Superman Settles the 1 Justice League Hero Who Can Match His Strength

Summary Lobo is Superman's dark equal - strong, immortal, and equipped with a powerful healing factor.

Superman is enraged and done holding back against Brainiac, seeking an alliance with the despised Lobo.

The Main Match between Superman and Lobo could have lasting consequences for the Justice League's future.

While Superman may be known as DC's strongest hero, there is one fellow Justice League alumni who can match him blow for blow. In DC canon, there are many Justice League heroes who have ways to takeSuperman in a fight - Martian Manhunter's telepathy, Green Lantern's Kryptonite radiation, and Zatanna's magic all give them ways to take on the Man of Steel. However, there's only one former member who can match Superman blow for blow.

That 'hero' is Lobo, aka the Main Man, who is currently working alongside Superman in DC comics... or at least, he was supposed to be. In a preview of Superman #14, the two come to blows (something of a habit for these two very different superhumans.) What's special about this particular battle is that Superman and Lobo both throw punches that connect at the same time. The punch results in a blast of energy and light, with neither hero giving any ground.

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An antihero and sometime villain, Lobo is one of the few heroes Superman genuinely can't stand, however the return of the Bad Blood army - a deadly group of fighters from the same planet as Lobo - has forced them into a tenuous alliance. Now, Lobo is betraying Superman in order to ally with his fellow Czarnians.

Lobo has worked alongside the Justice League on multiple occasions, and officially joined the team in 2017's Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #6, from Joshua Williamson and Howard Porter. Lobo felt he owed Batman a debt for freeing him from Amanda Waller's control.

Superman #14 Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artists: Rafa Sandoval and Miguel Mendonca

Colorists: Alejandro Sánchez

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artist: Rafa Sandoval with Alejandro Sánchez

With members of Superman's family in Brainiac's clutches and his city in jeopardy, Superman is full of rage and done holding back - something which Lobo has already noticed and is trying to encourage.

Superman and Lobo's "Main Match" Confirms They Have Equal Strength

Brainiac's Latest Attack Prompts an Unexpected Alliance

Currently, Superman is facing an unprecedented attack by the villainous Brainiac. A terrifying alien super-genius, Brainiac acquires knowledge by studying alien planets and stealing one city to keep in his shrunken-down collection. To safeguard his knowledge as a unique asset, Brainiac usually destroys the planet in question, and has long been trying to study and dispose of Earth. However, fans recently learned that Brainiac once stole a city from Lobo's home planet of Czarnia, including an army of unkillable, superstrong soldiers led by General Chacal. Now, Brainiac has unleashed those soldiers against the Superman Family, leading Superman to recruit Lobo to stand against them.

While Lobo was originally happy to attack the Czarnians, this preview sees him turn on Superman, admitting that he wants to replace General Chacal as the leader of the Bad Blood mercenary army. Superman and Lobo trade blows while the Man of Steel tries to reason with Lobo, pointing out that even if he does replace General Chacal, he will still have to work for Brainiac - something that goes against the antihero's rebellious nature. With members of Superman's family in Brainiac's clutches and his city in jeopardy, Superman is full of rage and done holding back - something which Lobo has already noticed and is trying to encourage.

Related Lobo Finally Gets the Live-Action Design He Deserves in New DC Cosplay Lobo is a badass DC anti-hero that hasn't gotten a proper live-action debut, with this comic-accurate cosplay nailing his real world look perfectly!

On top of his strength, durability, and unparalleled armory, Lobo's healing factor is so strong that he can create an identical clone of himself from just a drop of blood.

Who Is Lobo, DC's "Main Man" and Superman's Equal

The Last Czarnian Is the Man of Steel's Dark Opposite

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First appearing in 1983's Omega Men #3, Lobo is an intergalactic bounty hunter from the planet Czarnia. He has a staggering range of powers, including immense strength on par with Superman, biological immortality, and a ludicrously powerful healing factor. Czarnians can only be killed by other Czarnians and are one of the most powerful species the galaxy has ever produced, however in DC canon the alien species were almost totally wiped out (in most versions of continuity, at Lobo's hand.) This gives Lobo a dark connection to Superman, as both are the sole survivors of their worlds - the big difference being that while that fact is one of Superman's biggest tragedies, it only fills Lobo with joy - or so he's always claimed.

