Average Superhero and Villain Height: Humans, Metahumans, Robots, Aliens, and Gods (Comics Statistics)

Height is usually not the first thing that comes to mind when discussing superheroes and supervillains. Still, among a large number of information people want to know about their favorite heroes and villains, height certainly pops up every now and then on different forums and websites. Some short superheroes are stronger than tall ones, some tall ones are not even heroes. Nevertheless, superhero height is a big part of character design.

The height of a superhero or supervillain generally doesn’t mean much, as these guys usually depend on their superpowers and skills, which makes their physical appearance irrelevant (e.g. a squirrel was among the strongest Green Lanterns ever) in most cases, although there are instances where it mattered.

There are a lot of different heroes and villains out there and since the authors rarely paid attention to such numbers, finding relevant data is not always easy, especially if you want to compare these characters one to another. This is why we at Fiction Horizon have decided to write this article so that you can know all the relevant information about the (average) heights of your favorite heroes and villains.

We have gathered information on more than 214 different characters (you can check them out all in our spreadsheet), grouped into four groups of around fifty. The groups contain female and male superheroes, as well as female and male supervillains. Still, this is just one aspect that we are going to use for our comparisons, as you will also see the numbers based on character type (metahumans, aliens, humans, robots, and gods). Depending on the source of the characters, these tags can vary, but they are certainly applicable as far as our study is concerned. 

We’ve prepared a lot of numbers, charts, and sheets for you but we promise that it’ll be fun and that you’ll certainly enjoy our little analysis. Let’s go!

DISCLAIMER: This article is going to contain only those characters that have a defined height. Characters that don’t have a fixed physical body (e.g. Decreator, The-One-Above-All, The Presence) or those that constantly change their shape and size (e.g. Ego, Dr. Manhattan, Galactus) won’t be included as we cannot get any real numbers on them.

Average superhero height

While coming up with our list, we have used the available data from comic books, unofficial Wikias, and other available sources. We have not based our numbers on the movies, as that would mean that a character is as tall as their actor, which is not really true. For example, the comic book version of Scarlet Witch is taller than the actress, Elizabeth Olsen, portraying her in the MCU.

The data gathered is based on a total of 107 superheroes, 55 male and 52 female. They include different groups and are from different fictional universes (mostly Marvel and DC, but not exclusively). The most common group represented are metahumans, which include – as per our designation – Marvel’s mutants, DC’s metahumans, wizards/witches, and other similar characters.

Considering only male superheroes, the average height of a male superhero is 6 ft 1 in, or roughly 1.85 meters. Out of the 55 selected male superheroes, a total of 25 are below the average height, while the remaining 30 are above or exactly 6’1” (1.85 m). Based on actual statistical data, the average male height around the world ranges from 5 ft 2¹⁄₂ in (1.59 m) to 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m), which means that male superhero is within the statistical average around the world.

Female superheroes are, as expected, a bit shorter. The average height of a female superhero is 5 ft 7 in, or roughly 1.71 meters. Out of the 52 selected female superheroes, a total of 31 are below the average height, while only 21 are above or exactly 5 ft 7 in (1.71 m), which is a significant difference in ratio when compared to male superheroes. As for the real-world data, the average female height ranges from 4 ft 10¹⁄₂ (1.49 m) to 5 ft 7¹⁄₂ in (1.72 m), which means that even female superheroes are within the statistical average when compared to real-world data.

As for the total numbers, the average superhero height, including both male and female superheroes, and based on a total of 214 numbers, is 5 ft 10 in, or roughly 1.78 meters. The average superhero is thus taller than the average female superhero and shorter than the average male superhero, which was expected but what interests us are the ratios.

Out of a total of 107 superheroes, 50 of them are below the average height, while the remaining 57 are above or equal to 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m). This is more or less an equal ratio, but what is very interesting is that out of the 50 superheroes below the average height, a total of 40 of them are female, while only 10 are male. This means that a total of 45 male superheroes (out of the 57 selected), are above the average height, while only 12 female superheroes are above or equal to 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) in height.

