The Silver Surfer became one of Marvel's most conflicted cosmic entities. After his parents' deaths, Norrin Radd sought adventure. When Galactus appeared to consume his home planet of Zenn-La, Radd finally found a worthwhile quest. He convinced the Devourer of Worlds to spare Zenn-La in exchange for Radd serving as Galactus' newest herald, the Silver Surfer.
As the Silver Surfer, Radd possibly became Marvel's most overpowered superhero, a cosmic being capable of reading minds and traveling at the speed of light. Only the most potent celestial beings in the multiverse have any hopes of contending with Galactus' herald. Whether it's because they're temporarily powered up or run into the Surfer on a bad day, these heroes narrowly defeat the foreshadower of Galactus in combat.
Updated July 25, 2022, by Anthony Jeanetta. While fans wait for his inaugural appearance in the MCU, Silver Surfer loyalists can see the Surfer Man in action in the latest Fantastic Four comics run by Dan Slott, Farid Karami, and Jesus Aburtov. This list is updated to include more Marvel heroes who can contend with the Silver Surfer in battle.
13 Nova Protected Orbucen From The Surfer
As the harbinger of Galactus, it was Silver Surfer's job to help his commander find planets on which he could feed. During one of Surfer's tenures Galactus' herald, the cosmic traveler found one such world in Orbucen, but he didn't know Orbucen was under Nova's protection.
Richard Rider, aka Nova, fended off the Silver Surfer, helping delay his planet's eventual destruction long enough for the inhabitants to escape off-world. Although he didn't necessarily engage in an all-out fight with the Surfer, this instance proved the Nova Force could at least contend with Silver Surfer's incredible abilities.
12 Gladiator Hulk Surprised Silver Surfer On Sakaar
On one of Silver Surfer's many journeys, he found himself on the planet Sakaar. He was in a weak and vulnerable state, and as such, the Sakaarans subdued the silver super-being and placed an obedience disk around his neck.
The Sakaraans forced the Surfer to fight in gladiatorial combat. He quickly found himself fighting another former Earth hero, the Hulk, for the Sakaraan's pleasure. Given the obedience disk, the former allies had little choice but to battle each other. Unlike previous encounters, Hulk came out on top.
11 Zombie Hulk Delivered A Killing Strike
During the Marvel Zombies storyline, set in an alternate universe, all of Earth's greatest defenders succumb to a dangerous zombifying virus. Among the infected are notable heroes, such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the Hulk.
When this zombie virus finally drains Earth of all its life, a group of super-powered zombies including Zombie Hulk set out to find life to consume on other worlds. This pursuit eventually leads the group of former heroes to find and battle the Silver Surfer. While he puts up a significant fight, the pack of super zombies eventually kills the Surfer Man, with Zombie Hulk dealing the final blow.
10 Impossible Man's Powers Are On Par With The Surfer's
Like Silver Surfer, Impossible Man is one of Marvel's most dominant heroes. He's can do the impossible by rearranging his molecules into any form. This unique skill allows him to take the shape and appearance of other objects or people and duplicate their abilities.
The first time Impossible Man came into conflict with the Silver Surfer, he simply played pranks on the cosmic traveler. To Impossible Man, their entire encounter was just a game. Unfortunately for the Silver Surfer, there was nothing he could do about these childish games.
9 Adam Warlock Has Clashed Several Times With Silver Surfer
One of Adam Warlock's most notable encounters with the Surfer came during a fight with Thanos. While engaged with the Mad Titan, Warlock noticed Silver Surfer flying in from a distance. Fearing for the Surfer's life and knowing it would be difficult to dissuade him from engaging with Thanos, Warlock knocked him out with one energy burst.
These two colossal entities have fought multiple other times during their respective histories. Each has had their fair share of victories and defeats during these battles. This established track record and list of impressive powers made Adam Warlock one of the few heroes able to go toe-to-toe with the Silver Surfer.
8 Cable Proved Worthy In Battle Against The Surfer
Cable is one of the most powerful mutants on Earth. Most of the time, he can't fully display these capabilities, as he's constantly using them to fend off the virus threatening his life. Despite this constant internal struggle, there are a few occasions where this anti-hero lets loose. One such event occurs during a conflict with the Silver Surfer.
At this time, the U.S. government considered Cable such a threat they asked the Silver Savage to intervene and neutralize him. The Surfer agreed to do so, resulting in an epic clash. Near the end of this fight, Cable hit the former herald with all he had, temporarily defeating the Surfer Man. However, this victory proved short-lived as Silver Surfer quickly recovered and took him out. Nevertheless, Cable proved he could hurt one of the universe's most remarkable beings.
