Wonder Woman and Superman have long had a lot in common. The Kryptonian and the Amazonian are both strangers in a strange land (although at least Clark was raised with humanity, so he felt more at home), both of them are the exemplars of their people, and each of them have amazing power. They both fight for truth and justice, and have long been partners in battling evil, as part of the Trinity, the Justice League, and working together as a duo. However, there are also a lot of profound differences between the two of them, ones that have defined them as heroes at various times.
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Wonder Woman and Superman fill the same role in a lot of ways and this has led to some overlap between the two of them. They often face the same kind of threats and have to get through the same kind of battles. While Superman is considered the best hero of them all and great at everything that superheroes do, Diana has him beat in numerous places. Wonder Woman is better than Superman at these five things, showing that the Man of Steel isn’t actually the best at everything.
5) Diplomacy
Wonder Woman is one of the Justice League’s most powerful women, but that’s not the only place where she excels among the ladies of the DC Multiverse. Diana was raised as the daughter of Hippolyta and was groomed to be the next leader of Themyscira. She was taught the art of diplomacy, able to find the common ground between two sides and get them to work together. Now, Superman has proven to be quite adroit at diplomacy when it comes right down to it. While he wasn’t raised to be a world leader, he’s found himself pushed into that role numerous times and does a great job. However, when it comes right down to it, Wonder Woman is much better as a diplomat. She was better prepared, not having to learn on the go, and has even held the official title of Themysciran Ambassador, working with the various governments of the world. Supes is known for his ability to work with numerous people and smooth out their various problems, but Wondy has proven to be much better at it.
4) As a Leader
The Justice League has had some amazing leaders, with many fans usually putting Superman in the top spot as the team’s best leader. He’s helped lead the team and the superhero community in some of the most desperate battles, showing that he deserves his spot in the Trinity. He’s an amazing leader but Wonder Woman is the better leader and the proof is from her time as the leader of Justice League Dark. Diana founded the team to deal with magical threats that had started to sniff around in the days after Dark Knights: Metal. She’s not actually a magic user, but jumped into that world and proved to be the best leader the team could ask for. She knows how to inspire her teammates, come up with plans to use against the most dangerous enemies out there, and, most importantly during her stint with the JLD, listen to the people who knew more than her, letting her make smarter decisions. Her leadership was crucial to the team’s victory against the Upside-Down Man in a way that you can’t really say about any of Superman’s stints leading any team. She was raised to be a leader, whether it be of a magical nation in the Mediterranean or a team of superheroes, and has excelled at it in ways the Man of Steel hasn’t.
3) Finding the Truth
Clark Kent was raised by the most honest people you can imagine. This rubbed off on him and he’s since become an intrepid crusader for the truth. Even keeping his identity secret goes against his sense of honesty to an extent. Clark was so interested in the truth that he became a journalist, all so he could expose the lies of the world and help the people of Metropolis. He’s become amazing at ferreting out the truth, but he doesn’t have anything on Wonder Woman. Diana values honestly above nearly everything and her choice of weapons plays into that. She’s the bearer of the Lasso of Truth, one of DC’s most powerful weapons, which forces anyone who touches it to tell the truth. You could argue that Supes is better at finding the truth because he actually finds it, working hard to get through the crust of lies. All Diana has to do is bust out the Lasso make it touch whoever she wants to tell the truth. It’s a cheat, but it counts.
2) Is a Better Fighter
Superman is one of the most powerful beings in the DC Multiverse and this has made a huge difference for him in combat. Supes doesn’t really need to know how to fight very well; he can throw moons at people. He can punch hard enough to crack planets and he’s faster than you can possibly imagine. However, Supes does know how to fight and he’s honestly way better at it than most people imagine. He has years of experience in combat and has gotten rather good at it. However, even with all of his power and years of experience, Wonder Woman is still his superior in every way you can imagine. She was trained almost from birth to be the greatest fighter on Themyscira, mastering all manner of weapons and hand to hand combat styles. She’s helped train various members of the Justice League and her sidekicks, creating some of the greatest fighters ever. The proof that she’s a better fighter is how well she does against Supes in battle. While he’s vastly stronger than her, she’s able to keep up with him in battle because of her skills, using his power against him and hitting him in ways he isn’t ready for. Even Batman respects her fighting skills, which really says it all.
1) Is More Ruthless When She Needs to Be
Superman has made every sacrifice imaginable over the years, doing everything he can to save the day. Superman says that he will do anything to save lives, but there’s something that he won’t do – kill. In fact, in general, Supes is known for not being ruthless in the slightest. He’ll go to any lengths, but he won’t cross the line. Wonder Woman doesn’t have that problem. She was trained to be a soldier of Themyscira and killing was a part of her training. She’s not the kind of hero who kills everyone she comes across (although sometimes it feels like most people think she does), but when it comes right down to it, she’s willing to get as ruthless as possible in order to save the day. She will cross the line in order if she feels it’s called for, because she knows that sometimes, the only way to save lives is to end the threat in the most efficient, ruthless way. She doesn’t want to kill, but she has no problem doing so when the situation calls for it.
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