After Decades of Speculation, DC Confirms This Hero Can Crush Superman in Seconds

It’s time Superman fans finally admit that the Man of Steel is far from the strongest or most powerful hero on Earth, especially after the latest development in the DC Universe proves that one hero can take him down in seconds. With this exceptional display of power, this powerhouse hero has proven that he deserves to be crowned Earth’s most powerful hero. Sorry, Clark.

DC returns with the latest installment of writer Jeff Lemire and artists Rafael de Latorre and Marcelo Maiolo’s The Fury of Firestorm with issue #3. The series continues to chronicle Firestorm’s descent as he drifts further from his humanity and fully embraces a villainous path. Before pushing the story forward, however, the issue takes readers back in time to further explore Firestorm’s origins.

Specifically, the opening pages reveal Professor Martin Stein’s original vision for “Project Firestorm” before Firestorm became his accidentally created and shared metahuman identity with Ronnie Raymond. Initially, Stein conceived the project as a contingency plan: a controllable metahuman designed to stop other metahumans should they ever go rogue. In essence, Firestorm was originally intended to be the ultimate safeguard against a world where superheroes became the threat.

However, as fans who have been following the series know, Firestorm has now become the very threat that Professor Stein was originally trying to safeguard against. Furthermore, the issue proves just how effective Firestorm is at taking down metahumans, specifically Kryptonians.

Firestorm Proves He Can Take Down Kryptonians in a Matter of Seconds

Comic Page Comes from Jeff Lemire’s The Fury of Firestorm #3 (2026) – Art by Rafael de Latorre & Marcelo Maiolo

With just three issues released so far, The Fury of Firestorm has already featured multiple unprecedented displays of power from the hero-turned-villain. His latest feat may be the most impressive yet, as it shows him taking down Supergirl in a matter of seconds. It is a display of complete domination that, by all indications, could just as easily be applied to any Kryptonian, including Superman.

The Fury of Firestorm #3 shows the rogue hero conjuring Kryptonite out of thin air before swiftly defeating Supergirl. Additional context is provided through Professor Stein’s past-narration that explores the origins of the Firestorm Project. Paired with the present-time art panels, Stein’s explanation of his original intentions reveals exactly how Firestorm was able to bring down Supergirl with such incredible ease.

The narration reads: “Tell me… who are the most powerful metahumans? The Kryptonians, correct? The Man of Steel and the Girl of Steel. Well… what if someone could manipulate the very molecules that make up steel? What if someone knew the Kryptonians’ weaknesses and could literally manifest them out of the air itself?”

Stein’s narration continues: “I am going to create a metahuman that not only has power over the Kryptonians, but has power over the very stuff of existence itself. He will be the most powerful weapon that mankind has ever, or will ever, create. There is nothing, and no one, that will be able to stop him…”

This narration makes it clear that Stein ultimately succeeded in creating a metahuman whose power surpasses even that of a Kryptonian. Not only can Firestorm exploit their greatest weakness at will, but he can also manipulate the fundamental building blocks of reality itself. Combined with his effortless defeat of Supergirl, it becomes increasingly difficult to argue that Superman is stronger than Firestorm. If this display is any indication, DC may have a new contender for the title of its most powerful hero.

The Fury of Firestorm #3 from DC Comics is now available to read!

Created By

Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel

First Appearance

Action Comics