# So who'd win in an all-superheroes fight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 21, 2006, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445 "2006-02-21T05:48:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![mazinger\_z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mazinger\_z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mazinger_z)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/61 "2006-02-23T18:47:00Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > I’d have to go with Dr. Strange. Excluding cosmics (like the Endless or the Celestials etc.) Strange is just too much. He’s gone toe-to-toe with beings at least equal if not greater than Nabu. He stood up to Adam Warlock when he had the infinity gauntlet and survived! > > In the comic battle boards the Silver Surfer has feats that trump anything that Dr. Manhattan does. Really? :eek: Examples? (Oh, and I would go for Nabu or the Wizard Shazam (not the weakling in Day of Vengence, or whatever it was called). I don’t normally see Dr. Strange as that strong, then again, I haven’t read him in a long, long time. I thought Strange would be as strong as Orion, sorcerror of Atlantis.) Hmm…I didn’t even know Marvel had a death. Is he/she as cool as Death from Vertigo? I would pick Batman over Dr. Manhattan, because like Ozymandias, Batman would be able to devise some ridiculous machinations to maneuver (pull on John’s puppet strings) to do what he wanted. Remember, it was Laurie’s (Silk Specter) random chance of existing (or was it being on the moon?) that caused John to change his mind and actually act out his will. Batman would have covered that little contingency. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/62 "2006-02-23T19:35:44Z")
> [@mazinger\_z](#): > > Hmm…I didn’t even know Marvel had a death. Is he/she as cool as Death from Vertigo? [They do](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_%28Marvel_Comics%29), and no. 😃 Maybe we should have a list of rankings for all the superheroes. Also, anybody feel like throwing the villains in? ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/63 "2006-02-23T19:43:11Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > [They do](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_%28Marvel_Comics%29), and no. 😃 > > Maybe we should have a list of rankings for all the superheroes. Also, anybody feel like throwing the villains in? I think we should have weight classes. One for cosmic entities like Death, another for planet smashers like Superman, then one for “mostly human” characters like Batman, Spider-Man and Wolverine. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/64 "2006-02-23T19:48:48Z")
> [@Menocchio](#): > > I think we should have weight classes. One for cosmic entities like Death, another for planet smashers like Superman, then one for “mostly human” characters like Batman, Spider-Man and Wolverine. Now _this_ is a good idea. Heavyweights (cosmic entities): Galactus, the Dark Phoenix, the Spectre, the Celestials, the Endless, etc. Middleweights (planet smashers): Superman, Dr. Fate, Dr. Manhattan, Martian Manhunter, etc. Lightweights (next-to-normal guys): Spider-man, Batman, Wolverine, Lex Luthor, Joker, Two-Face, Captain America, etc. Any takers? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/65 "2006-02-23T19:53:07Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Heavyweights (cosmic entities): Galactus, the Dark Phoenix, the Spectre, the Celestials, the Endless, etc. You’ve got location to figure in too, perhaps; it was implied that within the Dreaming he’s pretty much unbeatable. He made a half dozen or so gods nearly crap their pants. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/66 "2006-02-23T19:55:37Z")
Er, Dream is unbeatable within the Dreaming, that is. The Sandman. ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/67 "2006-02-23T19:57:45Z")
> [@brianjedi](#): > > I’m voting for Dr. Manhattan. Seriously, the guy can do whatever he wants. And who would win in a fight between the android (in the current JLU)? They seem to be the “serious”/“cartoony” incarnations of the same concept, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/68 "2006-02-23T20:04:27Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > You’ve got location to figure in too, perhaps; it was implied that within the Dreaming he’s pretty much unbeatable. He made a half dozen or so gods nearly crap their pants. Oh, bugger, you’re right. Okay, everyone–cosmics, planet smashers, normals–gets a plain open arena, no special favours to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/69 "2006-02-23T20:10:16Z")