In original DC canon, Czarnia was destroyed by the Psions, however in most versions of continuity since, Lobo has at least claimed to be responsible for the planet's demise.

In current DC canon, Lobo is an incredibly powerful individual, boasting victories over most of the galaxy's most powerful beings. On top of his strength, durability, and unparalleled armory, Lobo's healing factor is so strong that he can create an identical clone of himself from just a drop of blood - something he showcased in the Death Metal event, creating an army of Lobos under Wonder Woman's command.

However, the problem with assessing Lobo's power is that for most of his time in DC Comics, he's been at least partially a parody character similar to Marvel's Deadpool. Lobo's past adventures include assassinating Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, beating up his own writers, and crushing an entire city down into a tiny ball with his bare hands then eating it - feats which featured in Lobo's own comic, but didn't seem to be taken seriously in DC's main continuity (for example, Santa has since been seen alive and well.) However, it doesn't get much more official than DC's main Superman title, which just showed Lobo exactly matching the Man of Steel's strength.

Related Batman Learned His Most Important Skill From Santa Claus Batman has learned from a huge number of people to become the Dark Knight, but he learned the most important skill from none other than Santa Claus.

Lobo's cynicism about human nature cuts Superman to the core, prompting the hero to label Lobo "disgusting" and insulting him as "the loneliest man I've ever met."

Superman Genuinely Despises Lobo

There Aren't Many 'Heroes' Superman Hates, But Lobo Is on the List

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Superman working alongside Lobo is big news for fans because Clark Kent genuinely loathes the Last Czarnian. While there are some heroes like Green Arrow who Superman may like less than others, he rarely expresses negative emotions for other Justice League members, and often even tries to see the best in his villains. While Lobo's trail of chaos across the universe is enough reason for a hero like Superman to dislike him, it seems to be Lobo's attitude that actually gets under Clark's skin.

While Lobo is an all-around despicable person, he does have one rule he never breaks - once he agrees to a contract, he always sees it through (even if the person who hired him has second thoughts.)

In 2021's Superman vs. Lobo (Tim Seeley, Sarah Beattie, Mirka Andolfo), the two engaged in a surprisingly petty grudge match. While blows were traded, Lobo also arranged for a fake campaign against Superman, where former 'victims' saved by the Man of Steel spread vicious rumors about his conduct and alien heritage. Lobo's cynicism about human nature cuts Superman to the core, prompting the hero to label Lobo "disgusting" and insulting him as "the loneliest man I've ever met." Similarly, Lobo sees Superman as a morally superior elitist who is in denial about how selfish the average person actually is.

Related DC's Most Badass Universe Was Just Created By Lobo In Dark Nights: Death Metal Infinite Hours Exxxtreme! #1, Lobo gets a little nuts, creating his own universe of alternate Lobo-heroes.

So far, Lobo is living down to Superman's idea of him, reveling in Clark's anger at Brainiac and switching sides the first chance he gets. It seems that Superman #14 will see the two let out all their rage at each other in what DC is calling "the Main Match." Hopefully, this bout will release some tension and allow Superman and Lobo to keep working together against Brainiac and his Czarnian army.

Lobo could be an essential ally in Absolute Power, and someone the new 'Dark Trinity' would never expect Superman to call on.

Superman Needs Lobo If He's Going to Stop Brainiac's Evolution

Absolute Power Is Coming, and Superman Can't Afford Extra Enemies

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However, Brainiac is just the beginning of Superman's problems. Currently, DC is building to July's Absolute Power event. This story will see Suicide Squad's Amanda Waller, the robotic Batman of Zur-En-Arrh and a new villain named the Brainiac Queen unite against the Justice League. Not only that, Waller will be in control of an army of Amazo robots who will steal the Justice League's powers. Superman's ongoing 'House of Brainiac Saga' is paving the way for Absolute Power, meaning that even the Czarnian army are only the start of Superman's powers.

Lobo could be an essential ally in Absolute Power, and someone the new 'Dark Trinity' would never expect Superman to call on. However, that's unlikely to happen if Superman humiliates Lobo in front of his childhood hero General Chacal or if Lobo truly switches sides and signs a contract with Brainiac. As Superman and Lobo come to blows in the Main Match, the future of the Justice League could be hanging in the balance.

Superman #14 is coming May 21 from Marvel Comics.