Thanks to his Kryptonian heritage, Superman is easily one of the most powerful comic book characters around. Because of Earth’s yellow sun, the character has a plethora of abilities from flight, heat vision, frost breath, super strength, super speed, and more.

RELATED: DC: The 10 Strongest Kryptonians, Ranked 

However, superman also isn’t the only Kryptonian around, as several other characters have been shown to survive the planet’s destruction. While some are good and some are evil, some are also far weaker or far stronger than Superman himself. 

10 Superboy (Can’t Beat Him)

DC Comics - Conner Kent Flies Over Kent Farm In The Iconic Superman Pose

Since he is really only half Kryptonian, it makes sense for Conner Kent’s abilities to be somewhat watered-down. Of course, the character himself is still an incredibly powerful being, but he sometimes needs a bit of a boost in order to measure up to superman’s own standards.

Over the years, Conner has also been changed in order to help distinguish him from the Man of Steel, and he could still find some clever ways to get the upper hand over Superman. Unfortunately, Clark’s years of experience alongside Conner’s suppressed abilities make it almost impossible to see Conner as the victor between the two.

9 Zod (Can Beat Him)

Zod Commands His Enemies To Kneel Before Him

Though Superman usually finds a way to get the upper hand over Zod, the popular villain has still managed to beat the Man of Steel on several occasions, and has also outmatched him in other ways.

RELATED: Superman's 10 Oldest Villains, Ranked

As a highly experienced Kryptonian general, Zod has years of tactical and combat experience under his belt. While he may not be the smartest Kryptonian around, he has still proven to be brilliant in other ways, making it easy to believe that he would beat Clark in a fair fight. Despite the fact that he generally loses to Superman, his few victories against him make him worthy of his place on this list.

8 Non (Can’t Beat Him)

Originally introduced in the classic Superman: The Movie (1978), Non eventually made his way over to the comic books. Like almost every other Kryptonian, Non has all the same abilities that typically come with everyone else. However, it is also common to see him as a bit larger and stronger than average, making him more of a brute character.

Furthermore, while he may be much stronger than Superman, Non’s intelligence is actually quite low, making him relatively easy to trap or misdirect. While this is not always the case, the movie version of the character has far greater changes against the Man of Steel than the comic book version does.

7 Supergirl (Can Beat Him)

Thanks to a number of external forces, Supergirl’s rocket landed on earth years after her baby cousins had, suspending her in time and allowing him to grow older than her. However, Kara Zor-El still managed to follow in his footsteps and become a hero in her own manner, accomplishing all sorts of wonders as Supergirl.

RELATED: 5 Superman Villains That Supergirl Can Defeat (& 5 She Would Struggle Against)

Though she may have the same abilities as her cousin, Kara is still far different from him in several ways. Having grown up on Krypton, Kara definitely knows more about Kryptonians than Clark can ever hope to understand. Likewise, Kara’s education gives her all sorts of advantages over Clark that he may not even realize. Though he may be physically stronger than her due to his extra time under the yellow sun, Clark definitely wouldn’t want to underestimate his cousin if the two ever came to blows.

6 Zor El (Can’t Beat Him)

Since the launch of the New 52 reboot especially, Kara’s father, Zor-El, has had a fairly large impact on the DC universe as the new Cyborg Superman. Following the destruction of Krypton, Zor-El was saved by Brainiac and given cybernetic enhancements while also wiping his memory.

Thanks to the enhancements he received, Zor-El is theoretically far stronger and faster than Superman himself. However, given his unstable mindset, the villain is prone to making rushed and incertain decisions, almost always resulting in his downfall. Given that Supergirl has defeated him several times, it is entirely plausible that Superman would be able to do the same.

5 Nightwing (Can Beat Him)

Chris Kent as Nightwing in DC Comics

As an ancient deity of Krypton, Nightwing was originally just a story, and even served as the inspiration for Dick Grayson’s superhero moniker after he left the role of Robin. Several years later, however, the deity chose to reside within the body of Lor-Zod, the son of General Zod.

RELATED: Superman: 5 Most Powerful Kryptonians In DC Comics (& The 5 Weakest)

On top of his own Kryptonian physiology, Lor-Zod could also manipulate darkness, teleport, and even had telekinesis. If Superman alone is overpowered enough, this version of Nightwing certainly took things to a whole other level, making it easy to see how he could beat Superman if he really needed to.

4 Flamebird (Can’t Beat Him)

Kryptonian Gods Nightwing and Flamebird

Like Nightwing, Flamebird is also a Kryptonian deity who inhabits the body of Thara Ak-Var instead of Lor-Zod. While she may seem like she would be powerful enough to defeat Superman, her biggest strengths are immortality and Pyrokinesis.

Granted, while being immortal does seem like a huge strength, it doesn’t mean that Flamebird can’t be defeated. Furthermore, Superman is also immune to fire, making a direct attack from Flamebird practically useless against him. Though she is still a very powerful and devastating force within the overall DC universe, Flamebird’s inability to inflict any real damage to superman gives him a significant advantage over her.

3 Jor-El (Can Beat Him)

Jor-El reveals his identity to Lois Lane in Superman: Rebirth comics

For years, Superman’s parents have both been deceased following the destruction of Krypton. However, as part of the more recent DC Rebirth launch, it was revealed that Jor-El actually survived thanks to interference from Dr. Manhattan.

Now, Kal-El’s father has made for an interesting character within the DC universe, as he often goes against his son, but isn’t exactly a villain either. Regardless, he remains one of the most brilliant scientific minds in the DC universe. Furthermore, he has already proven to be quite the challenger to Superman, making him one of the more likely Kryptonians to beat the Man of Steel if need be.

2 Lesla-Lar (Can’t Beat Him)

As a more obscure Superman villain, many people aren’t likely familiar with Lesla-Lar. The character only had a few small appearances here and there, and also hasn’t been seen for several years since.

However, she did actually manage to get the upper hand on Superman from time to time, though her motives and goals were always strange. Unfortunately, she never actually managed to beat Superman, making her one of the weaker Kryptonians to ever see publication.

1 Doomsday (Can Beat Him)

While he may not be like other Kryptonians, Doomsday was still created on Krypton, and is actually one of the few to put a “definitive end” to Superman himself. At the end of the popular “Death of Superman” storyline, the two characters had presumably beaten each other to death.

Of course, that turned out not to be the case for either of them, but considering how Superman had never encountered Doomsday before, it is still an impressive feat on Doomsday’s part. Though he has yet to accomplish a similar feat since, Doomsday is still a force to be reckoned with and could likely take Superman down again in a one-on-one if he needs to.

NEXT: Superman: The Man of Steel’s 10 Most Brutal Fights, Ranked