DC’s superheroes have always been seen as more than just people. They’re mythic figures who represent the best parts of ourselves, facing the world’s evils with their heads held high and their hearts open. DC’s heroes are living embodiments of hope, justice, and everything that makes people good. In that sense, they’re as much inspirations as they are characters. The greatest among them, of course, is Superman. He’s the ultimate inspiration, setting the standard that every other hero in DC is constantly trying to live up to. His nigh-infinite strength has saved the universe countless times, and his work for the greater good is even the blueprint for DC’s future team, the Legion of Super-Heroes.
The Legion hails from the 31st Century, and they represent the ultimate hope for the DC Universe. They’re living proof that the fight for a better tomorrow actually creates a world that, while not yet perfect, has vastly improved in every regard. They were also directly inspired by Clark’s actions. Specifically, his time as Superboy. The Legion is also known for having people with some pretty out-there powers. Some you could even call actually useless. However, some of these Legionnaires are very powerful, and even have the potential to outperform the legendary Man of Steel. Today, we’re looking at five Legionnaires who can challenge Superman. Without further ado, let’s list off some Legionnaires.
Querl Dox, the descendant of the original Brainiac, is the smartest character in DC by a significant margin. He’s more than capable of creating any number of insanely powerful technological advancements, and his track record is the best there is. He invented the Legion Flight Ring and recreated the original Brainiac’s forcefield belt, which not even Superman can muscle his way through. He’s the person who arms the Legion with all of their advanced technology, able to perform leagues better than even the smartest scientists of his own future time.
The original Brainiac was enough of a threat on his own, but Brainiac 5 is everything that the original was and more. Both are the universe’s scant few 12th-level intellects and, as such, command more knowledge and scientific breakthroughs than anyone else. The only thing holding Brainaic 5 back from being as dangerous as his ancestor is his morality. If he decided to throw kindness to the wind, then he could certainly challenge Superman just as well, if not better, than the original Brainiac.
Ultra Boy is an alien known as a Rimborian, and his people possess an unbelievable amount of superpowers. Just a few of these powers include super strength, speed, breath, invulnerability, flight, heat vision, and other assorted vision abilities. If that resume sounds familiar, it’s because Ultra Boy’s power set is literally the exact same as that of any Kryptonian or Daxamite. He can match Superman blow for blow and is considered among the Legion’s strongest, one of their Big Three, because of it. Heck, some of his powers are even better than the Man of Steel’s, as his Penta-Vision lets him see through lead.
Of course, Ultra Boy has one glaring flaw. He can only use one power at a time. This major limiting factor keeps him from claiming the strongest spot alongside Superman, but even if he can only access one ability at a time, what he can do cannot be underestimated. Punching just as hard as Superman, even if it’s only occasionally, is more than enough to bring down most threats on its own. In any contest, he could match the Man of Tomorrow shot for shot. He’d get overwhelmed if Superman mixed his powers, but Ultra Boy is certainly capable of winning.
Thom Kallor would go on to become the Starman in both the Kingdom Come universe and the main Justice Society of America, but even during his time in the Legion of Super-Heroes, he was a definite powerhouse. He can manipulate an object’s density, effectively making anything as light or heavy as he wishes. He’s been shown to be able to increase the density of individual objects up to that of a star. If he focuses his energy, he can even generate black holes, which can act as passageways between universes.
As if that wasn’t enough, Star Boy had a few more tricks up his sleeve. In his earliest adventures, he passed through a comet’s tail, which granted him super strength and senses equivalent to Superboy’s. He sported practically an identical powerset to Superboy, on top of his own density manipulation. This was the peak of his power, and with these two strengths combined, he most definitely stood a chance at bringing down Superman.
Imra hails from the moon Titan, where everyone possesses powerful telepathic abilities. Even among a race of telepaths, Saturn Girl is considered a genius among geniuses. Her telepathic abilities are considered equal to, or even greater than, Martian Manhunter’s, who is arguably the strongest telepath of his time. She can cast people into illusions so deep that they can’t tell what’s real from fiction, and she’s even capable of controlling minds by wiping or implanting information. Heck, her telepathy is so strong that she can even send and receive messages across dimensions, into the Phantom Zone.
Martian Manhunter has already shown that he’s more than capable of shutting Superman’s mind down, such as during their first meeting in the New 52, where he trapped the entire Justice League in a vision they didn’t break out of until he left. Saturn Girl has already shown that she’s at least that powerful, as her Absolute version decimated Superman by trapping him in endless illusions and ripping into his mind with ease. Superman may be invulnerable, but his mind is just as vulnerable as anyone else’s.
If there was anyone who could challenge and even defeat Superman, it would be none other than his chosen brother, Mon-El. He’s a Daxamite, who are a cousin-people to Kryptonians, having lived in the same solar system. As such, under a yellow sun, Mon-El gains the same powers as Superman. He can fly, shoot lasers, bend steel in his hands, and do everything else that the Man of Tomorrow is capable of. In every battle they’ve had and been in together, the two have demonstrated that they are just about equals in physical might.
The only difference between Kryptonians and Daxamites is that the latter have a fatal vulnerability to lead, which forced Mon-El to spend a thousand years trapped in the Phantom Zone so he could survive. By the time he joined the Legion, he had a millennium of life under his belt, even if it was spent trapped in a void without sensation. Mon-El is just as powerful and experienced as Superman, and out of everyone else in the Legion, he stands the best chance of bringing him down. Or at least making him work for the victory.
Which Legionnaire do you think stands the best chance against Superman? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
