Four Hawkman vs Superman Battles

  

 Hawkman vs. Superman. These two have been teammates and friends since the Golden Age of comics, but there have been a few times when they have gone up against each other. DC Comics solicitations for February 2026 revealed that they would be going up against each other yet again in Absolute Superman No. 16. The cover by Rafa Sandoval has goteen a lot of attention in the last few days so I thought I would look back on a few occassions when Hawkman and Superman went up against each other. 

    On paper, Hawkman doesn't stand a chance. Superman is one of the most powerful superheroes in DC Comics. I'm a Hawkman fan but even I will admit that Superman way above Hawkman's level in strength and power. However, there have been a couple times when Hawkman got the upperhand.  Let's take a look back at the times the two iconic heroes have gone head to head. 

Action Comics No. 491 January 1979 

   This one is one of my favorites. Superman is crazed (Braniac's doing) and attacks the Justice League Satelllite. Hawkman just happens to be on monitor duty when he attacks. Hawkman deftly uses his aerial abilties to grab Superman when he comes crashing into the satellite. He uses Superman's power against him and sends him crashing into a supply of Kryptonite, causing Superman to fall back to Earth. Not only that but Superman falls in an unpopulated area in Northwest America. Pretty impressive feat by Hawkman. Hawkman should be the premier aerial fighter in the DC Universe and this is one scene that really shows off some of his abilities.

DC Comics Presents No. 11 July 1979

   In this issue, a villain named Frank Rayles figures out a way to power up Hawkman with the Polaris sun in the same way that Earth's yellow sun powers up Superman. However, it has an adverse effect on Hawkman. It causes him to be controlled by Rayles, and the power will eventually cause him to explode. Hawkman gives him a pretty good fight but not enough to bother Superman too much. Superman figures out what's going on and saves the day. 

Superman/Batman No. 4 January 2004

   My favorite! Superman and Batman are fugitives from the Lex-Luthor's government, and Luthor sends Hawkman and Captain Marvel after them. Hawkman takes on Batman and handles him pretty easily, while Captain Marvel and Superman duke it out. Batman finally asks Superman to take care of Hawkman for him. (Batman must not have had enough prep time!) Superman grabs Hawkman and intends to take him up into the stratosphere to make him pass out (forgetting Hawkman can survive in space for a limited time). Hawkman then pulls out his ultimate weapon, the Claw of Horus and with one punch sends Superman into a mountain and apparently knocks him unconscious. One fun Hawkman note: While Superman and Captain Marvel hammer at each other and Batman takes a mace to the face, Hawkman is the only one of the four that doesn't take a single punch during the fight. This scene was even made into a DC animated film and it is my favorite Hawkman scene on screen. 

 From Superman/Batman Public Enemies (2009)

Injustice: Gods among Us Year Five  No. 15 October 2016

   From my favorite scene to my least favorite. In the Injustice series, Hawkgirl (Kendra in this story) had joined Superman's side. This incensed Hawkman and he came for her but she refused to leave him and he was sent packing in a humilating way. He got hold of some Kryptonite and made a mace out of it to kill Superman. Hawkman almost succedeed, but the Flash grabbed the mace away before he could make the final blow. Superman recovered enough to kill Hawkman with four punches. This story made Hawkman into a horrible character and gave him a humiliating end. One of DC writing's worst moments. 

   These are the scenes that stand out for me. I'm sure there have been other instances where the Thanagarian and the Kryptonian have gone up against each other, so if you can remember some other favorite scenes, put it in the comments below! 

Absolute Superman No. 16 (out in Feb. 2026)
Art by Rafa Sandoval

   And now we have Hawkman going up against Superman once again. Only this time, Hawkman is an all-out villain, as we saw him betray his fellow heroes, kill Green Arrow, and join the villainous Justice League in Absolute Evil No. 1. I see no good ending to this for Hawkman fans but I guess we can choose to ignore it and see it through. I'll see it through and rant about it later. 

   Superman may be the most powerful superhero in DC, but Hawkman is my guy.  I'm not a fan of Hawkman because he's the strongest (he's not), the smartest (he's not, but he's up there), or the most popular. I'm a fan of Hawkman because he looks awesome, his history is amazing, he has an amazing relationship with Hawkwoman, and he captured my imagination, just to name a few! I hope DC Comics can respect the heroes that they have and the fans that follow them by giving us amazing adventures with our favorites instead of turning them evil or making them go up against each other for whatever reason. If that is all they can do with them, I'd rather have each hero in their own private, alternate universe where they can go on their own solo adventures without having to be constantly affected by the first-tier heroes. Just a simple wish by a fan of a "lesser" hero.