Superman is one of the world’s greatest superheroes, being the original who spawned the archetype, and the one that every hero after him is judged against. Not only was he the first to be a hero, but he was the first to fight supervillains, coming to blows with the likes of the Ultra-Humanite and Lex Luthor. Although it isn’t as praised as Batman or Spider-Man’s rogues galleries, Superman’s villain roster is still one of the most diverse and storied ones in comic books. With heavy-hitters like Brainiac, Zod, Mongol, Metallo, and so many more, it’s easy to see why Superman shot to such meteoric fame. Seeing such an awesome hero battle awesome villains is just cool.
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With that being said, it’s only natural that people would want to see Superman battle other villains too. It’s not only fun to imagine one of your favorite heroes out of their element or fighting someone cool, but with Superman especially, people want to see if the biggest bads can hold a candle to the Man of Steel. So today, we’re going to be looking at ten characters I think could make awesome Superman villains. This won’t just be from DC either, but we’re going to be looking across the pond at some of Marvel’s worst, and even some from comics that aren’t connected to the Big Two at all. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
10) Thanos
This is one of the most classic match-ups out there, and for good reason. Some of Superman’s best fights come when he clashes with Darkseid, and the Mad Titan is effectively Marvel’s version of the God of Evil. Thanos is the face of all villains in Marvel, the big bad who is at the center of some of the company’s most iconic and beloved stories. Throwing DC’s face of heroism and Marvel’s embodiment of evil at each other just makes sense, but there’s also the fact that Thanos is just a very, very strong opponent. He’s probably one of the few out there who can go blow for blow with Superman, and that’s before we take any of his technology, armies, and masterful machinations into account. Thanos is a cult leader who has worshipped death, and inspires countless atrocities in his name. Seeing him go against Superman, the living symbol of hope, could only give us a super-charge battle everyone would remember.
9) Atrocitus
The leader of the Red Lantern Corps, Atrocitus is one of the angriest beings in the universe. His main goal is to eradicate those he deems have wronged him, and he is quite literally powered by an unyielding, unquenchable hate. Superman, in contrast, always seeks to keep a level head and open heart, which makes for a perfect moral contrast right off the bat. Beyond that, Superman battling one of the villainous Lantern Corps is the perfect way to give us more space-centric adventures with the Man of Steel. Superman is practically as much a sci-fi character as he has been a superhero, but recent comics haven’t focused on his interstellar adventures nearly as much as in the past. Having him fight Atrocitus in the cosmos opens the door for Superman to explore the depths of space once more as he comes into conflict with one of DC’s best established galactic organizations out there.
8) Maestro
The Hulk is the self-proclaimed strongest there is, so it’s only natural to pit him against DC’s strongest. However, although Superman and Hulk have fought numerous times, Superman almost always comes out the winner. That’s where the Maestro comes in. He’s an evil version of the Hulk from a distant future, equipped with all of Banner’s intelligence and enhanced strength from absorbing radiation for decades. The Maestro is cunning and even more brutal than the Hulk Superman usually contends with, and might now be tough enough to give him a run for his money. It would be the Man of Tomorrow versus a monster from an averted tomorrow, and the chaotic destruction that would follow would be a joy to see. Someone who can match Superman physically and outsmart him at the same time makes for one of the most dangerous threats out there.
7) Ares
DC’s own God of War wants nothing more than to spread battle throughout the world, which is exactly the type of thing Superman stands against. This matchup would be particularly interesting because Ares’s powers are divine and magical in nature, which Superman has no defences against. He would be as vulnerable as anyone else going up against Ares, and this could provide the perfect setup for Superman to give a message against the dangers of war. Imagine Clark Kent goes to a war-torn nation to report on it, and winds up coming to blows with Ares, who is working with government heads to perpetuate the war to grow stronger. Ares could challenge both Clark Kent and Superman equally as the Man of Steel works to both defeat Ares and prove his stance wrong, which is the kind of dynamic that makes for fantastic stories that stick with people.
