Superman vs Superman

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s an all-out blue superhero battle! In this epic battle extravaganza, I Faceoff everything Superman vs Superman-related tropes, from actors who played the Man of Steel to Superman villains, Lois Lane, and Superman-like characters to find out who is the bests.

Born Kal-El, Superman is the last son of Krypton, sent as the dying planet’s last hope to Earth. He grew to become Earth’s most powerful superhero ever.

Much like his strength, Superman’s impact on global culture is almost incalculable. He’s been featured in comic books, television shows, radio shows, movies, and video games. He was the first superhero, and whether you like him or not he will always be the most iconic.

Superman vs Superman: Superboy

The flying superhero kid known as “Superboy” was born in a test tube created by Project Cadmus in an attempt to replace Superman. Unable to clone Kryptonian DNA Cadmus genetics made the next best thing – Cadmus’ homegrown hero was designed to mimic Superman’s powers.

However, the clone was “birthed” before he had fully developed, thus unleashing a young headstrong hero very different from the one Cadmus intended. In this list, I have the three most outstanding depictions of Superboy.

Conner Kent (Kon-El) from the New 52 version

Subject 13, better known as Conner and nicknamed Superboy is a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor that was created in Cadmus Laboratories. He was grown in a containment pod in the laboratories, but eventually broke free and later joined the Titans hero team.

Because of his hybrid Human-Kryptonian physiology, Conner has most of the physical abilities of a Kryptonian who has absorbed the solar energy of a yellow sun. However, due to the human DNA supplied by Lex Luthor, he lacks more advanced powers like flight.

He has a considerable superhuman level of strength that allows him to send a Cadmus soldier through a wall, push a garage door off its hinges, bend the barrel of a mugger’s pistol, and more. He has the ability to fire beams from his eyes, X-Ray vision, and Superhuman breath that enables him to both inhale and exhale large amounts of gases. 

Superboy from The Adventures of Superboy

Often overlooked, actor Gerard Christopher put in more hours as the Man of Steel (or Boy of Steel, in this case) than most of the other actors who portrayed Superman. He put on the costume for an impressive 73 half-hour episode over the course of three years.

The series featured several well-known comic book personalities including Lex Luthor, Metallo, and the fire superhero Bizarro, as well as brand new characters such as T.J. White (the son of Daily Planet editor Perry White). It focused on Clark Kent, his childhood friend and love interest Lana Lang, and his college roommate T.J. White.

By the time the show reached its third and fourth seasons, it was a Superman show in all but name, right down to Clark and Lana working in a very newspaper-like environment. Gerard fought a series of equally comic book-accurate supervillains throughout the show’s run.

Superboy-Prime

The Superboy of Earth-Prime comes from a world where superheroes only exist as fiction – except for him. In this alternative Earth, Jor-El teleported his son to Earth to save him from the dying Krypton. 

Kal-El rematerialized on the planet Earth where he was adopted by Jerry and Naomi Kent who named him Clark, despite the fact that Clark Kent was the name of a popular comic book hero known as Superman.

Clark Kent grew up without superpowers. Only when a cosmic vortex opened up above him one day, discharging Superman, did a bizarre transformation took hold of Clark. The physical characteristics of his Kryptonian heritage manifested and he discovered that he was gifted with superpowers.

Superboy aided the older Superman in returning him to his proper world and followed him through the cosmic vortex to an alternate reality. Little did Superboy realize that he would never again see his own.

Question: Which is the coolest version of Superboy?

superman vs superman superboy

Who is the best Superman villain?
×

My answer: Kon-El, mainly because he has his own set of powers, like telekinesis and telepathy, and he is not just a teenage version of Superman like the others.

Superman vs Superman: Evil Superman

Superman represents everything good in the universe, as the popular superhero always tries the right thing. But as an exemplar of good, it’s not surprising for Supes to have a vast array of dark reflections of himself and even some who are downright murderous.

Actually, the trope of an evil Superman has been done over and over again in this past decade. Superman is evidently too good a character to not be reimagined as a villain.

Let’s count down the six darkest alternate Superman opposites who challenge Superman, and decide who is the most dangerous evil, Superman.

Ultraman

Kal-Il is Ultraman, the last son of Krypton from Earth 3 and the leader of the Crime Syndicate a supervillain team.

During the Forever Evil era, Ultraman and his team disposed of the Justice League and declared Earth as theirs. Noticing the rising sun – it’s a light a weakness of his, Ultraman moved the moon to create a permanent eclipse.

Hank Henshaw/Cyborg Superman

Hank Henshaw was exposed to lethal cosmic radiation that destroyed his body, forcing his consciousness to seek refuge in computer circuitry. Henshaw returned to physical life after downloading himself into Superman’s birthing matrix.

He was reborn as a power-mad cyborg with equal parts of Kal-El’s own DNA and the Matrix’s unbreakable Kryptonian alloys. After Superman’s alleged death at the hands of Doomsday, Henshaw managed to deceive many that he is the Last Son of Krypton restored to life.

