Can Superman Beat Darkseid on His Own?

There is no doubt that Superman is the face of the powerhouse superheroes because he was not only one of the first superpowered comic book characters but also because he has one of the most compelling storylines of all time. Of course, Superman’s incredible powers and abilities have always allowed him to become head and shoulders stronger than many comic book heroes and villains. But one villain that has always been too powerful for one member of the Justice League is Darkseid. So, can Superman beat Darkseid on his own?

On his best day, Superman is almost unbeatable

The world of comic books is full of some of the strongest superheroes the world of fiction has ever seen. Of course, while he isn’t necessarily the strongest, Superman is almost always at the top of the list of powerhouses due to this character’s popularity. And it would be difficult to find someone unfamiliar with Superman.

As far as superheroes go, Superman has it all because he can fly and possesses superhuman physical attributes that are exponentially superior compared to regular humans. In that regard, Superman is actually exponentially stronger than most other heroes with superhuman physical abilities as well. Due to his status as an iconic powerhouse, Superman has always been regarded as the big gun of the Justice League.

Supes often has to handle the strongest villains that the rest of the Justice League struggle against. But there have been threats that we know are too great that not even Superman would be strong enough to handle. This usually comes in the form of gods or cosmic entities that have abilities far beyond what superheroes are capable of. Darkseid has almost always been on the list of powerful villains that require all of the members of the Justice League to work together to defeat.

There have been a lot of instances wherein Darkseid had to take on all of the members of the League on his own, only for him to either match their prowess or even defeat them. While Wonder Woman and the other members of the Justice League are strong, only Superman has been able to actually match Darkseid’s strength and powers. As such, in most cases, the Justice League has to have the Man of Steel to stand a chance against the evil New God of Apokolips.

But as strong as Superman may be, he usually doesn’t have the strength to defeat Darkseid all on his own. He can match Darkseid, but defeating him has always been difficult for Superman to do. Nevertheless, the comics often tell different stories in relation to the power levels of the characters. As such, we have seen Superman having the best day of his life and becoming strong enough to actually defeat Darkseid.

During the events of the ‘Superman Versus Darkseid: Apokolips Now’ storyline in the comics, Superman actually went up against Darkseid all on his own and managed to defeat the powerful New God without having to rely on his friends. This proves that, on his best day, he can defeat Darkseid singlehandedly. Of course, we can even say that Darkseid, in his worst days, is weaker than Superman.

Superman can match Darkseid’s avatar but not the true Darkseid

Even if we do know that Superman is strong enough to handle Darkseid on his own, the fact is that Darkseid has almost always been stronger than him. This is because Darkseid is a New God, whereas Superman is but a mere mortal Kryptonian. Despite that, Superman’s indomitable will and desire to protect people have always allowed him to reach a higher level and become strong enough to defeat godlike beings.

However, it is important to remember that the Darkseid who we often see in the comics, animated shows, and even the movies isn’t the real Darkseid. The true version of Darkseid is a multiversal being who exists well beyond the multiverse itself, as he is the very embodiment of evil and darkness in the multiverse. In fact, the reason why Darkseid’s true form doesn’t exist in the DC multiverse is the fact that he is so powerful that any attempts at entering the multiverse will cause the destruction of the entire multiverse.

In that regard, the versions of Darkseid that we often see in the different comic book universes in the DC multiverse are just avatars of the true form of Darkseid. The real Darkseid, who exists outside the multiverse, has to send out avatars to the DC universes to exist in the DC multiverse. As such, these different avatars only possess a small fraction of the true Darkseid’s power.

So, while Superman may be strong enough to match the strength and power of one of Darkseid’s avatars, the truth is that he is nowhere near the level of Darkseid’s true form. In fact, there aren’t many DC characters who can hold a candle to the true Darkseid. 

The fact that Superman can’t even perform consistently against an avatar of Darkseid is indicative of the fact there is arguably no way that Superman could ever defeat Darkseid all on his own. Frankly, not even all of the members of the Justice League of the DC multiverse can defeat Darkseid’s true form, even if they were to work together. That’s just how overpowered Darkseid really is, as even one of his avatars can defeat the main members of the Justice League.

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