Originally posted by Mindship
Who wields more raw power is obviously debatable. In fairness, perhaps, one could say they're about equal, or at least one does not have a significant edge over the other.What is much more clear is...
Superman has a closed powerset. You can sum it up fairly quickly: he's everything a human is, amped to the nth degree. The only two powers you have to tack on (cuz there's no human equivalent) are flight and heat vision. In any event, Superman can do some pretty amazing things, including things that are not immediately obvious with this closed powerset. In effect, when writers are creative, they can have Superman mimic a more open powerset.
The Surfer has a genuinely open powerset. Aside from a few basic ground rules, he can do virtually anything. His powerset is so open, one could logically extrapolate abilities never even demonstrated (like fly w/o his goddamn board), as long as the few basic ground rules are observed (I know I'm speaking in generalities and should be providing examples, but I'm being lazy).
Given the above: the Surfer is more versatile than Superman even without that "extra creativity" Superman needs to mimic versatility. But moreso: imagine if the same creative stretch given to Superman were granted the Surfer.
That, coupled with a comparable power level; coupled with the fact that Superman has definite weaknesses while the Surfer does not...I just don't see how Superman could take the majority.
(BTW, don't Forum rules state that opponents have full knowledge of each other's strengths and weaknesses, unless stated otherwise in the OP? If this is so, then Surfer's gonna know right away what he needs to do, and he is capable of nanosec reaction times. (Translation: a successful speedblitz is not a given. Again, for the sake of fairness, we will assume that S and SS have comparable power levels, even if their powersets are very different.))
Also, for what it's worth, these are my two favorite characters, so I'm really trying to see this as objectvely as possible.
SS doesn't have nanosecond reaction times.
1000 scans showing the opposite vs. only 1 invalid scan that shows figurative language and hyperbole proves that the 1 scan is PIS at best (by Definition).
So Superman koing SS at the start is not only the best strategy but something SS can't avoid. Supes wins.
P.S. SS resistance to heat is finite. Firelord's heat was too much for SS when they fought. Superman's heat vision is hotter than the core of any star. Thus it is comparable to Firelord's heat. This is not to say that Superman will use his HV against SS, but just to point out to the previous posters that Superman's HV can hurt SS.
