one, as Chthon’s corruptive power might try to take over the Man of Steel, which could only mean bad things.

4) Vulcan

Vulcan is Cyclops and Havok’s long-lost brother, and easily the strongest of the trio. He’s an Omega-Level Mutant who can absorb all kinds of energy with no limit, then redirect it in any form he wants. Given that Superman’s power comes from solar radiation, Vulcan should be able to absorb the sunlight right out of Superman’s cells, rendering him powerless. If that doesn’t work, he could always emit solar rays from a red sun, which would weaken Superman until he was practically human. Vulcan’s powerset makes him one of the best potential counters to Superman out there.

3) Onslaught

Onslaught is the abomination created when the darkness inside of Professor X and Magneto fused. He has the powers of both men and can absorb other mutants to steal their gifts. At his peak, Onslaught absorbed Franklin Richards and X-Man, making him unstoppable, but we’re only considering base Onslaught for this list. Frankly, that’s still enough power. Xavier is the world’s most powerful telepath, able to connect every mind on Earth at once. Magneto’s magnetic control makes him another of the strongest people around, with his ability to tear apart the Earth’s poles and pick up entire continents. While Superman could stop either of them on their own, with their powers combined and his mind vulnerable to psychic attack, Onslaught might just beat the Man of Tomorrow.

2) Super-Adaptoid

Super-Adaptoid is Marvel’s A.I.M. variation of Amazo, who has beaten Superman plenty of times. This incredible android can replicate the powers and skills of any superhuman in its line of sight with virtually no limit. It has long since copied the abilities of countless Avengers, including powerhouses like Thor and Hulk. Even assuming it cannot copy Superman’s powers for one reason or another, the powers that the Super-Adaptoid already possesses make it nigh-unbeatable in a one-on-one fight. This would be the ultimate slugfest of two beings with more superpowers than you can shake a stick at, and I guarantee you it would be incredibly entertaining to watch.

1) Diablo

This is easily the craziest pick on this list, but hear me out. Diablo is a genius who specializes in alchemy. He can perfectly transmute any one substance into another, such as turning a stone into a feather or a tiled floor into dozens of pounds of TNT. What if he used his unmatched alchemical prowess to turn a normal rock into a chunk of Kryptonite? So long as he learns its composition, that should be well within his powers. Diablo could make things even deadlier by animating the Kryptonite he makes, creating a walking, talking beast out of Superman’s biggest weakness. Superman has fought Kryptonite-based enemies before, but there’s always a chance at defeat, and that chance is all Diablo needs to take his place on our list.

Which Marvel villain do you think stands a chance against DC’s Man of Steel? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!