Superman is largely considered to be one of the most powerful comic book superheroes, and his strength and abilities serve as the measure for other characters to base their own power levels on. Still, that doesn't mean the Man of Steel can't be defeated.
In fact, Superman has actually been killed a few times in the comics over the years both in continuity and outside in various Elseworlds tales. While it usually requires a very powerful character to take out the Man of Steel in modern comics, there were a few interesting characters who also managed to kill Superman that we'll explore further today.
10 Lex Luthor Finally Killed His Nemesis In The Non-Canon Superman #149
One of Superman's greatest enemies is the evil and brilliant Lex Luthor, who has battled against the alien Man of Steel for almost the entirety of Superman's existence, which has featured a number of death traps and close calls over the years.
However, in Jerry Siegel and Curt Swan's Superman #149, "The Death of Superman!" featured an imaginary tale starring Lex Luthor as he appeared to reform by curing cancer and befriending Superman, though his true plan was revealed and he was able to catch Superman by surprise and kill him using a Kryptonite Ray, earning him a life sentence in the Phantom Zone.
9 The Alien Orgons Killed Superman In DC Comics Presents #51
The size-changing hero known as The Atom was able to explore different timelines using a scientific associate's time machine in DC Comics Presents #51 by Dan Mishkin and Alex Saviuk, which brought The Atom to the Old West where he witnessed a group of aliens locked in battle with Superman.
The aliens were known as Orgons and were brilliant designers who were able to construct a weapon that used red solar radiation. That weapon was able to kill Superman, though Atom was able to return back in time again with Superman in order to stop the Orgons and undo his death.
8 Zunial The Murder Man Used Kryptonite Radio Waves In Superman #188
Otto Binder and Curt Swan's "The School For Superman Assassins!" in Superman #188 introduced the alien members of an organization known as the Galaxy Crimeteers, who were trained to kill Superman using an android.
Zunial the Murder Man was sent to Earth and actually succeeded in killing Superman using Kryptonite radio waves. However, after bringing the body back to his home planet, the fallen Superman android was reactivated and followed its heroic programming, sacrificing itself to bring Superman back to life.
7 Count Crystal Took Out Superman In Justice League of America #145
A powerful sorcerer known as Count Crystal attempted to make a deal with a demon named Azgore for power in Steve Englehart and Dick Dillin's Justice League of America #145, provided that Count Crystal was able to take out every single member of the Justice League.
Count Crystal actually succeeded in killing a few of the heroes like Hawkman and Superman using his powerful magic, though the Phantom Stranger was able to save Superman's spirit and stop Count Crystal's plans, which left the sorcerer on the wrong side of his demonic deal as his soul was consumed instead of Superman's.
6 Superboy-Prime Killed The Superman Of Earth-Two During Infinite Crisis
The DC Universe experienced a series of Crises that brought death to characters like Barry Allen/The Flash and others over the years, though 2005's Infinite Crisis took a heavy toll with the deaths of characters like Ted Kord/Blue Beetle, Conner Kent/Superboy, and even Superman.
Of course, it was the Superman from Earth-Two who had returned during the event, though the final battle with Superboy-Prime ended up costing Kal-L his life, bringing an end to the original version of the Man of Steel.
5 Gog Eradicated Multiple Supermen To Steal Their Power In The Kingdom
William Masters has appeared as a few different versions of the powerful character named Gog, though it was in the Kingdom Come sequel The Kingdom from Mark Waid and Mike Zeck that explored Gog's origins and saw him kill a number of alternate-reality Superman in his mad quest for vengeance.
Armed with a staff powered by DC's Quintessence and the ability to travel through time, Gog was able to not only kill Superman but travel back in time a day so that he could do it over and over again, stealing a bit of power every time until he was defeated by a generational team of heroes that included the original and future versions of Superman.
4 Killer Frost Took Out The Man Of Steel In Justice League vs. Suicide Squad
DC's New 52 reboot featured a new version of Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad that was sent against the Justice League by an Eclipso-powered Maxwell Lord in Justice League vs. Suicide Squad by Joshua Williamson and a team of artists that included Tony S. Daniel, Jason Fabok, and Howard Porter.
After Superman was weakened by the magic of Enchantress, Killer Frost was able to use her ability to drain energy to take out Superman and nearly the rest of the Justice League with the energy she stole from Superman. While Superman awoke later in one of Waller's cells, it's possible he was killed by Killer Frost and later resurrected as a similar move was pulled on Deadshot.
3 He-Man Killed A Duplicate Of Superman In DC Universe Vs. Masters Of The Universe
Keith Giffen and Tony Bedard's DC Universe vs. Masters of Evil featured a meeting between the heroes of Earth and Eternia following Skeletor's attempts to seize extra power by siphoning DC's magic. Skeletor took control of the Justice League and forced them to fight He-Man and the Masters of the Universe when they tried to intervene.
He-Man's magical strength and Power Sword allowed him to stab Superman through the chest, killing him. However, it was eventually revealed that the Superman who was killed was a magical construct created by Dark Orko while the real Superman was trapped in the magical world of Trolla.
2 Denny Swan Became The Energy Superman And Killed The New 52 Version
The New 52 reboot introduced a new younger version of Superman that differed quite a bit in personality from the Pre-Flashpoint version which didn't hit well with fans. This ultimately led to the return of the more popular version in the Convergence event which left the DC universe with two Supermen.
However, a man named Denny Swan was empowered to become the Energy Superman and entered into battle with the New 52's Superman, who was suffering from Kryptonite poisoning. Swan was overcharged in battle, though his corrupted energy was absorbed by the New 52 Superman, leading to his death and replacement by the Pre-Flashpoint Superman.
1 Doomsday Killed The Man Of Steel In "The Death Of Superman" Event
The most well-known and hardest-hitting death of the Man of Steel occurred in the 90s during "The Death of Superman" storyline that introduced the powerful monster known as Doomsday who tore through the Justice League before finally encountering Superman.
Their superpowered fight brought them to Metropolis which was almost leveled during the battle. Superman gave everything he had into a final punch that killed Doomsday but also cost Superman his life in Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding's Superman #75. Superman would eventually return after he was revived by Kryptonian technology.