Kryptonians and New Gods are two of the most powerful alien races in the DC universe. Kryptonians like Superman gain extraordinary abilities from Earth’s yellow sun, while the New Gods wield fantastic cosmic energies. There has been much debate over which race is stronger overall, though both possess incredible superhuman capacities. This article will analyze and compare the key powers and feats of strength demonstrated by Kryptonians and New Gods to determine which holds the overall advantage in might and abilities.
Kryptonian Abilities and Strengths
Under a yellow sun like Earth’s, Kryptonians possess a range of superpowers that make them godlike in power compared to humans. Their key abilities include:
- Superhuman strength – Kryptonians like Superman can lift over 100 tons effortlessly and have shown strength feats like moving planets.
- Invulnerability – Kryptonian skin and tissues become nigh-invincible on Earth, resistant to bullets, explosions, even nuclear weapons.
- Flight – Kryptonians can fly at supersonic speeds up to 7,000 miles per hour in Earth’s atmosphere.
- Heat vision – Concentrated beams of solar energy emitted from their eyes with temperature exceeding that of the Sun.
- Super breath – Powerful lungs enable freezing breath or hurricane force winds.
- Super speed – Kryptonians can move, react, and perceive events at supersonic speeds.
- Super senses – Hearing, vision, smell, etc. are enhanced to superhuman levels.
- Healing factor – Accelerated cell regeneration allows for fast healing from most wounds.
The combination of immense strength, invulnerability, and other powers makes Kryptonians almost unstoppable on Earth. Their feats include:
- Lifting massive objects that weigh millions of tons like cruise ships or entire buildings.
- Withstanding nuclear explosions, volcanic eruptions, and bombardment from advanced weapons.
- Moving faster than jets and crossing continents in minutes.
- Freezing titanic creatures or vast areas with super breath.
- Destroying mountains, diverting rivers, and sinking islands with heat vision.
When sufficiently empowered by sunlight, Kryptonians have accomplished planet-moving levels of strength, such as:
- Slowing the descent of incoming meteors larger than the Moon.
- Stabilizing the foundations of Earth during catastrophic seismic events.
- Towing entire planetary bodies light years across space.
At their limits, Kryptonians rival cosmic entities in might and have gone toe-to-toe with threats like Doomsday, Darkseid, and Brainiac. Very little can challenge their capabilities.
New God Abilities and Strengths
The New Gods were born and bred on two twin planets, New Genesis and Apokolips. Their physiology is infused with cosmic energies that grant them godlike abilities, including:
- Superhuman strength – New Gods like Orion can lift 100+ tons with ease.
- Nigh-invulnerability – Their bodies can withstand missiles, lasers, toxins and extreme conditions.
- Immortality – New Gods are functionally immortal and do not age.
- Flight – They can fly unaided at supersonic speeds in space and atmospheres.
- Energy manipulation – Projection of destructive cosmic energies from hands or weapons.
- Advanced combat skills – Centuries of training in tactics, strategy, and weaponry.
- Genius intellect – Cosmic awareness grants advanced understanding of science and technologies.
New Gods are capable of incredible feats such as:
- Ripping through solid steel like paper.
- Deflecting automatic weapons fire and withstanding explosions.
- Reacting at nanosecond speeds during combat.
- Unleashing energy blasts that can shatter mountains.
- Building advanced spacecraft, weapons, and Mother Box technologies.
Powerful New Gods can accomplish planet-shaking demonstrations of might, including:
- Destroying multiple city blocks with a single punch.
- Stopping a planet’s rotation momentarily with raw strength.
- Overpowering cosmic tyrants like Mongul or Desaad.
- Decimating armies of Apokoliptan soldiers and parademons.
- Containing supernovas and black holes with energy barriers.
New Gods draw their strength from The Source itself, granting them almost divine power when fully unleashed.
Comparing Strength and Feats
When comparing the overall strength and capabilities of Kryptonians versus New Gods, both races possess incredible but differing levels of power.
Physical Strength
In terms of raw physical might, Kryptonians generally demonstrate superior benchmarks of strength compared to New Gods:
- Superman has lifted 200 quintillion tons, whereas most New Gods top out lifting 1-10 million tons.
- Kryptonians can move/destroy planetary bodies, a rare feat for New Gods.
- Kryptonian muscle density and power output exceeds New Gods under a yellow sun.
Kryptonian strength scales higher at the upper limits, enough to potentially overpower characters like Orion or Darkseid in a direct test of muscle.
Durability
For durability and invulnerability, New Gods have a slight advantage:
- New Gods are immune to most toxins/radiation that can bypass Kryptonian invulnerability.
- Mother Box energies allow for greater protection against magical attacks.
- Kryptonite can inflict rapid weakness and defeat for Kryptonians.
New Gods are more consistently invulnerable against esoteric threats and magics. Kryptonians still remain very durable against conventional attacks.
Speed
In speed and reflexes, Kryptonians hold the edge:
- Kryptonians can achieve faster than light speeds, while New Gods top out around light speed.
- Superman has shown nanosecond reactions, exceeding most New Gods.
- Flash-level Kryptonians like Superman III can blitz even the fastest New Gods.
Kryptonian speedsters can run circles around New Gods, giving them a decisive advantage in reaction time and movement speed.
Energy Projection
For sheer energy projection power, New Gods have superior showings:
- Orion’s astro force blasts exceed the firepower of Kryptonian heat vision.
- New Gods can unleash planet-cracking explosions, beyond normal Kryptonians.
- Mother Box energies can counter most heat vision or frost breath attacks.
The cosmic energies wielded by New Gods allow them to unleash more destructive blasts overall. But sufficiently empowered Kryptonians can match their projection powers.
Intellect and Tactics
In terms of intellect, knowledge, and tactics, New Gods have a significant advantage:
- New Gods have trained for centuries in strategy, tactics, and weaponry.
- Their cosmic awareness provides knowledge beyond normal Kryptonian science.
- Highfather, Metron and others are intellectual giants, eclipsing most Kryptonians.
The advanced experience and sheer genius intellect of New Gods gives them an edge in battle tactics and technology against most Kryptonians.
Conclusion
To summarize, both Kryptonians and New Gods represent some of the most powerful races in the DC Universe, but each has definitive advantages in certain areas:
- Kryptonians exceed in raw strength, speed, and reflexes.
- New Gods surpass in energy projection, durability, and intellectual skills.
While individual battles will depend on specific combatants, when their capabilities are averaged, Kryptonians can be considered physically stronger overall thanks to their unmatched strength and speed under a yellow sun. Very few New Gods can match the sheer muscle and swiftness of top-tier Kryptonians like Superman.
However, New Gods remain extremely formidable opponents with their mighty energy powers, resilient physiology, and advanced intellect. Their cosmic tap into The Source provides nearly divine power to offset Kryptonian abilities. While the races are comparable in might, the decisive factor for Kryptonians is their Superman-level strength enabling planet moving feats beyond even the strongest New Gods.