Long ago, a dying race created a number of devices that would preserve their culture. They sent these devices into space with the hopes that other worlds would find them and learn from them. When some of these recorded histories landed on Krypton, a madman named Kem-L corrupted one and gave it a new mission; to preserve his ideal of Kryptonian culture by eradicating all others. This was the birth of the Eradicator.
Over the decades, the Eradicator has been a major problem for Superman. It is best known for the major role it played in the Reign of Supermen story, taking on the visage of the then dead Man of Steel and claiming to be him, but that is far from the only time Eradicator has battled the heroes of the DC universe. Luckily, Superman has always been there to stop this corrupted machine, but what if he wasn't? Would anyone be able to stop this destroyer of civilizations? Here are 5 DC heroes the Eradicator could beat, and 5 he has no chance against...
10 Could Beat: Green Arrow
Green Arrow has faced some seriously powerful villains in his time as a costumed hero. As a member of the Justice League, this awesome archer has found himself going toe to toe with the likes of Darkseid, Mongul, and Despero, and he never bats an eye. Of course, he also knows he would never stand a chance against those superpowered monsters alone.
And the same goes for the Eradicator. A bunch of arrows, no matter how sharp or tricky, are no match for the power of this killing machine. To the Eradicator, Green Arrow is little more than the amuse-bouche before a real fight.
9 Has No Chance Against: Wonder Woman
Where Green Arrow would never stand a chance against the toughest baddies of the DC universe, Wonder Woman can beat the living tar out of most of them. This Amazonian from Themyscira beats up gods and intergalactic despots on a weekly basis, so someone like Eradicator wouldn't be too much of an issue for her.
Along with beating up the likes of Ares before most of us have gotten out of bed, Wonder Woman has shown herself to be more than capable of taking on Superman in a one on one match. And if she can hold her own against Superman, that means she can beat Eradicator.
8 Could Beat: Hawkman
Hawkman loves a good fight almost as much as he loves flying around without a shirt on. With his trusty Nth Metal wings and big old mace, there is nothing this reincarnated Egyptian prince is afraid to take on, except maybe a chest wax. But not being afraid and being able to win are two different things. Eradicator would eradicate Hawkman in the blink of an eye. And since Eradicator is a machine and won't die of old age, it can wait around for Hawkman to be reborn and kill him again. There's no winning this fight for the muscled bird man.
7 Has No Chance Against: Flash
The Eradicator is tough enough to be a serious threat to Superman and other high powered heroes of the DC universe, but one thing it isn't is faster than light. Someone who is faster than light is Flash. And moving at speeds that not even Superman can keep up with, Flash could make short work of something like Eradicator.
Making things easier for Flash, while Eradicator may look like a living being, it is actually a machine. That means Flash can use one of the powers he so rarely gets to bring out during his battles which is the ability to vibrate through objects. Faster than a bolt of lightning, Flash could reach into Eradicator's chest and pull out his power source. That's how you end a fight fast.
6 Could Beat: Constantine
John Constantine is one of the greatest magic users in the DC universe. He is also the kind of guy who doesn't come up with plans to get out of trouble. More often than not, Constantine is the kind of guy who reacts to the moment, and when you're dealing with the things he deals with on a regular basis, that can work out okay.
But Eradicator is very different than the kinds of problems Constantine usually faces. Eradicator isn't interested in causing pain or showing how clever it is, all it wants to do is Eradicate anything that isn't pure Kryptonian. One quick shot from Eradicator's eye beams and Constantine is a pile of ash.
5 Has No Chance Against: Doctor Fate
Unlike Constantine, Doctor Fate is the kind of magic user who plots and plans before going into battle. With the Helmet of Nabu and a wide variety of spells and magic items on hand, Doctor Fate protects the balance between order and chaos in the universe. Eradicator going around trying to wipe out any race that isn't Kryptonian would surely upset that balance, and that is something Doctor Fate can't have. A few quick spells and a little teleportation and suddenly the Eradicator finds itself forever trapped in an endless void.
4 Could Beat: Steel
Another of the four Supermen to come out of the Reign of Supermen story, John Henry Irons was the only one of the group to not try and act like he was the actual Superman reborn. John built a suit of armor and became Steel as a way to honor the man who saved his life when he was working construction in Metropolis.
Steel is a brilliant scientist who has shown the ability to stand up to the nasty of creatures, even helping Superman fight Doomsday before he had built his armor. But none of that means he would win in a battle against something as powerful as Eradicator.
3 Has No Chance Against: Shazam
By saying the Wizard Shazam's name, teenager Billy Batson becomes Earth's Mightest Mortal. With powers that make him equal to Superman and Wonder Woman, Shazam can take on pretty much any enemy that comes at him. His powers are nearly unequaled in comics, even if he doesn't always know how to use them well. If Eradicator couldn't beat Superman or Wonder Woman, it wouldn't have much luck going against Shazam either, though this fight would likely be longer because the hero is still learning how to be the best he can be.
2 Could Beat: Booster Gold
You don't need to be from the future to know how this fight would go, but since he is from the future, Booster Gold surely knows that he would not win against the Eradicator. Booster is a fine hero, if a little egotistical, but his powerset just isn't up to the task of taking on a threat like the Eradicator.
No amount of advice from Skeets would be able to get Booster Gold through this fight in one piece. Once the smoke cleared from this tussle, we would all be mourning the passing of the best spokesman Soder Cola ever had.
1 Has No Chance Against: Spectre
The vengeance of God-given physical form, the Spectre travels the galaxy exacting justice on those who deserve nothing less than the worst tortures ever devised. And you can tell just how tough Spectre is because he goes around wearing nothing more than a cloak and some very skimpy underwear.
Eradicator's mission to wipe out all non-Kryptonian life would surely get the attention of Spectre sooner or later, and the genocides that Eradicator had committed would surely make the Spirit of Vengeance very upset. This immortal being would not go easy on the Eradicator.