Many characters have beaten Superman in a fight, from Darkseid and Doomsday to Muhammad Ali (yes, it happened). There are also plenty of Marvel characters who could likely destroy Supes, and if the Man of Steel faced Sentry, it’s not entirely clear who would come out on top. Indeed, DC’s seemingly unbeatable icon has been taken down multiple times, and it’s happened again. This time, Captain Atom took out the Man of Steel in “DC KO Superman vs. Captain Atom” #1, but his victory is short-lived as Supes returns for more in a supercharged form.
It took a little while, but the “DC KO” event finally gave us our first big battle, and it’s a real headache. Not only does “DC KO Superman vs. Captain Atom” give us one hell of a showdown featuring the Man of Steel, but it also reveals that Captain Atom is more than ready for the challenge of taking on one of DC’s most powerful heroes. The nuclear-powered soldier proves capable of defeating Supes by using his quantum powers to literally drain all of the energy from his opponent’s body, reducing him to dust. Luckily for Kal-El, this fight has three rounds…
The issue kicks off DC’s “All Fight Month” which will follow the tournament between the members of Justice League Unlimited to claim the Omega Energy and become King Omega. This ultimate hero will then fight Darkseid to save the universe. But first, the final 16 contestants must face off to determine who will become Darkseid’s sole challenger. There is, however, one major problem: Omega energy is an extremely corrupting force, and anyone who assimilates its power risks losing themselves forever.
Cap wins with surprising ease in Superman vs. Captain Atom
“Superman vs. Captain Atom” kicked things off with a bang on December 3, 2025. Written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Sean Izaakse, the issue featured the aftermath of Captain Atom sending Supergirl out of the competition. Needless to say, Superman isn’t exactly thrilled, but he tries to reason with Cap in order to avoid an all-out brawl. His pleas are ignored, however, leading to a major clash between the titular heroes that ends in tragedy several times over three rounds.
Things start off badly for the Man of Steel. He takes a major hit from Cap before taking a double hit of Red Sun energy and Kryptonite. Then it gets worse. Superman has several weaknesses, but fans may not have known that he was susceptible to Captain Atom’s energy-draining move. Although Clark begs his opponent to find another way, Nathaniel Adam isn’t kidding and plunges his hand into Superman’s chest, draining his power and turning his atoms into “nothingness”. A disturbing splash page then shows the Man of Steel disintegrating into silhouette for the first knockout of the battle. But that’s not the end of the story.
It’s a shocking moment not only because the image of Superman wasting away will always be a surprising image, but also because Captain Atom didn’t have to struggle much to defeat Kal-El. After a few powerful hits, he simply puts his atomic draining powers to use, and Superman is no more. Sure, Clark doesn’t really fight back at the start of this round, but it’s still pretty surprising how easily Captain Atom can dispatch one of DC’s most powerful heroes.
An overloaded Superman is left standing at the end of the first DC KO fight
King Omega tournament rules require three rounds before a winner is named, so Superman’s death in the first round is far from the end of the fight. Each round allows the fighters to choose one of their many forms, and in the second round of “Superman vs. Captain Atom”, the former is regenerated into Superman Prime while Captain Atom takes on his Monarch form. The two do it again, but this time Supes has a plan. He literally freezes the sun to slow his opponent’s atoms in extreme cold, winning after Monarch becomes completely incapacitated.
After that, it’s all Superman. As Captain Atom becomes increasingly corrupted by the Omega power coursing through his body after his victory in the first round, Superman takes advantage of his short-sightedness and eventually absorbs Atom’s power, becoming a supercharged version of both heroes. The combination of his and Cap’s powers makes him even more powerful than normal, and the issue ends with Superman using the same atomic drain move to eliminate his opponent for good. A supercharged version of Supes then wonders what a corrupting force like the Omega power could do to him.
With Superman walking away victorious, it was a close call for the Last Son of Krypton and one heck of a way to kick off the “KO” battles. This means that Captain Atom was always secretly one of Superman’s most powerful villains and could have taken out the Man of Steel at any time with a quick blow to the chest. No doubt there will be equally shocking revelations throughout the series.
“DC KO” continues with Aquaman vs. Hawkman on December 10, 2025.
