Cosmic titans · Cosmic
Thragg vs Superman
The Grand Regent of Viltrum comes to conquer a world guarded by the strongest man in his universe.
Tale of the tape
| Invincible | Universe | DC |
|---|---|---|
| City to planet | Tier | Cosmic |
| Viltrumite flight, speed and durability honed by centuries of war | Strength | Solar-powered strength, flight, heat vision and freezing breath |
| Pride in Viltrumite superiority blinds him to tricks | Weakness | Pulls every punch: he is more afraid of hurting people than of losing |
| 1–2 | Record on Versus | 1–2 |
The Arena
Thragg had decided that Earth would join the Viltrum Empire. Every world he had claimed had a champion, and every champion had knelt or died. He announced his arrival by stopping above the moon and broadcasting a single message to every screen on the planet: “Send me your strongest.”
Superman flew up to meet him. He did not bring a speech. He simply floated in front of the Grand Regent, with the blue planet behind him, and said, “There’s nobody here for you to conquer. Please go home.” Thragg smiled. It was not a kind smile.
Round One
Thragg struck with the speed of a thousand years of Viltrumite war, a punch that would have cracked a lesser hero in half. Superman caught it in his palm. The shock wave carved a new crater into the moon, kilometres wide. Thragg’s eyes widened, just a fraction.
They fought across the lunar surface, then above it, then in the empty space between the moon and Earth. Thragg was faster in short bursts and fought with the brutal efficiency of a conqueror. But Superman had something no Viltrumite had ever faced. He was drawing power from the sun with every second of the fight, and the sun had no end.
Every time Thragg landed a blow, Superman got up. Every time Superman landed a blow, Thragg felt it more.
The Turn
Thragg switched tactics. He flew toward Earth, aiming at a city, knowing that heroes always defend the innocent. It had worked on a hundred worlds. Superman intercepted him before he reached the atmosphere and threw him back toward the moon so hard he left a trail of fire.
Then Superman did something he rarely allows himself. He stopped holding back. Heat vision seared across Thragg’s armor, melting it. Freezing breath locked his limbs in ice. And Superman’s fists, powered by the full light of the sun, began landing faster than the Grand Regent could block.
The Finish
Thragg refused to stop. He fought on with broken ribs and a shattered jaw, the way he had been trained since birth, never yielding, never kneeling. He landed one more brutal blow that cracked Superman’s cheekbone. It was the last.
Superman caught him in a bear hug, flew him straight up out of the moon’s orbit toward the sun, and held him in the blazing light until the Viltrumite’s strength gave out and he went limp in his arms. Then Superman flew him back to his ship and set him down very gently.
“Earth is not for conquering,” Superman said. “Tell your empire.” Thragg, barely conscious, looked up at him with something like disbelief, then something like respect. The Viltrumite fleet did not come to Earth that year, or the next.
The verdict
Superman wins
Thragg is faster in bursts and one of the most dangerous fighters in his universe, but Superman is stronger, recharges from the sun throughout the fight, and has heat vision and freezing breath that Thragg cannot counter.
- Solar powerSuperman grows stronger the longer he fights in sunlight.
- VersatilityHeat vision and freezing breath give him tools Thragg lacks.
- DurabilityHe absorbs Thragg’s best blows and keeps getting up.
How the rematch could go differently: Far from any star, with Superman’s power drained, Thragg’s experience and ruthlessness would make him the favourite.
Who do you think wins?
Who would win in a fight between Thragg and Superman?
Superman wins. Thragg is faster in bursts and one of the most dangerous fighters in his universe, but Superman is stronger, recharges from the sun throughout the fight, and has heat vision and freezing breath that Thragg cannot counter.