Since his creation at DC Comics in 1938, Superman has been the standard bearer of the superhero genre, evident in his best stories. While he's best known for his solo adventures and Justice League tales, some of the hero's greatest adventures have revolved around team-ups and crossovers. From encounters with gods to crossing over into iconic cinematic universes, the Man of Steel has proven himself to be a noble hero every time he's needed to.
Superman stands alongside superheroes like Captain America and Spider-Man for his endless heroic traits, relatable personal life, and exciting adventures. With eighty years of history behind it, it has amassed arguably the richest, funnest and most interesting life in comics. While many readers prefer Batman's angry tales, these team-up and crossover comics prove that the Man of Tomorrow is DC's greatest hero.
10 Superman vs. Aliens II: God of War
Chuck Dixon, Jon Bogdanove and Kevin Nowlan
In the 1990s, Dark Horse began a series of collaborations with DC and Marvel, using their licenses to publish popular franchises such as Predator and Alien. It was the first of them Superman vs. Aliens. While the original miniseries is a good read, it pales in comparison to the sequel, God's War. The four-issue miniseries follows the Man of Steel as he teams up with the New Gods to battle Darkseid, who is raising an army of Parademon/Xenomorph hybrids to overthrow the New Creation.
Superman vs. Aliens II takes one of the hero's deadliest enemies and mixes it up with one of cinema's scariest monsters in the xenomorphs. Combining the epic space war between Apokolips and New Genesis with the perfect killing machine and throwing Superman into the mix just works, giving readers one of the hero's most action-packed stories to date.
9 Superman: War of the Worlds
Roy Thomas and Michael Lark
DC's Elseworlds imprint has adapted the universe's best heroes into new and dynamic settings, including classic works of literature. It was given to Superman where Batman landed in Dracula's world War of the Worlds Reimagines the best of HG Wells' classic story, channeling it into DC lore. Here, readers return to Siegel and Shuster's version of the hero defending America from a Martian invasion.
Superman: War of the Worlds is a brilliant example of writing a character into another universe without compromising either. The Man of Steel picking up alien tripods is a perfect fit for 1940s Action comics, and the story is focused on highlighting a weaker hero who strives as much as his god-level modern self.
8 Superman/Tarzan: Sons of the Jungle
Chuck Dixon, Carlos Meglia and Dave Stewart
Superman's story has been reimagined in many ways, from his upbringing in the Soviet Union to Apokolips. He was the best and most creative of them Superman/TarzanA story that reimagines the origins of the Man of Steel in the African jungle rather than Ma and Pa Kent's farm in Smallville. As baby Kal-El is now raised by apes, Lord Greystroke survives a shipwreck and is raised by humans, later becoming an explorer who crosses paths with a Kryptonian.
On the face, behind the idea Superman/Tarzan: Sons of the Jungle It can be difficult to pull off, but the Dark Horse miniseries does a great job of making it work. As the hero of the jungle, this version of Superman brings the same rugged protection and friendly nature he usually displays over Metropolis to rural Africa.
7 Superman vs. Predator
David Michelinie and Alex Maleev
Like many famous superheroes, Superman faced the Predator under Dark Horse. As stated in the series Superman vs. PredatorMan of Steel travels to the jungles of South America to investigate a mysterious illness that afflicts a group of explorers after they discover an ancient Yautja ship whose inhabitants are in stasis. But when one of the alien hunters wakes up, he hunts the group and makes Kal-El his main target.
Superman vs. Predator It takes what worked well about the 1987 classic and adds the superhero genre, albeit with a weakened Superman suffering from the effects of a virus. The story shows that even when weakened, the Man of Tomorrow is a capable hero who can rely on his wits when his strength fails.
6 The Incredible Hulk vs. Superman
Roger Stern, Steve Rude and Al Milgrom
As one of the most iconic of all DC/Marvel crossover comics, The Incredible Hulk vs. Superman reimagines the two protagonists as co-existing in the same universe. When Thaddeus Ross and Lex Luthor team up to control the Hulk's immense power, the latter manipulates the Green Behemoth into fighting Superman. What follows is one of the most epic comic book battles of all time, as the two heroes smash their way through buildings and mountains alike.
The Incredible Hulk vs. Superman Shows off Superman's intelligence, compassion, and value for human life, making sure no innocent lives are lost to their destruction. Ultimately, thanks to his empathy and judgment, the Man of Steel is able to talk the Hulk out and regain control of Bruce Banner.
5 Superman/Shazam: First Lightning
Judd Winick and Josh Middleton
Superman/Shazam: First Lightning He watches as the Man of Steel teams up with Captain Marvel as his enemies Luthor and Sivana team up. After preventing a series of crimes and fighting a group of giant robots, two sane heroes become involved with a mystical cult after summoning a group of monsters.
First lightning Pairs two of DC's most useful, all-American heroes as they explore their city and rogues gallery. Combining science fiction with magic and fantasy, the team-up crossover is everything a fan of both characters could ask for.
4 Superman/Spiderman
Jim Shooter, John Buscema and Joe Sinnott
Superman vs Spider-Man follows the alliance between Doctor Octopus and Lex Luthor, who uses a mind-controlling device called a hypno-blaster to trick the heroes. After realizing they've been tricked, Peter and Clark confront their enemies in a brilliant battle aboard a space-based satellite.
Thematically speaking, several superheroes from rival companies share the same themes and character traits as Superman and Spider-Man, making for the perfect crossover. While their power levels need to be tweaked to make the story work, the crossover does a great job of establishing the heroes as natural partners.
3 Superman and Batman vs. Aliens and Predator
Mark Schultz and Ariel Olivetti
Superman and Batman vs. Aliens and Predator follows the discovery and investigation of a Yautja shipwrecked in a volcano. With Batman sent to represent Superman to the alien hunters, things take a turn for the worse when the creatures believe that your Man of Steel is the sun god. When the two heroes are forced to weigh the value of the lives of aliens, both xenomorphs and Yautja, their differing philosophies come into focus.
An important part of this crossover occurs when, to Batman's astonishment, Superman insists on protecting the lives of the xenomorphs, despite their dangerous nature. Here, the Man of Steel's infinite worth of life is made clear, and readers get some great moments like Predators in the Fortress of Solitude to make things interesting.
2 Batman/Superman: World's Finest
Mark Waid and Dan Mora
Batman/Superman: World's Finest follows the joint adventures of the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader as they take on a series of perils. Starting with the action-packed “Devil Nezha”, the series instantly introduced readers to some instant classic moments between friends, such as the Super-Bat reunion.
While Waid and Mora's series spans different storylines, it's best used as its own thing, serving as a callback to a lighter era of DC. The series does a great job of showing the contrast between the brooding Dark Knight and the hopeful Man of Tomorrow, and deserves credit for including some of the universe's darkest heroes.
1 Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness
2003 year Superman/Batman series quickly brought their best stories to World's Finest, starting with the instant classic story arc “Public Enemies.” The debut arc takes place in America where Lex Luthor has been elected President of the United States. Refusing to comply with the billionaire's regulations regarding the metahumans, Superman and Batman escape from Luthor's team of superheroes and become outlaws. When they discover that a Kryptonite meteor is headed for Earth, the duo decide to save the world from both destruction and Luthor's lust for power.
“Public Enemies” is one of the best examples of Superman's loyalty to the American way, even if elected, outweighing his loyalty to the government by realizing the threat posed by Luthor. While the story does a good job of reminding readers of Batman's intelligence, it also shows that ultimately the Dark Knight is nothing without the Man of Steel when it comes to planetary threats.