DC Comics’ influential hero,Superman, and the juggernaut sci-fi franchise that isStar Warsare two nerd properties that have never crossed paths on the page, with stunning artwork fromcomic industry vet Alex Rossposing an intriguing question:can a lightsaber cut through anything, even a Man of Steel?
Making a name for himself in the ‘90s as the artist of Marvel Comics’Marvelsseries, the co-creator ofAstro City, and the illustrator of the DC Comics epic,Kingdom Come, Alex Ross has been consistently working for decades now, with his instantly recognizable art style often being the defining looks of certain superheroes in fans’ minds.
Recently reposting some Superman art on Facebook to celebrate the release ofJames Gunn’sSupermanfilm, Alex Ross gives fans a selection of illustrations to drool over, with one image, in particular — a Superman vs Darth Vader piece — showing that, at least according to Alex Ross,Supermancan’tbe hurt by a lightsaber.
Epic Crossover Art Shows That Superman Can’t Be Hurt by Darth Vader’s Lightsaber
Artwork Designs by Alex Ross
Looking like a piece of fine art for nerds, Alex Ross, using his unique painterly art style, illustrates Superman with his fists raised high to the left of the image as Darth Vader holds his unsheathed lightsaber to the right, the pair locking eyes with a ferocity usually only reserved for their respective arch enemies.
DepictingDC’s Man of Steelgrabbing hold of Vader’s crimson saber as if he’s about to rip it from Vader’s grasp, Alex Ross places the battle inside some sort of Death Star-esque chamber of lights and panels, giving fans an epic crossover duel that’s only missing the proper John Williams score to back it.
An obvious answer to a question that’s still fun to debate,it makes total sense that Superman wouldn’t be phased by Darth Vader’s lightsaber, or any lightsaber for that matter, as not only has Big Blue survived direct hits that would annihilate planets, but he can withstand the heat of the surface of the sun, heat that lightsabers can’t mimic.
Alex Ross' most recent work was 2022’sFantastic Four: Full Circle.
Furthermore, since Superman isgrabbingVader’s saber rather than blocking it, it stands to reason that Supes could likely take a full-on lightsaber slash to the face and not feel much other than being lightly scorched and temporarily blinded, something that Vader could take advantage of in a way that utilizes hisotherskillset.
Superman Would Likely Be Unaffected by a Lightsaber Attack, but It Would Still Hurt
Superman vs the Force Is a Different Matter
Lightsabers aside, the one thing Superman maynotbe able to overcome in this hypothetical battle againstStar Wars’ resident Sith Lordcomes not from Vader’s physical weapon, but his mastery over the dark side of the Force, and how Vader would utilize it to lay the beatdown on Superman, at least initially.
Using the Force to influence minds, choke people from afar, levitate objects and hurl them at great speeds, and much more, for all the damageDarth Vader’s lightsaberwouldn’tdo against Superman, Vader would at least put up one helluva fight otherwise, likelygiving Superman some serious Force-assisted competitionbefore ultimately succumbing to the Man of Steel’s overpowered might.
Unfortunately for fans, Star Wars is owned by Disney which owns Marvel Comics — the publisher for almost allStar Warscomics currently on shelves — ensuring that the epic crossover Alex Ross has created here will probably never come to pass in an official capacity, leaving the true answer of whether DC’sSupermancan be hurt by lightsabers open-ended… for now.
