Superman and Thanos are opposites in many ways. The former is a moralistic superhero from DC Comics, while the latter is a nihilistic supervillain from Marvel Comics.
There is one thing they have in common, however: they are both extremely powerful beings from outside of Earth.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if these characters faced off against each other?
Keep reading to find out!
Contents
Who Is Superman?
Superman’s original name was Kal-El, and he was born on the planet Krypton. Sometimes known as the “Last Son of Krypton”, he was sent to Earth as a baby to protect him from his homeworld’s destruction.
On Earth, he was raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who named him Clark. The young Kryptonian grew and thrived in the yellow sun’s radiation, which gave him superhuman powers and abilities.
Superman is not the only surviving Kryptonian, but he is one of the strongest because he has spent the longest amount of time absorbing the yellow sun’s radiation. What’s more, he continually pushes himself to his limits, increasing his own strength.
As an adult, masquerading as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, he lives a dual life as Superman, protecting and defending Earth from both internal and external threats.
He has received numerous different interpretations, both in the comics and on-screen, since the character debuted in 1938.
Some famous versions include the TV show in the 1950s, the movie series in the 1970s and 80s, and, most recently, the character’s portrayal by Henry Cavill in the DC Extended Universe.
Superman is possibly one of the strongest, most accomplished, and most invulnerable superheroes ever created.
Who Is Thanos?
Born an Eternal, Thanos is the only survivor of his doomed planet, Titan. Everyone else living on his homeworld died out due to lack of resources.
Thanos foresaw this coming destruction and tried to stop it; though he was unsuccessful, he determined that no other worlds would meet the same fate.
His goal? To wipe out half the universe–only half–so the remaining population wouldn’t have to compete for resources.
Thanos spent a millennium working toward this goal, recruiting armies to his cause, and wreaking havoc throughout the universe as he targeted one world after another.
At some point, he became aware of the Infinity Stones and began collecting them. Once he had gathered them all in the Infinity Gauntlet, he used this to snap away half the universe.
The Avengers eventually figured out how to go back in time and undo the damage he did, bringing back those he had snapped from existence. This led to the climactic Battle of Earth as Thanos attempted to destroy the entire universe and start over.
The Avengers won the battle when Tony Stark (Iron Man) took up the Infinity Stones himself, snapping Thanos and his armies from existence.
Superman’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
Superman has no shortage of powers and abilities.
Nicknamed the Man of Steel, he possesses incredible superhuman strength. In fact, with the ability to lift quintillions of tons, he might be the strongest superhero ever. His most famous strength feat was bench-pressing Earth for five days in a row.
Superman is also incredibly fast both on the ground and in the air. He can fly faster than the speed of light.
He is durable enough to stop speeding bullets and other weapons with his body. He is practically indestructible because his molecular structure is so dense.
He possesses natural immunity to human diseases, so his chances of getting sick or being weakened by environmental factors are slim to none.
In terms of weapons, he doesn’t need any because he is a weapon. He can shoot hot laser beams out of his eyes and freeze people or objects with his breath. His excellent hearing makes it impossible for anyone to sneak up on him.
On the rare chance that he is injured, he can heal himself quickly and completely. He can be killed, but he has also been known to come back from the dead.
In short, Superman’s powers are practically limitless.
Weaknesses
Despite having godlike abilities, Superman also has a handful of weaknesses.
The most well-known and devastating weakness is a substance known as Kryptonite. This element steals his powers and instantly weakens him. It can even kill him if he is exposed to too much or for too long.
He is also vulnerable to magic and red sunlight, both of which can neutralize his powers, albeit to a lesser extent than Kryptonite.
Superman also has a strong moral code. Though this isn’t a weakness in itself, it may cause him to hold back and refrain from unleashing the full extent of his powers on an opponent. This could be a deadly mistake against someone like Thanos.
Thanos’ Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
Thanos possesses many great abilities as well.
For starters, he has superhuman levels of strength, speed, durability, and agility. Like Superman, his body is extremely dense, making him difficult to injure. And, he heals quickly when he is injured.
He is huge, intimidating, and foreboding. He has several innate powers such as telepathy and matter/energy manipulation.
His hundreds of years of war experience have allowed him to develop skills with various forms of combat and weapons. Beyond that, he is highly intelligent–a great tactician who can be flexible and is willing to change tactics when necessary.
So, he is incredibly strong and powerful on his own. But perhaps his greatest strength is the Infinity Stones.
These powerful artifacts give him an even more diverse range of magical, godlike powers–creating energy blasts that can destroy planets, increasing his own strength, altering time and reality, and of course, erasing objects and beings from existence.
Without the Stones, he is still a formidable opponent. But with the Stones, he is nearly unbeatable.
Weaknesses
Thanos has a few weaknesses.
Namely, he can be extremely arrogant. He tends to think that his way is the only way, which doesn’t allow him to see a better way of doing things.
This is perhaps his biggest weakness, as it can cause him to have tunnel vision and miss important details in a battle.
His arrogance may also cause him to underestimate his opponents, which would be a fatal flaw when facing Superman.
Superman vs. Thanos: Side by Side Comparison
| Name | Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El | Thanos |
| Comic Universe | DC Comics | Marvel Comics |
| Homeworld | Krypton | Titan |
| Greatest Strength | Superhuman Strength, durability | Infinity Stones |
| Greatest Weakness | Kryptonite | Arrogance |
Superman vs. Thanos: Who Would Win?
With Infinity Stones
If Thanos has the Infinity Stones, he’s on a level playing field with Superman. As such, this battle could go either way.
On paper, Thanos could simply snap Superman from existence, quickly erasing all threats and easily winning the battle.
However, it’s unlikely he would do this early enough in the fight. He might underestimate Superman, spend a few minutes toying with him, and ultimately giving him the opportunity to snatch away the Infinity Stones.
Even if Thanos’ game plan is to use the Stones early, Superman is strong enough to thwart this plan if he can get close enough to grab Thanos’ hands.
And, in hand-to-hand combat, Superman is the stronger of the two. If he can get close enough, he could easily grab the Infinity Gauntlet.
No matter how the battle goes down, Superman is generally stronger, faster, and more agile than Thanos, and he is not easily injured or killed so weapons wouldn’t have much effect on him.
The only way Thanos is winning this one is if he quickly snaps Superman out of existence or alters reality in some way that prevents Superman from getting close to him.
Without Infinity Stones
If Thanos doesn’t have the Infinity Stones, this battle is an easy victory for Superman.
The Man of Steel is physically superior to Thanos in every way except sheer size. Thanos may be strong, fast, and durable, but Superman is more so.
Yes, Thanos could try to outsmart Superman, but Superman is also highly intelligent and would not be fooled easily. He could try to read Superman’s mind to figure out his next move, but he would still have to find a way to stop him.
Superman’s moral code could cause him to go easy on Thanos, but this isn’t likely because he would recognize the threat that Thanos is to humanity. Since Superman’s goal is to protect humanity, he would quickly recognize that Thanos must be eliminated.
Without the Infinity Stones, this ultimately comes down to a contest of pure physicality. And, as such, Superman wins handily.
Conclusion
Superman and Thanos both have many powers, but Superman is the stronger being overall. The only way Thanos can defeat him is by snapping him out of existence before Superman can separate him from the Infinity Stones.
Sarah Hood is a freelance content writer and editor with a love for all things Star Wars. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, singing, and spending time in the great outdoors.