The 15 Strongest Superman Villains Ranked

Superman is easily one of the strongest and most powerful superheroes in DC Comics, and has been for most of his history. Initially, Superman wasn't anywhere near the power levels he is today, but this changed over time. As new writers and artists came to work on the character, they put their own spin on Superman, his levels of power, and, most importantly, his villains.

Superman has a massive rogues gallery, thanks to him being around since "Action Comics" #1 in 1938. He's acquired new baddies over the years, while some of his older enemies have grown in strength commensurate with the Last Son of Krypton.

Part of the problem with the Man of Steel is that he's often depicted as too strong, so villains have to either overcome this or get around it. That's not an easy thing to do, and many of Superman's greatest villains have certainly tried taking him down with as much of their energy and time as possible. These 15 Superman villains are easily the strongest, though their strengths — and Superman's — have evolved over the years.

Metallo is, as his name implies, a metallic human cyborg, and throughout his publication history, he's evolved significantly. These days, he's John Corben, a criminal who nearly dies in an accident and is transformed into a cyborg powered by kryptonite. The power source at the center of his torso is what makes him so dangerous to Superman.

Metallo is one of the best Superman villains yet to appear on the big screen, but he has popped up in video games, television series, and more. He's invulnerable and incredibly difficult for Superman to fight, thanks to his heart of kryptonite. Metallo can easily weaken the Man of Steel to the point of being able to take him in a fight, though he's no slouch in the strength department himself.

Metallo doesn't exactly have superpowers — he's more of an enhanced human than anything else. Still, he's technopathic, has an almost unending amount of stamina, can radiate deadly kryptonite energy, and much more. He often gives Superman a run for his money when they fight, but the Kryptonian manages to defeat him in most of their engagements.

Superman has been around for nearly a century, and by now, his origin story is known by many. His home planet of Krypton was destroyed, but before that happened, his parents sent him to Earth, making him the Last Son of Krypton. Kryptonians didn't exactly get along with the rest of the universe, and Rogol Zaar is an alien who considers them to be a cosmic plague.

Because of this, he's intent on finding and killing both Superman and Supergirl, as they're the last known Kryptonians. Rogol Zaar has claimed responsibility for destroying Krypton, and he's willing to slaughter anyone and everyone who gets in his way to complete his task. He also shares many of the same superpowers as Superman. Rogol Zaar is incredibly strong and fast, he's a genius and a weapons master, and he brings everything he can against the Man of Steel in their fights. The character is relatively new, having been introduced in "Action Comics" #1000 in 2018, but with a little time and development, he may grow into a far more powerful Superman foe.

Bizarro was made to be a duplicate of Superman, but he turned out to be his opposite in every way. He was initially created via a duplicate ray, which was used on Superboy, but today's version is a recreation of that Bizarro, made by Lex Luthor. He fell in love with Lois Lane and went off to establish his own Bizarro World with an imperfect duplicate of her.

Bizarro is an unusual character, as he's been a villain, anti-hero, and hero throughout his time in print. He's also appeared in live-action and animated TV shows as well as video games and much more. Many of his powers are similar to Superman's, making him a comparable enemy, but there are twists. Instead of heat vision and freeze breath, he has freeze vision and fireball breath.

Because he's a duplicate of Superman, he's difficult to fight, as the two characters' powers typically cancel the other's out. Still, being as strong as Superman makes Bizarro one of his toughest opponents. They've fought many times over the years, and sometimes, Bizaroo beats his opposite, while in others, Superman defeats his bizarre duplicate.

When DC rebooted its continuity into "The New 52," Vyndktvx was introduced as a particularly nasty fifth-dimensional imp guilty of regicide in his home reality. He also placed Mr. Mxyzptlk into a coma and set his sights on the Man of Steel. He's a nasty customer with reality-warping powers and several magical weapons he stole that bring a lot of pain Superman's way.

Vyndktvx decided to mess around with time, so when he attacks Superman, it happens throughout his life, but from Vyndktvx's perspective, it's all a single attack. He's responsible for much of Superman's pain during his lifetime, even killing his parents. He also orchestrated the creation of the Anti-Superman Army, and they had some success in undermining Superman.

Ultimately, Superman is successful in defeating him, but he only does so with a great deal of help. In the end, Vyndktvx is returned to the fifth dimension, though he claims Mr. Mxyzptlk misled him in an attempt to assuage any guilt his way, so he may return to bother Superman at some point in the future, and he's strong enough to do some damage.

Superman has plenty of villains that are similar to his strength and ability, but none perhaps stronger than himself. Ultraman is the Superman of an alternate Earth, and thanks to all the reshuffling of DC's continuity, his origin has changed over time. Regardless, Ultraman is an evil version of Superman who has all of his abilities and none of his heroism.

