Kal-El was an alien who found his way to Earth. Fortunately, he was brought up by kind people who named him Clark and taught him to use his superpowers for good. For a while, it felt like Superman was untouchable. But as soon as his Kryptonian origins came out in the open, supervillains began to understand his weaknesses.
With Kryptonian weapons at their disposal, even considerably weaker enemies started to pose difficulties for Superman. But imagine a world in the DC universe where the green mineral didn't exist. Superman would become an exhilarating force. However, some ultra-strong beings might still be able to pull off the impossible and defeat the Man of Steel, even without kryptonite.
Updated on October 27, 2022 by Cole Kennedy: Superman is one of DC Comics' most powerful superheroes. He stands tall with other powerful members of the Justice League. However, he is known to be weak to the irradiated shards of his home planet which became known as kryptonite. While some of his greatest villains use this weakness against him, there are other characters in the DC universe who can take out the Man of Steel without using kryptonite.
20 Aquaman's Atlantean Strength And Magical Trident Are A Threat
Some fans might not realize just how strong Aquaman really is when he's out of the water. Arthur Curry's Atlantean physiology allows him to not only survive the crushing depths of the deep ocean but swim at incredible speeds underwater. This gives him super-strength on par with heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman.
Aquaman also wields a mystical trident that could exploit Superman's alternate weakness to magic. Aquaman's strength could give his mystical trident enough force to potentially stab Superman if the two ever faced off in a fatal battle.
19 Martian Manhunter's Strength And Telepathy Give Him An Edge
Superman isn't the only alien member of the Justice League, as J'onn J'onnz also hails from another planet. As the Martian Manhunter, he has incredible strength on Superman's level, and a similar Martian Vision that allows him to fire energy beams from his eyes. However, Martian Manhunter has two big advantages over Superman.
Martian Manhunter can shape-shift into a number of powerful alien forms that could challenge Superman. However, it's his incredibly powerful telepathy that would give him the ultimate edge in a battle against Superman.
18 Shazam Is Powered By Magic As The World's Mightiest Mortal
While kryptonite is Superman's greatest weakness, he's susceptible to other forms of energy and threats. This makes Billy Batson — aka Shazam, the World's Mightiest Mortal — one of Superman's greatest opponents. Batson can transform himself into an incredibly powerful adult body when he says the magic word "Shazam."
This transformation empowers him with the gifts of the gods which he can use to call down magical lightning. Black Adam also possesses the same abilities, and he's proven to be a powerful DC character, both as a villain and as a member of the Justice Society. Shazam nearly took Superman down in stories like Kingdom Come because his strength and magic made him more than enough of a match.
17 Batman Uses His Intelligence & Personal Knowledge Of Superman
It doesn't take the brute strength of a character like Darkseid to take Clark Kent down. In many cases, it comes down to intelligence. Batman has a great deal of this. Furthermore, he knows Superman better than any other superhero on Earth.
Bruce understands Clark's weak points beyond kryptonite. This means he can hit the Man of Steel hard without throwing too many punches. Basically, if Batman lures Superman into a room saturated with red solar radiation, Batman wins.
16 Superboy-Prime Beats Superman Through Sheer Rage
There are several examples where Superboy-Prime has taken down Superman. Infinite Crisis is one of these. In Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds, this version of Earth Prime's Superboy handily took care of Clark before the rest of the Legion members intervened.
Superboy-Prime is invulnerable to kryptonite, which makes him more invincible than Superman. Plus, his rage and insanity fuel his powers. Without a governor to keep them in check, this alternate version of Clark lets loose with his full arsenal.
15 Rogol Zaar Has The Power Of Revenge Inside
Even though his irrational hatred gets in the way sometimes, Kryptonian hunter Rogol Zaar doesn't need anything but his skills to defeat Superman. It doesn't matter if it's on Earth, in space, or in the Phantom Zone — Rogol's seething revenge is what keeps him going against Clark.
Actually, it's Rogol's deep hatred of all Kryptonians. Even though he was created by Jor-El — Superman's biological father — Rogol believes the planet and its remaining citizens are a virus to the galaxy. No matter how much he's beaten, Rogol continues to get up to finish off Superman.
14 Doctor Fate's Control Of Magic Would Pose A Problem For Superman
Kent Nelson was one of the first heroes to become Doctor Fate after putting on the Helmet of Nabu. With the Cloak of Destiny and the Amulet of Anubis, Doctor Fate has access to incredible magical abilities that would give Superman a run for his money.
There are many scenarios where Superman takes the win by simply being too fast for Doctor Fate. However, provided one of DC's most powerful magic users has the time to prepare the necessary spells, Superman's weakness in magic would make him susceptible to any number of Doctor Fate's attacks.
13 The Flash Has The Speed Force
There's no doubt The Flash can outrun Superman. In all of their races since 1967's Superman #199 by Jim Shooter, Curt Swan, and George Klein, Barry has won twice. However, when the challenge is for charity, he takes it easy on Clark. Needless to say, Flash has the power to defeat Superman.
The Flash simply needs to implement the method Wally used to stop the Luthor-Brainiac hybrid in Justice League Unlimited. The Flash runs around the globe several times to become the Speed Force, and as he does, he could take shots at Superman that the latter doesn't even see coming.
12 Wonder Woman Is A Better Fighter
While both Wonder Woman and Superman are about equal in strength and stamina, the former has better fighting skills. She spent decades training on Themyscira to become a honed warrior. Therefore, Diana is much better in a battle against Clark.
Plus, Wonder Woman has magic on her side. She wields a mystical sword that cuts electrons off of an atom, and she knows how to use it. Then there is her record of harming Superman in battle. Wonder Woman can take the Man of Steel down if she's serious.
