Superman and Thor are two of the strongest heroes in any universe, but which one of them would prevail in the ultimate Marvel vs DC showdown?
While fans have argued about which superheroes could defeat each other for generations, the gold standard of superhero strength in these friendly arguments is Superman. With a seemingly endless array of abilities and a bottomless power reserve, it’s difficult to think of a character who could reasonably give the Man of Steel a serious challenge in a fair fight.
With his Asgardian abilities and mystically-enchanted hammer Mjolnir, Thor is a literal god who fights and defeats adversaries far stronger than himself on a regular basis. With the God of Thunder being one of Marvel’s mightiest Avengers, and Superman being the most powerful member of the Justice League, there is much debate regarding which one them would come out on top in a fight.
Thor Vs Superman: Who is Stronger?
By most accounts, Superman seemingly outclasses Thor in terms of raw strength, especially in earlier versions of the DC Universe. He’s pulled planets, punched people into orbit and performed all sorts of wild feats of strength. In his home universe, Superman’s powers are effectively unmatched, and they increase with his proximity to Earth’s sun.
However, Thor has displayed a considerable amount of strength as well. The Asgardian’s raw strength was able to destroy an entire planet during his fight with Beta-Ray Bill. He’s punched out Galactus and the Phoenix Force, who are both vastly powerful cosmic entities. He literally held up Asgard, resisted a black hole’s gravity, and leg-pressed one million tons. While Superman is most likely still the stronger of the two, the divide between the two heroes is not nearly as wide as one might suspect.
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Is Thor More Powerful Than Superman?
In regard to superpowers, Superman has a far more versatile set of abilities. With moves like freeze breath and heat vision alongside his super-strength, Superman has a wider arsenal of tools to choose from. However, Thor regularly fights Frost Giants and has endured energy blasts from god-like Celestials. While Superman’s abilities might hurt Thor, they wouldn’t necessarily put him down.
Besides his strength and other Asgardian abilities, Thor has mastery over lightning. As the God of Thunder, he can control and manipulate magical bolts of lightning and manipulate other weather conditions. While these are nothing to sneeze at for any opponent, Thor’s lightning powers could prove to be especially effective against Superman.
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Can Thor Beat Superman?
Superman has a well-documented vulnerability to magic, which could be the key to a possible defeat at the hands of Thor. That weakness is one of the main reasons that Shazam, a mystical hero who relies on magical lightning, has posed problems for Superman in the past. Thor’s powers are deprived from both magic and his Asgardian lineage, and his enchanted hammer, Mjolnir, provides the God of Thunder with yet another mystical tool in his armament.
While Superman could potentially overpower Thor, blows rendered by the mystical Mjolnir would likey impose serious damage on the Kryptonian hero. However, with his super-speed, the Man of Steel could probably avoid the Thunder God’s lightning. Additionally, Superman rarely goes all-out against opponents, especially in friendly fights. Thor is the complete opposite, and always fights to win. Combined with his mystical abilities, that mindset could give the mighty Avenger the edge he needs to emerge victorious from what would surely be an epic confrontation.
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Superman Has Already Beaten Thor
Despite all evidence to the contrary, Superman soundly defeated Thor when the two heroes actually faced one another. Their most meaningful interaction came when the Marvel and DC Universes collided in Kurt Busiek and George Perez’s JLA/Avengers in 2003. At the end of that crossover’s first issue, Thor hurled his hammer Mjolnir into Superman’s face, as the League and the Avengers confronted one another.
As a full-on battle between the two teams erupted in the following issue, the fight between Superman and Thor took center stage. Both heroes pushed themselves to the limit as their respective teams fought over a Cosmic Cube in the Savage Land as part of a multiversal contest. Impressively, Thor withstood the full might of Superman’s heat vision, as the pair traded blows at full strength. But when Thor tried to knock Superman out with his hammer, Superman turned the tables and put down the God of Thunder with one punch. The Man of Steel then stated that the Asgardian was the single toughest opponent he had ever faced in battle. While Thor is one of the mightiest gods in the Marvel Universe, he was still no match for the unparalleled power of Superman.