6) Megatron
This one is definitely strange, but hear me out. Megatron started out as someone who fought for the rights of the oppressed, and preached that freedom was the right of everyone. Eventually, however, he was corrupted by power and became a tyrant, but his past as a revolutionary perfectly sets him up to be a Superman villain. Imagine an Elseworlds where Superman’s rocket landed on Cybertron instead of Earth, and he was raised by the then still heroic Megatron. Superman would learn all his values and desires to save lives, becoming the champion of the oppressed that he is today, but also watch Megatron slowly lose himself. It would be an emotional, heart-wrenching battle as Superman stands as the embodiment of who Megatron should have been, just like Optimus Prime himself is. Also, who doesn’t want to see Optimus and Superman be best friends?
5) Anton Arcane
Anton Arcane is one of the most vile, disgusting, horrific people to ever exist in DC. Originally he was a magician obsessed with immortality, and created his monstrous Un-Men to do his bidding. He spent time as a demon and an Avatar of the Rot, battling Swamp Thing and his niece Abby, aiming to ruin their lives no matter what. It seems that all he’s ever cared for is living forever and causing others pain, and this makes him a perfect candidate to fight Superman. The Man of Steel has succeeded in every genre he’s been placed in, but rarely has he ventured into the realm of horror, where Anton Arcane so excels. It would be very interesting to see Superman fight a threat that he might not even be able to touch, given Anton’s most consistent power is possession, even from the depths of Hell. He can force Superman to face the deepest darkness that can lay within a human heart, and Superman can overcome it to show exactly why hope will always be stronger than fear.
4) Galactus
Yet another cosmic villain, the Planet-Eater would put Superman into situations that he can’t simply fight his way out of. Galactus is truly one villain that Superman can’t hope to overcome through raw power, and the fact that Galactus has to consume entire planets raises the stakes to unimaginable levels. Superman would be forced to think outside the box, and find a way to satisfy Galactus’s hunger without letting an entire world be consumed. Superman fights natural disasters as much as he does villains, and Galactus is the ultimate natural disaster given a face. This would challenge Superman’s intelligence like nothing else could, and force him to be creative. Superman is very good at creating unique solutions, but because so many of his problems can be solved by punching out his villains, it’s often rare to see that side of him. Nobody would bring out and test Superman’s problem solving, peace-restoring skills like Galactus.
3) Owlman
Owlman is an evil version of Batman from Earth 3, where the Crime Syndicate reigns supreme. Superman and Owlman have clashed before, but only in battles between their two teams, never on a one on one basis. Given that Batman and Superman are so often stacked against each other, it could be fun to see Superman go up against an evil version of his best friend, complete with all of the skills and none of the morals of the original. This would be the ultimate game of cat and mouse, where if Superman actually finds Owlman it’s over, and Owlman would be forced to stay one step ahead the entire time. It could also raise plenty of emotional drama, where Superman is seeing a dark version of what Batman could have been, and even see him fight to find the good in Owlman, knowing how he could have been Batman.
2) Kang the Conqueror
Kang has one of the most interesting setups for a Superman villain. He’s from the far future, and his intelligence, technology, and ambition make him almost seem like the Lex Luthor of tomorrow. We could see Kang and Superman come to blows for any number of reasons, from Kang going back in time to prove he can conquer anyone by beating the world’s greatest hero, or even Kang attempting to take over the 31st century and the Legion of Super-Heroes calling in the cavalry. Superman has always been deeply connected to the future, and fighting the embodiment of a worse tomorrow while he fights for a better one is an awesome starting point for epic clashes.
1) Thragg and the Viltrumite Empire
The Viltrumite Empire was created as a direct parallel to Superman’s origin story, with them being a race of superpowered people, but unlike Krypton, they are only interested in conquering the rest of the universe. They have all the makings of Superman’s lost home, but live it out in a perverted, twisted sense. The fact that there are so few of them left after a horrible disaster would connect them to Superman even more, as he would fight not just to stop them from destroying worlds, but to save them from their own fascist regime. Thragg himself is a fantastic parallel to what Krypton might have looked like under General Zod’s control. To Superman, he would have a chance to save them in a way that he never had to save Krypton, providing the perfect emotional background for a tear-jerking adventure. Of course, their fight would also be downright awesome. Superman could easily overpower any Viltrumite, but their numbers and their sheer ruthlessness juxtaposed against Superman’s attempt to resolve things peacefully would create an unforgettable combat.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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