As one of the most powerful comic book characters ever, Superman has accomplished an incredible number of impressive feats over the years. However, just because he almost always emerges victorious he hasn't won every battle. Throughout his comic career, Superman has suffered a great number of defeats from all sorts of powerful beings.
Granted, while it makes sense for foes like Darkseid and Doomsday to get the upper hand over the Man of Steel, many other less powerful opponents have managed to take Superman down. Looking into some of the hero’s more unlikely losses, here is our list of 10 times Superman was defeated by a mere mortal.
10 Muhammad Ali
After being significantly depowered by an alien race, Superman found himself in a boxing match with none other than Muhammad Ali. While this is an incredibly silly story it is still an excellent, fun read featuring the Man of Steel. Likewise, with Ali’s reputation as a boxer, seeing the two duke it out actually made the story incredibly entertaining.
After a few rounds, it seemed like the two were evenly matched. Even a depowered Superman was still able to hold his own in a boxing ring. Eventually, though, Ali’s skills actually managed to overtake Superman’s own. After knocking Superman out, Muhammad Ali became one of the few mere mortals to have defeated Superman.
9 Karate Kid
Despite having no actual superpowers of his own, Val Armorr has still managed to take Superman down. Known as the Karate Kid on the Legion of Superheroes from the 31st century, Val’s advantages in combat are simply that he is just a great fighter. In his time as a comic book character, Val’s combat skills have been an invaluable asset to the team.
Though Clark Kent was still known as Superboy at the time, he possessed almost all of the same abilities that he’d have as Superman. Because of this, Val’s takedown of Superboy is all the more impressive. Though it is something that he likely won’t be able to do it again, it is enough of a feat to land him on this list.
8 Joker
Though Joker is almost always a Batman villain, he has actually beaten the Man of Steel several times. In one of the more popular instances, Joker stole the powers of Mr. Mxyzptlk for himself, using these magical abilities to beat Superman and also murder Batman again and again. However, Joker technically wasn’t a mere mortal in this instance.
Despite this, DC has proven that the Joker can actually beat Superman, even without powers. In the popular Injustice storyline, Joker managed to completely break superman after tricking him into killing Lois Lane. While this event ultimately resulted in the Joker’s death, it could still be viewed as a victory for the Clown Prince of Crime.
7 Harley Quinn
Even the Joker’s girlfriend has managed to knock Superman down. Recently, as part of Harley’s Little Black Book, Quinn informs readers of the time that she herself knocked Superman out cold. Suspiciously though, a lot of the details she gives feel reminiscent of Superman’s fight with Muhammad Ali.
Though this story is pure fun and not even canon, it is still interesting to think that Harley could knock out someone like Superman. Furthermore, whether it actually happened or not, Harley herself believes it to be true, which we're going to call close enough for this list.
6 Green Arrow
While Oliver Queen has yet to truly face off against Superman in a one-on-one match, he has still managed to take him down in the past. Though he almost always had assistance of some sort, Green Arrow has done a lot to weaken Superman in stories like The Dark Knight Returns and Injustice.
Currently, Oliver is actually in possession of a weapon that could wipe out the entire Justice League. Gifted to him by Martian Manhunter, Oliver was chosen based on his heart and moral character. Furthermore, based on Martian Manhunter’s description alone, this is a weapon made to kill gods. Oliver certainly has what it takes to beat the Man of Steel now.
5 Professor Ivo
As one of the most brilliant minds in all of DC, it is a shame that Professor Ivo decided to use his talents for evil. Though he is a lesser-known villain, Ivo is most famous for designing and constructing the Amazo android. With the power to mimic the abilities of those in the Justice League, Amazo has continually been a problem for the team over the years.
On several occasions, Amazo has managed to take down the entire Justice League, including Superman. As Ivo continues to make upgrades as well, Amazo becomes all the deadlier. Granted, while Ivo himself isn’t doing the heavy lifting in this case, he is still the brilliant technician who developed technology capable of hurting Superman. As a result, Ivo easily qualifies for this list.
4 Alfred Pennyworth
While Alfred is far tougher than he may seem, it is still unlikely that he would be able to take down someone like Kal. However, one of Batman’s most trusted and loyal friends still managed to do so in the Injustice comics. After taking a pill that gives normal people superhuman abilities for a limited amount of time, Alfred took one and used his powers to stop Superman from killing Batman.
However, Alfred didn’t just subdue Clark but gave him a rather embarrassing beating. To top everything off, after Alfred had given Superman a brutal beatdown, he then proceeded to lecture the Man of Steel. While Alfred isn’t the most skilled combatant in the DC universe, it was still rather satisfying to see him take down this version of Superman.
3 Maxwell Lord
While Maxwell Lord isn’t exactly a “mere” mortal, he has beaten Superman in ways that so few others have, all without incredible strength and speed. Towards the end of the Infinite Crisis event, Maxwell Lord was revealed as a traitor to the Justice League. In enacting his evil plan, Lord used his limited abilities to mind control Superman. As a result, Superman was completely overpowered and thus forced to do all of Maxwell’s bidding.
Because Maxwell had such a strong hold on Superman’s mind, Wonder Woman was forced to kill him in order to free Clark. Though Superman wasn’t beaten in the physical sense, the fact that Max was able to take complete control of his mind is a truly frightening win for the character.
2 Lex Luthor
Of all other mere mortals to challenge the Man of Steel, Lex Luthor is arguably the most consistent, persistent, and challenging of foes. As Superman’s arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor has done all sorts of horrible things to Clark. Occasionally, he has even bested him, both physically and mentally.
No matter how often Superman may win in the end, Lex is the one person who has come the closest to killing Superman. His incredible brilliance, however misguided, has led him to develop all sorts of tech and strategies that have sometimes put Superman in very precarious situations. Because of this, Lex is easily Superman’s greatest enemy.
1 Batman
Though the two are very close allies, Batman himself has faced off against Superman on a number of occasions. While he has lost some of those battles, he has been able to get the upper hand at times. Likewise, Batman’s own brilliance has allowed him to devise some pretty devastating attacks against Superman, some that even Lex Luthor wouldn’t think of.
Though the two heroes almost always have a good reason to battle it out with each other, it isn’t too surprising when Batman finds a way to win. Furthermore, the entire character of Batman represents everything humanity can accomplish on their own, so it makes sense to see him take down some very powerful characters. No matter how different the two heroes are, Batman is completely deserves his place on this list.