10 Times Superman Was DC Comics’ Most Powerful Hero

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Superman is one of the strongest characters in modern fiction, as he can effortlessly perform incredible feats on a cosmic scale. Even when DC Comics attempted to tone down Superman’s more outlandish feats and abilities by having several reboots including the Crisis on Infinite Earths and the New 52, the Man of Steel always finds a way to return to his infinite potential.

10) Sneezed Away a Solar System

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The Silver Age was a wild time for Superman, who was so powerful that his most minor actions could have devastating consequences. In Action Comics #273, the Man of Tomorrow finds himself yet again being the target of Mr. Mxyzptlk’s pranks. This time, the Fifth Dimensional Imp exposed Superman to powder that gave the hero an uncontrollable case of the sniffles. Sensing the impending danger, Superman flew for several light-years to the far reaches of space to release his powerful sneeze, which destroyed an uninhabited solar system. Maybe if Superman had practiced good hygiene and just sneezed into his elbow, that solar system would have been spared.

9) Held a Mini-Black Hole in His Hand

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There are few things in the universe more powerful than a black hole, as the gravitational pull is so strong that not even light can escape it. In JLA #7, while Superman and the rest of the Justice League were on a mission, the Atom discovered a device that contained a mini-black hole. When the device broke, the release of mini-black hole threatened it to uncontrollably grow, consuming the solar system and beyond. Acting fast, Superman grabbed it and held on as tight as he could so it couldn’t expand. As he struggled to contain its unbelievable power, Superman flew as quickly as possible to the nearest wormhole and chucked the mini-black hole in so that it couldn’t hurt anyone.

8) Pulled a Galaxy’s Worth of Planets

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Even when Superman was just a kid going by the name “Superboy,” he was casually pulling off mind-boggling feats of cosmic strength. In Superboy #140, a galaxy is reaching the end of its natural life cycle, and its inhabitants are at risk of being destroyed. So, without even breaking a sweat, Superboy connects a giant chain to every single inhabited world in the dying galaxy and tows them out so that he can relocate them to the other side of the universe, where they would be safe. Although no exact number is given for how many planets Superboy was pulling, it was likely at least tens to hundreds of thousands, with billions of lives on each world. For Superboy, though, it was mere child’s play.

7) Punched Every Version of Brainiac at Once

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In DC Comics, the multiverse is a place of infinite universes and possibilities. During the events of Futures End, Brainiac had augmented himself with multiversal tech and knowledge to become an all-powerful god-like being. Even with all this newfound power, Brainiac continues his mission of collecting cities and destroying worlds. Brainiac tries to add New York City to his collection, but Superman isn’t going to let it happen. The Man of Steel and the supercharged Brainiac engage in an epic battle that shatters the surrounding buildings. In the end, Superman manages to defeat Brainiac by punching him so hard that every version of the villain across the infinite multiverse felt the blow.

6) Pulling Highfather’s Staff Out of the Source Wall

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Existing at the boundaries of the DC Multiverse, the Source Wall is an impenetrable barrier that, if anyone touched it, would become trapped forever. The Source Wall has imprisoned many omnipotent gods. Even Perpetua, the entity that created the infinite multiverse, was trapped for billions of years within the Source Wall. In the Superman/Batman storyline “Torment,” the Man of Steel is brainwashed by Darkseid’s minion Desaad to obtain the staff of the New God Highfather, which was lodged in the Source Wall. Desaad himself wasn’t sure if Superman could get the staff. Yet, through a combination of his strength and heat-vision, the mind-controlled Man of Steel overpowered the Source Wall and wrestled free Highfather’s staff.

5) Lifted the Spectre

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One of the most powerful beings in existence, the Spectre is the personification of God’s Wrath. When a psychic alien parasite invaded the Spectre’s mind in JLA/Spectre: Soul War, his gigantic body was sent crashing towards the Earth. To minimize the damage, Superman and Wonder Woman grab onto the Spectre’s cloak and pull to slow down his descent. The two heroes struggled to keep him afloat because the Spectre’s body is comprised of a cosmic consciousness that contains eternity. And although Wonder Woman was helping, she has limits to her strength. Ultimately, Wonder Woman didn’t even need to be there because Superman was holding most of the Spectre’s infinite weight, which is still infinite.

4) Lifted a Book of Infinite Pages

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In another case of the Man of Tomorrow holding an object of infinite mass, Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1 has him having to lift a book of infinite pages. When Superman and Shazam are trapped in Limbo, they find an all-powerful book that could show them how to escape. This book contains every possible story and comprises an infinite number of pages and weighing just as much. Superman and Shazam manage to hold this incredible book in their hands and read from it, learning the secrets of the multiverse. Like the feat involving the Spectre and Wonder Woman, Shazam has very real limits to his godly power, which means Superman is doing the bulk of the work holding an object of infinite pages and infinite mass.

3) Transcended Infinity

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In DC Presents #29, Superman performed feats so impossible that God himself had to intervene. After Superman and Supergirl destroy Warworld, the Man of Steel finds his cousin hurtling through space unconscious. To save Supergirl, Superman chases after her, with his speed increasing drastically. The Man of Tomorrow ends up moving so fast that he breaks the bonds of infinity and travels outside of his universe, still in hot pursuit of Supergirl. Suddenly, Superman is halted by the Spectre and the God of the DC Omniverse, the Presence, who tells the hero that his speed had almost broken the barriers of Heaven itself. The fact that Superman nearly shattered the barrier between life and death to save his cousin proves his limitless selflessness and sometimes limitless power.

2) Restored Infinite Possible Future Timelines

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In Superman #295, the Man of Steel’s costume was stolen, and he tracked it down to a possible future timeline known as Earth-AD. The costume was claimed by a warrior named Jaxon, who immediately attacked Superman. Fighting over the costume, Superman and Jaxon’s battle shook the multiverse. Eventually, Jaxon recognized Superman as his superior and returned his costume. It’s here that an alien Green Lantern named Xenofobe appeared to explain that he had been the one who stole Superman’s costume. He explained that the villain Time Trapper had destroyed all possible future timelines except for Earth-AD. Xenofobe set up the fight between Superman and Jaxon because he knew that the energy output from their clash would restore the infinite timelines.

1) Destroyed the World Forger’s Multiverse

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With his mighty hammer, the Sixth-Dimensional being World Forger is responsible for the creation and destruction of universes. When he decided that the DC Multiverse had to die, he created a new one to take its place. In Justice League #25, World Forger had trapped Superman in a part of space with no stars. However, Superman eventually managed to escape his prison and fly through countless stars, increasing his strength and speed as he headed towards the World Forger. Before World Forger could destroy and replace the DC Multiverse, Superman arrived and punched him in the face. The punch was so powerful that not only did it make a continent-sized crater, but it also destroyed the infinite multiverse World Forger had just created.

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