Who Would Win In a Fight Between Thor and Superman (2024)

While fans have argued about which superheroes could defeat each other for generations, the gold standard of superhero strength in these friendly arguments is almost always Superman. With a seemingly endless array of abilities and a bottomless power reserve, it's difficult to think of a character who could reasonably give the Man of Steel a serious challenge in a fair fight, other than maybe Thor, Marvel's incredible God of Thunder.

With his Asgardian abilities and mystically enchanted hammer, Mjolnir, Thor is a literal god who regularly fights and defeats adversaries far stronger than himself. As the God of Thunder is one of Marvel's mightiest Avengers, and Superman is the most powerful member of the Justice League, there is much debate regarding which one would come out on top in the ultimate Superman vs. Thor fight.

Updated on July 12, 2024 by Benjamin Vieira: Superman and Thor are two of the most powerful forces in their respective universes. They are both key parts of DC and MARVEL's trinities with their respective publishers. Something fans will never stop debating is who would win in a battle between the two of them. However, there are many factors to be considered with this. This article has been edited to the current CV standards of CBR.

Thor & Superman are More Similar Than You'd Think

Their Origins are Almost Identical

• Both Thor and Superman originate from beyond Earth. Thor is from Asgard and Superman from Krypton.
• They both possess secret identities. Superman goes by Clark Kent and Thor went by Dr. Donald Blake.
• In Unlimited Access, they were combined into one person, Thor-El.

Most Marvel fans know that, when he debuted, Thor had an alter-ego: the mellow Dr. Donald Blake, who transformed into the Asgardian God using his cane -- in reality, Mjolnir in disguise. By tapping his cane on the floor, Dr. Blake transforms into Thor, the God of Thunder, gaining superhuman skills such as strength, reflexes, and speed. All these traits made him one of the most powerful superheroes in Marvel and had fans comparing him to a DC superhero that debuted decades before: Superman. The Man of Steel and Thor share a lot. They can fly, are strong enough to lift complete cities, and have super speed. Besides, they're both aliens. Even if Thor is seen as a god, Asgard is a planet like Krypton. Additionally, at the time, they shared their meek alter-ego. While Thor was Dr. Donald Blake, Superman hid on Earth as the mild-mannered journalist Clark Kent.

Over the years, the similarities between Superman and Thor have grown more noticeable, but they still share the title of one of the most powerful heroes of their respective universes. This led creators to consider them as counterparts to each other. They merged during Unlimited Access by Karl Kesel, Pat Olliffe, Al Williamson, Gregory Wright, and Jim Novak. This DC/Marvel crossover follows different fusions of DC and Marvel heroes, such as Wonder Wasp, a mix of Wasp and Wonder Woman, Red Wing, an amalgam of Angel and Robin, and Thor-El, a Thor-Superman merge. Since Thor-El has the abilities of both Superman and Thor, he's unarguably one of the strongest characters in the series. Since Thor and Superman's history of similarities has tied them forever, it makes sense for fans to pit them against each other in who-would-win conversations.

Thor vs Superman: Who is Stronger?

Superman Has The Edge In Strength

• Superman gets his strength from the Earth's sun.
• Thor's power source is Mjolnir, his hammer.
• Both have destroyed entire planets in battle.

By most accounts, Superman seemingly outclasses Thor regarding raw strength, especially in earlier versions of the DC Universe. He's pulled planets, punched people into orbit, and performed wild feats of strength. Superman's powers are effectively unmatched in his home universe, increasing with his proximity to Earth's sun.

However, Thor has displayed a considerable amount of strength as well. During his fight with Beta-Ray Bill, the Asgardian's raw strength destroyed an entire planet. He's punched out Galactus and the Phoenix Force, both vastly powerful cosmic entities. He held up Asgard, resisted a black hole's gravity, leg-pressed one million tons, and even controlled a symbiote to fight Galactus. While Superman is most likely still the stronger of the two, the divide between the two heroes is not nearly as broad as one might suspect.

Is Thor More Powerful Than Superman?

The Man of Steel Has More Abilities

Regarding superpowers, Superman has a far more versatile set of abilities. With moves like freeze breath and heat vision alongside his super-strength, Superman has a wider arsenal of tools. However, Thor regularly fights Frost Giants and has endured energy blasts from god-like Celestials. While Superman's abilities might hurt Thor, they wouldn't necessarily put him down.

Besides his strength and other Asgardian abilities, Thor has mastery over lightning. As the God of Thunder, he can control and manipulate magical lightning bolts and other weather conditions. While these abilities are nothing to sneeze at for any opponent, Thor's lightning powers could be especially effective against Superman. The Man of Steel still conducts electricity. Although he isn't vulnerable to lightning, it affects him anyway, so it could slow him down in a fight.

