When it comes to Marvel Comics, you can't get much bigger and badder than the Mad Titan himself, Thanos. As viewers have seen in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos is no joke and thanks to his Infinity Gauntlet, he is pretty much unstoppable. The entire combined might of the MCU's Avengers, Wakanda, and Guardians of the Galaxy were unable to put him down before he was able to snap his fingers and cull half of all life from existence.
Even without the fully-assembled Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos is no slouch in the butt-kicking department. Within the Marvel Universe, he is quite possibly the smartest character. His ability to think strategically through all eventualities in any given situation has afforded him the ability to win almost every engagement. Granted, Thanos is a bad guy so he doesn't come out on top when the dust eventually settles, but it often takes everyone-- literally, everyone with any power to take him down in the end.
Not only is Thanos intelligent beyond measurable means, but he also possesses the superhuman physiology of the Eternals, is incredibly strong, can teleport anywhere he wishes, and often has an army at his disposal. While he easily handles the folks over at Marvel, we thought it would be fun to tear through the DC Universe and see who could take him out, should they ever collide and have to do battle. For this list, we are analyzing Thanos (with and without the MCU version of the Gauntlet) as he does battle with 25 characters from DC.
Here are 20 DC Characters Who Could Defeat Thanos In Seconds (And 5 He Would Destroy).
DESTROY: AQUAMAN
Aquaman is one of DC's oldest and most popular characters who has stood side-by-side with the likes of Wonder Woman, Superman, and the rest of the Justice League. He is a King who controls pretty much the entire ocean, and he can even talk to fish!
When facing an opponent like Thanos, all of his strengths would amount to very little given the cunning and power of his opponent.
Aquaman would certainly put up a good fight, but unless the battle takes place in or near the ocean, it's unlikely Thanos would succumb to Aquaman's various abilities.
SHAZAM
When most folks think of DC's biggest and baddest superhero with incredible strength, a cape, and skintight red duds, they picture Superman. The Man of Steel isn't the only character in DC to pack a serious punch; there's also Shazam, a character with the magical powers of the gods.
When Billy Batts speaks the word "SHAZAM," he is invoking the powers of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury, which magically transforms him into a ridiculously powerful character. A fight between Shazam and Thanos would be messy, but Thanos wouldn't stand a chance without his Gauntlet.
DOOMSDAY
Many fans Doomsday from the iconic Superman event in the '90s, but he's still around in one form or another. Doomsday is the result of a Kryptonian experiment to create the perfect being, capable of surviving any threat and coming out on top.
Doomsday would relentlessly pummel Thanos into the ground and then do it again.
He's a walking tank who cannot be taken down no matter how hard the likes of Superman tries. Even in his original appearance, neither he nor Superman were actually destroyed in their battle, which means he only got stronger as a result of their conflict.
GREEN LANTERN
While there are many Green Lanterns to choose from in a fight against Thanos, the one who would likely take out the Mad Titan would have to be Hal Jordan. This would have to be a battle between the two where Thanos fought without the Gauntlet, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be a good fight.
Thanos' strengths are great, but they are no match for Jordan's Will. Seeing as this is what powers his Green Lantern Power Ring, there isn't much of a chance Thanos could gain an advantage and beat him. Jordan would destroy Thanos and hurl him into the sun-- or whatever else might be nearby.
WONDER WOMAN
Wonder Woman is the daughter of Zeus, which makes her a demigod, but she is far more than that. As an Amazonian Princess, she possesses skills and fighting abilities that go unmatched across the entirety of the DC Universe.
She has taken on gods like Aries, and battled just about every threat imaginable.
When it comes to a fight between her and Thanos, he could have the Glove, but she would just lasso him in the arm and take it away from him before he could use it. The intense beating that would follow would leave the Mad Titan pounded into the dust, making this a fight he simply wouldn't win.
DARKSEID
Thanos is to Marvel as Darkseid is to DC. Both characters were created around the same time-- though Darkseid came first-- and stand as the "biggest bads" in their respective universes. Typically, Darkseid is one of Superman's villains and one of the few who can actually challenge him, but his machinations have drawn in pretty much everyone in the DC Universe.
In of power, Darkseid has the advantage over Thanos. He is an immortal god who can manipulate matter and energy, teleport, fire Omega beams, and has a slew of other skills, tactics, and abilities he would use to smash Thanos into bits.
DESTROY: THE FLASH
Since he first appeared, the Flash has been one of the most important and powerful characters in the DC Universe. His ability to travel through time and to other dimensions has opened up the DC Multiverse and his skills have landed him a role alongside Superman and others in the Justice League. He is respected and powerful, but perhaps, not powerful enough.
Thanos' abilities place him in a league far outside that of the Flash's power level.
He regularly battles other speedsters and humans with enhanced abilities, but without his teammates in the JLA, he wouldn't stand a chance alone against Thanos.
BRAINIAC 13
Thanks to a virus in LexCorp's Y2K safety protocols, the Brainiac of the 64th Century was able to come to the present and infect Brainiac 2.5's body. This version of Brainiac was far more powerful than his past counterpart and able to control most machines (and android superheroes) in the 21st Century.
In a fight against Thanos, Brainiac 13's intellect would prove to be far superior. He would find a way to control all the machinery in the area and use it against the Mad Titan to get an advantage. It would be a close fight, but Brainiac 13 would come out victorious.
MR. MXYZPTLK
Thanos spent years tracking down the Stones so he could cull half the universe, but Mister Mxyzptlk could have snapped his fingers and done it whenever he wanted. As an Imp from the 5th Dimension, Mr. Mxyzptlk isn't bound by the laws of the 3rd Dimension. This gives him the ability to warp reality in any way he sees fit.
Literally, anything is possible. which means he could simply think Thanos out of existence.
He could also turn him into a houseplant, or shrink him to the size of an electron if he wanted to. Even with the Gauntlet, reality manipulation is more natural for Mxyzptlk making this an uneven fight in the Imp's favor.
LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR
Lucifer Morningstar is the fallen Angel who battled the forces of Heaven, but failed. His punishment was to rule Hell, which he did for eons before deciding to hang it all up. He cut off his wings and headed to Earth to become a lounge singer. The various warriors of Heaven didn't appreciate his abandonment of Hell, which brought him back into the game.
In of powers, we are talking about the Devil here. Lucifer isn't like Mephisto of the Marvel Universe-- he is literally the devil, but also has the power to ignite the stars themselves. He would barely notice Thanos' presence, much less lose to him in a fight.