Average supervillain height

While coming up with our list, we have used the available data from comic books, unofficial Wikias and other available sources. We have not based our numbers on the movies, as that would mean that a character is as tall as their actor, which is not really true. For example, the comic book version of Bane is significantly taller than the actor Tom Hardy, who portrayed the character in Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.

The data gathered is based on a total of 107 supervillains, 55 male and 52 female. They include different groups and are from different fictional universes (mostly Marvel and DC, but not exclusively). The most common group represented are metahumans, which include – as per our designation – Marvel’s mutants, DC’s metahumans, wizards/witches, and other similar characters, and regular humans with certain enhancements.

Considering only male supervillains, the average height of a male supervillain is 6 ft 5 in, or roughly 1.95 meters. Out of the 55 selected male supervillains, a total of 33 are below the average height, while the remaining 22 are above or exactly 6’5” (1.95 m). Based on actual statistical data, average male height around the world ranges from 5 ft 2¹⁄₂ in (1.59 m) to 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m), which means that male supervillain is significantly taller than the average human. The difference is also visible in comparison to male superheroes, as the male supervillain is around 3.9” (10 cm) taller than the average male superhero. Yet, more than 50% of the selected supervillains are above the average height and are closer in height to the average male superhero.

Female supervillains are, as expected, shorter, but the difference here is larger than in the case of superheroes. The average height of a female supervillain is 5 ft 9 in, or roughly 1.76 meters. Out of the 52 selected female supervillains, a total of 32 are below the average height, while only 20 are above or exactly 5 ft 9 in (1.76 m), which is, interestingly enough, about the same ratio as was the case with male supervillains. As for the real-world data, the average female height ranges from 4 ft 10¹⁄₂ (1.49 m) to 5 ft 7¹⁄₂ in (1.72 m), which means that even female supervillains are a bit taller than the statistical average when compared to real-world data. When compared to female superheroes, female supervillains aren’t much taller – around 2” (5 cm) – and the ratio of those below the average, when compared to those above the average height, is roughly the same.

As for the total numbers, the average supervillain height, including both male and female supervillains, and based on a total of 107 numbers, is 6 ft 1 in, or roughly 1.86 meters. The average supervillain is thus taller than the average female supervillain and shorter than the average male supervillain, which was expected but what interests us are some other facts.

Namely, from this, we infer that the average supervillain is about as tall as the average male superhero, which puts male superheroes in a better fighting position, on average. This is interesting to observe since average male supervillains are significantly taller than all superheroes. Another thing is that there is not a large difference in height between the average superhero and the average supervillain, only 2.8” (8 cm). Now, let us see the ratios.

Out of a total of 107 supervillains, 62 of them are below the average height, while the remaining 45 are above or equal to 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m). This is a solid difference in ratio, especially when compared to superhero ratios (see above), but what is even more interesting is that out of the 62 supervillains below the average height, a total of 44 of them are female, while only 18 are male. This means that a total of 37 male supervillains (out of the 55 selected), are above the average height, while only 8 female supervillains are above or equal to 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m) in height.

Average human hero/villains height

Beginning with this section, we are going to talk about the average heights of the five groups of characters we have listed above. We’re going to use the same formula for each of these groups, so you’ll know how many characters there are in each group, their average heights, but also the average heights based on gender and affiliation.

In this category, we have a total of 67 characters from all genders and affiliations, making it the second largest among our categories. There are ten female and fifteen male superheroes (twenty-five in total), and twenty female and twenty-two male supervillains (forty-two in total). Now, let us see the numbers.

The tallest among these characters is Stunner, who is 7’2” (2.18 m) tall; she is also the tallest female human supervillain. The shortest character are DC Comics’ Emiko Queen (Red Arrow) and Katana, who are only 5’2” (1.57 m) tall, also being the shortest female human superheroines.

The average human height is 5’10” (1.79 m). Out of the 67 characters, thirty-six of them are below the average height (nine female superheroines, five male superheroes, eighteen female supervillains, four male supervillains), while the remaining thirty-one (one female superheroine, ten male superheroes, two female supervillains, eighteen male supervillains) have a height that is equal or bigger than the average.