Can Thor Beat Superman?

It Would be a Close Fight

• Superman has a vulnerability to magic.
• Thor fights to win.
• Superman does not go hard on friendly fights.

Superman's well-documented vulnerability to magic could be the key to a possible defeat at the hands of Thor. That weakness is one of the main reasons that Shazam and Black Adam, mystical heroes who rely on magical lightning, have posed problems for Superman in the past. Thor's powers are derived from magic, his Asgardian lineage, and his enchanted hammer, Mjolnir. Thanks to the God Tempest, this incredible weapon gives the God of Thunder another advantage in battle.

While Superman could potentially overpower Thor, blows rendered by the mystical Mjolnir would likely seriously damage the Kryptonian hero. With his super-speed, the Man of Steel could probably avoid the Thunder God's lightning, but not necessarily, since Thor is just as fast. Additionally, Superman rarely goes all-out against opponents, especially in friendly fights. Thor is the complete opposite and always fights to win -- often entering a berserker rage when things get too intense. Combined with his mystical abilities, that mindset could give the mighty Avenger the edge he needs to emerge victorious from what would surely be an epic confrontation.

Superman Has Already Beaten Thor

They Battled in 2003

• JLA/Avengers ran from September 2003 to March 2004.
• Kurt Busiek was the writer of the story.
• George Perez did the art for the story.

Despite all evidence that Thor could defeat Superman, the latter soundly defeated the former when the two heroes faced one another. Their most meaningful interaction came when the Marvel and DC Universes collided in Kurt Busiek and George Perez's JLA/Avengers in 2003. At the end of that crossover's first issue, Thor hurled his hammer Mjolnir into Superman's face as the League and the Avengers confronted one another. As a full-on battle between the two teams erupted in the following issue, the fight between Superman and Thor took center stage -- and Superman wielded Mjolnir.

Both heroes pushed themselves to the limit as their teams fought over a Cosmic Cube in the Savage Land as part of a multiversal contest. Thor withstood the full might of Superman's heat vision as the pair traded blows at full strength. But when Thor tried to knock Superman out with his hammer, Superman turned the tables and put down the God of Thunder with one punch. The Man of Steel then stated that the Asgardian was the toughest opponent he had ever faced in battle.

Tom Brevoot said that the decision was made because that is what the authors genuinely believed would have happened. On his blog, Blah Blah Blog: Comics I Don't Apologize For, he wrote,

"While Thor got in a great full-page shot that closed out the first issue, and his struggle with Superman ran for almost the full duration of the issue, in the end, Superman laid Thor low. This was the outcome as decided at a meeting down in Florida at which Kurt Busiek, George Perez, myself and DC editor Dan Raspler blocked out the story. And it wasn’t done because of politics, or because of some need for a specific quid-pro-quo. It happened because the four people in that room felt that that’s what would happen given the circ*mstances, and the thrust of the story we were building."

While Thor is one of the mightiest gods in the Marvel Universe, he is still no match for the unparalleled power of Superman. However, even the Man of Steel admitted that Thor could be almost at his same level. Maybe the outcome of their battle would be different in other circ*mstances.

• 

  Thor

  Thor wasborn to the King of the Asgardian Gods, Odin Borson, and the Earth Goddess Gaea. He grew up in Asgard under Odin's tutelage and trained in his footsteps to one day lead Asgard.

  NAME

  Thor

  Alias

  Dr. Donald Blake, Sigmund Siegfried, Jake Olson, Odinson, Eric Masterson, Herald of Thunder

  FIRST APP

  Journey Into Mystery #83 (1962)

  Created By

  Stan Lee , Larry Lieber , Jack Kirby

  POWERS

  Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, and senses. Weather manipulation. Flight through the hammer Mjolnir.

  TEAM

  The Avengers

  RELATIONSHIPS

  Odin, Jord, Frigga, Loki, Sif, Jane Foster

  Franchise

  Marvel , Marvel Comics , Thor , Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

  Movies

  Thor , Thor: Ragnarok , Thor: The Dark World , Thor: Love and Thunder , Thor: Legend of the Magical Hammer

• 

  Superman

  Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book Action Comics #1.

  NAME

  Kal-El, Clark Kent

  Alias

  Superman

  FIRST APP

  Action Comics #1, 1938

  Created By

  Jerry Siegel , Joe Shuster

  POWERS

  Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, reflexes. Heat vision, X-ray Vision. Ice breath. Flight

  TEAM

  Justice League

  RELATIONSHIPS

  Superboy, Supergirl, Batman, Wonder Woman

  Franchise

  Superman

  Movies

  Superman , Superman II , Superman III , Superman IV: The Quest for Peace , Superman Returns , Man of Steel , Justice League , Batman v Superman