Marvel has finally settled Thor vs Superman, ending a fan debate that’s raged since the ’60s. DC’s Man of Steel and Marvel’s God of Thunder are both among the strongest beings to ever appear in pop culture, with physical might that sometimes breaks the laws of physics and passes into the metaphysical.

In recently released solicit information for Avengers #18, Marvel reveals that the Avengers (including new member Storm) will be going up against Hyperion. Marvel has long used Hyperion as a deliberate stand-in for Superman within its own canon, to the point that his team the Squadron Supreme are all thinly veiled versions of the Justice League. That’s why it’s so surprising that Joshua Cassara’s art shows Hyperion standing over the battered and broken bodies of the Avengers, confirming that even working together, Thor, Captain Marvel and the Vision couldn’t match Marvel’s Superman.

While Hyperion is incredibly powerful in Marvel lore – with the same power set as Superman – if anything, he’s slightly less mighty than DC’s Man of Steel. His ability to take out the Avengers is therefore a clear admission by Marvel that when it comes to raw power, Thor isn’t in the same league as Superman, even in the context of his recent upgrade to All-Father. Marvel’s solicit info also includes an epic team shot variant cover from Edwin Galmon.

Hyperion Will Destroy the Avengers Single-Handed

Marvel’s Version of Superman Will Take Out Thor & Captain Marvel in Shocking Show of Power

Marvel and DC have a long tradition of including proxies of each other’s characters, whether it’s the Squadron Supreme giving Marvel its own Justice League or DC having an entire reality dedicated to replicating Marvel’s universe (Earth-8, the home of the Retaliators.) First appearing in 1969, there are multiple versions of Hyperion in Marvel continuity, but he’s generally depicted as a member of the Eternals species capable of Superman-level feats.

While Hyperion is the leader of the Squadron Supreme, it seems that Avengers #18 will see him take on the Avengers single-handed. From his design, it’s likely that this is the most recent version of Hyperion introduced to Marvel lore – a clone of the original created on Mephisto’s orders as part of a plan to overwrite Marvel’s reality with a darkly parodic version of the DC Universe. The Avengers undid Mephisto’s plans, leaving the Squadron with darkly conflicted feelings about being cheated out of their place as America’s beloved protectors. While Marvel’s Batman analog Nighthawk was convinced to join the Avengers shortly after, it seems Hyperion has no intention of forgiving their ‘crimes’ against him.

Hyperion decimating Thor is big news because Thor recently received an immense power upgrade. After becoming the new king of Asgard and witnessing the death of Odin, Thor was granted the near-omnipotent power of a creator god. In his current solo series Immortal Thor, he’s been taking on a whole new level of enemy, battling against the Utgard-Gods – primeval forces of the cosmos as far above gods as gods are above humans. Recent feats like killing Galactus and facing off against the Hulk have made it clear that Thor is in possession of a whole new power level. That’s significant, because fans already got to see Superman vs Thor at the God of Thunder’s original power level.

Fans Already Saw a Literal Thor vs Superman Fight

The Scrap Ends with A Definitive Winner, But a VERY Dark Follow-Up

The epic Thor vs Superman fight takes place in Kurt Busiek and George Pérez’s JLA/Avengers, in which the two teams are pitted against each other by Krona and the Grandmaster. In the story, Thor and Superman face off, trading blows as the Justice League and Avengers fight around them. Superman eventually wins, but he’s exhausted, declaring Thor the “single toughest opponent” he’s ever fought (a major declaration since this story took place after he was beaten to death by Doomsday.)

The fight offered fans the conclusive explanation that Superman is stronger than Thor, but made it clear the difference was close. Indeed, Superman himself explains that due to the different laws of physics in the DC Universe, the ceiling of maximum power there is simply higher (they also learn that DC’s Earth is bigger than Marvel’s, accounting for all the extra cities like Gotham and Metropolis that exist in the former.) The fight is followed by an incredibly dark moment as the Avengers, enraged over Thor’s defeat, pile in on Superman, beating him senseless by sheer force of numbers.

As iconic as the Superman vs Thor fight in JLA/Avengers is, it took place in 2003, and a lot has happened in the twenty years since. Not only has Thor ascended to new levels of power, but Superman has also accomplished impossible feats. DC has also expanded the lore around Superman’s cosmic purpose, confirming that he’s not just a superstrong alien but the metaphysical embodiment of heroism. This has resulted in Superman being capable of impossible feats like lifting an infinitely heavy book, as his strength exists on both the literal and metaphorical level – something that’s also true of Thor as a being literally made of myth and story.

Hyperion’s Power Makes Even Galactus Look Weak

Marvel’s Answer to Superman Is One of Its Most Powerful Characters, Whether Hero or Villain

While Thor has grown in power lately, Hyperion has also claimed some of his most impressive feats of all time in the last few years. The Heroes Reborn event saw Mephisto rewrite reality with the Squadron as his enforcers. In that warped reality, Hyperion killed Galactus by flying directly through his head, incinerated the Hulk using his heat vision, and took down a Juggernaut-empowered Doctor Doom in a straight fist fight on the White House lawn.

Hyperion isn’t just as powerful as Superman – in Marvel comics, he represents the idea of Superman as a truly unbeatable superhuman. While he does have vulnerabilities (mostly his ego allowing others to get the drop on him and the kryptonite-like material argonite), his purpose in Marvel stories is to contrast DC’s ‘overpowered’ heroes against the Avengers’ scrappy underdogs. It therefore makes sense that Marvel would want him to be so much more powerful than Thor, but it’s still a shock to see one villain, no matter how powerful, surrounded by the downed bodies of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Of course, the purpose of Hyperion taking down Thor, Captain Marvel and Vision is to allow Storm her turn to shine as the Avengers’ newest recruit. In recent years, Storm has expanded her powers to new cosmic limits, as well as embracing her connection to magic (an area where Hyperion, like Superman, is particularly vulnerable.) X-Men‘s upcoming ‘From the Ashes’ era has described Storm as the queen of mutants, and it seems she’ll call on an army of superpowered allies to stand against Hyperion once the Avengers fall.

Thor Once Considered Hyperion a Brother

There’s More Than One Version of Marvel’s Superman Out There

Perhaps the most tragic aspect of Hyperion’s attack on the Avengers is that at one time, Thor considered him a brother. During the spate of Incursion events leading up to 2015’s Secret Wars, Thor bonded with a heroic version of Hyperion plucked from an alternate dimension. The two became drinking buddies, with Hyperion helping to comfort Thor over his new ‘unworthy’ status, and they even died side by side fighting the Beyonders (prior to the multiverse being recreated, effectively resurrecting them both.)

While fans may debate the possible ways that the God of Thunder could beat the Man of Steel, Marvel has never been shy about admitting that Superman is simply more powerful. As Hyperion flattens the Avengers, it’s clear that this is true even at a time when Thor possesses more power than ever, with his godly might failing to give him any advantage over Marvel’s dark Superman.

Avengers #18 is coming from Marvel Comics September 2024.