SupermanvsThanos

This matchup depends entirely on whether Thanos has the Infinity Gauntlet. Without it, Superman wins. With it, Thanos wins. Simple as that.

Base Thanos is incredibly powerful — he can trade blows with the Hulk, tank attacks from Thor, and his energy projection can devastate planets. But Superman operates at a tier that base Thanos simply can't match. Superman's speed alone is a deciding factor — he can move and react at speeds that make Thanos look like he's standing still. Combined with heat vision that can cut through virtually anything and strength that has moved planets, Superman's offense is overwhelming.

Thanos's intelligence is his best asset here. He's one of the smartest beings in the Marvel Universe and could theoretically find ways to exploit Superman's weaknesses (magic vulnerability, kryptonite-equivalent strategies). But without prep time and cosmic artifacts, his raw stats simply aren't enough.

With the Infinity Gauntlet, this discussion is over instantly. A snap of his fingers and Superman ceases to exist across all timelines. The Gauntlet literally rewrites reality.