Instead of being a member of the Justice League, Ultraman is a member of the Crime Syndicate. He's tussled with Superman on many occasions, and Ultraman is a primary antagonist of James Gunn's "Superman" movie, so he's an important enemy. Essentially, Ultraman is Superman, but he's not a hero in any way, and his only interests are crime, money, and villainy.

Ultraman is as strong as Superman, but he's also a dastardly baddie who is more than willing to cross lines to get what he wants. He uses this to his advantage when facing foes like Superman, so he's easily one of Supes' strongest villains, though some versions have changed the levels of his powers, including one where he had infinite strength.

After DC killed off the Man of Steel in the 1990s, several versions of Superman emerged as possible resurrections of the original. One was named Hank Henshaw, and after a solar flare reduced him to only a transient consciousness, he transferred his mind into the Kryptonian birthing matrix that brought Superman to Earth. He managed to create a duplicate body of Superman with cybernetic parts.

This resulted in the creation of Cyborg Superman, and his mind was severely damaged in the event that reduced him from an astronaut to a cyborg version of Superman. Instead of becoming a hero, he blames Superman for his situation and becomes one of his greatest enemies. He also became a villain to the Green Lanterns — especially Hal Jordan after he destroyed Coast City.

Cyborg Superman is made from Kryptonian technology and a genetic copy of Superman, so he's incredibly strong and powerful. He also has a plethora of technological powers at his disposal, as well as superpowers that Superman cannot easily match. He's ruthless, maniacal, and determined, which makes him a particularly dangerous foe.

Brainiac is a Superman villain who's been around since the 1950s, so just like the Man of Steel, he's gone through many changes. He's a techno-organic being with a twelfth-level intellect and a penchant for shrinking cities and storing them in bottles. Brainiac shrunk the Kryptonian capital city of Kandor and placed it in a bottle, which ultimately found its way to Superman.

Brainiac's mission is to find civilizations, take various cities for his collection, and leave. He's responsible for countless genocides across the cosmos and is easily one of Superman's greatest foes. Different versions of the character are superheroes, but the one who is probably best known to Superman fans is the original villain first introduced in "Action Comics" #242.

Brainiac is immeasurably powerful, and in several fights with Superman, the Man of Steel hasn't come out victorious. Of course, ultimately, Brainiac is often defeated, but he rears his green head every so often and causes trouble for Superman, Earth, and just about any sentient being in the area. In addition to his many strength-related powers, he's psychic, can travel through time, and much more.

General Dru-Zod was a powerful militaristic leader in charge of the Kryptonian military, but his evil machinations landed him in the Negative Zone via Jor-El's hand. Because he was trapped inside, Zod survived the destruction of Krypton, and he carried his hatred of the House of El all the way to Earth when he escaped and found that his enemy's son, Kal-El, was the planet's protector.

Zod is Kryptonian, with all the same powers Superman has, and he's also a seasoned soldier. This makes him significantly better with tactics, strategy, and combat than Superman, giving Zod a significant edge. However, Superman initially has far more reserved power due to his extended stay on Earth when they first meet.

Despite this, Zod beat Superman in their first fight and only lost because of Superman's iron will. Various versions of Zod have popped up over the years in all forms of Superman-related media, and he's easily one of his most dangerous enemies. While he has a habit of demanding his enemies kneel before him, he's more than mere ego, making him a proper foil to Superman.

Parasite was once a man named Rudy Jones working as a janitor at STAR Labs, but radiation exposure transformed him into a being capable of leeching power. His ability to absorb power and energy has evolved to the point of absorbing information, and he can kill with a mere touch. The more energy he absorbs, the more powerful he becomes, which is why he's one of the deadliest of Superman's enemies.

In many ways, Parasite is underrated, since just being in close contact with Superman gives him the potential to become unimaginably dangerous. Superman absorbs solar radiation and stockpiles it within his cells — he's a walking, talking furnace of nuclear energy just waiting for Parasite to leech it all. In this capacity, Parasite is one of the few enemies capable of killing the Man of Steel.

Parasite absorbs energy but also superpowers, and he can do so indiscriminately to enemies and allies. Fighting him requires strategy, though he does have a weakness: He also absorbs peoples' vulnerabilities, so when fighting Superman, he becomes susceptible to kryptonite and magic.

Superman has been in some dangerous battles over the years, but he always managed to fly away — until Doomsday came on the scene. The character was created as a means of killing Superman in "The Death of Superman" storyline from 1992 to 1993. Doomsday was created on Krypton, and through experimentation, he was killed and resurrected more powerful than ever, making him an ultimate killing machine.

He also hates all Kryptonians, which is fair, given what he went through to become the monster he is. Anything that weakens him causes his body to adapt so he cannot be hurt or killed in the same way again. As a result, Doomsday becomes exponentially more powerful over time. He came to Earth in search of the Last Son of Krypton and beat him to death.