7 Moondragon Has Incapacitated Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer is one of the most potent telepaths in Marvel's canon. In the past, he has even overpowered Professor Charles Xavier. On another occasion, he uses mental projections and illusions to fool his master, Galactus.
Suffice it to say, the Surfer's command of telepathy is no joke. But one hero, Moondragon, has demonstrated telepathic abilities on par with the Shiny Man's. During a battle with the Surfer, Moondragon uses these capabilities to take the planetary traveler down. One Psi-Bolt attack from Moondragon causes the Surfer so much agony that it immobilizes him.
6 Firestar Stopped Symbiote Surfer
During one of Marvel's What If? storylines, the Carnage symbiote completely takes over Silver Surfer. The combination of these two entities' abilities creates a highly formidable opponent, with the murderous Carnage symbiote behind the wheel of the galactic voyager.
This new symbiotic Silver Surfer defeated multiple heroes until Firestar stepped up and stopped him. Because symbiotes were vulnerable to flames, Firestar proved the perfect match to defend Earth against this frightening entity. Even though this engagement was a fit of abilities to weaknesses, Firestar acquitted herself well and proved a worthy foe.
5 Thor Has Had Multiple Run-Ins With Silver Surfer
Thor, one of Asgard's mightiest gods, often clashes with the Silver Surfer despite their occasional allyship. On many of these occasions, the Surfer comes out on top. On the other hand, during a few of these battles, the heir to Asgard emerges victorious.
While Thor has beaten the Silver Surfer before, there are a few caveats. Typically, these wins come at the peak of Thor's potential after he's attained some amount of the Odinforce. Additionally, the Silver Surfer is likely holding back, at least a little, because the two are longtime friends.
4 Cosmic Deadpool Is The Surfer's Equal
In one of Deadpool's many zany adventures, the ever-talkative anti-hero applied for a job as Galactus' new herald. Apparently, Deadpool worked hard on his resume because he got the job.
Soon after starting his new gig, the Silver Surfer arrived to stop Deadpool in his new cosmic form. The two had an all-out battle that was nothing short of awesome. While it wasn't a definitive defeat, Deadpool proved he could fight the Shiny Man to a draw, at least when imbued with cosmic powers.
3 Aegis Took Down Silver Surfer (With Some Assistance)
Also known as the Lady of All Sorrows, Aegis has existed since the beginning of the universe. She and Tenebrous become the only survivors from an early battle between all the Gods and Galactus. Consequently, Galactus places both Aegis and Tenebrous under arrest in the prison planetoid Kyln.
Aegis remained locked in Kyln, at the edge of the universe, for centuries. During the initial Annihilation Wave, Kyln was irreparably damaged, freeing Aegis and Tenebrous. With Thanos, Aegis and Tenebrous confronted Galactus and his newly restored herald, the Silver Surfer. Surprisingly, the three defeated the Surfer with relative ease. However, their victory proved temporary.
2 Tenebrous Helped Temporarily Defeat The Surfer
Like Aegis, Tenebrous has been alive since the start of the universe. From the outset, Tenebrous has been responsible for maintaining the "Black" living matter that holds the universe together. Similar to Aegis, Tenebrous wields the Power Cosmic, allowing him to gather, channel, and manipulate significant amounts of cosmic energy.
After escaping Kyln, Tenebrous boosted these capabilities by capturing and draining a fellow prisoner, the Fallen One, of his powers. These increased abilities greatly assisted Tenebrous in his battle with Galactus and the Silver Surfer. While Silver Surfer would later defeat them, Aegis and Tenebrous demonstrated they had what it took to take down the Surfer.
1 Black Panther Stopped Silver Surfer Before
T'Challa, the Black Panther, is one of Earth's most ferocious heroes, but even the most ardent Black Panther supporters may question whether he can match the Silver Surfers' cosmic force. While this incident may come with an asterisk, Black Panther has previously met and restrained the Silver Surfer.
In Fantastic Four #545, Black Panther — a part of The Fantastic Four at the time — surprises the Surfer. He sneaks up behind the universal rider and puts him in an arm hold, from which the Silver Surfer can't break free. It's not until the Surfer's assistant blasts T'Challa off the Surfer's board that Surfer escapes Black Panther's hold. While T'Challa doesn't "defeat" the Surfer, he proves he has the intelligence and strength to go head-to-head with him.