lapsedgamer Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? There is another thread going about Ant-man, but he belongs here as well. Everyone laughs at Aquaman, saying that his sole useful ability is to communicate with sea creatures. That is an oversimplification, but it applies even more to Ant-man (pick one). He would need to get some of those South American Army ants they were trying to scare us with back in the 80s to really be a threat. The only time I've ever seen him being a threat was in The Ultimates, when he used the ants against his insect-sized wife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightray Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? Personally' date=' there is no way in the whole wide world that I would play a character with a name like "Sandy the Golden Boy". Eww...[/quote'] When he had a harpoon gun and pluck, that was weak. But then he picked up Sandman's gas gun and gasmask. Got turned into a silicate being who could walk through most substances containing silicon, didn't breathe, and could control tectonic forces (or something). AND he got Sandman's precognative dreams. Until the current JSA issue, the last time he was seen was when he dove down to the Earth's core to hold it together by himself. In the current issue, he's back -- sort of. Looks like this story arc is going to tie together loose ends from Golden Age Sandman, Sandy the Golden Boy, Lyta Hall (Fury), Hector Hall (now Dr. Fate), and The Sandman ("Daniel", their "son"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckg Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? I wouldn't pick on Robin as the weakest non-powered super. I'd go for one of the other sidekicks who wasn't trained by Batman' date=' and who doesn't have the range of neat gadgets.[/quote'] Heh. I'm remembering from YOUNG JUSTICE #5, when the villain du jour -- Harm, aka 'Prometheus, Jr.", is confronting Robin. After having already (via prep time and gadgets and blind-siding them one at a time) trashed Superboy, Wonder Girl, Impulse, Arrowette, and Secret.(*) You know what the first thing Harm says upon meeting Tim? "At last. The dangerous one." ... unless their initials are "Jason Todd", Robins are never to be taken lightly. There are Special Forces personnel with less intensive training and lower skill levels than those kids. (*) Shades of 'Judas Contract', where Deathstroke neutralizes every member of the Titans one at a time -- save the only non-superpowered member, Nightwing. Granted, YOUNG JUSTICE #5 had a different ending, but that was just Harm's jobber aura. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? The funny thing is, after seeing a bit of the new Batgirl and her ability to 'read body' language, I can't help but wonder if maybe Cypher had the potiential to be one kick butt martial artist... had he lived. Frankly, I could never get over Razorback... he drives a truck, has an 'electrified mane' ... so forth. http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/niven/142/profiles/pro03.html Oh, he also seems to have +25 PRE, only to defend against embarrasment (-1 and 1/2) Forget martial arts, Cypher could have ended up Marvel's Oracle. I mean, between the computer hacking and personality reading potential. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? When you stop to think about it, that's actually a very formidable ability. In the pre-Crisis history, he ate the Miracle Machine; even Mon-El couldn't destroy the Miracle Machine. Weak is one thing, bizarre or highly specialized is another. With Warlock's help, Doug Ramsey once defeated the Magus, and on another occassion he prevented Lila's Dyson sphere home from self-destructing. In one issue of "What If?" he became advisor to Illyana, Queen of Asgard, and helped bring peace to the Nine Worlds. I'd have to say the weakest super-hero I can think of is probably Robin, the Boy Wonder. He's a very intelligent adolescent jock with a bunch of neat gadgets. He is not a jock by any stretch of the imagination. More like a genius intelligent olympic athlete with just the equipment to do the job. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? There is another thread going about Ant-man' date=' but he belongs here as well. Everyone laughs at Aquaman, saying that his sole useful ability is to communicate with sea creatures. That is an oversimplification, but it applies even more to Ant-man (pick one). He would need to get some of those South American Army ants they were trying to scare us with back in the 80s to really be a threat. The only time I've ever seen him being a threat was in The Ultimates, when he used the ants against his insect-sized wife.[/quote'] Screw using ants, think about the infiltration potential of shrinking?? Or, for the really good shrinkers, well, three words: Rock of Ages. Two more words: 'nuff said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbdaury Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? To me' date=' two stick out: Captain Ultra (faints at sight of a lit match) and X-men's Maggot(his death was'nt slow and painful enough for me).[/quote'] Yeah, Cause superhuman strength and having mobile stomach(s) that can eat limitless amounts of ANYTHING is really a weak power You dolt! I hate people tearing at Maggot for no clearly defined reason- he's got a relatively unique mutation and, unlike Cyclops, he only really seemed one dimensional and flat because he was barely explored at all, whereas that lameass Scott Summers has had twenty+ years to perfect being a worthless character of the highest magnitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbdaury Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? Screw using ants, think about the infiltration potential of shrinking?? Or, for the really good shrinkers, well, three words: Rock of Ages. Two more words: 'nuff said. How about the beating that Atom laid on DeathStroke the Terminator when he tried to kill a kryptonite poisoned SUperman- pounded the hell out of Term's inner ear, damn near ripped his hed off from the inside out, that's a feat that few have been able to pull off, even Batman... