7 Funniest Superman Moments Ever, Ranked

To some misinformed fans, Superman is a very serious, very stoic character. We’ve all heard the complaint that Henry Cavill didn’t even look like he was allowed to smile in the super suit; he was just way too serious. But while that take on the Man of Steel is unfortunately very popular, Superman is actually a character who can be very silly and really funny. I mean, the guy wears red underwear on the outside of his pants. Superman has had plenty of incredible jokes and awkward situations over the years, and has been making people laugh since the 1930s. He’s not Batman, after all.

So with that said, let’s take a look at the seven funniest moments throughout all of Superman’s very long and storied career. 

7) The Super-Spanking

Ignoring the ethical dilemma that spanking presents, the idea of Pa Kent trying to spank a misbehaving Superboy is really hilarious. Like, he’s still in full costume when he tries this. How do you just forget that he’s invulnerable? Especially when he was being punished for using his powers to do his chores! And lord, the sass on that boy. Pa could have easily broken his hand if he hit Superboy’s derriere hard enough, so I really can’t say what he was thinking. I guess it’s a good thing he sees Clark as so human that he forgot he couldn’t do this, but still. Superboy #75 was all about Clark’s parents finding a way to punish him for misbehaving, and they ultimately decided on far less funny psychological torment by pretending to leave home forever because Clark disobeyed them. That definitely sours this one, not going to lie, but there are plenty more Golden and Silver Age goodness on this list. Trust me, we could be here all week talking about just the ridiculous covers from that era.

6) High as a Super-Kite

Superman is far from a reserved character, but he almost always has some semblance of control over himself. Needless to say, for probably a hundred reasons, we haven’t seen Superman do anything that would get him high. But that’s exactly what happened in Superman/Batman #46, when Superman was exposed to Magic Kryptonite. Technically it “stripped him of his responsibilities,” but when he starts seeing everyone as chibis and gets the super-munchies, it’s safe to say that Clark is definitely under the influence. It’s hilarious to see the straight-laced Superman just be really silly. Honestly, just imagine a high-as-the-sky Superman knocking on your window and asking you if he can have some of your brownies (which he smelled from outer space). Absolutely hilarious and definitely a favorite type type of Kryptonite.

5) Kissing Lightning Lad’s Wife

While history will remember Action Comics #289 for being the issue where Superman almost married his cousin, I stand by the fact that it deserves to be remembered for the hilarious situation Superman got himself into with Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl. Supergirl is on a quest to find the perfect wife for Superman, and tries bringing him to the Legion of Super-Heroes’ future to match him with the grownup Saturn Woman. They arrive during a Christmas party, and Superman catches his fellow Legionaire under the mistletoe not once, but twice, and both of them seem to really enjoy it. Unfortunately, Lightning Man didn’t like Superman making out with his wife in front of him. Instead of apologizing or trying to diffuse the situation, Superman just goes “Uh-gotta go!” and flies off, which is objectively the funniest thing he could do in the moment. It felt like such a genuine, real person reaction, and I crack up every time I look at this panel.

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4) The Ant Anti-Nuke PSA

Yet another classic old Superman story, Action Comics #296 saw a squadron of man-sized alien ants invade the Earth. Worse, they were all coated with Green Kryptonite radiation, meaning Superman couldn’t get near them. They kidnapped Lois Lane, because when in Metropolis you do as the locals do, forcing Superman to take drastic measures to confront them. Given the time period, that meant flying through a Red Kryptonite Cloud in outer space, which of course transformed his head into an ant’s, letting the Man of Steel communicate with the aliens. What elevates this from an era-standard gag to side-rendingly hilarious is that the ants were actually intergalactic spokespeople for nuclear disarmament, having watched the humans of their own planet perish to nuclear war. Having an ant preach about the dangers of nuclear weapons while Superman nods sagely with an ant head is just so stupid it’s amazing. Moments like these make me love old comics all the more, because where else would you find this?

3) Turning the Tables on Mr. Mxyzptlk

Mr. Mxyzptlk’s favorite pastime is tormenting the Man of Steel with ludicrous pranks. Action Comics #273 saw Superman finally snap back at the fifth-dimensional imp after his pranks forced Superman to miss giving a speech at the Smallville Orphanage. Superman broke into the fifth-dimension and, after finding out Mr. Mxyzptlk was running for mayor, made it his mission to prank the imp out of the election. This was Superman at his most petty and I love it. Superman flew around convincing people Mr. Mxyzptlk wanted to raise taxes and got everyone who got on the imp’s free boat ride seasick. Mr. Mxyzptlk kept trying to trick Superman into saying Namrepus (Superman backwards) so he would vanish back to his home dimension, and at one point succeeded, but Superman didn’t vanish because Superman isn’t his real name. He stuck around long enough to ensure Mr. Mxyzptlk lost the election, then left on his own terms. Absolutely iconic.

2) Doxxing Batman on Twitter

The Injustice: Gods Among Us universe is notorious for being both a great video game and the thing that popularized the Evil Superman trope. Still, even if it presents a wildly incorrect version of Superman and multiple other heroes for the sake of its story, this moment in issue #28 of the tie-in comic was easily one of the funniest things I have ever seen. This was pure pettiness against Batman, let me tell you. Just imagine you lived inside the DC Universe and this is how you discover the identity of the near-myth that is Batman. I would lose my mind. Gosh, the in-universe memes alone that this post generated were probably God tier. What makes it all even funnier is that this is played straight. It is genuinely an important moment of betrayal that changed the story forever going forward. And it all started with a freaking Tweet.

1) No, Batman Wouldn’t

Funny moments involving the uber-serious Batman just make them all the more hilarious. In my opinion, this is absolutely the funniest thing that has ever come out of a Superman comic. I well and truly hate that this is from the pages of Identity Crisis #1, a comic which should be forgotten and thrown into the deepest pit we can find, but that doesn’t change the fact that the look on Superman’s face is perfect. It somehow captures the awkward cocktail of unexplainable emotions he is definitely feeling at that line. I have no idea what emotion this face is showing, but I know exactly how it feels, and it makes me lose my mind every time I look at it. Even Superman doesn’t know how to respond to that headshot of a question, and it’s fantastic.

So there we have the seven funniest moments Superman has ever had. Of course, this list is subjective, and by no means is it exhaustive. There are thousands of panels and moments that can rival any one of the moments on this list. Comic books are a funny medium, and they have definitely embraced that inherent silliness plenty of times over the years. Do you think another Superman moment deserved to make the list? Let us know in the comments below!