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    Superman

    Character » Superman appears in 18886 issues.

    Sent to Earth as an infant from the dying planet Krypton, Kal-El was adopted by the loving Kent family and raised in America's heartland as Clark Kent. Using his immense solar-fueled powers, he became Superman to defend mankind against all manner of threats while championing truth, justice, and the American way!

    Unorthodox Ways Superman Has Been Beaten

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    The_Thaumaturge

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    #1  Edited By The_Thaumaturge

    In this comedy sketch by Bat in the Sun, Nightwing asks Batman about his ideas for how to defeat each individual league member. When he gets to Superman, Dick says "No kryptonite, that's easy" (to which Bruce says something unlikely about magical batarangs...); but this got me thinking - it's common knowledge (to fans) that Superman is weak in the presence of Kryptonite, and has no especial invulnerability to magic, but what are some of the less-well-known ways of beating him? Please post scans or other below of unorthodox methods of defeating the big S.

    P.S. Just to clarify, punching him or blasting him with energy does not really count as unorthodox...

    P.P.S. The sketch actually has quite an amusing ending, if anyone's bothered...

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    The_Thaumaturge

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    #2  Edited By The_Thaumaturge

    I'll just start it off. In the Injustice comics, Ch'p uses his ring to prevent Superman's synapses from sending signals to his brain, paralysing him. He even boasts that he'll have to "try not to permanently damage him".

    No Caption Provided

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    Squalleon

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    #3  Edited By Squalleon

    Use his Super-senses against him.

    But with an evil twist...Bring him to madness by making his Super-hearing and vision to focus on key words,sights and sounds like a heart stopping, a gun firing, a fight, a death, someone cursing life, you know negative things. Probably with the use of hypnotism. Making him kill himself for you :-)

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    The_Thaumaturge

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    @squalleon: This is imaginative, and cool, but I was thinking of things which have actually happened... has this ever been done? How would Superman commit suicide if he did get this depressed?

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    Squalleon

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    #5  Edited By Squalleon

    @the_thaumaturge said:

    @squalleon: This is imaginative, and cool, but I was thinking of things which have actually happened... has this ever been done? How would Superman commit suicide if he did get this depressed?

    Probably a variation of kryptonite, or a magic gun :-P

    As for original ways to kill Superman, All Star Superman and Red Son both had great ideas.

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    Squalleon

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    #6  Edited By Squalleon
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    Tyger

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    I remember a Blade vs Wolverine comic where Blade threatened to use some Vampire blood to turn Wolverine into a Vampire, then stake him. I imagine Superman wouldn't make for a good vampire for very long.

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    Squalleon

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    #8  Edited By Squalleon

    @tyger said:

    I remember a Blade vs Wolverine comic where Blade threatened to use some Vampire blood to turn Wolverine into a Vampire, then stake him. I imagine Superman wouldn't make for a good vampire for very long.

    I want to see which teeth are gonna break Superman's skin.
    Plus a vampire who runs on sun-light, that would be at least interesting to see. I just hope he doesn't sparkle :-P

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    Tyger

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    #9  Edited By Tyger
    2002
    2002

    @squalleon: hes been fed on and turned into a vampire before actually. (Vampires, as magical beings, can actually overcome his strength as well. Apparently, their magical strength is 'to overpower their victim', so despite not being nearly as strong, they could hold him and push him around.)

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    Squalleon

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    #10  Edited By Squalleon

    @tyger: I have read that. I didn't buy the excuse tbh, if Cap.Marvel can't beat him in a single punch then I don't think a normal vampire can pierce his skin.
    But with the right plot shield anything is possible :-P, and this was written by Loeb the master of PIS.

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    SaintWildcard

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    @tyger said:

    I remember a Blade vs Wolverine comic where Blade threatened to use some Vampire blood to turn Wolverine into a Vampire, then stake him. I imagine Superman wouldn't make for a good vampire for very long.

    I want to see which teeth are gonna break Superman's skin.

    Plus a vampire who runs on sun-light, that would be at least interesting to see. I just hope he doesn't sparkle :-P

    I remember someone posting a scan of a vampire biting Superman and exploding cus SUperman's cells containing sun light.

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    Squalleon

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    #12  Edited By Squalleon

    @saint_wildcard said:

    @squalleon said:

    @tyger said:

    I remember a Blade vs Wolverine comic where Blade threatened to use some Vampire blood to turn Wolverine into a Vampire, then stake him. I imagine Superman wouldn't make for a good vampire for very long.

    I want to see which teeth are gonna break Superman's skin.

    Plus a vampire who runs on sun-light, that would be at least interesting to see. I just hope he doesn't sparkle :-P

    I remember someone posting a scan of a vampire biting Superman and exploding cus SUperman's cells containing sun light.

    Its from that story^

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    warlock360

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    A game of chess. Black Jack if your a gamblin man.

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    Tyger

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    @tyger: I have read that. I didn't buy the excuse tbh, if Cap.Marvel can't beat him in a single punch then I don't think a normal vampire can pierce his skin.

    But with the right plot shield anything is possible :-P, and this was written by Loeb the master of PIS.