Even Lois Lane was fooled by the Cyborg’s well-crafted deception. But the truth was far more insidious. As Earth embraced its returned hero, the Cyborg-Superman plotted the planet’s utter ruin.

Bizarro Superman

This super-creature is the imperfect duplicate of Superman created when the green supervillain Joker had the reality-altering powers of Mr. Mxyzptlk.

Bizarro is everything Superman is not only worse! Like the distorted image in a funhouse mirror, Bizarro is a twisted reflection of the Man of Tomorrow, with backward powers and an upside-down view of right and wrong. He even speaks in opposites.

Bizarro may sound a bit silly, but the truth is, his misguided attempts at what he considers ‘heroism’ often result in bad times for Superman, as Bizarro is often found rampaging across Earth and other worlds making trouble.

Evil Superman

Superman’s Evil Persona was a separate being that was created from Superman, due to exposure to Synthetic Kryptonite which temporarily separated him into two beings. Apparently, most of his unpleasant characteristics were imbued on his evil twin, who acted without morals or care for others.

The internal conflict within Evil Superman was so great that his soul split into twins, and his remaining “good” part came in the form of Clark Kent. Evil Superman sought to kill Clark once and for all, but Clark withstood all attacks and ultimately defeated Evil Superman.

His soul once again united, and Good Superman was restored.

See also: Homelander vs Superman Who Would Win?

Justice Lord Superman

In a parallel universe, Superman was a member of the team resembling the Justice League, until President Lex Luthor unjustly executed the red superhero Flash.

Soon after, Superman stormed the White House and confronted President Luthor, who mocked the Man of Steel, arrogantly stating that he would find a way to avoid prosecution. Superman executed Luthor with his heat vision, took over the world with his League’s help, and formed the Justice Lords’ crime-free regime.

Their evil was insidious. They saw themselves as the world’s saviors, and the terror and lobotomies necessary to realize their vision as a small price to pay. Of course, when they found an alternate Earth, they immediately imagined all the “good” they could do there.

Who is the most dangerous Evil Superman? (Vote Below)

evil superman vs superman

Which is the coolest version of Superboy?
×

My answer: Ultraman. The leader of the Crime Syndicate is Superman who kills his enemies without remorse and sniffs Kryptonite to get high. If he had his way with Earth, humanity would suffer greatly.

Superman vs Superman: Supervillains

Let’s look at the villains that stand out and decide who is the best Superman villain.

When you’ve been around fighting evil for more than eighty years, you are bound to come up against some seriously tough foes. And Kal-El has certainly faced the most maniacal, diabolical, and cleverest adversaries the Multi-verse has to offer. Sometimes he barely manages to scrape out a win, while some of his enemies have even managed to beat him.

Superman’s Rogues Gallery includes men who can match his strength with brains, who are military tactical geniuses, or men who are just pure evil and have no qualms about hurting innocent people.

The list includes General Zos, Brainiacm Lex Luthor, Metallo, Doomsday, Mister Mxyzptlk, Parasite, and Darkseid.

Question: Who is the best Superman villain?

superman vs superman supervillains

Who is the best Superman villain?
×

My answer: Lex Luthor. The bald businessman feels that Superman’s mere presence renders all his accomplishments meaningless. He will do anything to get rid of the Man of Steel.

Superman-like

Let’s face it, when you’re arguably the most famous superhero in the world, people are going to copy you. So it’s really no surprise that there are many Superman wannabes out there, all across the comic book pantheon – including fellow male and female DC characters.

These Superman-type characters have similar superpowers to a typical Kryptonian, including Flight, Heat Vision, Super-strength, and nigh-invulnerability. Some are actually aliens and most even wear a cape. Here are the best ten Superman-like characters.

The list includes Omni-Man from the Invincible, Homelander from The Boys, Brandon Breyer from Brightburn, Metro Man from Megamind, Superman from The Tick, Shazam, Hancock, Miracle Guy from We Can Be Heroes, Marvel Hyperion, and The Utopian from Jupiter’s Legacy.

Question: Who is the most powerful Superman-like character?

superman vs superman clone characters

Who is the most powerful Superman-like character?
×

My answer: Hyperion. He pretty much has the same power superman has. Hyperion’s unique physiology is common among the Eternals.

His body collects cosmic radiation and operates in a process similar to nuclear fusion, specifically processing and gaining nourishment from solar photon particles. As a result, he is so strong to the point that he stopped an earth-size meteor moving at incredible speeds on his own.

The most impressive feat was his holding back an incursion, the collision of two piles of the earth until the two planets collapsed. 

Superman vs Superman Actors

Some Hollywood actors have become legends thanks to wearing the red cape on the big and small screen. Christopher Reeves, Brandon Routh, and Henry Cavill are just some of the names who took the role of the Last Son of Krypton. Each brought some essential component of the character to the forefront.

For this Superman special, I matched up the guys who made the most impact in the cape, to find out who is the best actor who played Superman. The list includes Christopher Reeve, George Reeves, Dean Cain, Tom Welling, Tyler Hoechlin, and Henry Cavil.

