Superman vs. Captain America: Who Wins the Fight & How?

Superman and Captain America are two of the most iconic superheroes ever created in their respective universe. One is an alien, and the other is an augmented super soldier. Even though they come from vastly different backgrounds, they share some similarities. They both represent hope and courage and steadfastly uphold their moral values. Due to this, a fight between the two would be highly unlikely, but let’s present you with one hypothetical scenario. If it ever comes to a battle between Captain America and Superman, who would win & how? 

Superman is vastly more powerful than Captain America and would win a fight against him. Superman is stronger, faster, durable, and has vastly more powers and abilities. This is not something that Captain America can keep up with. Captain America often faces adversity more powerful than him, but Superman, due to being one of the most powerful individuals in the DC comics, would obliterate him. Not even Rogers’ supreme combat skills would be able to even out physical differences. 

Now that we’ve covered that Captain America can’t keep up with Superman, it’s time to analyze exactly why. We’re going to see how both of our characters compare with each other in relevant physical categories so you can see why we came to our conclusion. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!

Powers and abilities

The key to Superman’s powers and abilities lies in his Kryptonian physiology. As a Kryptonian, Superman is able to absorb and utilize yellow sun radiation, which grants him extensive powers and abilities, and his physical abilities are greatly enhanced when compared to an average human. 

As a Kryptonian, Superman can generate powerful shockwaves with nothing but hands. He has an array of destructive abilities, such as heat vision and freeze breath, capable of dealing damage on a molecular level. Superman has other abilities unreachable to regular humans, but we’ve decided to focus on the offense here, as even his most skills set overpowers most other superpowered characters in the DC comics. 

On the other hand, Captain America was born human, but due to exposure to Super Soldier Serum, he was transformed into a super soldier with enhanced physiology. He doesn’t have any magic-based or energy-projecting abilities, but his physiology is greatly enhanced when compared to an average human being. 

This is a short comparison since Captain America brings nothing to the table in the battle of energy-projecting. This point goes to Supes. 

Points: Superman (1:0) Captain America

Strength and Stamina 

Superman has unimaginable strength at his disposal. This is best confirmed by the fact that he frequently, in the comics, manipulates even celestial bodies. Even though the exact limits to his strength are unknown, it’s estimated that he can lift up to 2 billion tons. This is all thanks to yellow solar radiation. Superman has vast reserves of stamina at his disposal to match his strength. As long as he has access to solar energy, he will fight at his peak capacity requiring neither oxygen nor food.  

Steve Rogers’ strength is a bit more humble but still impressive; he can lift up to 1200 lbs but averages at around 800 lbs. Due to Super Soldier Serum, Captain America operates and peak physical performance that allows him to access both strength and stamina unavailable to regular human beings. This allows him to fight and exert himself far longer than he would otherwise be capable of. Captain America demonstrated that he could survive harsh environments to a limited extent with greater ability than a regular human.

Captain America is strong when compared to human standards, but he has nothing against Superman. 

Points: Superman (2:0) Captain America

Speed

Even though he doesn’t have access to Speed Force, Superman is considered to be among the fastest characters in the DC comics universe. Superman can move at speeds as fast as 186,000 miles per second and possibly even beyond that, as he can reach speeds beyond the speed of light in outer space. Superman’s speed is not limited to traveling, as he has lightning-fast reflexes and reaction times in combat. There’s hardly a superpowered character out there that can match him.  

Captain America can reach humble but impressive speeds compared to an average human. He can reach speeds that compare to the finest Olympic athlete and run at around 30 miles per hour, although, on one occasion, he could double that speed easily. In terms of combat Captain America is agile, reacts incredibly fast, and his reflexes are, like the rest of his physiology, enhanced. 

Superman can easily hold races against Flash, but this is not something achievable for Captain America. The point goes to Superman. 

Points: Superman (3:0) Captain America

Durability

Superman is technically immortal and virtually indestructible. Due to his Kryptonian physiology, his bodily tissues and muscles are several million times harder than those of average human beings and can withstand insane amounts of damage and destruction. Superman is known to easily tank destruction of whole planets, nukes, fall from extreme heights, and he easily adapts to even the most inhospitable environments. 

It’s possible to kill Superman, but it requires cosmic amounts of power and determination. Or, you need Kryptonite and magic. He is weak to both. 

Captain America has enhanced durability and can tank more damage than an average human. But it’s nowhere near tanking an explosion. He has an exceptional immune system and metabolism that allow him to heal quickly when injured, and he is also resistant to diseases and toxins, but if exposed to levels of damage that Superman can tank, Captain America would probably instantly disintegrate. 

Superman is known to be nearly indestructible. The same cannot be said for Steve Rogers. 

Points: Superman (4:0) Captain America

Intelligence

Even though it’s not his trademark ability, Superman is incredibly intelligent due to the unique structure of his brain that allows him to analyze and process information incredibly fast. This aspect of his character, his super intelligence, is often overlooked because, commonly, it is believed that Batman is the brain in the Justice League while Superman is the brawn.

As a result of the Super Soldier Serum, Steve Rogers possesses peak human mental processing abilities. His eidetic/photographic memory and perfect recall enable him to process information quickly, intuitively understand situations, and apply any military tactic he remembers to any situation. Allegedly, Captain America can learn how to use & master any weapon in a matter of seconds.

Both Captain America and Superman are intelligent, but neither extremely famous for it nor have any mindblowing feats. Both get the point. 

Points: Superman (5:1) Captain America

Combat Skills 

Superman has received extensive training in various forms of combat, including boxing, Jujitsu, Krav-Maga, wrestling, stick-fighting, and swordsmanship, making him an excellent hand-to-hand fighter. Even though he is not considered to be among the best fighters or martial artists in the DC, he is still, due to his biological advantages, hard to defeat.  

Captain America is among the greatest fighters in the Marvel Universe. He is a master in almost all forms of combat, including martial arts. This is due to his long and extensive military experience, enhanced senses, and physical abilities. While fighting, Captain America utilizes boxing, Judo, Defendu, kickboxing, Jujutsu, Tōde, Aikido, Karate, and various other unarmed combat disciplines. Captain America trained most of the Avengers, and his experience and tactical skills make him a paralleled opponent in most forms of combat. 

Although Captain America would most certainly lose in a fistfight against Superman, I’ve decided to award him the point in this category since he is truly a master combatant and has more experience fighting than Superman. 

Points: Superman (5:2) Captain America

Captain America vs. Superman: Who is stronger & who wins?

Superman is far stronger than Captain America and would easily defeat him in a fight. Superman can lift several tons more than Steve, outrun him with his fast-as-light movements, and endure and tank anything that Steve Rogers can throw at him.

If the physical differences between the two of them were a bit more even, I do not doubt that Captain America would be able to take on Superman due to being a better combatant; however, currently, Superman is just too powerful and too indestructible for Steve Rogers to handle. 

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