Every Superman Weakness, Ranked

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Superman is arguably one of the most powerful characters in comic book history and beyond. Powered by the sun, he has incredible strength, speed, and can withstand almost any attack. He can also fly, shoot heat from his eyes, freeze things with his breath, and see through objects. Surprisingly, despite being capable of destroying entire universes and defeating even the most powerful beings, Superman is often hurt and nearly defeated. This isn’t a flaw in the storytelling; writers intentionally give him weaknesses so his battles are challenging and meaningful. These weaknesses can diminish his powers or even put his life in danger, creating real stakes for the hero.

Over the years, Superman has often been defeated by villains who exploit his various weaknesses. Here’s a ranking of those weaknesses, from the most dangerous to the least.

10) Lead

Lead isn’t a serious danger to Superman like many other weaknesses. It’s famous for blocking his X-ray vision, letting enemies hide things or move secretly. Batman even used lead in the Batcave and his vehicles to stay hidden from Superman. However, lead doesn’t affect Superman’s super-hearing, so he can still find people. Plus, Superman can easily rip through lead. Interestingly, he’s even used lead to shield himself from the harmful effects of Kryptonite radiation.

9) Electricity

It’s surprising, given his incredible strength, but Superman is often vulnerable to electricity. While he can survive planet-level attacks, a strong enough electrical current – like that which could power a city – can really hurt him. His enemy, Livewire, who is made of living electricity, uses this to her advantage, capable of bringing Superman to his knees with painful shocks. Superman usually wins by using Livewire’s weakness against her – things like insulation and water can block or disrupt her powers. However, even though electricity causes him pain, it isn’t enough to permanently injure or kill Superman.

8) Alien Viruses

Superman’s incredibly strong immune system protects him from common Earth illnesses like the flu. However, he can be affected by viruses that come from other planets. On a few occasions, he’s been sickened by these extraterrestrial viruses. Lex Luthor once infected Superman with a Kryptonian plague, Virus X, which caused his skin to turn green and almost killed him. Another time, during a battle with Doomsday, Superman was infected by spores that turned him into a monstrous, rage-filled creature, mirroring Doomsday himself. In both cases, Superman needed help from others to find a cure and recover.

7) Telepathy

Superman trained in the Kryptonian martial art of Torquasm-vo to protect his mind from psychic attacks and strengthen his mental defenses. However, this training isn’t always effective against exceptionally powerful telepaths. Villains such as Maxwell Lord, Starro, and Queen Bee have exploited this weakness to control Superman, turning him into a brainwashed follower. Lord even manipulated Superman into attacking Wonder Woman and attempting to kill her. Additionally, Superman has been rendered helpless by the Black Mercy, a parasitic alien that trapped him in a perfect dream world while draining his life force. Usually, Superman needs assistance from heroes like Batman and Wonder Woman to break free from these mental traps, as they directly confront the telepaths controlling him.

6) Super-Hearing

Superman’s incredible hearing is a double-edged sword. While it allows him to detect sounds from vast distances, it also makes him extremely vulnerable to loud noises. Villains like Lex Luthor and Brainiac have exploited this weakness with sonic weapons, causing Superman intense pain. Even Wonder Woman has used this to her advantage, damaging his eardrums to incapacitate him. This is particularly dangerous because one of his most frequent foes, Silver Banshee, relies on a powerful, building-shattering sonic scream as her main attack.

5) Atomic Radiation

I’ve always been fascinated by Superman, but it’s amazing how even he has a weakness! Everyone knows he gets his incredible powers from our yellow sun, but it’s ironic that the very radiation that empowers him can also be his downfall. While he can withstand a nuclear explosion itself, the lingering radiation – the fallout – is what really threatens him. I remember being shocked reading The Dark Knight Returns when Superman, trying to save everyone, destroyed a nuclear missile and nearly died from the radiation! He actually had to draw energy from plants around him to recover. It’s a clever vulnerability, and villains like Atomic Skull and Neutron really take advantage of it, blasting him with radioactive energy that can seriously hurt – even kill – him if he can’t get enough sunlight to heal.

4) Red Sunlight

Krypton, Superman’s home planet, orbited a red sun which left its inhabitants powerless and unable to prevent its destruction. When Superman arrived on Earth, he gained incredible powers by absorbing energy from our yellow sun. However, exposure to red sunlight instantly drains his powers, leaving him as vulnerable as a normal person. Villains like Lex Luthor and heroes like Batman have created artificial red sunlight to neutralize Superman’s abilities. General Sam Lane went even further, using red sun radiation to eliminate dozens of Kryptonians in space by stripping them of their power and leaving them helpless.

3) Magic

Despite his incredible power – even the ability to destroy galaxies – Superman is surprisingly susceptible to magic. While magic doesn’t necessarily make him weaker overall, he lacks any natural protection against spells or enchanted items. A powerful magic user, such as Zatanna or Circe, could easily harm him, even transforming him into something small like a guinea pig. Similarly, magical weapons can cut Superman just like a normal person. Characters who rely on magic for their own strength, like Shazam and Black Adam, also find it easier to fight and potentially defeat him in a direct fight.

2) His Loved Ones

The main reason superheroes keep their identities secret is to protect their loved ones. Villains often target the families and friends of heroes, using them as a way to control or defeat them. Superman, for example, has repeatedly faced situations where Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, his dog Krypto, or others he cares about were kidnapped. This tactic forces even the usually perfect Superman to make errors, fueled by fear and anger over the danger to those he loves. Villains like Lex Luthor have intentionally used these emotional attacks to harm Superman, focusing on his feelings rather than physical strength. A prime example is in the Injustice comics, where the Joker killing Lois Lane is what ultimately led Superman to become a ruthless dictator.

1) Kryptonite

Superman’s weakness to Kryptonite – a green substance from his destroyed home planet – is one of the most famous vulnerabilities in all of fiction. When Krypton exploded, pieces of the planet became Kryptonite and landed on Earth. This substance emits radiation that instantly weakens Superman, causing him intense pain. Prolonged exposure is fatal. Even in gas form, Kryptonite makes Superman unusually vulnerable to things like fear toxins. Because it’s a quick and reliable way to harm or even kill him, nearly every one of Superman’s enemies has used Kryptonite at some point.

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2026-01-26 18:16