10 Iconic Superman Villains Who Could Kill the Man of Steel, Including One Who Actually Did
Superman is the hero that started it all. Over the years, he’s ended up fighting the greatest threats to the multiverse, both on his own and alongside his friends in the superhero community. Like all superheroes, the Man of Steel has cultivated his own gallery of villains. One of the problems with fighting Superman is that he’s one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse. Most of his enemies don’t really have much of a hope against him, but some of them are more powerful than all of that. Some of them have powers and skills that allow them to challenge the Last Son of Krypton and their battles against him have become the stuff of legends.
However, there’s another tier of villain in the Man of Tomorrow’s rogues gallery – the powerful ones that can actually can kill him. Not all of his most formidable foes would be able to pull it off, but there are some who have made it their mission in life to be able to destroy Supes and could actually do it. Their powers and abilities are on a level where even Superman is in danger every time they show up. These ten iconic Superman villains could kill the Man of Steel; in fact, one of them actually has.
10) Manchester Black
Manchester Black first appeared in Action Comics #775. This was the early ’00s; more grey heroes who would kill had become popular because of The Authority and DC wanted to show that Superman could still hang with the violent new breed. Black was the leader of the Elite, a group of heroes who would do anything to save the day. He had no problem with killing and violence, using his powerful telepathic powers against his foes in the most brutal ways imaginable. While Manchester is just a normal human physically, his mental powers make him into a titan. Black’s power level is pretty high and he knows his way around a brain; he could shut down Superman’s autonomic nervous system, stopping the Kryptonian’s heart and breathing any time he wants. The only thing that stops him is that he wants Superman to admit that he’s right and his violent ways are better. This has been the only thing that saved the Man of Steel from death at Black’s hands (or, in this case, his brain cells).
9) Metallo
Metallo has proven to be one of the most dangerous Superman villains out there. John Corben has had numerous origins over the years, but all of them lead to the same place – him being given a cybernetic body powerful enough to go toe to toe with the Man of Steel, powered by one of the few things that can actually hurt the Kryptonian hero: Kryptonite. Sometimes, his body is malleable, allowing him to change his limbs into various weapons, and other times it isn’t, but one thing he can do regardless is use energies created from Kryptonite radiation. Supes has been able to overcome Metallo numerous times, but that doesn’t change the fact that Metallo could kill him. His Kryptonite-based weapons all have the potential to kill the Man of Tomorrow; Kryptonite makes him weaker and if Metallo hits him with a powerful enough blast, he can very easily overcome his foe. He’s been able to survive every battle against Metallo, but that doesn’t change the deadly serious threat that the villain represents.
8) Mongul
“Warworld Saga” was an amazing Superman story; all of the Man of Steel’s current success can be traced back to this tale. This story pit Supes and his own version of the Authority against the latest Mongul. At this point, readers have met several versions of the villain, but one thing that unites them all is how dangerous they are. Mongul’s level of strength is comparable to Superman and he can take the same kind of beatings. He’s the lord of Warworld, having access to some of the most powerful and destructive weapons in the universe. He’s known for using the Black Mercy, a plant that gives you your heart’s desire while killing you. He’s caught Superman with it once in the amazing “For the Man Who Has Everything” and he could do it again. However, even without the Black Mercy, he would be able to do something that very few villains have been able to do – beat Superman to death given enough time.
7) Brainiac
Brainiac is the DC Multiverse’s ultimate cosmic predator. The Coluan cyborg is one of the most intelligent beings in the entire universe, plying the stars in his skull-shaped ship, stealing cities from planet, and then destroying the planet so that only he would have their knowledge. He and Superman have tangled numerous times over the years and Brainiac has more than proven that he has the ability to kill Supes. To begin with, he has the kind of strength and durability that allows him to punch it out with the Man of Steel, so theoretically he could beat the hero to death. On top of that, he’s had access to Kryptonians since he stole the city of Kandor; if there’s anyone who has studied ways to kill them, it’s him. He has access to weapons that no one else does and has an army of drones on the same strength level as him. His entire MO is about outsmarting everyone; he’s definitely figured out numerous ways he can kill Superman, he’s just waiting for one of them to work.
6) Mr. Mxyzptlk
Mr. Mxyzptlk is a Fifth Dimensional imp. He’s been alive for ages and he has godlike power. He’s decided that the best way to pass his time is to torment the Man of Steel. Now, his attacks usually aren’t all that serious; he mostly just pranks Superman and his allies and is more annoying than dangerous. However, this is a being who can alter reality at any level he wants. If he wanted, he can transform the entire world into Kryptonite. Mxy is, honestly, probably one of Superman’s most dangerous enemies because he can basically do anything he wants. It’s been posited (in the classic “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”) that he spends hundred thousand years blocks acting in different ways. So, for example, we usually see him in his prankster mode, but there’s always the chance that can shift. If he does, Superman is in for some trouble. Mxy follows certain rules, but if he ever throws those out, there’s nothing that Supes could do about it.
