The protagonists of this comparison aren’t literally the one and the same, but they are two different versions of one character. One of them is Clark Kent, the Superman of DC Comics‘ Prime-Earth, and the other is Val-Zod, the Superman of the alternative Earth-2. Who is stronger, Val-Zod or Superman? We shall explore that in this article.
Superman is stronger than Val-Zod. Although the two of them are basically the same character, but from different Earths, Prime-Earth’s Superman is depicted as possibly the strongest superhero of all time. Val-Zod, on the other hand, has never reached that level of power despite all the similarities between them.
Now that you have the short version of the answer, the rest of the article is going to be divided into several sections, each one comparing one specific aspect of the character’s set of abilities. In the end, we’re going to give our final verdict and explanation on why Superman would win against Val-Zod, the Superman of Earth-2.
Who Is Val-Zod?
The Earth-2 universe’s Val-Zod, created by Tom Taylor and Nicola Scott, takes over Kal-El’s role as Superman starting in Earth-2 #25 and during the Earth-2: World’s End miniseries.
Val-Zod was orphaned when his parents were executed by the Kryptonian court. He later befriended Kara Zor-El, who was also orphaned. He was later one of the orphans saved from Krypton’s destruction by Jor-El and Lara.
After Red Tornado showed Val-Zod how to use his abilities, they were attacked by the Parademons. Alan Scott saved them when Val-Zod told Batman II about Red Tornado’s rescue. Due to an attack by Apokoliptian forces, Val-Zod and Batman had to be evacuated from the Batcave.
On the way to Amazonia, Val-Zod is accused by Batman of not using his powers and letting Red Arrow die. Jimmy Olsen explains to Batman that it was not Val-Zod’s fault. When he asks Val-Zod what is under his hoodie, Val-Zod reveals the symbol of the House of El.
After talking to Jimmy Olsen and Doctor Fate, Val-Zod rose up and fought Superman, who broke and disintegrated, revealing that this Superman is a deformed and perverted clone. After the Superman clone crumbled to dust, the Wonders declared their victory over Apokolips.
Val-Zod vs Superman: Physical Abilities and Strength
Now, an interesting fact here is that Superman’s powers stem from the Earth’s yellow sun and the fact that the gravity of Earth is different than that of Krypton.
This means that all Kryptonians have access to the same powers while on Earth, and that has been proven true on several occasions. This is why we can’t really compare much here, as the powers and abilities of Superman and Val-Zod are basically identical.
In the fullest of his faculties he has superhuman strength, speed, agility, endurance and reflexes; his enormous physical power, however, would seem to derive more from some sort of control over the energy fields than from mere muscular power, which would explain how he manages to perform physically improbable actions such as holding up colossal-sized objects without them collapsing on themselves due to of the force of gravity.
He is also surrounded by a powerful, energetically super-charged bio-electric aura, which gives him superhuman endurance and total immunity to any type of toxin and disease and is also capable of manipulating gravitons to fly at superluminal speeds.
His lungs are able to store and expel immeasurable quantities of air with devastating power, managing to lower the temperature of the outgoing air to the point that it can freeze anything that is hit.
Now, again, both Val-Zod and Superman can do all of this, so what’s the difference? Superman is simply on a higher level than Val-Zod and has much more fighting experience, which is why this point goes to him.
Val-Zod vs Superman: Energy Manipulation
Like the category before, this one actually demonstrates how identical the two characters are. Since they’re both from the same planet, their energy manipulation skills are based on the same foundations. This is why we don’t have much to compare here.
Throughout the years of the character’s evolution, Superman has gained super-vision that includes a telescopic vision that allows him to zoom in on a thing, a distant object in particular. Thus, he is able to see thousands of kilometers with great precision.
He also has a microscopic vision that gives him the ability to zoom in on things, extremely tiny objects below atomic level invisible to the human eye and detects the smallest clues with good sharpness.
Another form of this power is his x-ray vision, giving him the ability to see through solid objects, bodies and anything else except lead with his x-rays, the depth of which he can adjust. He can combine his x-ray vision with his telescopic or microscopic vision. This ability requires a lot of concentration.
Finally, Superman’s thermal vision allows him to atomize, burn, and heat a target with his eyes. It can control the length, width and intensity of rays with extreme precision.
Since, as we said, all Kryptonians have access to these powers on Earth, Val-Zod also potentially has access to all of these, but the difference is that Superman’s control and intensity are simply on a higher level, which is why we give this point to Clark Kent.
Val-Zod vs Superman: Intelligence
This is the only major category where we have found a significant difference between these two characters that actually doesn’t depend on experience or any other enhancements.
Superman has demonstrated incredible intelligence and computational abilities; his mind works astutely and at extreme speeds compared to Earthmen. Superman’s analytical skills allow him to read the information directly from machines (and with careful use of his heat vision, he can even reprogram machines).
As a man who values intelligence over strength, Val has, on the other hand, a wealth of knowledge gained through years of Kryptonian study, and is possibly smarter than most, if not all, humans. He was able to build a couple of batsuits almost from scratch that could withstand the overwhelming heat of the fire pits without harm to the wearer.
And while both are usually described as being geniuses, Val-Zod’s focus on brains over brawn makes him the more intelligent character, which is why this point goes to him.
Val-Zod vs Superman: Who Would Win?
From what we could deduce above, Superman and Val-Zod have the same powers and abilities, as they are – essentially – the same character but from different Earths. Sure, Val-Zod is more intelligent than Prime-Earth’s Superman, but he avoids fighting despite all of his training and that is what essentially makes him weaker.
Prime-Earth’s Superman is just so powerful. He has consistently fought strong opponents and has increased his powers as well, thereby becoming one of the most powerful superheroes in the history of comic books. Val-Zod may have that potential, but from what we know from the comics, he has never even come close to being Clark Kent.
This is why, ultimately, Clark Kent wins this one. It might have been seen as a close call at first, but Superman would simply trash Val-Zod in a direct fight, as he is, simply, a more powerful version of himself than Val-Zod will ever be.