A lot of those people who are not much into comic books believe that the Superman is the mightiest superhero. “He is nearly invincible,” “Nobody can kill Superman” or “Superman is the most powerful Superhero ever,” are just some of the things stated by those who haven’t read comics.
Nothing could be further from the truth than the above statements. While, Superman is a popular hero, when it comes to a ranking of the mightiest comic book characters, he is not likely to be any higher than those in the middle spots on the hierarchy.
Just think about it. There are so many cosmic beings who can take control of the entire universe and play with planets and then there are those omnipresent Gods who can wipe out worlds and gobble up stars without blinking their eyes. Compared to such mighty beings, Superman is nothing more than a tiny fly that can be swatted aside. In fact, somebody doesn’t even need to be the mightiest to take Superman out. You might not know it if you haven’t been familiar with DC comics, but, Superman has been beaten several times in the past.
Let’s have a look at some of the noncosmic or Godly characters, who appear like any other normal Superbeing, but, have the capability to defeat Superman in a sudden fight under normal circumstances.
1. Dormammu
Dormammu is a multi-dimensional creature, but, he is not a God by any parameter. He belongs to the evil Faltine species and possesses incredible magical powers, and we know very well that magic is one more of Superman’s weaknesses other than Kryptonite.
The Faltine beings have an inherent energy called the Flames of the Faltine, which can destroy entire worlds in one go.
Let’s have a look at how Dormammu measures up against the Superman. In his fight against the Defenders, the team of Hulk, Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider beat him with all their might and just when they felt that he was defeated, he stood up and made fun of their power telling them that they had not even seen 10% of his powers. Taking that into account, Superman can’t just give him any physical beating.
While Superman is fast, Dormammu has spells like the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak which can bind entire cities in one go, and that would mean the Superhero from Krypton will have no escape from such magical confinement.
Dormammu can also unleash several dangerous magical demons as per his whims and fancies and can effectively create an army of such creatures to fight the Superman. There are so many magical spells at his disposal that we can’t just talk about all of them.
He once even went on to annihilate those who hosted cosmic Phoenix Force and has been in contention with Odin as far as power is concerned. He has even disturbed the cosmic entity called Eternity which makes us believe that Superman has absolutely no hope against this guy.
2. Sentry
Sentry can ideally be called an enhanced version of Superman. His strength is simply insane, and in terms of speed and durability, he beats Superman. Such physical strength assisted by his range of esoteric powers and abilities make him a far more versatile and difficult to face as an opponent.
He has also done crazy things like lifting a huge cosmic being, torn Ares in two (Ares is a God-like being in the category of Thor and Hercules). He has ripped apart the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak which even Hulk couldn’t escape from, and he also caught Terrax’s axe mid-air with one hand , and this is an axe which has sliced through planets. That means his durability and physical strength is as insane as his magical powers.
Even if we consider the near impossible scenario of the Superman killing the Sentry, he would immediately return from the dead, and that’s something he has done many times in the past. When attacked with deadly force, he simply reforms his molecular structure and can also tear down his rivals molecule by molecule using his transmutation powers.
He can also read as well as control minds through his telepathic powers.
3. The Silver Surfer
Another superhero who is also mistakenly considered to be in the same bracket as Superman or being someone whom Superman can defeat – but, The Silver Surfer is in fact, way more powerful than the Man of Steel.
If at all The Surfer has any disadvantage then it has to be his lack of physical strength in comparison to the Kryptonian being, but, in every other aspect he prevails over him, and that makes this drawback immaterial.
To start with, The Silver Surfer is much faster than Superman. While Superman’s top speed is equivalent to the speed of light, The Silver Surfer is several times faster than light. That means Superman won’t even see his attacks coming.
His endurance is exemplary, and he can survive deep space, hyperspace, black holes and energy of stars without any trouble. He can modify, bend or consume any energy or radiation including the solar radiation coming out of Superman’s body and he can even produce the Kryptonite radiation which weakens the caped superhero.
He also has Cosmic Power abilities through which he can transform things and their shapes apart from being able to time travel, passing through solids and creating portals. He presents too many challenges for the Superman to manage.
4. Gladiator
The guy mentioned here is not the insignificant villain from Daredevil, rather a member of the Strontians and an ex-leader of the Imperial Guard.
His powers are the same as Superman. However, he has a higher degree of strength and endurance. While Superman has the power to lift ships and entire buildings, Gladiator has crushed whole planets with his physical strength alone.
He has been engulfed in nuclear fireballs and has passed through the cores of stars and exploding supernovas. He flies 100 times at the speed of light which means he is 100 times faster than the Superman. He also has the heat vision and the freeze breath powers that Superman possesses, but, his heat vision is hotter than the Sun.
The only factor which can ever give Superman against the infinitely powerful Gladiator is the fact that Gladiator’s powers are directly proportionate to his confidence and might get greatly diminished if he is depressed or sad. Other than that, he can simply fry and toss Superman into the intergalactic space even before the Man of Steel will see him coming.
5. Thanos
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration that Thanos is too powerful to battle against Superman. This Mad Titan can simply make Superman extinct by wielding his Infinity Gauntlet. However, he doesn’t even need to use his top powers against Superman as his basic powers are more than handful fo the Kryptonian.
Thanos’s only inferiority is about his not being as fast as Superman in travel speed. However, his reflexes are so sharp that he can avoid the attacks of a speeding Silver Surfer who we know is way faster than Superman can ever be. Thanos’s durability is so extreme that the hardest strike of the Superman won’t make Thanos flinch even a bit.
Physically, Thanos is so powerful that he can juggle Hulk, Thing, Hercules, and Thor at the same time while laughing at their insignificant collective strength.
He has so many esoteric powers that include teleportation, firing energy blasts, transmutation of matter, manipulation of energy forms and this means that he can convert Superman into a stuffed toy or keep him caged like a singing parrot.
