Well, at least the one in this universe…
We know that a large part of the anime, manga and comics fandom have an amusement: “which character is stronger?”, an unknown that has been ironized with the final answer: “But Goku beats him”. This question has been addressed in different crossovers between universes such as the 2003 Justice League of America / Avengers written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by George Perez. And, it looks like we’ll finally have a couple more resolutions.
Part of the larger battle between the Justice League and the Avengers taking place at the time, it sees Mighty Thor take on the Man of Steel in a way that can only be described as epic. Tormenting Thor in the chest with his patented heat vision, Superman is blasted with an electrified Mjolnir, ushering in a supposedly impossible feat: Superman single-handedly holds off Thor’s iconic mystical hammer, something that no one on the battlefield had achieved. And while everyone is in awe of Superman’s strength on full display in front of them, Superman delivers a single line that explains everything fans need to know about why he could never beat Goku.
Stopping the full power of Mjolnir with the palm of his hand, Superman says “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but in my world, it seems the limit goes up to eleven!”, which can initially be interpreted as a funny little phrase without much relevance. Instead, this quote has a deeper meaning, specifically in regards to the very nature of these different universes of Marvel, DC and Dragon Ballthe rules and limitations that shape the realities in which they live.
Previously theorizing that every universe has some kind of built-in physical law in terms of how powerful characters can become, Superman gives the Marvel Universe’s power scale a “10”, with the DC Universe increased to “11”, telling fans through this Explanation in lore as to why he was never able to beat Goku: if DC world goes up to 11 Dragon Ball bombastic power cap goes up to 15 minimum. But make no mistake, Superman is indeed a strong hero, it’s just that the term “powerful” is relevant to the characters that inhabit that particular universe, with Dragon Ball currently at the top of the list with ridiculously overpowered characters like the Vegeta’s Ultra Ego or Goku’s Ultra Instinct which utilizes his transformations of unimaginable strength and ability in ways that always seem to hint at another even more powerful form on the horizon.
Who would win between Superman from DC Comics and Goku from Dragon Ball?
In short, DC Comics’ mightiest heroes will always surpass Marvel’s mightiest, and DC’s mightiest hero (Superman) will always lose to Dragon Ball’s mightiest hero (Goku) simply because, at this point, the power limit of the universe Dragon Ball is beyond human understanding. So while it’s highly unlikely that Superman and Goku will ever meet, the words in this crossover will have to act as the ultimate reason as to why he could never beat this strongest Saiyan warrior.
It is an understatement to say that Superman from DC Comics and Goku from Dragon Ball are two heroes. ridiculously overpowered in their respective universes, but when they fight Marvel’s Thor in a match between companies for good, Super reveals why Goku would sweep the floor with him in a candid way. Let’s just say that rules are rules, especially those that govern each character’s specific universe.
An inevitable loss already explained in the 2003 crossover titled JLA/Avengers, written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by the late great George Perez, the hook of this series is in the name. Pitching the Justice League of America against the Avengers in an attempt to save their respective universes from total and utter annihilation, this popular event saw iconic DC and Marvel characters like Batman, Superman, Captain America, Thor and more, clashing in ways that gave fans of both companies something to obsess over. Although, it is unlikely that we will see this fight, it is revitalizing to receive this type of information.