Does the word "many" in the verse: "And We have certainly honored the Children of Adam and carried them on land and sea and provided them with good things and preferred them over many of those whom We have created, with [definite] preference" mean that there are creations superior to humans?

Al-Baghawi mentioned the scholarly dispute regarding the issue of preferring humans. The apparent meaning of the verse is that Allah has preferred them over many of His creatures, but not over all. Some scholars said they were preferred over all creation except the angels. Al-Kalbi specifically limited angels to Jibreel, Mika'il, Israfil, the Angel of Death, and their like. For further detail, one can refer to the treatise by Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah: "The Preferment Between Angels and Humans."