One of the most dangerous villains in any comic universe, Thanos has become one of the most popular villains in the world thanks to his role in the MCU. A crafty and powerful foe, there are few beings who can stand up to the Mad Titan on their own. Over the years, Thanos has proved that he's an extinction-level threat. One that it takes many heroes to stop.

RELATED: X-Men: 5 Members Thanos Would Beat In A Fight (& 5 He Would Lose To)

Superman is a hero who needs no introduction. He's faced down some of the most deadly threats of all time and is one of the most powerful heroes to ever exist. If there is any single hero who stands a chance against Thanos, it's him. So, what would happen if these two clashed? Let's take a look.

11 Thanos: The Ultimate Nihilist

Thanos Eternals

Thanos was born different than his fellow Titanian Eternals and was shunned for it. This shunning set him down the road to nihilism, the belief that everything is meaningless. His nihilism is what truly fuels Thanos, more than his love for Lady Death, something which can be seen as the ultimate expression of his nihilism.

Falling in love with the embodiment of death is nihilism taken to the extreme and that's where Thanos resides. His belief that life is meaningless makes it simple for him to kill as many beings as he wants and never feel anything at all about it.

10 Superman: One Man Force For Good

Black Mask Posing as Superman

Superman is both the first and last line of defense for the DC Universe. He faces down some of the most fiendish foes that any hero has ever encountered but never falters. Where ever there is trouble, Superman will be there ready to help out, whether it be a natural disaster or an alien invasion.

RELATED: Top 10 Alternate Versions Of Superman

There are few heroes out there who can deal with what he does on a daily basis and even fewer who would even want to. He doesn't just protect one city or country or even one planet. Looking out for everyone many look at Supes as a one-man army.

9 Thanos: The Children Of Thanos

Thanos on throne Marvel Comics

For many years, Thanos liked to do his own dirty work but in recent years, he's gathered a group of beings to help him out in the Black Order. Comprised of some of the most powerful beings out there, they do Thanos's bidding, standing between him and his foes or exterminating entire planets in his name.

Any beings who work for Thanos have to be ready to do some pretty extreme things and the Black Order specializes in committing atrocities, with no qualms. If Thanos tells them to do it, they do what he says, no questions asked.

8 Superman: The Best Friends A Hero Can Ask For

Justice League posing

Superman has served as an inspiration for just about every hero in the DC Universe and as such, has a deep bench of friends to call upon. That's just the kind of guy Superman is. His very existence inspires those around them and they're willing to go to Hell and back for him, no questions asked. Of course, this being Superman, he wouldn't ask for help unless he needed it because he cares more about his friends than himself.

However, he's also not dumb and knows that sometimes even he needs help. If worst came to worst, Superman would have no problem calling on his friends for help... and by friends, he would basically mean the vast majority of the heroes of the DC Universe.

7 Thanos: A Cunning Strategist

Thanos is powerful and skilled but that doesn't mean he's unbeatable. There are actually plenty of beings out there who have the power to defeat him but never actually do. The reason for this is very simple. Thanos is an expert strategist. He's smart enough to know that there's always a bigger fish, so he's constantly strategizing, weighing his options in any potential skirmish.

He can also change plans on the fly, adapting to any situation he finds himself in, the true mark of a master strategist. Things change and Thanos is too smart to let a plan get him killed. His ability to plan and his flexibility in changing those plans have ensured victory for him many times over.

6 Superman: Never Ending

Superman feature 2

Superman doesn't need sleep and that's a good thing. On any given day, he's bouncing around the world, helping people in natural disasters, foiling criminals, fighting supervillains, and helping out alien races. His battle is never-ending; there will always be bad things and always be people that need saving.

This doesn't daunt Superman at all. In fact, he relishes it. He lives for his never-ending battle and protecting the innocent is his passion. Nothing can stop him from fighting, not even death. These things may slow him down but they never stop him.

5 Thanos: The Great Destroyer

Thanos

Thanos has a lot going for him. He's intelligent, skilled, and, perhaps most importantly, obscenely powerful. Thanos is a guy who can go up against a being like Thor with nothing but the clothes on his back and not only expect to walk away but actually embarrass the God of Thunder. Power like Thanos has, combined with his prodigious intellect and skill, make him nearly unstoppable.

RELATED: 5 Ways Infinity Gauntlet Has Aged Well (& 5 Ways It Hasn't)

His breadth of powers: super strength, nigh invulnerability, telepathy, energy, and matter manipulation, among others, make him one of the formidable forces in the universe.

4 Superman: Super Power

Superman

Superman is known for many things and one of the biggest and most important things he's known for is just how powerful he is. Amazingly strong, able to withstand massive amounts of damage, uncannily fast, and more, Superman's powers make him one of the most formidable heroes around.

While powers don't make the hero, they certainly help and Superman's powers give him more options than just about anyone out there. He can hit an enemy a thousand times in a minute with planet shattering force, fly faster than the speed of light, attack from long range with his heat vision and freeze breath, and hear what's happening on the other side of the solar system. There are few out there who could stand up to a serious Superman.

3 Thanos: The End Of All Things

Thanos

Most people make the mistake of thinking that the only thing that makes Thanos so powerful are the objects of supreme power that he's always seeking, like the Infinity Gauntlet, but that's not even close to the truth. Even without those objects, Thanos is one of the most deadly beings around.

Thanos, in the end, always wins. It's pretty much inevitable; he's even been to a future where he is the ruler of a nearly empty universe and the reason why it's empty is that he's personally killed just about everyone. He didn't have the Gauntlet or a Cosmic Cube, just his own titanic power. At the end of all things, there's always Thanos.

2 Superman: The Greatest Hero Of Them All

Superman

Superman was the first costumed superhero and would set the standard for everyone that came after him. Superman is the greatest hero of them all and it's not because of how powerful he is; while that helps, Superman is way more than his powers. Superman loves everyone and will stop at nothing to protect the innocent.

Superman never gives up when lives are on the line. Nothing will stop him and even when it seems like he's down and out, he comes back, stronger than ever, and ready to take the fight to his foes.

1 Winner: Superman

Superman

Thanos is a powerful and skilled foe but Superman just outclasses in every way. Just to begin with, Thanos is way, way weaker than Superman. Sure, Superman can't throw planets without breaking a sweat like he used to, but he's still massively strong. Add to that his durability, his amazing speed, his flight, and more. Against all that Thanos just doesn't stand much of a chance against the Man of Steel. It would still be a good fight but Thanos is going down.

NEXT: Superman: 10 Secrets Of The Planet Krypton Every Fan Should Know