A core part of Superman’s appeal is that he’s basically indestructible, which is why it’s so surprising that even he can fall victim to Alien’s insidious Xenomorphs. While it took some very special circumstances, one comic proved even Clark Kent isn’t immune to the world’s most famous extraterrestrial threat.
On paper, a crossover between Superman and Alien might seem silly. Dark Horse and DC’s previous collaboration Batman Versus Predator is much more logical as the two forces are pretty evenly matched. Superman and the Xenomorph though appear to be on the opposite end of the power spectrum. With Superman’s invulnerability, X-Ray Vision, and super-strength there’s no way the Xenomorphs could hurt him, no place they could hide from him, and no chance they’d survive his onslaught. All of that is of course assuming Superman had access to yellow sunlight. Luckily for the Xenomorphs, this is far from a guarantee in their natural habitat of unlucky space ships and colonies, setting the stage for them to swarm Clark Kent and end him.
In 1995, Dark Horse and DC Comics teamed up for Superman/Aliens by Dan Jurgens, Chuck Dixon, and Jon Bogdanove. The comic sees Clark investigating a deep space distress call that might possibly be of Kryptonian origin. He eventually traces the call to a city far away from any sunlight, slowly draining his powers. This eventually puts him on a collision course with a Xenomorph infestation. In his weakened state, he’s barely a match, not helped by Superman’s insistence on refusing to kill the monsters. His first encounter with one of the creatures leaves him with three massive claw marks on his chest and acid burns on his face. Worse yet, a face-hugger later impregnates him with a Queen Xenomorph. The whole situation even forces Superman to wear a special Xenomorph-proof costume. Though Clark survives the comic, it’s made abundantly clear that he very easily could have died.
While it might seem like a copout for Superman to face the Xenomorphs without his powers, what the comic really exposes is that Superman is so much more than his powers. Even when facing completely incomprehensible monsters, Clark Kent still values the preservation of life. Because of this, even if he did have his powers, it’s entirely possible the Xenomorphs could beat him. If Superman refuses to kill the Xenomorphs, there’s no reason an entire swarm of them couldn’t overwhelm the Kryptonian. Worse yet, if a Xenomorph had actually burst from his chest like the comic teased, then that could possibly produce a Kryptonian Xenomorph, which would be an almost unbeatable threat.
Despite his Kryptonian heritage, Superman is an incredibly human hero, making the Xenomorph a perfect foe for him to face. Though it might have taken Superman’s powers weakening, his battle with Alien’s Xenomorphs proves that even the Man of Steel isn’t completely invulnerable.
