Galactus vs. Superman: Does Clark Have What It Takes to Defeat the Devourer of Worlds?
Both DC and Marvel comics have their fair share of powerful characters. Among the DC’s most famous powerhouses is certainly Superman, whose strength is widely regarded as over the top and legendary. Marvel’s hierarchy of power has its fair share of incredibly powerful beings as well, with cosmic beings holding the upper-echelons power, and one such being is Galactus, devourer of worlds. We have an interesting matchup today in which we’re going to analyze whether Superman can take down Galactus and who is more powerful.
Galactus would win in a fight against Superman as he is vastly more powerful. Galactus is a cosmic force that survives by eating entire energy-rich planets, in some stories, even entire Universes, and this fact alone is enough to turn deadly for Superman. Galactus would be able to consume Superman and power himself with his yellow solar radiation energy reserves, as there is nothing at Superman’s disposal to come even close to hurting Galactus. Superman might have a chance if Galactus is horribly starved, but even then, it’s dubious.
Now that we’ve covered that Galactus can, in fact, deal with Superman rather efficiently, it’s time to analyze the powers, abilities, strength, durability, and other aspects of both characters. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!
Powers and abilities
Superman is a Kryptonian, and due to his unique alien physiology, he can utilize yellow solar radiation to power his vast superhuman abilities. Superman is vastly more powerful than your average human, his powers bordering on godlike.
Superman can generate extremely powerful shockwaves with the clap of his hands. He can utilize heat vision and freeze breath to deal horrifying elemental damage. Superman has other abilities that make him far superior to most other characters from DC comics. However, we will focus on the offensive abilities right now, as X-ray vision wouldn’t help him as much in the fight against Galactus.
Galactus is aptly named Devourer of Worlds due to his size and due to the fact that he literally eats worlds for, well, any meal of the day. Galactus needs energy, and the only objects that can provide him with such levels of energy are celestial objects. And why does Galactus need all that energy? Because he is among the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, which predates the current Universe, Galactus is considered to be the force of nature, and due to that, he has insane powers at his disposal.
Galactus commands the so-called Power Cosmic, a source of extremely potent energy that grants him near-omnipotence. He can manipulate almost all known forms of energy and project the most destructive blasts you will ever witness. Galactus can also warp reality. He can transmute molecules and alter the structures, shapes, and nature of almost any object that he encounters.
Galactus’ powers are nearly infinite in nature and far surpass heat beams shooting from Superman’s eyes. This is why the point goes to Galactus.
Points: Galactus (1:0) Superman
Strength and Stamina
As a Kryptonian, Superman has a much denser muscle structure than your average human, and this is what allows him to lift, on average, up to 2 billion tons. Although, it’s important to note that he has, on several instances, manipulated celestial bodies with nothing but his raw strength. Superman’s strength is generally considered to be potentially limitless.
Due to his ability to absorb and store yellow solar radiation in his cells for later use, he also has unlimited stamina at his disposal; Superman can fight for who knows how long without needing to rest. This is especially true if he fights in the vicinity of the yellow sun.
Galactus’ strength is incalculable, and he can lift everything, but he is currently classified as being able to lift well over 100 tons. However, like everything else regarding Galactus, this largely depends on whether he fed recently or not.
Galactus potentially has limitless stamina reserves at his disposal, but also, due to his near-omnipotence, he also spends a lot of energy on the regular. This is why it’s important for Galactus to feed regularly. If he is well fed, he can, in theory, fight infinitely, but as his energy reserves are known to drop rapidly, depending on how much Power Cosmic he exerts, this is far from being true.
Galactus is by far physically stronger than Superman. However, Galactus depends on feeding too much, which greatly affects his stamina levels. This is why the point goes to both.
Points: Galactus (2:1) Superman
Speed
Superman is among the fastest characters in the DC universe, although he can’t access Speed Force. Superman can move at speeds as fast as 186,000 miles per second on average, although it is a known fact that he has feats that go well above that number. He is the fastest while flying in outer space, but his combat speeds are also not too shabby. Superman has vastly superior reflexes and reaction times. His movements are practically invisible.
