10 Times Superheroes Defeated Themselves

More evil Batmen than the naked eye can comprehend.

Batman Tom King
DC Comics

Think of any single superhero - in DC or Marvel - and there's a hefty chance that they have some kind of evil clone, alternate universe self, or other doppelganger lurking in the woodwork. Although often an overused trope, it's undeniable that seeing a hero fight their exact double is always a welcome prospect - as there's always the chance that this counterpart may be able to take said hero down.

Indeed, these evil twins have resulted in some of the weirdest and wildest storylines of both recent and classic comic history, as moments like Captain America becoming a secret neo-Nazi, or Batman beating himself up with his mother's tombstone (no, seriously) are simply unforgettable.

Although not every comic that features a superhero fighting themselves is beloved - best illustrated by the reviled Secret Empire - they still deserve recognition for using a classic staple of comics in new and innovative ways, or giving us a fight scene that's cool enough that we don't mind if it's not.

With evil owls, questionable robots, and romantic suits of armor galore, there's unlikely to be a shortage of fights between superheroes and their doppelgangers anytime soon.

10. Captain America Fights Hydra Captain America - Secret Empire

Batman Tom King
Marvel Comics

Few events had garnered such a powerful reaction as the reveal that Captain America had been altered to instead be a covert member of the evil Nazi HYDRA organisation.

As such, when it was revealed that the real Captain America still existed, fans went berserk with joy, having more or less slandered Marvel for months about the questionable decision to make their WW2 icon a secret neo-Nazi.

As though making up for this, the fight the pair have at the end of Secret Empire is perhaps one of the most satisfying battles the House of Imagination served up in a while, the highlight of which involves the legit Captain America launching his doppelganger into the sky with the hammer of Thor, asserting for once and for all that this Cap is the 'worthy' one, as the other version of him is unable to lift Mjolnir when he tries.

Contributor
Contributor

I like my comics like I like my coffee - in huge, unquestionably unhealthy doses.