With Batman v. Superman finally just around the corner we take a look at the invulnerability of the man of steel. Surprisingly Superman has died multiple times over his long and successful comic book history.  He may come across as a superhero that can’t get hurt or killed, but take a look at some of the creative, and sometimes silly ways he died. The question still beckons: who can kill Superman? While we all know about his only weakness (kryptonite) we can only speculate if this will be Batman’s main weapon in their showdown in the movie.

Superman totally can be killed. In fact, he has been. Numerous times. Whilst the Man Of Steel is widely believed to be near-invulnerable – in fact, he’s very close to being god-like in his power – the guy has his weaknesses. Mainly His Girl Friday reporters and fellow superheroes, but also Kryptonite (in all its shades) and magic can mess with him.

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Who can Kill Superman – 8 ways Superman May Die:

 

  1. Doomsday

doomsday

Superman is killed fighting Doomsday in a widely publicized comic book landmark event. He returns to life a year later, without his powers. They return shortly after a Kryptonite weapon is fired at Superman, but hits an artificial Kryptonian being (the “eradicator”) first. returning his abilities.The genetically-engineered Doomsday was created specifically to kill Superman, being equally as strong and nigh-invulnerable as the Man Of Steel. Many forget that Superman actually won their knock-down drag-out fight, before collapsing due to his numerous injuries immediately after

 

  1. Zunial

murder man

The ‘Murder Man’ also an alien, kills Superman with a Kryptonite ray. However, a Superman android some villains had built and designed for combat training to act like Superman himself gave up his artificial life to bring the Man of Steel back.Zunial is part of that school where villains from all over the universe go and train to murder the Man Of Steel, because they prefer Batman or something. They do this by practising their murder skills on Robot Superman, and if you think that plot point might come up later, you’ve read a comic before.

The Murder Man and his fellow students all have a crack at taking down the Last Son Of Krypton but it’s Zunial himself who finally does the deed, blasting him with Kryptonite radio waves. The Man Of Steel falls! At least until one of those aforementioned Robot Supermen comes along and bravely gives up his life force so the real Superman may live.

 

  1. Suicide

suicide

“Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?” is a bonafide funnybook classic, with writer Alan Moore. Moore pulled no punches in the story, which closed out the character’s Silver Age continuity by having him come up across most of his major supervillains to that point, with Braniac going further than ever before and actually straight-up murdering the likes of Jimmy Olsen and Lana Lang. It got pretty dark.

None more dark, though, is how the story ends. Having killed Mxyzptlk, the reality-warping villain behind the whole thing, Superman realises he has violated his one sacrosanct rule…and then goes into the room of his Fortress Of Solitude that holds Golden Kryptonite, which kills him in an instant. Or does it…?

 

 

  1. Sunlight Overload

Where “Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?” tore apart the naïve Silver Age dream with death and destruction, Grant Morrison twelve-issue series Quitely was a celebration of everything Superman, bringing together almost every major character, villain, and plot line from the Man Of Steel’s history.

The reason for the greatest hits tour was a little less bright. All-Star Superman sees the hero making preparations for his imminent death. At the end of the story, rather than succumbing to the solar power that’s tearing him apart on a cellular level, he goes to live in the great burning star he helped restart at the beginning of the story.

 

 

  1. Virus X

Virus x

In a five-part saga, Clark Kent is hypnotized to want to kill Superman, and he inflicts himself with Virus X, a fatal disease from Krypton. He nearly dies, but during his supposed cremation in the hottest star in the galaxy, the virus is burned off and he’s restored to full power.

 

 

  1. He-Man’s Sword

superman he-man

A “Superman” dies in “DC Universe vs. Masters of the Universe” issue No. 2, through the magic sword of He Man. However, this was a magical copy of Superman and not the real deal.While not knowing that he should maybe hold back from murdering a 75-year old cultural icon, He-Man throws caution the wind and ends his confrontation with the brainwashed Superman by stabbing him in the chest with his magic sword, killing him instantly.

 

 

  1. Time Travelling

old superman

In a story titled ‘Even a Superman Dies,’ a time-traveling Superman becomes more than one million years old and is nearly killed by a weapon Lex Luthor let loose to search for the Man of Steel centuries ago. Superman is healed by a robot and is flung into the time stream by a comet – going so far into the future that he returns full circle to the present and is restored to his youth.

 

 

  1. Lex Luthor’s cure for Cancer

lex luthor cancer

Lex Luthor is released from jail for inventing a cure for cancer which makes life better for all mankind. But then it turns out that cure is also similar to Kryptonite, so he shoots a ray of it into Superman and the Man Of Steel fades quickly, strapped to a table writhing in agony as the staff of the Daily Planet watch horrified as he dies. Bleak.