7 Marvel Characters Who Could Beat Superman

Superman isn’t the most powerful character in the history of superhero comics — power scaling is one potent drug among fans and creators — but he has a certain reputation. Superman is just powerful enough to foil any enemy. There are times when Superman needs to move a planet, and he’s that strong. There are times when he needs to be weaker to make the story work, and that’s true as well. Sometimes, he can fly so fast that he can move through time, and other times he can only fly at the speed of light to make a story work. One of the most asked questions in pop culture is what characters can beat Superman and how the fight would go. Fans love to ask what Marvel characters can beat Superman, and that’s always a very interesting question.

Marvel’s power levels, per capita, are lower than DC’s. So, for example, Thanos can beat entire teams of heroes, but he couldn’t beat Superman because Superman is so much stronger at a base level than the beings that Thanos fights. The same could be said of Hulk — while the Hulk has infinite strength potential, he doesn’t begin the fight nearly as strong as Superman, giving Superman a chance to knock him out before he gets too powerful. The same with Thor — his magic would make a difference, but Superman is so much faster and stronger than him. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any Marvel characters who can’t beat Superman. There are plenty, but these seven are the ones who can probably do it the easiest.

7) Phoenix

Marvel has many overpowered characters, but Jean Grey’s Phoenix takes the take. The Phoenix Force is one of the most powerful force in creation, a personification of life, death, and rebirth. The Phoenix Force enhances Jean’s already considerable mental powers, and puts her on a level that even gods like Thor can’t match. Phoenix is powerful enough to take Superman’s strongest blows, and could hold him with her telekinesis indefinitely — she can survive the pull of black holes and stop supernovas. As far as defeating Superman, that’s a job for telepathy. Superman’s learned some telepathic defenses from Martian Manhunter, but the telepaths in Marvel are so much more powerful than the ones in DC. Phoenix has god level telepathy, so she could basically brush past any defenses that Superman has and shut him down. Finally, Superman’s speed can be quite daunting, the Phoenix can react to things at the speed of thought, which should give her the edge in this battle.

6) Galactus

So, I’m not going to include too many Marvel cosmic beings on this list, because most of them have the potential to defeat Superman. However, I do think adding Galactus to the list is apropos, seeing as how the two of them are doing battle for box office dollars in 2025. Galactus can definitely best Superman. Galactus has access to the full power of the Power Cosmic, which among other things gives him complete control over matter. Galactus could transform Superman into whatever he wanted, or take him apart on a molecular level. However, that isn’t the only way that Galactus can take out Superman; he could also use the Power Cosmic to drain the yellow sunlight energy from his cells, rendering him powerless. Galactus can beat just about anyone if all things are equal, and Superman isn’t immune to that.

5) Molecule Man

Molecule Man doesn’t have super strength or speed. If you get the drop on him, you can kill him the same way that you could kill any other human being. However, Owen Reece has unlimited control over the molecules of the multiverse, and is an entirely different level than most characters in the Marvel Universe. Reece is so powerful, that he needs to be split among the various universes in order for his power level to be truly contained. He’s played huge roles in the battles against the Beyonder, and Doom tapping into his power was the only way the villain saved the universe at the end of the Incursions. Molecule Man is basically a god given flesh. He also seems kind of pathetic and crazy, which is the key to him beating Superman. Superman doesn’t cut loose on enemies until he realizes that they can survive his heaviest blows, and he definitely wouldn’t go hard in the paint against Molecule Man. That would give Molecule Man enough time to beat Superman, using his godlike power to get rid of the Man of Steel.

4) Professor X

Physically, Professor X doesn’t stand a chance against Superman. While Xavier has regained the use of his legs thanks to being in a clone body, physically, he’s just a regular human. However, mentally is another story. Charles Xavier is the most powerful telepath in the Marvel Universe, and has spent years honing his powers. Xavier can control multiple minds at once — there’s never been an upper limit established — and can telepathically speak to every person on Earth at the same time. He can erase memories, and create entirely false ones. He has control over vast reserves of psionic energy, allowing him to fire powerful blasts of psychic force. He’s even manifested telekinetic powers in recent years, allowing him to move things with his mind and giving him the full gamut of mental powers to use against his foes. Much like Phoenix, Professor X can also react, plan, and attack at the speed of thought, which would make all the difference against Superman. Xavier could easily remove himself from Superman’s perception, and use his powers to wreak havoc in the Man of Steel’s mind. Superman is the supreme physical power, but he doesn’t stand a chance against the mental might of Professor X.

3) Doctor Strange

There are people out there who would put Scarlet Witch on this list because of her status as a nexus being with reality altering powers. However, Scarlet Witch is the definition of a glass cannon — she’s very powerful, but her surviving long enough to use her powers in any fight isn’t usually going to happen. Scarlet Witch wouldn’t be willing to go all in on beating Superman right away, and that would give him time to take her down. However, it’s a different story with Doctor Strange, and that’s because of one reason — experience. Doctor Strange, as the Sorcerer Supreme, has faced off against the most dangerous beings in creation. Strange is used to be overpowered by his foes, so Superman’s vast power levels wouldn’t daunt him at all. Strange could easily freeze time and give himself all the time he needs to figure out how to beat Superman. Even without temporal magic, Strange could defend himself from Superman long enough to figure out how to render him powerless, or otherwise take him down. Doctor Strange is smart and powerful, which would make all the difference in a battle against Superman.

2) Silver Surfer

Silver Surfer is one of the few beings in the Marvel Universe that can match Superman for speed, which is going to make a lot of difference in this fight. Superman definitely is physically stronger than Silver Surfer, but the Surfer’s indestructible skin would allow him to stay in the fight. What really wins this fight for Silver Surfer is the Power Cosmic, though. While he doesn’t have the same level of control of it as Galactus does, he can still use it to manipulate matter and energy, which means he could also drain Superman of his power. Of course, Silver Surfer is a much better person than Galactus, so he would make sure that Superman was somewhere he could survive after losing his powers. However, the result remains the same — Superman would fall to the might of the Power Cosmic. Silver Surfer isn’t exactly invincible, but he could put down Superman if it came down to it.

1) Doctor Doom

So, in the battle against Superman, intelligence has always been very important. Look at Lex Luthor. Lex is able to challenge Superman because he’s as smart as Superman is powerful. Many of Marvel’s super geniuses have the same chance as Lex Luthor at beating Superman, but there’s only one of them who I think can defeat Superman more often than not — Doctor Doom (sorry, Iron Man fans — we all know he would build a Superbuster armor that ends up getting shredded by the Man of Steel). To begin with, Doom’s control of magic gives him a weapon that he could use Superman that most of his fellow super geniuses don’t have. However, even taking the magic out of the equation, Doom could defeat Superman because of a piece of technology that has become standard on his armor since the first Secret Wars. Doom has equipped his armor with a power siphon, which allows him to drain energy from others and use its power for his own. He’s used this weapon against the Beyonders and Aron the Rogue Watcher, giving himself godlike power in the process. Superman is powerful, but he’s not on the level of a being like a Beyonder or a Watcher. Doom could easily drain Superman dry, and then walk over and one-shot him. Of course, since it’s Doom, he would probably try to figure out the secret of Superman’s power so he could take it for his own, giving Superman a chance to escape, but he still would have been able to beat him to get him to that point.

What Marvel heroes do you think can beat Superman? Sound off in the comments below.

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