The Avengers may well be Earth’s mightiest heroes, but does that mean that they could defeat the villains of ANY Earth? Could they defeat the villains of the DC universe?
The DC universe is filled with some of the most powerful bad guys ever conceived. After all, they exist in a world with heroes as smart as Batman and as powerful as Superman, so they have to be even tougher and smarter if they want to rule the universe. When it comes to taking their schemes to the Marvel Universe, they are possibly the most diabolical and well-equipped villains that the Avengers are likely to ever face. Even with heroes such as Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor it’s conceivable that the Avengers might actually lose for once.
While the following villains of the DC universe are unlikely to ever cross over and battle the Avengers, it’s intriguing to consider the possibilities. Here’s 15 DC Villains Who Could Beat Marvel's Avengers In A Fight.
15. Mongul
As the ruler of the Warworld, Mongul possesses a massive engine of destruction that could threaten the entire planet. Not only this, Mongul himself possesses powers that give Superman himself pause, so he could certainly go toe to toe with the most powerful Avengers of all time.
While Mongul’s physical strength is a match for Superman’s, and therefore probably matches that of the Hulk or Thor, it’s his remorseless nature and lack of hesitation when it comes to killing that makes him a major threat. Whereas the Avengers tend to hold back, the Hulk notwithstanding, Mongul is a stone cold killer who would have no issue with tearing the weaker members apart with his bare hands.
While The Avengers face super strong and remorseless killers frequently, one that commands a gigantic planet-sized war machine is possibly more than they can handle. The Warworld itself poses a planetary threat that would require something like a Cosmic Cube or an Infinity Gauntlet to destroy; if the Avengers got their hands on one of those, they’d maybe have a shot.
14. Sinestro
There’s little that can stand against a Green Lantern Ring, and even less that can stand against a Yellow Lantern Ring wielded by a master in its use. Sinestro was once the greatest Green Lantern ever, revered even by the Guardians of the universe for his ability to maintain order in his sector of the universe. When it was discovered that his brand of justice had crossed into tyranny, he was expelled by the Green Lantern Corps and forged a new ring, powered by the yellow energy of fear.
Sinestro, along with his Sinestro Corps, poses a major threat and one that the Justice League cannot defeat alone. They have required the assistance of the entire Green Lantern Corps, and even then it’s a close fight.
Should Sinestro battle The Avengers alone, his merciless nature along with his incredible skill at building energy constructs could be more than a single squad of Avengers could defeat. If he had the whole Sinestro Corps behind him, it’s unlikely that even Earth’s Mightiest Heroes could beat them.
13. The Anti-Monitor
Much like Marvel’s Galactus, The Anti-Monitor was created at the beginning of time and is an engine of destruction, but his scope is much bigger, targeting universes, not planets. The Anti-Monitor is responsible for some of the most devastating scenes in the DC multiverse, including the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. Not only has he absorbed entire universes, he once tore a rift between the antimatter universe and the regular universe and threatened all of reality.
More than any other villain on this list, The Anti-Monitor actually poses a credible threat to The Avengers. His aim to destroy the multiverse means he could very well arrive in the 616 universe that the Avengers inhabit. Of course, it would require one heck of a deal between DC and Marvel, but if they did choose to do it again someday, The Anti-Monitor would be the ideal plot device that would take both The Justice League and The Avengers to stop him.
12. Vandal Savage
While the immortal dictator may not be the most powerful physical threat, his centuries of experience coupled with his cunning make him a formidable villain. Should he inhabit the 616 universe, he’s likely to choose to use misdirection to separate the members of The Avengers and take them one at a time, exploiting their weaknesses.
In the DC universe, Vandal Savage has allied with many other villains to confront powerful foes such as Superman and Batman. In the Marvel universe, he would probably employ the same strategy and assemble a cabal of villains such as Doom, Loki, Sinister, Norman Osborn, and other powerful top tier bad guys. Truthfully, such a force could easily best The Avengers if guided by Savage, but would probably be defeated by the treacherous nature of the cabal itself.
If Savage chose to go it alone, he’s still in with a shot at defeating The Avengers as he’s a master at uncovering the weaknesses of his foes. Using a gamma inhibitor device, he could neutralize the Hulk; he could use ancient Norse magic to neutralize Thor, and so on.
11. Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor isn’t Superman’s arch enemy for nothing. The genius, billionaire, bad guy could have easily been the greatest hero of Earth if he had chosen a different path. While he has been a member of the Justice League, his villainous nature will always come to the fore.