11 Zatanna's Backward Magic Could Exploit Superman's Other Weakness
Another DC hero whose mystical abilities could prove to be a problem for Superman is Zatanna, Mistress of Magic. She was trained by her father Zatara to use a unique and powerful form of backward magic.
Zatanna is capable of using a wide array of powerful spells that she casts by saying them in reverse. The upper limits of Zatanna's power have never really been tested, so someone with Superman's aversion to magic could be at risk when facing her.
10 Elaine Belloc Is The Daughter Of The Main Archangel
Elaine Belloc is an angel whose biological father is one of the strongest beings in the DC universe: Michael Demiurgos. Being a daughter of the Archangel means her superpowers know no bounds. Moreover, she's learning her trade from the best in both Lucifer and Michael.
Elaine can easily overpower Superman, even if she isn't at her best. In fact, she hasn't yet mastered her superpowers. It's scary to think that she can still overcome the Man of Steel without them.
9 Lucifer Morningstar Is The Biblical Devil On Earth
Lucifer Morningstar, aka Samael, doesn't know the true extent of the powers vested in him. He can create, destroy, rebuild, and alter anything in the DC multiverse with a minimum amount or fuss. His strength is second only to the Presence.
If that isn't enough, Lucifer is the Biblical Devil. Thus, he's immortal. In the end, he wouldn't take any pride in defeating Superman without kryptonite. To him, Clark is just another mortal in a reality that he can manipulate with ease.
8 The Spectre Has Limitless Power To Exact Judgment
The Spectre was birthed by the single most powerful force in the DC universe: God himself. Since he is a divine creation, there aren't many things he can't do. He can alter reality, bring back the dead, and destroy entire universes with a blink of an eye.
His superpowers are so scary that God keeps The Spectre on a short leash. Facing Superman wouldn't intimidate The Spectre in the slightest. In fact, he would enjoy beating the Man of Steel.
7 Captain Atom Is Powered By Science
Captain Atom gained the means to manipulate astounding amounts of energy once he found his way to the Quantum World. This isn't any kind of energy. It has been used by the hero for various purposes, including trying to make his imagination come true.
Captain Atom's strength and durability are literally out of this world, so much so that Superman has to try incredibly hard to hurt him. Moreover, Captain Atom's other abilities mean he can take down Superman without kryptonite. Still, the battle would be harsh.
6 Doctor Manhattan Is Practically Omnipotent
Jonathan Osterman is one of Earth's few superheroes who have become a fearsome force of nature. Thanks to a nuclear experiment gone wrong, he lost his physical presence. What remained was his overpowering energy. Thus, Doctor Manhattan came into existence.
The abilities Doctor Manhattan possesses were petrifying. Needless to say, it didn't take much for Manhattan to beat Superman without kryptonite. However, Superman still surprised Doctor Manhattan with his innate heroism, which resulted in him winning their Doomsday Clock confrontation without throwing a punch.
5 Parallax Is Fear Personified
Parallax is a unique supervillain who feeds on fear. It possesses anyone who is in a bad situation. For instance, he single-handedly turned Hal Jordan, Earth's Green Lantern, into a supervillain who seemed unstoppable. Parallax can seemingly augment the powers of its host and corrupt them. It even tried to corrupt and control The Spectre when the Spirit of Vengeance was bonded to Jordan.
Jordan had to fight Parallax from the inside to get free. Superman hopes he never crosses paths with Parallax. It can take over Superman's body with ease, and as seen in the Injustice series, Earth isn't ready to face an evil Superman.
4 Anti-Monitor Utilizes Antimatter To Defeat Superman
Anti-Monitor and the Monitor are two ultra-strong beings tasked with looking after their own universes. Anti-Monitor is from the Antimatter Universe, and he's the reason why the Crisis on Infinite Earths occurred.
Anti-Monitor faced some of the most prominent figures in the DC universe and still looked untouchable. Superman appeared to be too strong for his rogues' gallery. However, for someone like Anti-Monitor, Clark was simply another hurdle to pass. Anti-Monitor used his giant antimatter cannon to destroy nearly infinite worlds, some housing Supermen of the multiverse. One Superman would pose little threat to the cosmic being.
3 Darkseid Has Previously Beaten Superman
One of DC's most iconic supervillains of all time, Darkseid isn't just an old face in the game. His powers transcend what other superheroes have seen. If one can deal with his telepathic and telekinetic abilities, they must deal with the Omega Beams and his deadly Life Draining power. Superman can't take on Darkseid alone.
The entire Justice League still struggled to face this celestial being. Every time Superman has faced off with Darkseid it visually ends in a stalemate, although the ruler of Apokolips is still one of Superman's greatest adversaries.
2 Mister Mxyzptlk Is Annoying Yet Can Defeat Superman
Mister Mxyzptlk is the biggest example of a supervillain who never takes things seriously. That's a good thing for Superman. The imp from the 5th Dimension can do anything he imagines, quite literally.
This ranges from altering reality to vaporizing a being from existence. Mister Mxyzptlk's IQ level is extraordinarily high, and he plays sadistic games with heroes he becomes obsessed with. If he decided to, it would be easy for him to destroy Superman.
1 The Presence Has The Power Of God
Marvel Comics has their own version of an all-power god responsible for all creation called the One Above All. In the DC universe, The Presence is the codename for God. He is supposedly an omnipotent being who created all life. His powers haven't been fully explored, although he sits at the top of DC's most powerful cosmic beings.
However, it's not wrong to assume The Presence is practically untouchable. He created all the angels and The Spectre. If they can defeat Superman, then the Presence can easily do it as well.