The Android is Amazo. And the Fat Fury would still beat them all. I’m not joking. Even Death. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/70 "2006-02-23T20:17:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Still comes down to Marvel Death vs. DC Death. Personally I’d like to think they mop up, have a cup of tea, and go home, but still–who’d win? Are we convinced that they’re separate entities? Something as fundamental as Death would, I think, span even across the Marvel and DC metaverses. And the problem with weight classes is you need some unambiguous way to separate them. Otherwise, it’s a question of whether so-and-so is the most powerful of the humanoids, or least powerful of the planet-smashers. You might also have a few isolated cases where a specific hero from a lesser class could defeat a specific one from a greater class, but perhaps not most other lesser heroes. Timing is everything. If Rock, Paper, and Scissors get in a fight, the winner is going to be whichever one fought last. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/71 "2006-02-23T20:54:15Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I’ll go with Batman, for real. He already has plans in place to defeat other DC heroes as needed. More importantly, he’s also crafty enough to be able set one hero against another in such a way as to get rid of a good many of them without having to personally go toe to toe. Yeah, but what about heroes he hasn’t met? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/72 "2006-02-23T21:14:12Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > > [@Menocchio](#): > > > > I think we should have weight classes. One for cosmic entities like Death, another for planet smashers like Superman, then one for “mostly human” characters like Batman, Spider-Man and Wolverine. > > Now _this_ is a good idea. > Heavyweights (cosmic entities): Galactus, the Dark Phoenix, the Spectre, the Celestials, the Endless, etc. > > Middleweights (planet smashers): Superman, Dr. Fate, Dr. Manhattan, Martian Manhunter, etc. > > Lightweights (next-to-normal guys): Spider-man, Batman, Wolverine, Lex Luthor, Joker, Two-Face, Captain America, etc. > Any takers? I started a thread on this once and while I don’t think it got very far because, as I remember it, some just refused to put the characters in any kind of hierarchy, you might find the [discussion](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=286502) helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/73 "2006-02-23T22:50:23Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Ah, but I’d argue they’re not _real_ incarnations of Death, just undead creatures with really freaky supernatural powers. They’d still be within the reach of normal superheroes–don’t forget that Batman captured Judge Death at one point. 🙂 Judge Death is one of those non-corporeal types, can be captured but his essence isn’t actually destructable. If his body is destroyed, he can simply have another prepared for him to enter, the living are his puppets. The worst that has happened is that his essence is cast into the afterlife where he must wait until an opportunity arises to come back. I’d class a fight with him as a long drawn out stalemate at best 😉 ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/74 "2006-02-24T14:09:58Z")
Ghostbusters, Dr. Strange, or even the modern Crimson Vigilante could take him down without much work. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/75 "2006-02-24T15:25:45Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Ghostbusters, Dr. Strange, or even the modern Crimson Vigilante could take him down without much work. “Crimson _Avenger_”. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/76 "2006-02-24T16:18:31Z")
Nah, he’s not exactly the average ghost the busters would be used to 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/77 "2006-02-25T22:36:14Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Middleweights (planet smashers): Superman, Dr. Fate, Dr. Manhattan, Martian Manhunter, etc. Most of them have not actually destroyed a planet but I see your point. On most battle boards the Surfer usually wins with ease. He’s a lot faster than pretty much anyone, he’s immune to mental attacks, can transmute people into anything he wants and can take massive damage. For example, when he fought Gladiator (a Superman clone with maybe more power) he figured out his weakness to a certain radiation and just created said radiation ending the fight in a panel or so. In a recent fight with Cable, Cable destroyed the entire 6th US naval fleet. The Surfer put it all back together all while fighting Cable. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445/78 "2006-02-25T22:47:20Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > I saw Ambush Bug. > > 1. He would teleport away from any danger and let the rest kill each other. > > 2. If he did happen to get killed, he’d just sneak out the back door of Hell and rejoin the battle. 1. If it still didn’t go his way, Ambush Bug could talk the writers into throwing out a few pages of the story. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whod-win-in-an-all-superheroes-fight/345445.md?page=3)