10 Worst DC K.O. Fights In The Comics, Ranked

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Fans often enjoy watching their favorite characters battle, even when the reasons aren’t particularly strong. That’s why there’s so much buzz around DC K.O. – it’s a huge tournament where heroes and villains compete for the chance to fight Darkseid in a final, world-altering showdown.

Not all fights are exciting to watch. With so many competitors, some matches have ended surprisingly fast. Others just didn’t live up to expectations, either because the characters acted differently than usual or because we misjudged their strength. Ultimately, some fights are simply less enjoyable than others. Here’s a look at the worst ones we’ve seen so far.

Although Batman: Knightfall is a compelling story about Bruce Wayne’s relationships with the Robins, the fight sequences aren’t as strong. The story centers around Bruce being forced to battle his adopted sons due to the influence of the Heart of Apokolips, but he desperately tries to avoid fighting them. While his fight with Nightwing is considered one of DC’s best, his confrontation with Red Hood doesn’t quite measure up.

Bruce Wayne finds himself in a reality where Red Hood has isolated Gotham City, attempting to protect the outside world from the Joker’s gas. He’s forced to fight Jason Todd, who believes Bruce is no longer the man he once knew. This story is the weakest of the bunch not because it’s bad, but because it feels too brief when compared to the much more impactful fight between Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne.

Initial tournament predictions pitted Giganta against Superman and placed the Joker on the other side of the bracket. However, things quickly changed, and Giganta unexpectedly faced Batman’s greatest enemy. It should have been a straightforward win for her, but the Joker, as usual, received a boost in strength due to his popularity.

Okay, so in the second round, everyone had to grab special items around the arena. Luckily, Joker found Atom’s belt – the one that changes your size! He used it to get way bigger than Giganta, and just… flattened her. Honestly, it was over so quickly, and it felt kind of mean, but mostly it was just a really boring way for the fight to end. I was hoping for something more exciting!

When the tournament pairings were announced, most fans predicted Harley Quinn would win against Zatanna. Luckily, that didn’t happen, but the fight itself wasn’t very exciting. Zatanna, who should have easily won, struggled much longer than necessary, likely because the creators wanted to sell an extra comic book issue.

Honestly, as a fan, I was pretty disappointed in Zatanna’s performance. Seeing her fall for Harley’s tricks right away made her seem so inexperienced, and even after she caught on, her fights were way too close for comfort. I mean, this is Zatanna we’re talking about – she used to be a member of the Justice League! It was especially frustrating to see her eliminated so quickly in DC K.O., especially after they hyped her up as a potential winner.

A fight between Plastic Man and Metamorpho had a lot of promise. Plastic Man is known for his incredible ability to change shape and was once a powerhouse in the Justice League. Metamorpho, with his own unique powers, seemed like he could have been a real challenge to the established hero.

Honestly, I was so disappointed! They really crammed what felt like a whole story into just one issue. I mean, they featured Metamorpho and Plastic Man, but if they weren’t going to let them really shine, what was the point? It was frustrating to see Metamorpho beat Plastic Man only to then be eliminated himself – it made the whole fight feel meaningless!

During the second round of the tournament, DC presented a surprising matchup: Lobo against Starro. While Starro is a classic DC villain, he’s not typically a popular choice. This new version of the character in DC K.O. differs from what longtime fans remember, but it doesn’t really make him more compelling.

While the competitors scrambled for the sixteen prizes, Lobo and Starro started battling over Bane’s venom supply. Even though Lobo was stronger, Starro cleverly took control of other contestants to gain an advantage. Ultimately, though, everyone was relieved when Lex Luthor rendered their fight meaningless.

It was initially amusing to see Lex Luthor attempt to recruit Supergirl to battle Aquaman and Hawkman. Predictably, Supergirl turned on him, given Lex Luthor’s untrustworthy nature. However, the whole situation didn’t end well for anyone involved.

Lex tricked Kara with Red Kryptonite, forcing her to fight for him and unintentionally causing her to kill Aquaman and Hawkman. This felt rushed and illogical; Aquaman had become incredibly powerful and should have been able to defeat both Kara and Lex if necessary. However, the story needed Lex to win, so he did. Despite these issues, this moment still ranks fifth because Lex being clever, even when it feels out of place, is somewhat believable.

Honestly, I was shocked Joker even made it past the first round! I always figured a fight to the death between him and Jason would always end with Joker losing. It made me wonder what the point of Jason’s training and return even was! And, predictably, Joker just had to survive, so they ended up writing a whole issue just to explain how he pulled it off. It’s frustrating, but… well, it’s the Joker, isn’t it?

Jason wins the first round, but the Joker gets inside his head and gains an advantage in the second. Their final round ends in a tie. However, the Joker unfairly wins by using a hidden device, despite not actually earning the victory.

Zatanna was surprisingly struggling with simpler opponents in these fights. When she faced the Joker in the second round, it seemed like an easy win. But when everyone was allowed to team up with a partner, the Joker pulled a trick: he summoned the powerful Mr. Mxyzptlk to fight alongside him.

Okay, so at first, this imp, Mxy, was messing with us all by pretending to be the Batman Who Laughs. But he quickly dropped the act and actually helped Joker level up to his Emperor Joker form! Honestly, I thought Zatanna and Constantine had this in the bag – they’re way more experienced. But Joker just… turned Constantine! It was a total stomp, and he took down one of DC’s most powerful magic users with ease. I did not see that coming!

It’s understandable why a comic book dedicated an issue to a Wonder Woman versus Lobo fight. However, the way the fight played out feels off – Lobo shouldn’t have been able to compete with Wonder Woman as strongly as he did.

Okay, so I just watched that Lobo vs. Wonder Woman fight, and it was…weird. Lobo totally pulled off a surprise knockout even though he was clearly the underdog in terms of strength and experience. Then, in the second round, Wonder Woman went all out – bringing in all her allies and breaking out that Kingdom Come armor, which felt totally unnecessary. Honestly, the third round was just a mess. She barely won thanks to some technicality, it didn’t feel earned at all. It was a really strange fight, to be honest.

These results highlight that this tournament may have included too many competitors. Connor Hawke and Cheetah, a famously swift villain known for battling Wonder Woman in close combat, were both surprisingly eliminated early on.

It just doesn’t logically fit. The Joker finds the Atom’s shrinking belt and uses it to become giant-sized, a power neither Ray nor Ryan ever utilized. Then, he manages to capture and eat two incredibly fast characters? This is particularly jarring not just because it’s disturbing, but because Cheetah and Connor should have been able to resist much more effectively.

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2026-02-04 20:20