5) Doomsday
“Death of Superman” was something of a shock in 1992. Now, this wasn’t the first time there was a comic that Superman died in; he died often in the Silver Age’s “imaginary stories”, but it was the first time that it would happen in continuity and not be resurrected immediately. Instead of going with a villain that everyone knew, they created an all-new bad guy: Doomsday. The monster was created on Krypton to be the ultimate weapon, an engine of rage and strength that would constantly resurrect and be invulnerable to that method of death. He was meant to be a planet-killer, but once Krypton embraced peace, he was hidden away. Doomsday was strong enough that he was able to beat Superman to death; that’s a feat that was heretofore imaginable at the time “Death of Superman” dropped. His slaying of Superman made him into one of the feared villains in the DC Multiverse and he’s often used by the villains as the weapon that he was created to be, dropped on the heroes to cause chaos and destruction. Recently, he’s returned as Time Trapper, having evolved into one of the most powerful beings in existence and was able to help Superman defeat Darkseid by sacrificing his life, which was something that fans never expected from him.
4) Bizarro
Bizarro is considered to be the “perfect imperfect duplicate of Superman”. He’s changed a lot over the years – sometimes, he’s the Superman of Bizarro-Earth, sometimes, he’s a clone of the Man of Steel. Sometimes, he’s more of a comedic character, sometimes he’s a tragic one, and sometimes he’s a monster. Despite all of these various differences, one thing about him that has stayed the same is that he could kill Superman. He has the same strength, speed, and durability (which is honestly kind of weird; he’s supposed to be the opposite of Superman, so he should probably be weak and slow) as the Man of Steel, meaning that if it came right down to it, he could kill the hero if the fight went on long enough. On top of that, he’s not vulnerable to Green Kryptonite, so he could use it to kill Superman if he got his hands on it. While it’s not likely that he’s going to kill the Man of Tomorrow, he definitely would be able to.
3) Jax-Ur
Kryptonians are some of the most dangerous villains that Superman faces, because they have the potential to match his power level. There have been some very dangerous Kryptonians over the decades, with the worst of them sent to the Phantom Zone. Of this number, few of them were as evil as Jax-Ur. He was a twisted scientist, doing gruesome experiments on his fellow Kryptonians. In some continuities, he even destroyed one of the moons of Krypton. Like other Phantom Zone criminals, he’s escaped and wreaked havoc, with Superman doing his best to put him back and keep him there because of how truly deadly he could be to humanity and the universe. Jax-Ur is a genius who has made it his life’s work to kill Kryptonians. He knows all of his people’s weaknesses and can figure out ways to exploit them. Even without his prodigious intellect, at full power he could defeat the Man of Steel and kill him. He’s generally considered the most dangerous Phantom Zone prisoner and Superman knows that the villain could be the death of him and everyone on Earth given a chance.
2) Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is DC’s most unhinged genius and has made it his life’s work to destroy the Man of Steel. While he would prefer if everyone hated Superman and loved him, he’ll definitely settle for killing the hero. While Lex is physically a normal human, he is a super genius on another level, able to outsmart even Brainiac at times, which is saying something. He’s built armor that allows him to go toe to toe with Supes, but if it comes right down to it, he’s not going to beat the hero to death. Lex is an expert at anti-Kryptonian technology, especially ones based around Kryptonite. One of the things about Lex is that he’s created numerous weapons and plans that could actually kill Superman. The only reason he fails, usually, is because he’s so very egotistical that he makes a pretty dumb mistake that the Man of Steel can exploit. Supes knows that every time he goes up against Luthor, there’s a chance that he’s not going to walk (or fly) away from the battle.
1) General Zod
General Zod is one of the biggest threats to Superman. Zod was Krypton’s greatest soldier, often working with Jor-El. However, when he decided to do away with the Science Council, Jor-El sided against him, sending him to Phantom Zone. Zod hated the House of El and once he realized that Kal-El was out there, he made it his mission to destroy him. His power level is comparable to Superman’s, but he’s a much more skilled fighter. While Supes has proven to be formidable in combat, Zod has a much better basis for his skills. He’s a master of tactics, making plans that throw even Superman for a loop. There are few villains out there who frighten Superman as much as Zod does; it’s not just that they have the same power level. To him, Zod is everything bad about Krypton in one package; he’s something that Superman could become if he lost the part of himself that cared about individuals. Zod is the most dangerous Kryptonian of them all and killing Superman is very much in his reach.