The Avengers really have no villain in their history that compares with Lex. While Doom matches his genius, and Norman Osborn matches his role as an evil industrialist, nobody in Marvel is as slick, remorseless and suave as Luthor. If he appeared in the 616 universe, the Avengers would be totally unprepared. While Iron Man may be experienced with guys like Justin Hammer, they tend to use poor flunkies to do their dirty work for them. Lex would employ the best of the best, and by the time the Avengers knew they were under attack, they’d already be beaten. This is a guy that plans for everything and once wore a Kryptonite ring for years on the off-chance that he might confront Superman face-to-face.
10. Solomon Grundy
Solomon Grundy is close to the Hulk when it comes to sheer brute force, and has the added benefit of being perpetually resurrected each time he is killed.
While Grundy is typically a brutish engine of destruction, he has been resurrected with a more intelligent persona on occasion. This more intelligent persona was also more cunning and manipulative and was responsible for the end of Red Tornado’s human form after beating him to death, while also tearing off and eating his arm.
While The Avengers may well be more powerful than Grundy, his ability to come back to life is the ultimate advantage. While they would have to kill him again and again, he only needs to kill each of them once! The weaker Avengers, like Captain America and Hawkeye, would fall quickly against an enraged Grundy, most likely losing limbs in the process against the cannibalistic bad guy.
9. Doomsday
While the Hulk often claims to be the strongest one there is, he’s never had to face Doomsday. The walking engine of destruction once beat the entire Justice League with one arm literally behind his back, so The Avengers would probably fall just as easily. Non-powered heroes such as Hawkeye would stand no chance against him; even tough guys like Luke Cage and Spider-Man would fall quickly, and that’s assuming Doomsday even noticed their attempts to stop him.
The only Avengers likely to last more than a few moments against him are the heavy hitters such as Hyperion, Sentry, Hulk, Thor, and Wonderman. Even then, it would probably take all of them to bring Doomsday down. Doomsday’s primary advantage is his lack of care when it comes to collateral damage. When he battled Superman in the famous “Death of Superman” story, he tore through the entire country with no regard for anything beyond fighting Superman himself. The Avengers would be attempting to minimize civilian casualties, leaving them open to Doomsday’s lethal blows.
8. Parallax
Parallax is the embodiment of all fear in the universe. It was imprisoned by the Guardians of the Universe within the central power battery of the Green Lantern Corps, and became the cause of the so-called yellow impurity which gave the Green Lanterns a weakness to the color yellow.
While Parallax is a cosmic threat, it’s his ability to possess people and turn them into grotesque versions of themselves that makes him an ultimate villain. When he possessed Hal Jordon, he was responsible for millions of deaths and the destruction of the Green Lanterns across the universe. Should he make it to the 616 universe and encounter the Avengers, he could possess Thor or Hyperion and become a foe more powerful than any hero could deal with. Even if his host was destroyed, it’s possible for him to enter another form and keep up the fight.
With no Green Lanterns to imprison him in the 616 universe, he could stand utterly unopposed bringing fear to the Avengers in a way they have never encountered before.
7. Brainiac
Brainiac is one of the oldest beings in his universe, driven to amass more and more information and knowledge he conquers entire civilizations, shrinking them and storing them, before moving on to do the same again.
If he ever conquered the entire DC universe, it’s possible that he would target the multiverse and eventually encounter The Avengers. His advanced technology and augmented physiology make him a formidable opponent and one that could conquer the Avengers fairly quickly. He could even defeat some of The Avengers greatest villains such as Ultron as he is a hybrid of organics and technology and can infect other entities, adding them to a hive mind.
After centuries of learning from the greatest civilisations in the universe, Brainiac has become a level 12 intellect, compared to the human race’s level 1. Even super smart heroes such as Reed Richards and Tony Stark would be outmatched when attempting to counter him on an intellectual level.
6. Reverse Flash
The Reverse Flash is one of the most underrated foes in the DC universe. He is in fact a major force to be reckoned with, as he has all the powers and skills of The Flash but with none of the Scarlet Speedster’s morals. He can travel at incredible speeds and use that speed to strike with uncanny force, but it’s his ability to travel in time that truly makes him a major threat. The ability to defeat an enemy before they even know they are your enemy is the ultimate power in a combat situation. Not only can Reverse Flash study his foes to find a weakness, he can go back in time and exploit it before his foes ever see him coming.