Average metahumans height

In this category, we have a total of 118 characters from all genders and affiliations, making it the largest among our categories. There are thirty-seven female and thirty-three male superheroes (seventy in total), and twenty-six female and twenty-two male supervillains (forty-eight in total). Now, let us see the numbers.

The tallest among these characters is Onslaught, who is 10′ (3.05 m) tall; he is also the tallest male metahuman supervillain. The shortest character are Marvel’s Molly Hayes, who is only 4’11” (1.50 m) tall, also being the shortest female metahuman superheroine.

The average human height is 5’10” (1.80 m). Out of the 118 characters, fifty-nine of them are below the average height (twenty-nine female superheroines, nine male superheroes, eighteen female supervillains, three male supervillains), while the remaining fifty-nine (eight female superheroines, twenty-four male superheroes, eight female supervillains, nineteen male supervillains) have a height that is equal or bigger than the average, which is a perfect ratio.

Average robots height

The category of robots is our smallest category as it includes only two characters – DC Comics’ superhero Cyborg (Victor Stone), and Marvel’s villainess Nebula. Cyborg stands at 6’6” (1.98 m) and is taller than Nebula, who is 6’1” (1.85 m) tall. The average height for robots is thus 6’3” (1.91 m).

Average aliens height

In this category, we have a total of 17 characters from all genders and affiliations. There are five female and one male superhero (six in total), and four female and seven male supervillains (eleven in total). Now, let us see the numbers.

The tallest among these characters is Darkseid, who is 8’9” (2.67 m) tall; he is also the tallest male alien supervillain. The shortest character is DC Comics’ Raquel Ervin, aka Rocket, who is only 5’6” (1.68 m) tall, also being the shortest female alien superhero.

The average alien height is 6’4” (1.92 m). Out of the 17 characters, nine of them are below the average height (five female superheroines, three female supervillains and one male supervillain), while the remaining eight (one male superhero, one female villain and six male supervillains) have a height that is equal or bigger than the average.

Average gods height

In this category, we have a total of 10 characters from almost all genders and affiliations. There are five male superheroes (five in total), and one female and four male supervillains (five in total). Now, let us see the numbers.

The tallest among these characters is Marvel’s infernal deity Knull, who is 8’0” (2.69 m) tall; he is also the tallest male god supervillain. The shortest character is Marvel’s Eternal Gilgamesh, who is only 5’6” (1.68 m) tall, also being the shortest male god superhero.

The average god height is 6’8” (2.04 m). Out of the 10 characters, six of them are below the average height (four male superheroes and two male supervillains), while the remaining four (one male superhero, one female supervillain, and two male supervillains) have a height that is equal or bigger than the average.

Can superheroes be short?

This is a very interesting question, mainly because the general definition of a superhero describes him as a tall, muscular man that is both formidable and physically imposing. He has to look like he’s not afraid of anything but also like his opponent should be afraid of him. Of course, the perception has changed and we’ve seen different brands and types of superheroes over the years, but that still doesn’t answer the question – can superheroes be short? They can certainly be different, but is height a prerequisite? Let us see what the numbers say.

As we have seen from the numbers in the first two sections of this article, superheroes come in different shapes and sizes, whether they’re male or female. Throughout the history, there have been both very tall and also short superheroes from different groups. The averages show that there are more superheroes that are below the average numbers than there are those above it, with the taller ones having more extreme values though, while the shorter ones are somewhat more balanced.

Based on the numbers we have, we can conclude that there are short superheroes. Kamala Khan, Molly Hayes, Emiko Queen (Red Arrow), and Katana, on the one side, and Wolverine and Damian Wayne on the other, can all be considered short and are, still, very important and prominent superheroes.

Who is the shortest superhero?

Taking into consideration the minimal values from our choice of 107 superheroes, the shortest superhero on the list was determined to be Marvel’s Molly Hayes, standing at only 4’11” (1.50 m). Molly Hayes is a metahuman character from the Runaways and is by far the shortest on the list, although that could be explained by the fact that she is still a child.

Molly Hayes is also significantly shorter than the shortest male superhero, Damian Wayne, who stands at 5’2” (1.58 m), and is shorter than all the male superheroes. In Damian Wayne’s case, this could also be explained by the fact that he is still a child.