Of course, death in comics is little more than an inconvenience or marketing scheme, so he and the Man of Steel have since returned. Doomsday has appeared in all manner of adaptations, including Zack Snyder's "Batman v. Superman" movie. He's essentially a superpowered, unstoppable killing machine, though he's changed somewhat since his first appearance.

Mongul is a militant conqueror who travels across the universe aboard Warworld, invading planets and enslaving entire civilizations. The original Mongul died, but his son, who bears the same name, is not only more ruthless than his old man, but he's also significantly more powerful. He believes that the strongest are the only ones who deserve to live, and anyone else is either their subject or victim.

Various Monguls have popped up over the years since the first one appeared in 1980's "DC Comics Presents" #27. Each subsequent Mongul is deadlier and more sinister than the last. The current Mongul is the worst, having seized the throne of Warworld Prime after his father's death. In terms of powers and ability, he exceeds the Man of Steel in many ways.

Not only does he have the same superhuman abilities enjoyed by Kryptonians, but he's also a master of hand-to-hand combat and a genius who leads an entire planet of warriors. At one point, he led the Sinestro Corps after overthrowing none other than Sinestro, so he's more than familiar with great power, fear, and intimidation.

Lex Luthor is probably Superman's best-known supervillain. Luthor has hated Superman since his introduction in 1940. If Superman ever had an arch-nemesis, it's Luthor. That said, he's just a man — a genius intent on world domination and the death of Superman, but at the end of the day, just a human.

That's where his genius-level intellect comes into play, because Lex built his very own warsuit to fight his nemesis in hand-to-hand combat. To accomplish this, the warsuit elevates Luthor's strength and durability to match his enemy, but this is only possible via the Kryptonian weapons Luthor uses to weaken his foe. Otherwise, his fancy suit would never match the Man of Steel's strength.

Not only has Luthor managed to boost his strength to the level capable of battling Superman, but he's also a brilliant tactician and an unrelenting force who will fight to the very end to achieve his goals. Luthor has fought and beaten Superman many times using his intellect, and when he's in his warsuit, he manages to face his enemy and fight him head-on, making Luthor one of Superman's strongest villains.

Of all Superman's many enemies, Darkseid is easily one of the most deadly. In fact, Darkseid is easily one of the most powerful DC villains of all time. He rules the planet Apokolips as a tyrant in command of a vast army of deadly Parademons. He can also fire Omega Beams from his eyes, which are capable of killing pretty much anyone and anything he looks upon.

Darkseid is obsessed with finding the Anti-Life Equation, which would give him domination over all life, so he's a villain to all. That said, most notably, he's a Superman villain, and they've fought countless times throughout their history. Not only is Darkseid a dominating force intent on controlling all life in the universe, but he's also an immortal god, so defeating him in a fight doesn't keep him away for long.

He possesses numerous superhuman abilities, and in a one-on-one fight, Darkseid has the advantage, as he's actually a bit stronger than Superman. Add to that his immortality, and he's almost unstoppable. Fortunately, he's not entirely unstoppable, and he's been defeated numerous times over the years.

Mr. Mxyzptlk is a trickster from the fifth dimension, capable of altering reality itself. He's limited by two things: his imagination and the fact that he can be sent back to his home dimension by tricking him into saying his name backward. His primary interest in fighting Superman is entertainment, as he seeks amusement from the Last Son of Krypton more than anything else.

In this capacity, Mxy is more of a nuisance than anything else, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous. If he desires to do so, he can simply erase Superman from existence with a thought, so Superman has to be clever every time they fight. In terms of strength, Mxy's is limitless — he's comparable to a god.

When Joker stole his powers temporarily, he showed what could happen if Mxy turned truly evil, as he planned to end all existence. Mxy got his mojo back and returned to his annoying ways, but should he flip a switch and decide it would be more fun to destroy rather than tease, he'd be unstoppable.

Superboy-Prime is the Superboy from Prime Earth, which is much like the real world in DC Comics. There are no superheroes outside of comics, movies, and stories, but in Prime-Earth, a young boy named Clark Kent learned he was incredibly powerful. He set his sights on becoming a hero and was vitally important in stopping the Anti-Monitor during the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover event.

Despite being younger than Superman, Superboy-Prime is one of the strongest superheroes ever, and he's more powerful than his older counterpart. When his world was destroyed, and after the "Crisis," he was trapped in the Paradise dimension, where he never aged. He watched his hero from afar and grew angry over other superheroes, believing they failed, leading to the "Infinite Crisis."

During that event, Superboy-Prime became fully evil, and he killed and slaughtered across the cosmos, destroying the Watchtower, killing Connor Kent, and more. Superboy-Prime became enraged, insane, and overpowered, making him stronger than Superman. He has all of Superman's powers, but they're all dialed up to 11, so in a one-on-one fight, Superman-Prime has the edge over the Man of Steel, making him his most powerful enemy.