Superman has quite the list of villains who pose a threat to him: Darkseid, Doomsday, Mongul, Metallo, and even the Main Man himself Lobo. However, his two most iconic villains remain on the very top of the rogue gallery: Alexander Luthor and General Dru-Zod.
Both of these characters are very different villains in personality, methods, and capabilities which has led to some fans questioning, who is the better rival for the Man of Steel? Each provides different challenges and struggles for Superman to deal with while providing different stories that have fans captivated: here is the argument for both parties.
10 Lex Luthor: Mind Over Matter
While there's no denying that Zod's Kryptonian genes give him an edge, Lex Luthor is a character who is much like Batman: no metahuman abilities combined with a genius intellect and seemingly limitless budget going towards his main goal in life: destroying Superman.
Not many characters can bring down one of the most powerful beings in the universe without lifting a finger, cover up their tracks, and get away with it. Lex Luthor's puppet master quality bringing down Superman gives Lex Luthor an imposing side that will make even god-like being scared of him.
9 General Zod: Superman's Powerhouse Equal
General Zod is Superman's antithesis for he featured all the same strengths and weaknesses but with the added edge of a despotic mentality and militaristic training. Though characters like Doomsday and Darkseid are even stronger and have shown the capability to even kill Superman, Zod is such an equal that it's a problem for Superman.
This was demonstrated well in Man Of Steel (2013) where a battle between Zod and Superman is just a constant stalemate of destruction until one of them dies or is captured in the Phantom Zone. Zod is relentless which makes him as bad of a threat as Doomsday.
8 Lex Luthor: Completely Hatable
While the villains that make a viewer or reader sympathize or empathize with their plot is always well and good, it's equally impressive to create a villain that makes one want to hate them. Such is the case with Lex Luthor who not only wants to prove that he is without a doubt better than anyone but displays a total narcissism.
Several times across different versions of the character, he has made his despisal for aliens, metahumans, and those he considers less intelligent than he is. The result is a villain that can make anyone hate he managed to remain immune to prosecution.
7 General Zod: Better Monologues
Usually, the villains that go on bombastic speeches about how they are going to be victorious or how they are going to kill the hero is considered an old cliche but General Zod is one of the few villains who can back up their bark with a powerful bite.
There's a reason why quotes like "kneel before Zod" or have become iconic: Zod's words are usually matched by his resolve. He is usually willing to follow up on his threats by endangering or killing innocents to get Superman's attention or he will monologue after knocking Superman down to the ground.
6 Lex Luthor: Diplomatic Immunity
In most stories and versions, Lex Luthor remains the evil version of Bruce Wayne: the CEO of one of Earth's most powerful companies and almost just as rich. This already gives Lex a lot of power through his technological advances and manipulation through money but how does one top that in terms of power? The White House.
To remain nearly untouchable by the likes of the Justice League, Lex Luthor has become not only a politician but manages to become President of the United States which makes him one of the scarier villains on Earth due to his political and corporate reach combined.
5 General Zod: A Greater Threat To The Earth
As bad as Lex Luthor can get, his goals are usually within the confines of either destroying Superman or being secretly in control of the world from the safety of his office, he typically has no intention of destroying Earth or it's inhabitants. However, the same cannot be said for General Zod 's plans in the past.
The death of Superman is only one of many goals on his checklist whilst on Earth: he often pursues the genocide or domination of humanity or else he plots the entire destruction of the planet to suit his needs. Kneeling before Zod or being the ant under his boot are his two options.
4 Lex Luthor: Calm And Collected
General Zod's antagonistic and forward speeches about domination and wanting the universe to kneel before him is certainly imposing; Lex has the advantage of already having most of humanity loving him for his suave and likable personality he brings to the public. He doesn't need to threaten the people of Earth, he already owns a large part of it.
It's also an admirable villain trait to stand before an alien who could easily crush him with a finger or burn him to ashes with his heat vision and keep that smug grin on his face. Lex has no fear of Superman which is equally as scary as a villain who shouts in one's face.
3 General Zod: The Hero Of His Own Story
General Zod's plight provides an interesting view of a villain: he's trying to save Krypton's remnants and stop a traitor of his civilization from siding with an unknown race of people that are hateful and chaotic in his eyes. To him, Superman is going against his own people in a traitor-like fashion.
Though fans know this is simply not the case since Zod wants to rule with an iron fist, it is interesting to see things from a different perspective than our own. To Zod and his loyalists, he is the hero of Krypton which was portrayed rather well on SyFy's Krypton.
2 Lex Luthor: Is More Iconic
While Zod definitely belongs in the Phantom Zone's hall of fame for his stories, there is no denying that Lex Luthor is without a doubt the most famous of Superman's villains, even beating out characters like Darkseid. There are even debates on if Lex Luthor is more famous than Batman's Joker.
So it's an understandable argument from fans who consider this a reason why Lex Luthor is the superior villain. Lex Luthor has been a recurring threat since 1940 since his debut in Action Comics more times than most villains.
1 General Zod: He Is A Last Son Of Krypton
In a more tragic side of the character, General Zod is someone who could easily help Kal-El in creating an intergalactic bridge between two races in peace and harmony. Zod could provide Kryptonian technology and help advance humanity to expand to the stars.
Not only that, but both Superman and Zod also share the same loss of their people: instead of being enemies, they should be working together to help preserve what's left of their endangered race but instead, Zod chooses to be the tyrant and conquered which makes the relationship between him and Superman more tragic.