Who is the shortest human superhero?

As far as only human superheroes are concerned, the situation is somewhat different, seeing how Molly Hayes is classified as a metahuman. Based on a total of 107 names, the two shortest human superheroes are Emiko Queen (Red Arrow), the paternal half-sister of Oliver Queen, and Katana (Tatsu Yamashiro), also from the DC universe, both of which are 5’2” (1.57 m) tall. Interestingly enough, the shortest human superheroines are significantly taller than Molly Hayes.

Still, both of them are shorter than Damian Wayne, who is not only the shortest superhero on the list, he is also the shortest human male superhero on the list. This is especially interesting to compare as Katana is not a child anymore, so Damian Wayne is probably going to outgrow her even more in the future.

Can supervillains be short?

Now, the same question from above doesn’t really apply to supervillains. Why? Well, the traditional artistic representation of a villain of any kind is based on creating a polar opposite to the hero of the story. This can be done by changing the villain’s personality, but also his physical appearance. Villains do not have to be tall, muscular, and imposing.

They have to be villainous and vile, which is why they are, more often than not, portrayed as ugly or bizarre, or a combination of the two. The history of these characters shows us that they come in all sorts of packages and that diversity is a much more important factor than in the case of heroes. Now, let us see what the numbers say.

As we have seen from the numbers in the first two sections of this article, supervillains come in different shapes and sizes, whether they’re male or female. Throughout the history, there have been both very tall and also short supervillains from different groups. The averages show that there are more supervillains that are below the average numbers than there are those above it, with the taller ones having more extreme values though, while the shorter ones are somewhat more balanced.

Based on the numbers we have, we can conclude that there are short supervillains. Sin, Anastasia Kravinova, Lady Bullseye, the Goblin Queen, Duela Dent (Joker’s Daughter), Golden Glider, Tigress, Enchantress, and Atomica, on the one side, and Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, the Penguin, on the other, can all be considered short and are, still, very important and prominent supervillains.

Who is the shortest supervillain?

Taking into consideration the minimal values from our choice of 107 supervillains, the shortest supervillain on the list was determined to be DC Comics’ Atomica (Rhonda Pineda), standing at only 5’2” (1.57 m). Rhonda Pineda is a college student who would become the female version of the Atom, known as Atomica. She debuted during the New 52 and is a new character that has yet to establish her legacy in the comic book lore.

But, unlike the superheroes, Rhonda Pineda is only slightly shorter than the shortest male supervillain, Oswald C. Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, who stands at 5’2” (1.58 m), and is shorter than all the male supervillains. One of Batman’s famous villains was short since birth, which explains why he is shorter than all the others.

Who is the shortest human villain?

As far as only human supervillains are concerned, the situation is somewhat different, seeing how Rhonda Pineda is classified as a metahuman. Based on a total of 107 names, the shortest human supervillain is Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, the Penguin, who stands at just 5’2” (1.58 m) tall. The Penguin is also the shortest male supervillain in general, which is a consequence of his deformed stature.

Penguin is shorter even than the shortest human supervillain, which is Shado, an archer and an enemy of the Green Arrow. She is a member of the Yakuza. At 5’3” (1.60 m), Shado is taller than both the shortest human supervillain and the shortest female supervillain in general.

Who is the tallest superhero?

As far as the other side of the medal is concerned, people are more used to seeing tall superheroes, as height is a traditional visual aspect of superheroes. They have to be tall, strong, muscular and great fighters. This is why tall(er) superheroes aren’t really all that strange. For our article, we have analyzed a total of 107 superheroes, both male and female, from different fictional universes, to determine the tallest among them. Let us see what the numbers state.

As far as male superheroes are concerned, out of the 55 names on our list, the tallest one was Mortal Kombat’s chief hero, Raiden, who is exactly 7′ (2.13 m) tall. Raiden beats every comic book superhero when height is concerned, even some deities like Marvel’s Thor and Hercules, the demonic Spawn, and even DC Comics’ Martian Manhunter.

