# Comic book experts: Who's the least powerful superhero? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573 "2003-01-09T19:07:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573/101 "2003-01-12T23:35:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Their powers, however difficult, were entirely mundane and the result of practice and talent, right? Daredevil has super-powers. Originally, his massively-enhanced senses were a result of the same radioactive (or was it chemical) waste that blinded him. Later, they retconed it to that merely being the catalyst to awaken an innate talent of his. Still, he can hear heartbeats from 20 feet away, smell the faintest whiff of perfume, and has a “radar” that largely substitutes for vision, and is actually better in many cases (in the dark, can “see” behind him without turning around, etc). ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573/102 "2003-01-13T06:29:20Z")
Say, was Four-Legged Man ever actually in The Tick’s comics? Or was he only on the TV cartoon? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573/103 "2003-01-13T12:54:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Plus Warlock was always changing himself into a suit of power armor that Cypher would pilot. And when he was killed, Warlock gave him a new digital life, right? So now he’s a bio-machine like Warlock, who I think is dead. [quote[Daredevil has super-powers.[/quote] My mistake. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573/104 "2003-01-13T13:37:07Z")
And my nominee for lamest side-kick has got to be AquaLad. Totally vapid charactor, at least the Green Arrow’s Speedy got hooked on smack for Pete’s sake! ---
**Author:** ![Shortie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Shortie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shortie)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573/105 "2003-01-13T13:57:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by smiling bandit \* > \*\*Actually, she has the most devastating power ever. The writers simply never used it except when it was rarely convenient to the plot. She could prety much destroy anything while phased. She simply never did. Wierd. \*\* What happens if she phases someone half-way into a wall and leaves them there? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573/106 "2003-01-13T16:58:18Z")
My vote is for Bucky. Captain America’s dead partner. He was a kid in a costume. No shield, like Cap. No powers. No utility belt like Robin. A liability. Just a kid in a mask. And he’s dead. And Cap kicks himself _because_ the kid’s dead, making the kid a _dead liability_. Can’t get less powerful than that. ---
**Author:** ![SC\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@SC\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SC_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573/107 "2003-01-13T20:32:16Z")
Now now, it can be argued that Bucky had the rarest superpower in all of Marvel continuity: the ability to _actually stay dead_ once he died, standing firm in eternal slumber where so many other Marvel Characters keep rising from the grave at the merest whim of a writer. Oh, wait, they brought a version of Bucky back in the “Heros Reborn” plot restart after that Onslaught mess, didn’t they? Nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573/108 "2003-01-13T20:42:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Oh, wait, they brought a version of Bucky back in the “Heros Reborn” plot restart after that Onslaught mess, didn’t they? Nevermind. I like to pretend that doesn’t count because a) she was a girl b) she sucked c) she was a total rip off of Frank Miller’s Robin from Dark Knight d) Heroes Reborn Captain America sucks in general ---
**Author:** ![Daniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Daniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573/109 "2003-01-13T22:13:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Terrifel \* > \*\*I guess what I meant was, “Little-known except for having about a billion spin-off titles, and guesting in all the other Marvel titles, and being on every third cover of _Wizard_ magazine since 1988.” > > Or I may have been being sarcastic. I forget exactly. \*\* Sorry. I think this is where I’m supposed to type “Woosh” for my own inability to realize that. ---
**Author:** ![dr\_hermes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dfb087/32.png) [@dr\_hermes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dr_hermes)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573/110 "2003-01-13T22:29:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > \*\*My vote is for Bucky. Captain America’s dead partner. He was a kid in a costume. No shield, like Cap. No powers. No utility belt like Robin. A liability. > > Just a kid in a mask. And he’s dead. > > And Cap kicks himself _because_ the kid’s dead, making the kid a _dead liability_. > > Can’t get less powerful than that. \*\* ``` Actually, if you check out issues of CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS from the 1940s, Bucky is shown using flame throwers and machine guns to slaughter Japanese and German soldiers. Even when fighting ordinary gangsters, Bucky is shown on one cover clearly wearing a mean looking set of brass knuckles. He was a tough kid. ``` [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-experts-whos-the-least-powerful-superhero/147573.md?page=5)