When one thinks of an all-powerful fictional character, the mind instantly goes to Superman. It’s a justified reflex, as the Man of Steel is usually played off as the epitome of strength. His feats are countless and his abilities even more so. Superman’s various incarnations in film, TV, and comic books have made him an almost invincible figure in the minds of fans.

However, when one considers Superman’s powers, they will realize his strength mainly lies with the physical matter of things. He cannot control reality, nor can he bend it. Superman can travel instantaneously but he can’t teleport at will. There are many other characters out there that can easily achieve such feats. Then there are those that can match Superman in his prowess but could be seen falling short of the Man of Steel.

When matching up these superheroes or villains, Superman can be justifiably placed as coming up short in their battles. Characters from outside the realm of comic books have also displayed power levels that could best Superman.

For this list, we have given more consideration to the film and TV incarnations of Superman and his opponents as these are more well-known to the general fans, although the comic attributes have been taken into account as well. Superman’s weakness to Kryptonite has been downplayed as that would give his opponents an obvious advantage, but some leeway has been provided to those who are greatly disadvantaged in other areas.

Here are 13 characters who would destroy Superman and 12 who just might pull through.

25 Destroy: The Phoenix Force

via letterboxd.com

The Phoenix Force has the ability to destroy beings right in its path. Jean Grey wielding this power only amplifies her previously super powered abilities of Telepathy and Telekinesis. The much maligned X-Men: The Last Stand’s version of Jean Grey’s Phoenix force nerfed her down by enabling Wolverine to defeat her.

The phoenix force of the comics can migrate through time and space itself!

It has the ability to absorb energy projections thrown at it and even the life force of its foe. Superman’s laser beams and heat vision would be ineffective against this power. He would have no control of his bearings under the telepathic power of the Phoenix Force. Throw in some telekinesis, and Superman would be like a fish out of water.

24 Toss-Up: God Of Thunder

via marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com

Thor and Superman would appear to be neck and neck on the power level scale. The God of Thunder holds the advantage as far as projectiles are concerned as he could send powerful bursts of lightning toward Superman. However, Superman holds the cards where flying comes into play and could circle Thor more efficiently, using his heat vision to his advantage. The strength factor of the two would appear to be the same. Superman relies more on his punches while Thor on his favoured weapon at the time.

Superman’s main advantage lies in his speed blitz, something Thor would find difficult to counter. The Infinity War version of Thor seemed supremely powerful and negated the Infinity Gauntlet which is where Superman’s performance is uncertain.

Art by Lasahido.

23 Destroy: No Beating This Android

via dcau.wikia.com

Those who have seen the DC Animated Universe–an amazing chronology representing the height of DC storytelling–will remember the android A.M.A.Z.O. who had the power of replication. This android’s abilities reached such an extent that he could copy almost anything and everything. He even replicated Superman’s powers and swiftly defeated the Man of Steel. His evolving characteristics enabled him to overcome the Kryptonite weakness as well.

A.M.A.Z.O. was able to soundly defeat every DC hero in the world when pursuing Lex Luthor. He only needed a couple seconds to bring back a planet he had disappeared from within his path. He could perceive the Atom in his smallest state as well. Simply put, there is nothing Superman could throw at A.M.A.Z.O. and not have it overcome.

22 Toss-Up: The Angriest Man In Sparta

via wikipedia.org

Not to brag on Kratos’ behalf but the guy did beat all of Olympus in a rather harebrained plan to gain a misguided revenge. Kratos finished off the likes of Hades, Zeus, Hercules, and Ares in his quest and lived to tell the tale. He has only been beaten twice onscreen and both times there were other factors in place. He doesn’t seem to have any real weaknesses and has crawled out of the Underworld each and every time.

Where Superman is concerned, Kratos has the advantage of magical weaponry.

These enchanted weapons just might tip the scales in the favor of the perpetually angry Spartan. In fairness though, the gods in God of War were among the weakest we’ve ever seen and perhaps Superman could defeat them all too.

21 Destroy: The Eternal Goddess (On Asgard)

via geekdomhouse.com

The Hela we saw in Thor: Ragnarok was nigh-unbeatable. There was no one who could even land a wound on her let alone defeat her. Even Thor at full power was no match. In Asgard, Superman will have no clue how to put Hela down. She has the ability to summon every kind of weapon that could pierce Superman’s tough exterior. The multitude of weaponry that she unleashes from her person is at such a pace that Superman would find it difficult to dodge even with Super speed.

There’s no physical attack that could keep Hela down, as Thor’s largest lightning blast had no effect on Hela. Superman only has the speed factor but this won’t help in damaging Hela in anyway, at least when she’s on Asgard.

