Darkseid Vs Thanos

 

In these 5 articles, we’re going to pit some of the most famous superheroes and supervillains in both DC and Marvel comics against one another, attempting to answer the age-old questions of who would beat who in a duel.

 

Meet The Fighters:

Like any good prizefight, we need to introduce who exactly is facing off against who, so without further ado…

 

Darkseid

The New God residing on Apokolips, Darkseid is perhaps the greatest threat to life in the DC universe, endlessly searching for the Anti-Life Equation that would give him his ultimate victory while dooming every living soul in every corner of the galaxy.

 

Powers

• Super Strength – Depending on what day (or comic series) you catch him in, Darkseid can be the strongest character in the entire DC universe, vastly out lifting even the likes of Superman and seemingly possessing infinite strength.
• Invulnerability – No matter how hard you try, you’re not hurting Darkseid unless you are on his god-tier power levels, making most superheroes and villains literally useless against him.
• Omega Beams – the most unique ability in Darkseid’s repertoire, his Omega Beams shoot from his eyes, with the story going that anything hit by their full power will cease to live.
• Immortality – While not truly immortal- as he can be killed through combat – Darkseid is immortal to old age and disease.
• Mind Control – Every good diabolical monster needs to be able to control its enemies, right? Darkseid has shown that he can control minds in various comic book arcs.
• Size Manipulation – As if the average 10-foot Darkseid isn’t big enough, Darkseid has the ability to grow much bigger if he needs to.
• Genius Intellect – While he looks like a big brute, Darkseid has an intellect that nearly matches that of Lex Luthor, who is the smartest human ever.

Thanos

The Mad Titan Thanos – as we all know by now, even if we aren’t comic book fans – is literally capable of defeating the entire Avengers squad and wiping out half the universe with the snap of his fingers.

 

Powers

• Super Strength – Thanos is one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe, easily able to lift over 100 tonnes on his worst days, and sometimes even being stronger than the Incredible Hulk.
• Invulnerability – As seen in the Avengers films, almost nothing fazes Thanos, and it takes a lot to make him so much as flinch.
• Immortality – While not truly immortal- as he can be killed through combat – Thanos is immortal to old age and disease.
• Energy Manipulation – In many comic arcs, Thanos has the ability to fire energy beams from his hands, adding some range to his attacks.
• Telepathy – Thanos can literally get into the minds of his allies and enemies, being able to communicate through a mental link across far distances.
• Genius Intellect – A would-be universe destroyer needs as many brains as they have brawn, and while he might be mad, Thanos has a genius-level intellect capable of hatching the most diabolical plans.

The Fight

 

Now, just to clarify, nobody gets their world breaker item.

That means no Infinity Gauntlet for Thanos and no Anti-Life Equation for Darkseid. Give either of them their toys and this stops being a fight and starts being a very worrying nuclear holocaust on a universal scale.

Darkseid and Thanos have actually fought before. In DC Versus Marvel, a 1996 story arc surrounding 2 entities who each choose 11 champions from their respective comic book universes to battle, in order to see who is stronger.

Unsurprisingly, those entities chose Thanos and Darkseid as two of their champions, and the two world-destroyers faced off in a battle for the ages.

After a few witty barbs, the two lock into combat throughout the series, both failing to gain an upper hand. Eventually, they merge into a superbeing called Thanoseid, blah blah blah try to end the world, and eventually are defeated when the entities decide to spare the world.

That doesn’t really help us in our search for who would truly win in a duel.

Really, this may end in a draw. Both beings are nigh unkillable and nearly indestructible, so it likely would not end quickly.

However, the one thing that stands out and sets the two supervillains apart is Darkseid’s Omega Beams. They are largely seen as one of the most powerful abilities in all of the DC universe, and at times they are powerful enough to bring even Superman to his knees.

 

Darkseid vs Thanos: The Conclusion

 

When it comes to Darkseid vs Thanos, the two are almost as evenly matched as they come, making this duel basically a draw.

If Darkseid used his Omega Beams to their full ability, they might be enough to weaken Thanos to the point that he would be killable, but as we saw in DC Versus Marvel, the most likely possible outcome may be that those two merge into one superbeing.

And nobody wants that.