by Joshua H. Stulman

Superman has always been a tough character to write because…well he’s Superman. He’s had so many powers developed over the years by many different writers, its like the character is always being redefined every 20 years. The problem stems from “too many powers” syndrome.

Superman was the first super-hero, and what defined the character was his many amazing abilities. Originally, Superman’s powers were the result in the change of molecular density of the atmosphere of Earth from that of Krypton due to the weaker yellow sun. This meant that regular activities like leaping and lifting under Krypton’s denser atmosphere would be magnified under our sun. His original powers were: speed as fast a train, super tough skin, strength, and the ability to leap large distances. But soon after publication, leaping became flying, speed of a train became the speed of a bullet… throw in icey breath, heat vision, and Superman was becoming impossible to beat.  Over the years, Superman has been able to travel back in time, hypnotize, and even master ventriloquism.

Writers have tried to address the issues of Superman’s numerous powers. John Byrne most famously de-powered and re-imagined Superman after the 1986 Crisis on Infinite Earths, to be weaker to allow more room for writers create better stories. But with Superman’s powers constantly being re-written or ignored over the years, it can be hard if you’re a villain to defeat the guy!

Here is our Top 10 Ways to Beat Superman:

10. Kryptonite

Kryptonite is Superman’s most famous weakness, a piece of his ancestral home. As Superman was becoming so strong in the early days, writers recognized the need for a new threat. Kryptonite appeared much later than people think in Superman lore. It first shows up in the Superman radio program in June, 1943 and later on in the Superman # 61 in 1949 (over a decade after Superman first appeared).

9. Target his friends

This is one of the oldest ways to beat Superman. Whether its Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane or Clark Kent himself, it really sucks sometimes to be friends with Superman. This threat was the basic concept for both Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen and Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane comic series. In fact during Alan Moore’s infamous “Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow?” story (Superman #423/Action Comics #583); an army of “Metallos” are sent to murder the entire Daily Planet after Superman’s identity is revealed.

8. Magic

One of the earliest solutions on “how to beat Superman” was magic. Mister Mxyzptlk was created by Superman originators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1944, as an inter-dimentional imp with magical powers. Different than other Superman villains, Mxyzptlk’s sole desire is to embarrass  and humiliate Superman. Mxyzptlk has caused some serious problems for Superman over the years, but imagine if he had deadlier ambitions.

7. Red Sun

The origin of Superman’s powers have been rewritten so many times its hard to keep track exactly how they work. All writers agree that his powers stem from the yellow sun, so theoretically no yellow sun- no powers. This conundrum has proved difficult when Superman goes on outer space adventures far from the Earth yet retains his super-powers. Its always interesting to see how many writers actually address this issue.

6. He Still Needs To Breathe

Well, sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn’t. It’s well accepted that Superman has super-lungs and can withstand travel undersea on Earth without needing extra air for periods of time. But for how long can Superman survive without air, especially in space? We know Superman needs air to breathe oxygen, the question really is how often and don’t even try to explain how this works. John Byrne’s celebrated Superman comic run and the Superman Animated Series answered this question with a simple “no” to space travel. For these stories, Superman required an actual space suit.

5. Inner Ear Balance

Superman still has some human like features, especially on the inside. While he’s super on alot of things physical, he’s still susceptible to balance or imbalance. Often the non-physical challenges are the most compelling weaknesses because they can be used by most villains. These type of weaknesses include balance, hearing, even medical emergencies- what about a super-heart attack?!

4. Brainwashing/ Mind Manipulation

Action Comics # 424 & 425 are one of the favorite examples of Superman mind manipulation. Here, the evil Kryptonian Dr. Xadu poses as a dentist and implants a mind control devise on Superman that causes him to want to destroy the earth. One of the greatest Superman stories of all time occurs in the 1996 animated series finale, “Legacy.” This 2 part story shows Darkseid’s greatest revenge by brainwashing Superman into believing he is Darkseid’s heir. Superman is sent to concur the Earth with Darkseid’s army and almost succeeds. Superman’s betrayal of Earth had lasting affects in the succeeding Justice League animated series.

3. Be Kryptonian or Know Someone Who Is

It’s pretty obvious but not always realized because Superman is often thought of as the sole survivor of Krypton. In fact, there are plenty of Kryptonians around! Most famous are General Zod, Faora/Ursa, and Jax-Ur which survived in the Phantom Zone prison. There’s also an entire city known as Kandor that has about 6 million Kryptonian inhabitants, not to mention Superman’s cousin- Supergirl. Perhaps the most dangerous Kryptonian is Doomsday, a genetic evolutionary experiment gone wrong, which was created by Kryptonian scientists eons ago. Doomsday famously killed Superman in Superman vol. 2 # 75. His Kryptonian origins were explained in the Superman: Hunter/Prey mini-series.

2. Omega Beams

Simple enough. Darkseid’s got ’em and can kill Superman anytime he wants. Why doesn’t he? Well first that would be the end of Superman comics and second, Darkseid is motivated by a scientific quest for anti-life. He’s not really concerned with Superman, unless Superman interferes with his plans. Darkseid is a ruler and a master strategist and would rather use Superman to his advantage than remove him from the field of play.

1. If You Can’t Beat Him, Join Him

Okay so technically these are two separate ways to beat Superman, either be a better hero or frame him. Both methods are often used by Lex Luthor to turn the public away from Superman. Lex Luthor has actually achieved this several times. To Superman’s chagrin, Lex has adopted the persona of benevolent benefactor several times.  He’s become a US President and saved the world from the Imperiex threat. In his persona as Lex Luthor II, he adopted a charitable persona. Luthor created a version of the Infinity Inc. as a new superhero team. Lately, he’s actually become a super-hero first as a member of the Justice League in the New 52 universe, and recently he’s appeared as a super hero in a battle suit, dedicated in homage to the fallen New 52 Superman.

Check Out Our Great Selection of Superman Comics CLICK HERE

Joshua H. Stulman

Owner, BrooklynComicShop.com