Summary
Superman, also known as Clark Kent, Kal-El, the Man of Steel, and the Last Son of Krypton, has a rogue’s gallery of villains that rivals his many names. Despite being one of the purest and most heroic superheroes in fiction, some widely despise him.
His villains range from quirky characters like Toyman and the Prankster to formidable foes who can match him in strength and, on occasion, surpass him. With James Gunn’sSupermanfilm approaching and the trailer revealing that Supes sustains serious injuries, the identity of his assailant remains a mystery. This topic highlights the strongest ofSuperman’s many adversaries.
It is also worth noting that characters such as Darkseid or Vandal Savage are largely seen as Justice League villains rather than direct Superman foes, and as such, they are absent from this list. DC has a history of rewriting their timelines, so the backstories of the characters shown are the general ideas and may vary from different iterations.
No One Hates Superman More
Although Lex Luthor may not be as physically strong as other villains who oppose Superman, his intense hatred for the Man of Steel gives him an advantage over most. Lex is an evil genius who utilizes his intelligence and vast wealth to create numerous weapons and devices specifically designed to battle Superman, including a seemingly endless supply of Kryptonite, which is Superman’s greatest weakness.
His warsuit, featured inmany different forms of mediabut not yet depicted in a live-action film, allows him to confront Superman directly. The suit enhances his strength and speed, providing him with the bulk necessary to withstand blows from a supercharged Kryptonian. But without this, he is no match, so Lex will have to settle for last place.
A Defective Clone Of Superman With The Same Abilities
Due to the numerous rewrites of DC’s timeline, there have been several different iterations of Bizarro, but they generally share the same origin. He is a defective clone of Superman who possesses the same abilities but lacks his intelligence. Utilizing synthetic Kryptonian powers, Bizarro can match Superman in both strength and speed.
Over the years, Bizarro has played both villainous and heroic roles, appearing as a member of the Legion of Doom at times and as part of the Outlaws at others. Presently, the main version of Bizarro is generally regarded as a heroic character, which is why he is ranked lower on this list. This ranking, however, does not diminish the immense strength he possesses.
A Kryptonite-Powered Cyborg
John Corben was critically injured in either a car crash or while serving in the military, depending on the version of his story. His life was saved when he was transformed into a cyborgpowered by Green Kryptonite. This transformation makes him a formidable adversary for Superman, as he is directly linked to Superman’s greatest weakness.
Metallo can use his cybernetic body to project blasts of Kryptonite energy, which can inflict significant damage on Superman. However, realistically, Superman could call upon another hero to remove the Kryptonite and neutralize the threat. For this reason, Metallo cannot be ranked much higher in terms of danger. Nevertheless, when facing Clark Kent directly, he can indeed be considered a huge problem.
Magical Fifth Dimension Imp Obsessed With Superman
Mr. Mxyzptlk is an imp from the Fifth Dimension, similar to the well-known Bat-Mite. He is not typically regarded as a villain. Instead, he serves more as an annoyance to Superman, constantly trying to prove that he is smarter than the hero. Mr. Mxyzptlk possesses a wide range of magic-based powers, which Superman is particularly vulnerable to. If he truly wanted to, Mr. Mxyzptlk could easily defeat Superman, but he finds more enjoyment in causing mischief.
Although Mr. Mxyzptlk has been around for a long time, he is not seen as a significant threat to Superman due to the whimsical nature of his character. Superman can outsmart him by tricking him into saying his name backwards, which sends Mr. Mxyzptlk back to the Fifth Dimension and reverses his magical antics.
Cybernetic Superman Copy With A Hatred For The Man Of Steel
In the aftermath of Superman’s apparent death, Hank Henshaw was granted Kryptonian-like powers through a cybernetic body and claimed to be the new Man of Steel, aiming to take Superman’s place. However, he quickly deviated from this path, becoming a global threat and proving to be aformidable adversary for the original Superman.
Henshaw first gained his abilities while aboard a LexCorp space shuttle that was exposed to a solar flare, which caused radiation to deteriorate his body. Although his physical form was destroyed, his mind survived and took control of various machinery back at LexCorp. Eventually, he seized control of a cybernetic replica of Superman, blaming him for his accident and the death of his wife, and sought revenge.
Kryptonian War Criminal With A Lust For Revenge
For a long time, it was believed that Superman was the last surviving member of Krypton. However, it was later revealed that General Zod, a military leader and tyrant, also survived the planet’s destruction. This was possible because he was trapped in the Phantom Zone, a separate dimension that the Kryptonians used as a prison.
As a Kryptonian, Zod possesses the same abilities as Superman when on Earth, which means he can inflict significant damage. His primary goal is to transform Earth into a new Krypton, and he harbors a deep desire for revenge against Kal-El, as it was Kal-El’s father who sent him to the Phantom Zone in the first place. Zod is typically accompanied by his group of Kryptonian war criminals: Faora, Non, and Ursa. However, as their leader and the most powerful member, Zod holds a prominent position among them.
Ancient Kryptonian Monster Who Killed Superman
Doomsday is best known as the character who ultimately killed Superman during the “Death of Superman” storyline, although this death was not permanent. Created many years ago on Krypton, Doomsday is a being of pure rage and destruction whose sole purpose is to cause death.
Equipped with typical superpowers such as super strength, speed, and invulnerability, Doomsday possesses a unique ability: he can never truly die. Each time he is defeated, he regenerates and evolves animmunity to whatever killed him previously. For this reason, Doomsday is often considered one of Superman’s most formidable villains.
An Alternate Version Of Kal-El Who Sees Himself As The True Superman
Superboy Prime comes from a universe where superheroes and superhumans are fictional characters, similar to our own world. He was the only person in his reality with powers, and he enjoyed wielding this sense of power over others. However, when his universe was destroyed by the Anti-Monitor, he found himself homeless. This traumatic experience warped his morals, leading him to believe that his original world was the “true world.” As a result, he became murderous, sadistic, and psychotic in his quest to assert dominance.
After entering the main DC universe, Superboy Prime posed a significant threat. Unlike with Superman, Kryptonite does not exist on his Earth, which means he is not affected by it, and magic has little effect on him as well. This combination makes him one of the strongest supervillains in the DC universe, surpassing many others beyond just Superman’s adversaries, as he has no real weakness.
The Commander Of The Warworld
Mongul is a tyrant from Warzoon who possesses powers similar to those of a Kryptonian, including immense strength, speed, and durability, as well as powerful energy projection capabilities. However, his true power lies in his command over the Warworld, a mobile planetoid equipped withweaponry capable of destroying entire planets.
This level of power inevitably draws the attention of the Man of Steel, and the two have clashed many times over the years. Fortunately, Kal-El has consistently managed to overcome him. There are two notable versions of Mongul; his son, Mongul II, serves in a similar role as his predecessor and also commands the Warworld.
The Collector Of Worlds
Some may argue that Brainiac is an enemy of the Justice League, but he has a complicated history with Superman as well. In some versions of the story, he is even responsible for the destruction of Krypton. A collector of worlds, Brainiac conquers planets and shrinks one city from each to store on his Skull Ship. One of these cities is Kandor from Krypton, which Superman has since rescued and restored.
Brainiac is immensely intelligent and powerful, possessing various mental abilities along with an army of robotic drones to carry out his orders.He can even take control of Superman’s mindand use him as a weapon, posing a significant threat to the people of Earth. This capability is one reason why he is considered the strongest villain Superman faces.