20 Toss-Up: The Caped Crusader

via comicbook.com

Yes, we know you’re readying your pitchforks by this point, but as far as film canon and animated canon is concerned, Batman has the chops to put down Superman. Batman knows Superman’s certain weakness and can use it to reach his goals. He has used unethical ways of bringing down his foes and Superman should be no exception. In Dawn of Justice, Batman used Gas forms of Kryptonite to choke out Superman in their duel while in Superman: The Animated Series, it only took a fragment of Kryptonite for Batman to weaken the Man of Steel.

The Dark Knight does have an official win over Superman in Dawn of Justice (dubious it might be) but there are also a variety of options for him given prep time.

19 Destroy: Master Of The Mystic Arts

via nerdist.com

Superman’s weakness has always been magic. Given that his greatest power lies in his strength, something that negates that will render him weak. Doctor Strange has all the necessary tools to turn Superman into his lapdog. If Strange might feel overwhelmed by Superman, he could easily used Battlefield Removal and send Superman into another galaxy entirely.

Then there’s all of Superman’s prowess that is purely from the physical realm. Strange can summon his magic to trap Superman in a perpetual illusion. He could manipulate time and make the Man of Steel relive the same moment over and again. If he feels lazy, Strange could use a sling ring to chop Superman in half. All this granted if Superman doesn’t speed blitz straightaway.

18 Toss-Up: Another Angry Fella

via pinterest.com

This would be a contest of pure strength. On paper, Superman should take this thanks to the large number of powers he possesses but when it comes to the Hulk it is best to expect the unexpected.

The Hulk has no finite amount of strength.

It can keep on amplifying the angrier he gets, This means the Hulk can only be defeated when he is not as riled up as he could become. Should the Hulk refuse to stand down, Superman might not have enough strength to summon in his punches. Hulk’s rough exterior means Superman’s heat vision or Ice breath could go without effect. His best bet would be making use of his flying abilities and confusing Hulk.

17 Destroy: Like A Glove

via quirkybyte.com

Those who have watched Avengers: Infinity War (who hasn’t yet?) will recall how Thanos no sold every form of offense that came his way. Without the Infinity Gauntlet, Superman should still have his problems with the comic book version of Thanos, but with the Gauntlet there is no way out for the Man of Steel. Thanos can make Superman see whatever reality he wants to. The Space Stone will enable him to teleport away from harm’s reach, and with a simple snap with all Infinity Stones in place, Superman turns to dust.

These power levels are something far and beyond Superman’s level of comprehension and no amount of punching can do anything about it.

16 Toss-Up: A Princess Worth A Fight

via movieweb.com

In some ways Wonder Woman can be considered the female equivalent of Superman. They have just around the same power levels, with one or two exceptions. Should Wonder Woman trap Superman in the Lasso of Truth, she can manipulate him to stand down. Her strength can easily rival his, and while her speed isn’t as efficient, she can certainly keep up to some extent.

Being a demigod enables her longevity unparalleled by Superman. She is thousands of years older than him and hence more experienced. In Justice League, we saw her beaten by Superman, but this was when she was holding back. In other incarnations she has even outright defeated Superman.

15 Destroy: A Living Planet

via marvelcineamticuniverse.wikia.com

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was heavily reliant on comedy, which is why we never saw Ego’s full potential. The fact of the matter is, though, that Ego is a freaking planet! The normal laws of combat won’t do squat for Superman in this scenario. All the Guardians combined needed to find Ego’s weak spot, with Mantis influencing him to fall asleep. As he doesn’t possess this feature, and without a crew, Superman would be overwhelmed by Ego’s abilities.

Ego regrows whatever part he has lost, this would render all of Superman’s attacks meaningless. He could even be assimilated into Ego. It would only be a matter of time before Superman would be taken down. Going up against a planet is harder than it looks.

14 Toss-Up: A Smart Mind To Combat Any Strength

via dorkly.com

The perks of being one of the smart minds in all of creation grants Doctor Doom a name on this list. Doom is in many ways smarter than Reed Richards as well and there is no telling what he can achieve, scientifically speaking. Superman might have a good chance at besting Doom thanks to his superior power levels but Doom can counter that with his mental prowess.

With his technology, Doctor Doom can even become the Sorcerer Supreme.

This was conceded by Doctor Strange himself. Doom can create energy projections that can hold Superman’s attacks. He can manipulate events in such a way that Superman will have no clue how to wrangle himself out of the predicament.

13 Destroy: The All-Father Prevails

via youtube.com

While Odin may appear frail and old, he is tenfold the power levels of Thor. He has access to infinite amount of powers using the Odinforce. This grants him the ability to warp reality to his will. Odin has command over Asgardian magic, something Superman has no clue over. He has thousands of years of experience, which can be coupled with his already near-limitless powers to knock Superman off his boots.