In the case of female superheroines, the tallest one is DC Comics’ Big Barda, who is – surprisingly enough – as tall as Raiden, i.e., 7′ (2.13 m). As we can see here, the tallest superheroes, are equally tall, which is a unique aspect as far as our study and comparison is concerned.

Who is the tallest human superhero?

Unlike some other situations from above, these two names don’t help us when human superheroes are concerned, as neither Raiden, nor Big Barda are humans; Raiden is classified as a god, while Big Barda is classified as a metahuman. So, who is the tallest superhero?

When male superheroes are concerned, we have two characters that are equally tall, both of them from Marvel’s fictional universe. Standing, both, at 6’6” (1.98 m), these two characters are Luke Cage and Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Both of them are significantly shorter than Raiden, but they still beat all other human superheroes. Also, the two of them are the tallest human superheroes when both genders are taken into consideration.

The tallest human superheroine is significantly shorter than Luke Cage and Tony Stark, standing at an average 5’11” (1.80 m). The heroine in question is DC Comics’ Kate Kane, aka Batwoman, who is thus the tallest among the human superheroines, but isn’t even close to Luke Cage and Tony Stark.

Who is the tallest villain?

As far as tall supervillains are concerned, people are also quite used to seeing tall supervillains, as modern supervillains have to be tall to be on par with the superheroes and to look threatening. It is always scarier to see a larger enemy than a small one, because the public’s first impression is always purely visual. This is why tall(er) supervillains aren’t really all that strange. For our article, we have analyzed a total of 107 supervillains, both male and female, from different fictional universes, to determine the tallest among them. Let us see what the numbers state.

As far as male supervillains are concerned, out of the 55 names on our list, the tallest one was Marvel’s mutant monstrosity, Onslaught, who stands at an incredible 10′ (3.05 m), which makes him not only the tallest supervillain, but also the tallest character among the 214 on our list. Onslaught easily beats all other characters, with his closest followers, Knull and Darkseid, standing at 8’10” (2.69 m) and 8’9” (2.67 m) respectively.

As far as female superheroines are concerned, the tallest one is Angelina Brancale, aka Stunner, a lesser-known Marvel supervillain from Spider-Man’s universe, who is 7’2” (2.18 m) tall, which is quite impressive for a female character, but not even close to Onslaught. She beat out Hela and Sheeva, the only two other female supervillains that are above two meters tall.

Who is the tallest human villain?

As far as human supervillains are concerned, the data from above is a bit more helpful than before, as Stunner is classified as a human character. Onslaught, of course, isn’t, but that is why we are going to analyze the male supervillains separately here.

If you want to know the tallest human supervillain, you have to go to Batman’s world within the DC Comics universe. The tallest human supervillain is Batman’s foe Bane, who is, with his 6’8” (2.03 m), the tallest human supervillain. As you can see, when compared to Onslaught, he is practically insignificant.

Stunner is, as we have said, classified as a human, which means that the tallest human female supervillain is likewise here, with her 7’2” (2.18 m). This is a rare instance that a female is taller, and not insignificantly, at that, than her male counterpart, but Stunner really does seem to be quite special in her own category.

Extreme heights

Alongside these so-called “regular” characters, i.e., those whose heights are somewhere around the regular human heights (with some exceptions like Onslaught, Darkseid, and others), there are a lot of other characters with fixed heights that are certainly above all normal values. In this section, we are going to list some of these characters and their heights.

One such example is Marvel’s demonic entity Surtur, who stands at an incredible 1000′ (304.8 m) and is, in that aspect, the tallest such character with a fixed height, along with Thor’s enemy Ymir, whose height is completely identical. Colossus, the Supreme Computer from Marvel’s Earth-60672, is also very tall, reaching a height of 290′ (88.4 m). The Supreme Intelligence stands at 25′ (7.62 m), while the height of Devil Dinosaur is 20′ (6.1 m).

Giganta‘s basic height is 6’6” (1.98 m), but she has the ability to increase her height to several hundred feet in seconds, becoming larger than a skyscraper.

And that’s it for today. We hope you had fun reading this and that we gave you all the information you were looking for! See you next time and don’t forget to follow us!