10 Villains Superman Has NEVER Defeated

At the first mention of this dimension-hopping, almost all-powerful rascal having never been beaten by Superman, many fans likely just shook their heads. After all, pretty much every time we've ever seen the little prankster, Supes has managed to send him to his own dimension by saying his name backwards before the issue has even finished.

But the thing is, Superman never really defeats Mxyzptlk - he just manages to put him in the proverbial broom closet to deal with later. Sending someone back to their dimension has always been the superhero equivalent of shoving something under your bed and saying you'll sort it tomorrow.

Add to this the fact that the strange-named imp never wants to kill Superman, but rather just to mess with him, and you can't help but think that Mxyzptlk manages to win every time the two tango. Sure, it takes a villain that could be a legitimate threat and makes him about as menacing an annoying younger sibling, but it's a dynamic that honestly works very well.

Because the one time we see Superman "defeat" Mxyz is when he kills him in the Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow storyline, and he's so consumed with guilt afterwards that he gets rid of his own powers. When your enemy can't beat you, and also can't kill you, it's hard to say that you haven't won overall.