    Except that Captain Marvel's magic is to be 'as strong as Hercules', and set to a quantifiable value.

    Vampires (and werewolves, from the Gotham arc) are designed to overpower prey, and the magic reflects that. (Like magic swords that can 'cut anything'.)

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    Squalleon

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    @tyger said:

    @squalleon said:

    @tyger: I have read that. I didn't buy the excuse tbh, if Cap.Marvel can't beat him in a single punch then I don't think a normal vampire can pierce his skin.

    But with the right plot shield anything is possible :-P, and this was written by Loeb the master of PIS.

    Except that Captain Marvel's magic is to be 'as strong as Hercules', and set to a quantifiable value.

    Vampires (and werewolves, from the Gotham arc) are designed to overpower prey, and the magic reflects that. (Like magic swords that can 'cut anything'.)

    But vampires don't generally work like that. They only worked like that for the purpose of that single story thats what I am trying to say.
    And Cap Marvels' power comes from magic, so his hands like the Vampires fangs should hurt Superman by that logic. Do you see what I mean?

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    Tyger

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    @tyger said:

    @squalleon said:

    @tyger: I have read that. I didn't buy the excuse tbh, if Cap.Marvel can't beat him in a single punch then I don't think a normal vampire can pierce his skin.

    But with the right plot shield anything is possible :-P, and this was written by Loeb the master of PIS.

    Except that Captain Marvel's magic is to be 'as strong as Hercules', and set to a quantifiable value.

    Vampires (and werewolves, from the Gotham arc) are designed to overpower prey, and the magic reflects that. (Like magic swords that can 'cut anything'.)

    But vampires don't generally work like that. They only worked like that for the purpose of that single story thats what I am trying to say.

    And Cap Marvels' power comes from magic, so his hands like the Vampires fangs should hurt Superman by that logic. Do you see what I mean?

    I see what you mean, but generally Vampires aren't fighting Kryptonians. In the case of Marvel Comics, you also have vampires fighting Colossus that have trouble with Blade and Spider-Man.

    In this case, the power isn't really 'super strength'. They have it, but it's not what's really being used against Superman or Colossus. The spell they are using is literally 'to overpower the victim'.

    Fortunately, Superman learned from the first encounter, and switched to Superspeed and Heat Vision in Gotham.

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    Superguy1591

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    @squalleon: Diana used that one best. Everytime he uses his superhearing, she knocked her bracelets by his ear.

    There's literally nothing Batman can do to take advantage of Superman though. Diana was moving at superspeed to avoid his vision, Batman can't match.

    A creative way to beat Superman, in my opinion, would require speed. Just rope a dope him, he's not a disciplined fighter, he'll get frustrated and let his defenses down. Then, you take advantage.

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    Superguy1591

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    Can an astrophysicist explain Cellular deconstruction? I wasn't aware light acted differently in a wormhole.

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    The_Thaumaturge

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    #19  Edited By The_Thaumaturge
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    warlock360

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    ScouterV

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    @the_thaumaturge: Didn't Flash just learn how to play though?

    And anyway as for the story, I imagine a Fifth Dimension Imp could come up with any number of ways to Kill Superman if they REALLY wanted it.

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    The_Thaumaturge

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    @scouterv: Firstly, yes, Flash had just learned, but this picture still shows that Superman can think too fast for most people to beat him at a game of Chess.

    And secondly, the point of this forum is to post scans and evidence of original ways of defeating MoS! Saying that a Fifth dimension imp could beat him is simply stating the obvious - it is not an original way in which he has been beaten!!

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    Klaus

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    @the_thaumaturge: His senses have been used against him before. In sacrifice, WW bangs her bracelets against his ears, while he was listening, to make them bleed.

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    The_Thaumaturge

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    #24  Edited By The_Thaumaturge

    @klaus: Hm, interesting...sorry to bring up the same series three times in one forum, but one of Black Canary's cries in Injustice had a similar effect:

    No Caption Provided
    No Caption Provided

    If it were just WW's bracelets that do this, it could be argued that this is still a magical weakness, as they are technically magical 'weapons'. However, if BC's cries also cause his ears to bleed, it makes me think that this may be a little-known vulnerability of Supes' - especially in Injustice, in which he is portrayed as powerfully as he ever is. Lol - now next time someone says Superman is OP because he is only weak to kryptonite and magic, I can say "NO! His ears are vulnerable! Also, his synapses are not squirrel-resistant, and as a vampire, he combusts in the sunlight that fuels his powers..." Great work guys...any other scans or mentions?

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    Klaus

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    @the_thaumaturge: Your right, I think its an actual strength that can be turned into a weakness and vulnerability. After all its always the trained fighters who seem to find his lesser known vulnerabilities. I dont think it was because WWs bracelets are magic, because the concussion rang in her ears as well. Probably anyone with unbreakable metal can do it too.

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    reactor

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    I'll just start it off. In the Injustice comics, Ch'p uses his ring to prevent Superman's synapses from sending signals to his brain, paralysing him. He even boasts that he'll have to "try not to permanently damage him".

