James D. Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Taking into account everything over the years that you consider canonical, who do you feel is Superman's greatest nemesis? This is all a matter of opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFetch Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 I know everyone will say Luthor, but Doomsday did kill him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Lex Luthor's my choice for the obvious reasons. When you think of Superman, you think of Lex Luthor. He knows he can't beat Superman in a round of fisticuffs, so Luthor uses his greatest asset: his supreme intelligence. Matters are further complicated by Superman's inability to lay into Lex. It's easy to punch Doomsday, Darkseid and other superpowered beings. A human like Luthor, however, has to be treated differently; Superman has to use his own brain to overcome the bald man's schemes. Those aforementioned superpowered villains push Kal-El's physical limits; Luthor pushes him mentally and emotionally. Darkseid almost trumps Luthor, what with his ability to tax Kal-El physically, mentally and emotionally, but Luthor came first. Darkseid can be an awesome villain and really should be Superman's number two bad guy, but often he comes off as Luthor with powers. One could make the argument that Luthor will never best Superman because, to do so, he'd have to expose himself to the general public as the villainous mastermind that he is. Since he can't so that, he holds back. Darkseid on the other hand has no agenda to hide or public face to maintain; he has an army at his disposal, Boom Tubes which allow easy / sudden access to Earth, advanced technology, as well as decades of battlefield and world-ruling experience -- so what's his excuse for failing time and time again? Brainiac is cool in theory: since he can infect any electronic device with his programming, the only way to truly beat him would be to rid the world of every last microchip. Obviously that isn't happening, so he'll continue to be a thorn in Superman's side for ever and ever. But at the end of the day, he's just a robot. Smash! Smash! Story's over. Beating up a computer doesn't present Superman with a moral dilemma, because it isn't alive (as we know life). Even killing someone like Darkseid would hound Superman's soul. Brainiac: not so much. Doomsday was created for one reason and one reason only: sales. He was a marketing ploy, created to garner the attention of the mainstream press. While it worked, he represents everything that was wrong with comic books in the 1990s: shock value, lack of foresight and the inability to keep those new readers once the "big event" was said and done. Mr. Mxyzptlk is like a kid brother who's hopped-up on sugar and found his way into daddy's gun cabinet: very dangerous, but, really, he just wants to have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holacik Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Lex Luthor's my choice for the obvious reasons. When you think of Superman, you think of Lex Luthor. That's exactly what I was thinking when I read the question. There's just no other way to vote. When you think about any hero you usually think of thier nemesis at the same time (i.e Batman/Joker, Wolverine/Sabertooth, Captain America/Red Skull). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 While Supes' rogues gallery is littered with intense and powerful interplantary despots and unstoppable killing machines, none of them pose the challenge Luthor does. Luthor is the intellectual antagonist Superman needs on every level. Superman is an alien immigrant who uses his power to help those in need (the idealist) and Luthor is the self-made man whose ruthlessness knows no bounds (the realist). Besides, Lex Luthor's name permeates western culture as the nemesis as much as the devil does. Ever hear someone say "He's like my Lex Luthor"? Me too. Ever hear someone say "He's like my Brainiac"? Me neither. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Very good point. Somewhere down the line I can very easily see "Luthor" becoming synonymous with "enemy," just as "Scrooge" now means "miser" and "Einstein" stands in for "genius." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-T Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Lex Luthor's my choice for the obvious reasons. When you think of Superman, you think of Lex Luthor. That's exactly what I was thinking when I read the question. I also would argue that Luthor is Superman's main adversary in a way that few other heroes have a main bad guy. Wolverine has Sabertooth, but he also has Lady Deathstrike and Magneto. Batman has Penguin and Catwoman; Captain America has Baron Zemo. Spider-Man has the Green Goblin, but he also has Venom, Sandman and Doc Ock. Luthor is the Superman villain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James D. Posted October 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Darkseid almost trumps Luthor, what with his ability to tax Kal-El physically, mentally and emotionally, but Luthor came first. Darkseid can be an awesome villain and really should be Superman's number two bad guy, but often he comes off as Luthor with powers. One could make the argument that Luthor will never best Superman because, to do so, he'd have to expose himself to the general public as the villainous mastermind that he is. Since he can't so that, he holds back. Darkseid on the other hand has no agenda to hide or public face to maintain; he has an army at his disposal, Boom Tubes which allow easy / sudden access to Earth, advanced technology, as well as decades of battlefield and world-ruling experience -- so what's his excuse for failing time and time again? The answer to that question is yet another thing Darkseid and Luthor have in common--extreme, boundless arrogance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holacik Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 Lex Luthor's my choice for the obvious reasons. When you think of Superman, you think of Lex Luthor. That's exactly what I was thinking when I read the question. I also would argue that Luthor is Superman's main adversary in a way that few other heroes have a main bad guy. Wolverine has Sabertooth, but he also has Lady Deathstrike and Magneto. Batman has Penguin and Catwoman; Captain America has Baron Zemo. Spider-Man has the Green Goblin, but he also has Venom, Sandman and Doc Ock. Luthor is the Superman villain. Batman's main villain is The Joker. Penquin or Catwoman? Not even in the same league. The Joker has the tendency to bring out the worst in Batman. The same thing for Captain America and the Red Skull. There is a hatred between them, while most other villains it's just another day in the office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James D. Posted October 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 Lex Luthor's my choice for the obvious reasons. When you think of Superman, you think of Lex Luthor. That's exactly what I was thinking when I read the question. I also would argue that Luthor is Superman's main adversary in a way that few other heroes have a main bad guy. Wolverine has Sabertooth, but he also has Lady Deathstrike and Magneto. Batman has Penguin and Catwoman; Captain America has Baron Zemo. Spider-Man has the Green Goblin, but he also has Venom, Sandman and Doc Ock. Luthor is the Superman villain. Batman's main villain is The Joker. Penquin or Catwoman? Not even in the same league. The Joker has the tendency to bring out the worst in Batman. The same thing for Captain America and the Red Skull. There is a hatred between them, while most other villains it's just another day in the office. While I do agree with everything you said there, I think Ra's al Ghul is far more dangerous than the Joker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxPower Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Besides, Lex Luthor's name permeates western culture as the nemesis as much as the devil does. Ever hear someone say "He's like my Lex Luthor"? Me too. Ever hear someone say "He's like my Brainiac"? Me neither. Hahaha, that cracked me up, in the good way. I agree totally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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