In his own universe he was partially responsible for the Flashpoint event that caused many of his foes to die and the universe to be re-set. if he came to the 616 universe and fought The Avengers, he could conceivably do the same and tear apart the fabric of their universe before they even had a chance to put up a fight.
5. Krona
Krona is a Maltusian, one of the most ancient beings in the universe and an original guardian of the universe. He was also one of the first to harness the colours of the emotional spectrum that give the Green Lanterns their power. He was even the first to build a prototype power ring, due to his ability to harness emotional powers.
Over time, Krona became obsessed with the fabric of reality and began to tinker with it to suit his whims. He accidentally caused the creation of evil in the universe due to his machinations. He became a problem for the other Maltusians who took away his physical form, he roamed the universe for eons in an ethereal state.
Once he found a way to reform himself he became incredibly powerful, able to harness the combined power of the emotional spectrum. As the Avengers have no Green Lanterns to battle him in their home universe, they would need the assistance of the heroes of the DC universe to defeat him or an item of incredible power such as a Cosmic Cube or Infinity Gauntlet.
4. Eclipso
Like many others on this list, Eclipso is an immortal with immense power. A truly evil entity, he can, and has, infect people with his evil, which is tied to the heart of darkness.
Not only can he posess anyone that comes into contact with the heart of darkness, his godlike abilities mean he can grant himself virtually any power set. he has demonstrated the ability to grow and shrink, absorb and redirect power on a cosmic scale, and has incredible strength and speed. While his own might is incredible, it’s his ability to posess other evil beings that would grant him an army of evil beings that makes him a formidable enemy. Which beings such as Red Skull or Doctor Doom doing his bidding, The Avengers would have the fight of their lives on their hands.
Like most other godlike entities on this list Eclipso is out of the Avenger’s league when it comes to sheer power. While they have fought godlike entities in their own universe, they often need help from other cosmic entities and certainly would do if they faced off against Eclipso.
3. Superboy Prime
The ultimate douchebag from across the multiverse, Superboy Prime is a version of Superman from another timeline and the one responsible for the Infinite Crisis. He came from a world without any other heroes and was plucked from his timeline in order to help with the crisis on infinite earths by Superman of Earth-one. After his universe was destroyed, he went to a paradise dimension but grew insane and escaped. Convinced that the universe needed him, he took it upon himself to destroy the heroes and take their place.
As a multiversal threat, he has the potential to cross into the Avengers universe and battle them in their home. As he has higher power levels than the current incarnation of Superman, it’s likely that no Avenger besides Hulk and Sentry would stand against him for long.
Truthfully, matching him blow for blow would be a flawed strategy. The heroes' best chance of beating him would come from banishing him from their dimension. Given that he has been seen to smash reality itself with a punch, they may not even be able to do that.
2. Nekron
Nekron was the original guardian of the universe, and remained the guardian of darkness even after the rise of the newer Guardians of the Universe took his place. While Nekron cannot inhabit the physical universe and must remain in the darkness, he does posess the ability to influence all of reality.
During the Blackest Night storyline, Nekron created an army of the undead known as Black Lanterns. These zombie-like villains possessed similar powers to Green Lanterns but were under Nekron’s control rather than being autonomous beings like the other Lanterns. Should he be able to create an army in the 616 universe, he could re-animate the dead forms of all those who have previously died in that universe.
His greatest strength is that he is beyond even death. He cannot be killed, but simply returns to his realm upon his defeat. His dark lightning is so powerful that it can sway even the most powerful hero to his side with a single blast. Like many others on this list, Nekron is far beyond even the most powerful Avengers and would require the entire roster of Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Guardians of the Galaxy and many more to battle.
1. Darkseid
If Thanos is the prime threat to The Avengers, then Darkseid is their worst nightmare given form. The embodiment of entropy and decay, Darkseid is an evil that has few equals.
The ruler of the planet Apokalips, Darkseid is known for his enormous power that puts Superman to shame. Not only is Darkseid obsessed with ruling the universe but with finding the anti-life equation to destroy all things everywhere. As one of the most powerful new gods of the DC universe, Darkseid is as strong as The Hulk and possesses energy blasts more powerful than Thor’s lightning. He can essentially grant himself any power he can conceive making him a one-man army. Beyond his own physical power, he commands a massive army of parademons who will blindly follow his orders and kill anyone who crosses them.
While The Avengers have fought many cosmic entities before, Darkseid is like Annihilus, Galactus, Thanos, and Blastaar put together. Even with a legion of other heroes with them, they might find Darkseid far more than they could defeat.