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerhouse Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? "Are we simply talking about lack of powers? Then we got Batman but he takes out Martians and anything that gets in his way as easy as mowing the lawn. How about Robin? Well, Tim Drake has knocked Shiva on her butt and proven his worth as a leader. So what is the criteria for the weakest?" Just noting that this was in a practice session where Robin used a cute trick (whistle cut into his staff to distract her) to land a shot. She had landed HUNDREDS on him. One lucky shot doesn't make him anything. Edit: a little nasty there, sorry. I'm just a huge Lady Shiva fan and I hate how writers drag her out to be beat and make their own characters look good. To be fair, she's only be beatened twice in one-on-ones to my knowledge (vs Batgirl in an incredible fight, and vs Batman in Batman/Superman which was characters assassination). Anyway... yes Robin shouldn't be underestimated but he's still a pretty weak fighter compared to most other DC martial artists. He's still young of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbdaury Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? Just noting that this was in a practice session where Robin used a cute trick (whistle cut into his staff to distract her) to land a shot. She had landed HUNDREDS on him. One lucky shot doesn't make him anything. Edit: a little nasty there, sorry. I'm just a huge Lady Shiva fan and I hate how writers drag her out to be beat and make their own characters look good. To be fair, she's only be beatened twice in one-on-ones to my knowledge (vs Batgirl in an incredible fight, and vs Batman in Batman/Superman which was characters assassination). Anyway... yes Robin shouldn't be underestimated but he's still a pretty weak fighter compared to most other DC martial artists. He's still young of course. Actually, weren't Richard Dragon and Ben Turner also up there in her league? And no one said that Tim beat her, just that he knocked her on her ass- which he did, and trick or no trick, that puts him on a very short list of people that have done that! But yeah, that Batgirl/Shiva fight rocked, have they finally let it out yet that she's either Shiva's daughter or sister? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpira Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? Just noting that this was in a practice session where Robin used a cute trick (whistle cut into his staff to distract her) to land a shot. She had landed HUNDREDS on him. One lucky shot doesn't make him anything. Edit: a little nasty there, sorry. I'm just a huge Lady Shiva fan and I hate how writers drag her out to be beat and make their own characters look good. To be fair, she's only be beatened twice in one-on-ones to my knowledge (vs Batgirl in an incredible fight, and vs Batman in Batman/Superman which was characters assassination). Anyway... yes Robin shouldn't be underestimated but he's still a pretty weak fighter compared to most other DC martial artists. He's still young of course. I think that it was actually three lucky shots, as the dialogue went something like one move turns into two and two turn into three. After the first one they generally call it skill. I was not trying to dish on Shiva but anyone capable of surprising her and then knocking her down is quite a force to be reckoned with. I bet he put that one on his resume. He, even, stood up to her when she was about to kill Conner Hawke (which was a really good fight, although in the end she was the superior fighter.) My point with Robin is that he knows that he will not be able to take Shiva in a straight up fight, so he will have the wits about him to rig the game in his favor. It is not always about power. As for Shiva getting her ass whooped? Check out what I wrote about poor writers. The Batgirl fight was great, by the way and was handled right. It was an event that you had to wait a year for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryBug Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? It's gotta be Double Header, of the Legion of Substitute Heroes...Reserves. He has two heads. Oooh, I'm quaking. "Not... ready... for... membership... in... the... Substitute... Heroes. Lord give me strength!" - Chief Zendak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryBug Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? But in the end' date=' I've got to give the nod to Cheeks, the Toy Wonder.[/quote'] Oy! Fanboy! Smile when you say that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lupus Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? Forget martial arts' date=' Cypher could have ended up Marvel's Oracle. I mean, between the computer hacking and personality reading potential. . .