    No Caption Provided

    I wish GLs were always this creative. A weapon that can literally do anything you can imagine, providing you have sufficient knowledge and willpower, and most GLs just use energy blasts or constructs as bludgeoning tools.

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    kgb725

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    You could always deprive him of sunlight. Bfr him somewhere like the Phantom zone but not sure if anyone else can open it. Fear toxin.

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    Blade_R

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    #28  Edited By Blade_R

    Just call this guy ;D
    Just call this guy ;D

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    The_Thaumaturge

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    @reactor: This is true... the animated movie "Green Lantern: First Flight" has a fight scene between Sinestro and Hal Jordan which has its moments of creativity (Hal hitting Sinestro's power battery with a golf club for example), but I suspect writers often neglect to do things like this because of the need to balance realistic combat with more amusing/light-hearted ring-use. Also, unnamed ring-bearers are probably the most frequent jobbers in DC, so if writers regularly showed off how powerful the rings are, they would lose a lot of their cannon fodder!

    @blade_r: Well, Superman beats Goku handily, but this isn't another "Superman v Goku" thread, it's "Original Ways in which Superman has Been Beaten". Goku is neither original, nor has he ever beaten the MoS :)

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    Superguy1591

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    @the_thaumaturge: His hearing is only vulnerable if he's listening for something. And you do know you can beat Superman to death, right? With your fist, just punch him to death like Doomsday did.

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    Superguy1591

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    @the_thaumaturge: His hearing is only vulnerable if he's listening for something. And you do know you can beat Superman to death, right? With your fist, just punch him to death like Doomsday did.

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    Blade_R

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    errol_lorre

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    @superguy1591: hahahaha wow, congratulations on coming up with such an original way of beating Superman, lol I bet you're the first person to ever think of punching him lmfao SARCASM you idiot

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    Superguy1591

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    @errol_lorre: well it works, that's why i said rope a dope. Supersonics are useless if Kal isnt listening for something.

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    Bezza

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    #35  Edited By Bezza

    John Stewart targeted Superman's eyes in Green Lantern Rebirth and that had him floored. When you think about it a GL is best placed to take down Superman if they use their willpower effectively.

    No Caption Provided

    Of course MM took down Superman with telepathy when possessed in "Trial By Fire" JLA 84-89. Interesting thread actually. Supes ain't as invulnerable as people think he is!!!

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    errol_lorre

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    @superguy1591: lol, no shit, I was talking about your completely pointless comment saying "You know you can just punch him to death" - everybody knows that, it's not original lol

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    Bezza

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    #37  Edited By Bezza

    ,,another novel method. DC Comics Presents 43. Mongul trapped Superman in one of his cubes and there was nothing supes could do to get out until the Legion of Superheroes freed him.

    No Caption Provided

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    The_Thaumaturge

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    @bezza: This is what this thread is about - great stuff!

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    errol_lorre

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    @bezza: What are monguls cubes powered by?

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    Black_Arrow

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    Bezza

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    @errol_lorre:

    Mongul's suit had technology which allowed him to shrink his enemies and place them in dimensional-inversion cubes. These dimensional-inversion force fields (which Brainiac 5 apparently experimented with when working on his own force field technology) prevent escape by warping their interior reality and absorbing any power used against them from the inside. -

    Mongul Sr was a really bad ass dude and claimed a number of victories over Superman, usually with his fists, but the cube was a cool idea that appeared in DC Comics Presents 43, but wasn't seen with the post crisis version of Mongul.

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    Superguy1591

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    @black_arrow: Then Diana should throw them because Batman can't generate enough force to be a threat to Superman.

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    Superguy1591

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    #43  Edited By Superguy1591
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    The_Thaumaturge

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    #44  Edited By The_Thaumaturge

    @superguy1591: Okay, you need to stop. I said in the first post of the thread that punching or blasting with energy was not an original way of taking Superman out - now that I have made this clear, the only reason you would bring it up again here is if you are trolling. I do not want to have to call any mods over, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you simply did not read the op. I therefore trust we have heard the last of this silly argument, and that we can get back to the topic of the thread.

    @errol_lorre: @bezza: While we're on the topic of the Bronze Age Mongul, another way in which Superman has been beaten is by the use of the Black Mercy plant:

    No Caption Provided

    For those that don't know, the plant reads its host's most innermost desires, and creates a completely convincing illusion for them in which these desires are a reality. I think that it works of some sort of TP, but it may be a planty/chemically thing, somewhat like Poison Ivy's own brand of mind control...I don't really know. I'm not sure how effective it is at keeping Superman down for long in the comics - I remember in the JLU episode "For the Man who has Everything" Batman only had to talk to Supes to get him to snap out of it, but I think it's more of an emotional weapon - in order to beat it, you have to sacrifice everything you want most. This would also be in keeping with the character of the Bronze Age Mongul, who was quite a personal villain.

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    Bezza

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    @the_thaumaturge:

    Yeah, the Black Mercy plant from the classic Alan Moore tale "For the man who has everything", which is a brilliant story!

    ..Another solution- over exposure to Solar radiation, as seen In All star superman....

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