The Odin Force gives Odin Molecular Manipulation that he can use to destroy Superman with ease. He can create infinite illusions and stop time itself. In the MCU, he was the only one who had defeated the Fire demon Surtur before the events of Thor: Ragnarok, something no one could even come close to.

12 Toss-Up: The Devil In The Details (Season 5)

via supernatural.wikia.com

Before he was nerfed hard in Season 11, Lucifer from Supernatural was quite the foe. Nothing in creation was capable of stopping him, not even the Colt. His true visage was said to be such that just one glimpse could burn peoples’ eyes out of their sockets. He disposed off all of the Pagan deities, including super speedster Mercury, with hardly any effort at all. He was never defeated in Season 5 either as Sam had to lock himself in the cage with him.

Superman’s powers would do no good as they would be inadequate to cause Lucifer’s demise.

He could punch his vessel to pieces, but Lucifer would be unharmed. We don’t know if Lucifer’s finger snap is strong enough to blast Superman in one go, but he does possess this ability.

11 Destroy: Little Boy, Big Powers

It may sound silly for a little boy to have the ability to destroy Superman, but Franklin Richards is this exception. The son of Sue Storm and Reed Richards, Franklin is the most powerful mutant there is. He has the power to create his own universe, full of galaxies and the whole shebang. His powers have forced the Celestials to deem him their equal. He has precognition, telepathy and telekinesis in his kitty, and it would take little trouble for the boy to dispatch Superman.

A future version of Franklin was shown to have destroyed two Celestials in one go, and as Superman is regarded lower than Celestials, Franklin is easily ranked at a superior level.

10 Toss-Up: You-Know-Who

via walldevil.com

Yeah, this may seem a joke but can anyone definitively tell us that Harry Potter magic won’t work on Superman? Voldemort may have gotten beat by a teenager but Harry always had blind luck on his side. Superman has always been susceptible to magic and Voldemort can pack a punch. We have no clue whether the Imperius Curse or the Avada Kedavra would hurt Superman.

If we were to believe they would, then it should be curtains for the Man of Steel. Voldemort has cast knowledge of transfiguration, charms, and has the ability to fly and possess. He can’t be defeated, as his Horcruxes prevent him from passing away. A little magic to distract Superman, and an Avada Kedavra hit might do the trick.

9 Destroy: Nothing But Destruction

via comicvine.com

Sure, Superman has defeated Doomsday in the past but it has never been easy. Either he has had help from his Justice League cohorts or both he and Doomsday have been done with. Simply put, Doomsday can only truly be defeated through Battlefield Removal or Reality bending of some kind. When it comes to physical attacks, Doomsday will inevitably become immune to it.

As Superman has no reality warping abilities, the best he can do is spam his trusty powers. While in Justice League, the animated show, he lobotomized Doomsday to put him down, this kind of improvisation didn’t hold up in the long-term. Dawn of Justice’s justification of Kryptonite weakness would run thin when Doomsday comes back immune to it the next time.

8 Toss-Up: Speed Personified

via gamespot.com

When it comes down to it, speed should trump everything. Even a mystic artist like Doctor Strange could be dealt with by blitzing through before he can comprehend what happened. The Flash is speed personified and he can be potentially even stronger than Superman. While he can’t fly or shoot loser beams, Flash can go faster than Superman and his speed can grant him limitless powers that cannot be grasped even by Superman.

Although the internet fanboys make a way bigger deal about Flash’s powers, there is truth that the Speedforce’s unlimited power can confound Superman. Flash could time travel and finish off a younger version of Superman, or he could land a Force Punch that ends Superman entirely. Superman himself is quite fast so this would be an interesting matchup.

7 Destroy: A Cosmic Entity

via marvel.wikia.com

This would be somewhat of a mismatch in the favour of Galactus. He has beaten very easily the likes of Odin and Thanos, both of whom could deal with Superman with ease, and Galactus is someone who eats planets for a living!

Galactus would probably appoint Superman as his Herald.

Galactus’ powers have him feasting on planets with life and Superman would be powerful enough to act as the one to locate these for him. Galactus has powers on the cosmic level which can as easily create life as it can end it. His true form cannot even be perceived by most beings. None of Superman’s powers will do him any good and it is likely he would never get a chance to use them either.

6 Toss-Up: The Demon Hunter

via gamefaqs.com

The Son of Sparda had been surpassed by his son by the time of Devil May Cry 4. Sparda’s tales were legend, which means Dante’s exploits were on a whole different level. Dante has never been beaten down fully. He has been impaled, blown up, shot and battled Universal threats like Mundus but has always walked away unscathed. His invulnerability will be put to the test against Superman. With the Devil Trigger, Dante can access super speeds and greater feats of invulnerability.

His swords such as the Force Edge, Rebellion and others would give him a variety of attacks to choose from against Superman. Here too, Superman’s speed would be of big help to him and Dante’s bullets would probably do no good.