# Cool powers, but useless in a fight. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437 "2015-07-17T18:32:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/21 "2015-07-18T04:36:23Z")
What about Garnish, from the original JLA? He could conjure 1/4 cup of any salad dressing out of thin air. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/22 "2015-07-18T13:22:19Z")
Aside from fly away from a fight, I don’t know what else Hawk Man can do. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/23 "2015-07-18T14:33:58Z")
He can drop gerbils on you. Agitated gerbils. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/24 "2015-07-18T15:31:44Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Aside from fly away from a fight, I don’t know what else Hawk Man can do. That’s probably why he always carried a mace or some other medieval weapon. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/25 "2015-07-18T16:20:06Z")
All of Hawkman’s powers come from Nth metal except reincarnation. At least I think that isn’t the result of Nth metal. So Nth metal weapons from above are good enough. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/26 "2015-07-18T16:28:15Z")
Dream Girl (Nura Nal) could see into the future. Great for avoiding a fight, but hardly good for being in one. She also came from the planet Naltor, where everyone could see into the future Except her sister Mysa, who became the White Witch, casting her spells. Much better power. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/27 "2015-07-18T16:32:27Z")
> [@Randolph](#): > > He can drop gerbils on you. Agitated gerbils. Cool powers, bro. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/28 "2015-07-18T16:48:21Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > What about Garnish, from the original JLA? He could conjure 1/4 cup of any salad dressing out of thin air. That could be handy in a fight, if it’s a vinaigrette and you toss it in their eyes. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/29 "2015-07-18T16:52:15Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’d say that can count as “good in a fight.” If she can use her power to convince you to turn your back on her so she can plant a knife in your kidney, I’d call that using her powers to win a fight. She was always so much more than that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/30 "2015-07-18T18:53:07Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > That could be handy in a fight, if it’s a vinaigrette and you toss it in their eyes. Can he conjure the vinaigrette so it appears in the guy’s lungs? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/31 "2015-07-18T19:07:06Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Dream Girl (Nura Nal) could see into the future. Great for avoiding a fight, but hardly good for being in one. If she can do it short term, it can also be great for avoiding a punch. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/32 "2015-07-18T19:07:47Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > I rolled an RPG superhero who was a pathetic weakling who only had a low level power of intangibility. Basically he couldn’t effect or hurt anything or even manipulate objects, but could still be hurt by any form of energy, sound, or magic. It’s hard to imagine anything more useless in a fight than that. We looked into what the chances of learning a stunt to leave a rock in someones aorta, but just wasn’t possible. > > He got thrown into the garbage and I rerolled. Kitty Pride always seemed to do okay. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/33 "2015-07-19T00:09:34Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > If she can do it short term, it can also be great for avoiding a punch. One of the later reboots worked that in, but she still wasn’t a good HtH combatant. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/34 "2015-07-19T23:13:39Z")
Madame Web circa 1982 had a number of odd and impressive mental abilities, but was completely physically helpless. ---
**Author:** ![JVDaly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@JVDaly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JVDaly)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/35 "2015-07-20T00:54:28Z")
Business Man! A man with the power to make ten times more money than a regular man. Ayn Rand didn’t last long at DC Comics. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/36 "2015-07-20T09:09:00Z")
John Constantine is probably the best example here. I am sure I could kick his ass, and you could too. I think he only won two fistfights in the 30 year run of his comic, but The First of the Fallen and the King of the Vampires both had a really bad time. If you’re going to punch, punch. Don’t stop to talk, and never have a drink with him. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ecks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ecks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ecks)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/37 "2015-07-20T13:05:30Z")
Anyone who likes superhero fiction should check out George R R Martin’s “Wild Card” shared world superhero books. It grew out of an author’s group role playing game, and they had some fun creating bizarre powers- for example, Nova boy, who could cause the nearest star to go nova at will. Yeah, that’s useful. Or the guy that could teleport any woman he could think of to his bedroom. In the comic book series based on the books, they had a kid gain the power to shoot red lighting out of his hands, but when he tries to fight, he discovers he is actually less dangerous than an ordinary person with a gun. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/38 "2015-07-20T13:28:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Or the guy that could teleport any woman he could think of to his bedroom. That would be incredibly useful for evacuating female teammates from dangerous situations. It’d also be quite good for capturing female supervillains. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ecks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ecks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ecks)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/39 "2015-07-20T13:44:45Z")
He had to be in his bedroom at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/40 "2015-07-20T13:53:32Z")
Presumably, his bedroom would be safer than, say, the midst of a war-time ambush. Hence, the use of it for evacuations. Keep him in radio contact with the team and when they yell HELP! he does his thing and _\>poof!\<_ they’re safe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437.md?page=3)