Superman is one of the most powerful heroes that DC Comics has to offer. The man can move planets out of orbit and move across the known galaxy in the blink of an eye. It’s not a surprise to anyone that Superman is powerful, but few people are aware of just how absurd some of his feats have been.
The DC Universe has some truly powerful beings in it who can warp reality and cross dimensions. Even with incredible feats like that, Superman still manages to outclass them all in terms of pure strength. While Superman isn’t a reality warper, necessarily, he has performed similar acts that are unparalleled, truly marking him as one of the most physically powerful characters in all of comics. These are the top 10 feats of pure raw strength that truly put Superman in a league of his own.
10
Easily Lifted 200 Quintillion Tons With One Hand
All-Star Superman #1 by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Jamie Grant, and Phil Balsman
When Superman’s cells are supercharged with yellow sunlight, Superman finds himself dying of cancer. But an added side effect is that his strength triples from what it normally is. Superman is able to lift 200 quintillion tons with one hand, as seen in All-Star Superman #1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. This means Superman could move two of Earth’s moons at once with little problem.
This is backed up by the fact that Ultraman once moved Earth’s moon as well, despite not being supercharged like Superman is here. While this is definitely an impressive display of physical strength, it’s only the tip of the iceberg of what Superman is capable of.
9
Held A Black Hole In The Palm Of His Hand
JLA #77 by Rick Veitch, Darryl Banks, Wayne Faucher, David Baron, and Kurt Hathaway
During one of the many adventures of the Justice League, the group comes across a mysterious device in JLA #77 by Rick Veitch and Darryl Banks. This device is powered by a black hole and hosts an AI that feeds off memories. The Justice League is thrown into chaos as the device begins devouring the memories of them, and while Superman is able to force the device to return the memories, the black hole powering it starts to go out of control.
This forces Superman to hold the black hole in the palm of his hand before it can be transported to a nearby wormhole. While fans have known Superman can create new stars on his own, actually holding a black hole in his palm is a step above.
8
Shattered Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern Constructs
Justice League #2 (2011) by Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, and Patrick Brosseau
The New 52 was a company-wide reboot for the DC Universe and changed a lot of things about the publisher’s iconic characters. This reboot also reset every hero’s relationship and knowledge of one another. Justice League #2 by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, showcases the first time Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern meet. During this, a fight breaks out, and shockingly, Superman is able to shatter Hal Jordan’s constructs.
Green Lantern’s constructs are powered by their creator’s willpower, and no one in the universe has more willpower than Hal Jordan. This means his constructs should be unbreakable, but this doesn’t stop Superman from tearing right through them.
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7
Pulled An Entire Galaxy As A Teenager
Superboy #140 by Jim Shooter, Al Plastino, and George Klein
While lifting 200 quintillion tons is certainly impressive, it pales in comparison to moving an entire galaxy by himself. This absurd feat is first seen in Superboy #140 by Jim Shooter and Al Plastino. The most bizarre thing about this feat is that it’s not like it is even the climax to an epic story.
The comic opens with Superboy doing this. This is just an average thing for Superboy to be doing, and after the first panel, it’s not mentioned again. While this definitely seems like it would be Superman’s maximum strength, moving a galaxy is literally child’s play for Superboy.
6
Lifted A Book With Infinite Pages
Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1 by Grant Morrison, Doug Mahnke, and Christian Alamy
Everything Superman has done so far on this list has had tangible weight behind it. Lifting 200 quintillion tons or moving a galaxy still has a number that can be understood. Superman truly takes feats of strength to the next level when Superman and Shazam work together in Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1 by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke to lift the Book of Eternity.
This book holds all the knowledge in existence, which means it also has infinite pages. While Superman does have help lifting the book, it still counts as a feat of strength that the Man of Steel lifts something that technically has unlimited weight.
5
Forced Reality Itself To Change With A Single Punch
Infinite Crisis: Secret Files by Marv Wolfman, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Cam Smith, Art Thibert, and Nelson.
During the events of Infinite Crisis, tons of reality-shifting events are going on. Heroes from other universes are coming over and the fate of the Multiverse itself is at stake. Despite all of these high-stakes things, Superboy-Prime still manages to top everyone by literally punching his way through reality.
This one punch has massive repercussions for the entire DC Universe, with one of the biggest being the resurrection of Jason Todd. With one single punch, Superboy-Prime is able to change both the past and the future, which makes it markedly more impressive than towing a galaxy around.
4
Took Down The World Forger With One Punch
Justice League #25 by Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez, and Tom Napolitano
A defining moment for Superman is when he and the Justice League come up against the World Forger, a being who, as his name implies, literally creates worlds. He is one of the highest cosmic forces in the DC Universe, responsible for birthing entire universes through the worlds he crafts.
The World Forger believes that the universe has to be remade if the Multiverse is to survive, but the Justice League disagrees. This results in Superman giving his strongest punch of all time as he takes the World Forger down with a single blow. This absolutely iconic moment is seen in Justice League #25 by Scott Snyder and Jorge Jimenez.
3
Knocked Out Marvel’s Thor
JLA/Avengers #2 by Kurt Busiek, George Perez, Tom Smith, and Comicraft
Thor is one of the physically strongest superheroes that the Marvel Universe has to offer. He’s a man who’s gone up against tons of heavy hitters, like the original King in Black Knull. Thor has even gone up against Hulk. There are few people whom Thor can’t overpower, but it seems one of the few is none other than Superman.
When the heroes of the DC and Marvel Universes meet in JLA/Avengers #2, they naturally come to blows. Despite Thor putting up a good fight, he ends up being knocked out cold by Superman. It’s one of the few times Thor has not only been physically overpowered, but straight up knocked unconscious by an opponent.
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2
Pushed A Moon Made Of Kryptonite Into The Sun
Superman Beyond #10 by JT Krul, Howard Porter, Livesay, Carrie Strachan, and Saida Temofonte
Everyone knows that Superman’s biggest weakness is kryptonite, which is why it’s so shocking he is able to move an entire moon of kryptonite into the sun. When the moon appears in Earth’s orbit, it starts wreaking havoc on the environment. With no other choice, Superman dons a suit of Eradicator armor and simply shoves the thing into the sun.
The most surprising part of all of this is the fact Superman only seems mildly annoyed by the experience. This does take place in the Beyond timeline, meaning Superman is far older and stronger than he is in regular continuity. Still, this is an absurd feat for any version of the Man of Steel.
1
Held Up The Entirety Of Existence
Superman: Man of Tomorrow #12 by Robert Venditti, Scott Hepburn, Ian Herring, and Dave Sharpe.
Every feat on this list absolutely defies belief. Superman has punched through the barriers of reality, held a black hole in the palm of his hand, and knocked out the creator of the Multiverse, but there’s one feat that stands above all others. During the events of Superman: Man of Tomorrow #12 by Robert Venditti and Scott Hepburn, Atlas wants a day off to attend his daughter’s wedding.
Being the great guy that he is, Superman agrees to take Atlas’ place holding up existence. While Superman only does it for a single day, he holds up everything in the entirety of the DC Universe. Every person, every planet, every hope, and every dream rests on the shoulders of the Man of Steel. Superman holds them all up for 12 straight hours, which makes it the biggest possible feat of strength anyone could do.
