Darth Vader vs. Superman: Can the Sith Lord Take on a Kryptonian?

There are a lot of iconic characters in the world of fiction, and two of them belong to different fictional universes where they are the most iconic characters. In Star Wars, Darth Vader stands as the most iconic villain in the galaxy, whereas Superman is one of the most iconic heroes in the world of DC. But if we were to pit Darth Vader and Superman against each other, who would win in a fight?

Superman would win in a fight against Darth Vader. Darth Vader would have no chance against the Man of Steel. That’s because Superman’s physical attributes alone would be more than enough to defeat Vader in a second. And once we factor in Superman’s other powers and abilities, Darth Vader and an entire army wouldn’t even be enough to beat him.

The thing about the world of superheroes is that these characters tend to have feats that are insane. On the other hand, while Star Wars characters may be capable of awesome feats, most of them are still just humans or normal with the ability to use the Force. That explains why, for all of his powers, Vader isn’t a match for Superman. But let’s look at this fictional battle in greater detail to understand why this is a clean win for the Man of Steel.

Strength

Even though Darth Vader was human, he still had strength that surpassed what normal humans were capable of. He was trained as a Jedi his entire early life, which meant that his physical abilities were superior to what regular people had. On top of that, he got his limbs replaced by cybernetic parts that enhanced his strength. That’s why Darth Vader’s strikes tend to be a lot more powerful than the strike of a regular Jedi.

In the world of DC, Superman is the poster boy for superpowered beings with superhuman strength. That’s because his main asset is his incredible strength, as Superman is said to be able to lift two billion tons. That means he can destroy entire mountains with a single punch and even push an entire planet out of orbit. He is simply someone with strength levels that are beyond comprehension.

Superman has more strength in a finger than Darth Vader has in his whole body. There is no comparison in this regard because Vader isn’t even a fraction of Superman’s strength levels.

Vader 0, Superman 1

Speed

Darth Vader was incredibly fast and agile when he was still known as Anakin Skywalker. He lost a lot of mobility after his limbs were replaced by cybernetic parts and was forced to wear a life-support suit.

However, Vader’s reflexes were still a lot faster than what regular humans are capable of. He is deceptively fast for someone operating on cybernetic limbs and confined to a life-support suit.

Not only is Superman strong, but he is also a lot faster than anything on the planet. Superman has always been described as faster than a speeding bullet, meaning he can move faster than the eye can see. In fact, there have been several instances wherein he could move as fast as the Flash. And Superman can even travel from one planet to another faster than spaceships.

Of course, this is another no-contest. Before Vader could even blink, Superman had already punched a hole right through his life-support suit. And that’s because the speed gap between them is just too wide.

Vader 0, Superman 2

Fighting Abilities

Trained in the art of lightsaber combat and basic unarmed combat, Darth Vader is one of the best fighters in the storyline of Star Wars and is capable of overwhelming any other lightsaber duelist in the galaxy. Only a handful of characters could match Vader’s abilities with a lightsaber. On top of that, even if he isn’t using a lightsaber, he can still beat someone in a fistfight because of his training.

A lot of people tend to dismiss Superman as a mere brawler. But while he loves to punch his way through his fights, he was actually given combat training by the likes of Wonder Woman and Batman.

That means that Superman is a better fighter than most people would give him credit, as he is considered advanced in his fighting skills. Nevertheless, his fighting abilities pale compared to the other great fighters of DC, such as the aforementioned members of the Justice League.

So, if we were to negate Superman’s strength and speed advantages, Darth Vader may be a better fighter than him. That is why we will give this round to Vader, even though his fighting abilities won’t do much against a full-powered Superman.

Vader 1, Superman 2

Powers

Anakin Skywalker was supposed to be the strongest Force user in the galaxy because he had the highest potential. While his potential diminished after becoming Darth Vader and turned into a cybernetic monster, he was still strong in the Force and could use telekinesis to throw entire boulders and crush rooms.

In the ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ series, he was so strong in Force that Vader could stop an entire shuttle from flying simply by using his telekinetic abilities.

Aside from his insane physical gifts, Superman has powers allowing him to stand out in any fight. One of his often-used powers is flying without using any tool.

He can fly at insane speeds that can break the sound barrier. Of course, Superman also has powerful abilities that can destroy entire structures in a second, such as his heat vision and super-breath.

As strong as Vader may be in the Force, one blast of Superman’s heat vision would be more than enough to destroy his suit. And he won’t even see it coming because Superman’s heat vision is incredibly fast.

Vader 1, Superman 3

Feats

Darth Vader’s feats are some of the most impressive in the Star Wars universe because he has beaten Sith Lords and Jedi Masters alike. He was the one that killed the dreaded Count Dooku before he turned to the dark side.

During Order 66, he was responsible for killing numerous Jedi Masters and Knights. During the reign of the Empire, he killed several more Masters and Knights, including Cere Junda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Superman’s feats are some of the craziest in the world of DC because he has done many things that tend to be quite impossible. He once moved the Earth out of orbit using his insane strength.

There were even instances wherein he could keep an entire black hole in the palm of his hands. Of course, he has beaten godlike beings in the DC universe, including the likes of Darkseid.

The fact is that Superman’s feats are planet-level in terms of how awesome they are. On the other hand, Vader’s feats may be impressive, but they are restricted by the somewhat realistic power scaling we see in Star Wars. That is why Superman takes this once more.

Vader 1, Superman 4

Darth Vader vs. Superman: Who wins?

The truth is that there is no way that a Sith Lord could ever take on Superman, and that means that Darth Vader is nowhere near the level of the Man of Steel. Superman’s physical attributes alone are more than enough to defeat Darth Vader, who won’t even see Superman’s punches coming. As such, not even Vader and the entire Imperial armada would be enough to defeat Superman, who can destroy entire armies on his own.

Who do you think would win in this fight? Let us know in the comments!