Galactus is constantly searching for planets to devour, and this is why he needs to have insane speeds at his command. It’s known that Galactus’ speed far surpasses the speed of light, he can also teleport, and while he is flying, he resembles a shooting star. It wouldn’t even make sense to try to put an exact number on how fast Galactus can go as he can seemingly manifest himself from one end of the Universe to another in record time. Galactus rarely resorts to fistfights, but he is capable of being quite quick if he needs to. Also, he can always use teleportation to dodge hits.
Both Galactus and Superman have speeds that, at some point, stop making any sense. Both are fast and because the fight between them wouldn’t be about speed in any case, both get the point.
Points: Galactus (3:2) Superman
Durability
Superman is among the most durable characters in DC comics, as he is highly invulnerable to most forms of damage and most “human” ailments that might come his way. Once again, this is because he is a Kryptonian. His bodily tissues and muscles are harder than those of average humans, allowing him to withstand planetary-scale blasts and some of the most powerful weapons in the DC universe. Superman has a rapid healing factor; the yellow sun can heal his damage instantly. However, it’s important to note the glaring weaknesses of Superman, Kryptonite and Magic, as both can prove to be lethal if concentrated enough.
Galactus, in theory, cannot be destroyed as he is a natural constant needed to maintain the universal balance. Even if killed, Galactus will eventually reform itself and return to the living. He can be hurt, as was the case when Thor killed him, and he can be drained of power, but this is never enough to deal with him permanently.
Both Galactus and Superman are highly invulnerable, and both never seem to go down. However, Superman has nothing to throw at Superman, and Galactus can, among other forms of energy, control magic. Galactus is also capable of draining Superman of his power and effectively killing him while at the same time empowering himself.
Points: Galactus (4:2) Superman
Intelligence
Superman’s brain structure is highly superior to that of an average human. He can think and process information faster than humans and is among the most intelligent characters in the DC, even though that aspect of his character is often overlooked.
Galactus is omniscient, to say the least. He has cosmic awareness and knowledge of even the most bizarre phenomena that can be stumbled upon across the Universe. Galactus is considered among the smartest minds in the known Universe, and his knowledge of technology, natural laws, reality, past, present, and future are unparalleled. His cosmic awareness allows him to notice even the smallest changes across the cosmos.
Superman is smart, but it can’t be measured with the scope of Galactus’ knowledge. This point goes to Devourer of Worlds.
Points: Galactus (5:2) Superman
Combat Skills
Superman has received extensive training in various forms of combat, including boxing, Jujitsu, Krav-Maga, wrestling, stick-fighting, and swordsmanship, making him an excellent hand-to-hand fighter. Even though he is not considered to be among the best fighters or martial artists in the DC, he is still, due to his biological advantages, hard to defeat.
It is not known whether Galactus has any formal knowledge in terms of armed and unarmed combat, he has been known to carry some of the most powerful weapons in the Marvel Universe, but when it comes to traditional forms of combat, he is somewhat lacking as he doesn’t have to rely on physical combat to get the point across. On the other hand, considering that Galactus is omniscient, he is probably aware of all combat forms in existence, but he rarely chooses to use them, as there are efficient ways for him to deal with his enemies.
Superman is most likely to resort to fistfights, as hand-to-hand or even armed combat is not Galactus’ forte. This point goes to the Man of Steel.
Superman vs. Galactus: who is stronger & who wins the fight?
As you can see by our analysis, Galactus is stronger than Superman and would be able to take him down in a fight. At the end of the day, it comes down to their respective classifications, as Galactus is infinite and part of the cosmic constant. As such, he would have no trouble taking care of Superman and would most likely use him as a source of energy. Kryptonians are powerful batteries due to their ability to both absorb and store yellow solar radiation in their cells, converting it to pure energy. This is no doubt something that Galactus would use to his advantage.
Superman might have a chance if Galactus were to be extremely starved, and even this is not as feasible since Galactus would be able to restore a portion of his powers by draining Superman. Superman is more on the level of Galactus’ Heralds, such as Silver Surfer, but doesn’t stand a chance against the master.
Who do you think would win in this fight? Let us know in the comments!
