James Gunn Thinks Green Lantern Could Beat Superman

Is Superman the most powerful hero in the DC Universe? According to DC Studios co-head James Gunn, he might not even be the most powerful hero in the Justice League. Via the folks at Comic Book, we learned that while appearing on Howard Stern’s radio show, he said that he thinks a member of the Green Lantern Corps could handily beat him. Stern, himself a lifelong DC Comics geek, said that he always believed Green Lantern could beat up Superman, and Gunn concurred, stating, “Absolutely, he’s pretty powerful.” But does this track with the way the character’s powers are depicted in the comics?

In the comics, Superman hasn’t really fought Green Lanterns much, as they are all fellow heroes themselves. As a member of the Justice League, he’s served alongside Green Lanterns such as Hal Jordan and John Stewart, the two main characters in the upcoming Lanterns series. Not to mention Guy Gardner, with whom he butted heads in Superman. Other Green Lanterns that Superman calls friends include Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, and Jessica Cruz. But the Green Lantern power rings charge with pure willpower energy. They are technically not magic, in the strictest sense. But close enough. And alongside Kryptonite, magic is one of the few things that Superman struggles with.