[/quote'] Yeah, I wanted him to go 'screw superheroing, I'm going to start a world-wide computer revolution.' Now that would have been cool. Personally, I couldn't stand how he was written. He whined about not being good at stuff (basically because he was out of his element), and then the writer, instead of trying to find his element, tosses in these totally contrived plots where he was the only person who could save the world. Really, he shouldn't have been doing standard superheroing. He just got roped in by the pressure to go along with the gang, and got killed for it. Beh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lupus Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? Weakest superhero - Rick Jones! Well, not really a real superhero. But he /was/ a sidekick for a while (even served as Bucky, if I remember). He has some martial arts skillz (as he says, you don't hang around with Captain America and not pick up something), but he's nothing special. Great character, though. I love him. Oh, of course, when he's bonded with Captain Marvel, he goes from 'weak' to 'cosmically powerful' with a clap of the wrists. And he's been around the place enough times that he's an invaluable source of information for people like Marv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BNakagawa Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? And if you're going to bring up the LSH for weak supers, you're looking in the wrong direction if you're thinking of Matter-Eater Lad. What about Porcupine Pete. Or Arm-Fall-Off Boy? Heck, I used to think Color Kid or Stone Boy would have been perfect for this thread, until the 5 Years After run when they'd learned to exploit their powers and they were seriously effective. Poor Arm-Fall-Off Boy was no where to be seen, though... Alas. That's why I put my vote in for Double Header, dude. Almost as useless as Antennae lad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? Moreso. Antenna Lad's powers could come in handy if you want to listen in on trasmissions and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEmerged Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? RE: Rick Jones. /humor on Insert buzzer sound here. Thank you for playing, have some Rice A' Roni the San Francisco Treat! /humor off RJ has wielded effectively cosmic powers not once, not twice, but *three* times before being merged with Captain Mar-Vell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlestaff Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? Weakest Characters? How about the Legion of Super-Heroes...... from the Saturday morning cartoon series. You know, wonder-twin powers activate and all that? For a fun look at the characters, go here: http://www.seanbaby.com/super.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superskrull Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? My vote goes to Ant-boy. In the Captain Confederacy comics, he was one of the back-up humor strips. Raised by ants, he grew to be their masked defender, since his possessing the actual strength of a human teenager allowed him to trash such mighty foes of the ant colony as lawnmowers, small birds & sprinklers. He also could talk to ants, float on the surface tension of water and dig tunnels at moderate speeds. On the down-side, since he'd been raised by ants, he was about as bright as a sack of cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? Really, he shouldn't have been doing standard superheroing. He just got roped in by the pressure to go along with the gang, and got killed for it. Beh. An important lessons of the dangers of mutant peer pressure Remember kids... Just say "No!" to saving the world! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightray Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Weakest Characters? How about the Legion of Super-Heroes...... from the Saturday morning cartoon series. You know, wonder-twin powers activate and all that? For a fun look at the characters, go here: http://www.seanbaby.com/super.htm 1) That's the SuperFriends, not the Legion! 2) While SeanBaby's site is the bee's knees, it has banner ads that are usually NOT work safe. 3) You never know when you'll need an eagle and a bucket of water. And a monkey. Double Header is still the leading contender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch0wyunf47 Posted July 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? I don't think I've ever read Double Header. Is he just a conjoined twin or is it an actual power? That was what I was more leaning towards when I started the thread The super-normals are, IMHO, often way more powerful/useful than guys like Cypher. His power COULD be really useful and done more impressively, but I was mostly laughing at their description of why it was a power and not a skill. Good points about the writing tho, hadn't thought about that. I guess any hero with a writer unable to use them is going to be in trouble. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? There is another thread going about Ant-man' date=' but he belongs here as well. Everyone laughs at Aquaman, saying that his sole useful ability is to communicate with sea creatures. That is an oversimplification, but it applies even more to Ant-man (pick one). He would need to get some of those South American Army ants they were trying to scare us with back in the 80s to really be a threat. The only time I've ever seen him being a threat was in The Ultimates, when he used the ants against his insect-sized wife.[/quote'] At least the original makes up for it by being able to grow to be 100' tall and be a major beat stick... Doesn't Scott also have a version of Yellowjackets stingers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryBug Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Re: Weakest Supers in books you've read? I don't think I've ever read Double Header. Is he just a conjoined twin or is it an actual power? Double-Header was a member of the Legion of Substitute Heroes' Auxilary. His 'power' was... he had two heads. (As the mighty Ambush Bug put it, "Yecchhh. I hope they never put that one in the Tunnel of Love!") This definitely makes him the leading contender here, although the Subs as a whole, and the 'Auxilary' in particular, all deserve a nomination. Speaking of nominations, has anyone mentioned Howard the Duck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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