Superman is a Kryptonian who gained god-level powers under Earth’s yellow sun. Shazam is an ordinary boy who became mystically empowered by literal gods after meeting a wizard. Both of these powerful beings have clashed in some epic battles, but which one of them would truly win in a fight when both are at their maximum power?

Although fans will inevitably back their favorite superhero, it’s worth taking a closer look at their greatest confrontations as well as a focused look at the way their powers have developed to see which hero would come out on top in a no-holds barred fight with each at his greatest level of power.

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When thinking about Superman and Shazam’s greatest fights, one cannot ignore their epic battle in Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ celebrated miniseries Kingdom Come. Set in an alternate future where Billy Batson had grown into an adult, Shazam – still going by the name Captain Marvel, had been brainwashed by Lex Luthor who used a mind controlling worm inside Billy Batson’s brain to make him comply with his orders. This gave Lex a powerful pawn to employ against Superman’s forces when he sent Captain Marvel to break open Superman’s metahuman prison, the Gulag.

Superman and Captain Marvel confront each other, who manages to keep Superman occupied when the freed Gulag prisoners run rampant. Although Superman is even more powerful in this alternate future than his modern-day counterpart, Captain Marvel’s magic lightning manages to hurt him until Superman makes the lightning bolt strike Marvel, reverting him to Billy Batson.

Ultimately, Superman flies off to stop a nuclear warhead from killing the metahumans. Momentarily freed of Luthor’s brainwashing, Captain Marvel decides to use his lightning to detonate the bomb himself. Although he and many metahumans die in the explosion, Marvel’s act managed to leave many metahumans alive, giving humanity and the remaining superhumans a chance to reconcile.

Superman and Shazam (still going by Captain Marvel) had another epic clash in the animated series Justice League Unlimited in the appropriately-titled “Clash” episode. Once again, Captain Marvel was set up by Lex Luthor, who manipulated him into fighting with Superman. While the two combatants seemed equally matched in terms of strength and speed, Captain Marvel gained an edge when he started blasting Superman with his magic lightning. Once again, however, Superman let the lightning hit Marvel and depower him – putting a hand over his mouth before he could shout “Shazam!” and transform again.

Based on these two incidents, it would appear that Superman would come out on top in a fight with Shazam. Indeed, if we took both combatants at their maximum level of power, Superman could very well gain even greater strength and power than Shazam, especially if he decided to enhance his powers by exposing himself to the rays of a blue sun. At his maximum potential, Superman’s strength is apparently limitless and likely greater than Shazam’s “Strength of Hercules.”

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However, there’s one important thing to consider. Superman – no matter how powerful he might become – is still vulnerable to magic. Indeed, even though Superman was at an incredible level of power in Kingdom Come and had even become immune to Kryptonite after decades of absorbing solar radiation, he was still incredibly vulnerable to Captain Marvel/Shazam’s magic lightning, and would most likely have been defeated if he hadn’t been able to turn Captain Marvel back into Billy Batson.

The same was true in “Clash.” Both Superman and Captain Marvel seemed capable of taking whatever the other threw at him – until Captain Marvel began striking Superman with his magic lightning. The lightning blasts actually succeeded in blackening the Man of Steel’s invulnerable skin and seemed on the verge of knocking him out – until Superman grabbed Captain Marvel and made the lightning hit him, reverting him to Billy Batson.

It’s interesting to note that Shazam’s lightning seems particularly well suited to harming the Man of Steel, which isn’t necessarily true of all magic lightning. Superman actually managed to wield the power of lightning in a JLA/Avengers crossover when he proved worthy of lifting Thor’s hammer Mjolnir. Granted, he may have been more vulnerable to Mjolnir’s lightening if Thor had been the one using Mjolnir, but either way, Shazam’s lightning doesn’t seem to give Superman any of the benefits it gives Billy Batson.

The question then becomes – can Billy use his magic lightning as a weapon without having it turn him back into his mortal form? Surprisingly, the answer appears to be yes. In Justice League #0, a rebooted Billy Batson learns he must say the word “Shazam!” with good intentions in order for the magic to work and the lightning to come down. He later learns he can use his lightning for purposes other than just transforming into a superhero and even learns to use it as an offensive weapon.

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The movie Shazam! also established that Billy doesn’t even have to shout “Shazam!” at all to use the lightning – he can just shoot it from his “lightning hands.” Thus, even if he faced off against the most powerful version of Superman, Shazam (also in his most powerful form) could exploit Superman’s great weakness to magic by simply blasting him repeatedly with magic lightning. If the lightning was coming directly from Shazam’s body (and not from the sky), Superman wouldn’t be able to use it to turn Shazam back into Billy (which appears to be the only real defense he had against Shazam in their earlier fights).

Given that most of Superman and Shazam’s past fights have resulted in a win for Superman, this outcome might cause some fans to scratch their heads. However, thanks to all the changes Shazam has gone through recently through DC’s constant reboots, his powers have also evolved to a level where he’s not just Superman’s equal – he’s one of the few superheroes with a power that Superman can’t defend against. Although this hasn’t been presented in the comics, movies, or cartoons yet, if Shazam really wanted to, he could easily fry the Man of Steel. Sorry, Superman.

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About The Author


Michael Jung
(700 Articles Published)

Michael Jung is a mild-mannered freelance writer-for-hire, actor, and professional storyteller with a keen interest in pop culture, education, nonprofit organizations, and unusual side hustles. His work has been featured in Screen Rant, ASU Now, Sell Books Fast, Study.com, and Free Arts among others. A graduate of Arizona State University with a PhD in 20th Century American Literature, Michael has written novels, short stories, stage plays, screenplays, and how-to manuals.

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Michael’s background in storytelling draws him to find the most fascinating aspects of any topic and transform them into a narrative that informs and entertains the reader. Thanks to a life spent immersed in comic books and movies, Michael is always ready to infuse his articles with offbeat bits of trivia for an extra layer of fun. In his spare time, you can find him entertaining kids as Spider-Man or Darth Vader at birthday parties or scaring the heck out of them at haunted houses.

Visit Michael Jung’s website for information on how to hire him, follow him on Twitter Michael50834213, or contact him directly: michael(at)michaeljungwriter(dot)com.

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