I been getting into Conan the Barbarian recently. I know Conan fights beings stronger than him such as the Grey Man Ape in Shadows in the Moonlight. Its cool to watch him almost die while taking out the beast with superior speed and skill. Could you name some opponents he has fought that have been faster than him that he has used strength and/or skill to triumph over?

Well, I don't know that you could say that the Strangler of Yota-Pong from Man-Eaters of Zamboula was faster than Conan, but Conan did kill him by pretty much straight-out overpowering him. Is that the kind of scene you're looking for? There's not a lot of opponents that Conan has faced that have been described as being faster than him.

Thanks for the reply. I guess I'm just looking for fights that he has had where an enemy has possessed superior agility to him and then he uses his skill or strength to defeat them despite their advantage. I know he can't run as fast as a horse for more than a short distance. I also know he must engage more skilled opponents in sword duels so obviously there are other fighters in his setting who can match his agility and speed to some degree. Just trying to learn all I can about a cool character.

Now that I think about it, its not so much a speed advantage. Many of the monsters he fights could obviously move faster than him in terms of raw speed. It is intelligence that gives him the edge. This allows him to outmaneuver physically superior foes and slay them. Now that I've read enough stories I realize Howard has a sort of logic to his writing. He always makes sure Conan has some sort of advantage over his foes. If he is fighting a skilled swordsmen his bestial strength and agility give him the victory, and if it is a supernatural monster whose speed and or strength surpass his own than his skill and intelligence give him the win. While he is a badass he never faces an opponent who is too powerful for him unless he has some sort of magic item or weapon that gives him the advantage. So while Conan is a badass and has some amazing feats to his name he still has limitations. Its fun watching him overcome overwhelming odds but the way in which he does it is not so outrageous as to make his character seem overpowered.