Who is the Best Superman Actor? Vote Below

superman vs superman who is the best superman actor

Make your selection below
1 answer
×

My answer: Christopher Reeve is the superest superhero actor who played Superman. The first movie I ever saw in a theater was Christopher Reeve as Superman. Reeve is the gold standard. They made some bad movies with him, but he still nailed it every time.

Superman vs Superman Lois Lane Actresses

Lois Lane was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who reported from the front lines of war zones. But the biggest scoop of her career came when she looked out the portal of a plunging space-plane and witnessed a flying hero, whom she dubbed “Superman”.

There have been dozens of Lois Lane actresses over the years, but some were better than others. Noel Neill was the first actress to play Clark Kent’s leading lady on the big screen in the Superman series in 1948.  Margot Kidder played Lois Lane in Superman I-IV movies.

Kate Bosworth and Amy Adams both took turns playing Lois Lane in Superman Returns (2006) and the recent Justice League films. And these are the nominees for the best Lois Lane actress: Erica Durance, Margot Kidder, Amy Adams, Teri Hatcher, Noel Neill, Kate Bosworth, Dana Delany, and Grey DeLisle Ego.

Who is the Best Superman Actress? Vote Below

Who is the Best Superman Actress?
×

My answer:  Teri Hatcher.  Her portrayal on the “Lois & Clark” TV show was definitely an unforgettable one. Hatcher gives fans everything they could possibly want from Lois Lane and I love her for it.

Supergirl vs Supergirl Actresses

Superman thought he was the sole survivor of planet Krypton until cousin Kara Zor-El arrived on Earth from his home world. Just like Superman, the Girl of Steel is a beacon of hope and this hopefulness runs through the many interpretations of Supergirl on film, in animation, and in video games.

The list includes Helen Slater (Supergirl, 1984 movie), Adrianne Palicki (Smallville, TV series Season 3), Nicholle Tom (Superman: The Animated Series, 1996), and Melissa Benoist (Supergirl TV Series, 2015), Kari Wahlgren (Supergirl Meets E.T.).

Question: Who is your favorite Supergirl? Vote below

superman vs superman supergirls

Who is your favorite Supergirl?
×

My answer:  Melissa Benoist. She really pulls off Supergirl very well and owns that character. I also like how many facial expressions she can pull off as Linda and as Supergirl. The show is not that great, to be honest, but her portrayal is good. 

Superman vs Superman: Jor-El Actors

Foreseeing his home planet’s fate, Jor-El and his wife, Lara, sent their infant son into space shortly before Krypton was destroyed. Many different actors have stepped up to the role of Jor-El over the years, but two Hollywood A-listers seem to outshine the rest.

Marlon Brando played Jor-El in Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman: The Movie. The actor didn’t have much screen time in the movie, as he died at the very beginning. However, he continued to be a presence in it through the Fortress of Solitude; his recorded messages for Kal-El helped his son slowly become the ideal superhero.

Though Russell Crow’s role as Jor-El in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel is relatively small, he did get to have an epic battle with the evil General Zod. However, Crow didn’t reprise his role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League movies.

Marlon Brando’s Jor-El

Russel Crowe’s Jor-El

Question: Who is the ultimate Kryptonian father?   

Make your selection below
×

My answer: Marlon Brando.  Sorry Russel, if the question was who played the ultimate gladiator in movie history, you would surely be my pick. However, Marlon Brando as Jor-El is so iconic that his picture should be embedded on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

Superman vs Superman Sanctuaries and Headquarters

The Fortress of Solitude

superman vs superman

A modern home base for Superman, located on one of the poles. Originally conceived as a safe repository for preserving Kryptonian culture and artifacts, Superman utilizes the fortress as a place to kick back.

Primary maintenance is carried out by Kelex, Superman’s faithful robotic servant, who tirelessly services the Fortress. The Fortress serves as a place to store weapons and machinery from Krypton, such as the Phantom Zone Projector – a device Superman routinely uses to banish renegade Kryptonians back into the Phantom Zone, and the Duplicator Ray, which is used for reproduction of Bizarros.

The Fortress is also where Superman maintained the shrunken, bottled city of Kandor.

The Watchtower

The Watchtower is a space station orbiting the Earth that serves as the headquarters of the original Justice League. It was contributed by Batman after the Imperium alien invasion as a means to detect advance warning of another alien invasion.

The Watchtower is largely an automated facility and does not require any extensive crew to operate and maintain it, beyond the seven League members. Entry is restricted to these seven, who also carry special transmitters to allow them entry.

See also: https://faceoffdb.com/battle-report/batman-vs-batman/

Question: In which H.Q would you rather get married?

Make your selection below
×

My answer: The Fortress of Solitude. It’s more iconic headquarter and there are all those Kryptonian robots servants to serve the guests.

           

                    

Pop-culture obsessive girl. She worked professionally in the entertainment and media industry in Los Angeles. Edited many prime-time TV shows and award-winning documentaries. Worked for companies such as HBO, CBS, NBC, FOX, RESHET.