# 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:** 12\ **Page:** 5
**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 27, 2015, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/81 "2015-07-27T04:39:58Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I thought it was the Spear of Destiny that kept Allied supers out of the war? The Holy Grail, too. One was in Nazi Germany, the other in Imperial Japan, and the concept was (probably) created by Roy Thomas for his _All-Star Squadron_ series, published in the 1980s but set during the war. As for comics written during the war… I don’t know how writers justified the more powerful heroes not casually ending it. I’m guessing they didn’t even try. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/82 "2015-07-28T01:09:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Sure, an emotionally traumatized teenage girl probably isn’t going to be much good in a fight, but that’s not her powers. An emotionally traumatized girl with Rogue’s powers will fare better than an otherwise-same girl without, and so we can say that her powers are useful in a fight. A traumatized teenage girl with a switchblade—that she’s never used before—compared to the same girl unarmed, true, to draw an analogy.But to torture it further both pale in comparison to a collected teenage girl with a cutlass that she’s extensively trained with. My point being that the amount of “useful in a fight” in this case, in my view, has become so _low_ as to make it dubious to use at all. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/83 "2015-07-28T02:09:23Z")
Mrs O’Connor …[a thing of beauty, but useless in a fight](http://wrytoast.squarespace.com/home/2005/11/10/a-thing-of-beauty-but-useless-in-a-fight.html) ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/84 "2015-07-28T03:23:08Z")
Brian Ekers: > [@](#): > > and the concept was (probably) created by Roy Thomas for his All-Star Squadron series, published in the 1980s but set during the war. Yep, specifically, All-Star Squadron # 4, set right after the attack on Pearl Harbor. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/85 "2015-07-28T04:52:48Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > As for comics written during the war… I don’t know how writers justified the more powerful heroes not casually ending it. I’m guessing they didn’t even try. Easy. Captain America is Captain America, the Human Torch is the Human Torch, etc., but he’s still, you know, just one guy, against armies; and the Axis have their own supervillains, don’t they? ---
**Author:** ![moojja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@moojja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moojja)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/86 "2015-07-28T05:07:44Z")
How is Rogue not a powerful fighter? She can kill you with a touch and steal your power at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/87 "2015-07-28T22:11:29Z")
> [@moojja](#): > > How is Rogue not a powerful fighter? She can kill you with a touch and steal your power at the same time. Ranchoth’s point was that the Rogue of the X-Men movies (NOT the comics) couldn’t kill with a touch, she just absorbed powers… which means she’s useless in a fight against opponents who have no powers. That, plus absorbing someone’s powers appeared to take a few moments, so if she was facing more than one powered opponent, one of them could clobber her while she was absorbing from the other one. (Again, this is the Rogue of the movies, not the comics.) ---
**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 28, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/88 "2015-07-28T22:13:40Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > Ranchoth’s point was that the Rogue of the X-Men movies (NOT the comics) couldn’t kill with a touch, she just absorbed powers… which means she’s useless in a fight against opponents who have no powers. You remember the first time she used her powers in the movie, right? ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/89 "2015-07-28T22:15:03Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > As for comics written during the war… I don’t know how writers justified the more powerful heroes not casually ending it. I’m guessing they didn’t even try. They tried for [Superman](http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/05/04/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-49/). It was a _weak_ explanation, but at least they get points for making the attempt. ---
**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 28, 2015, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/90 "2015-07-28T23:20:11Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > Ranchoth’s point was that the Rogue of the X-Men movies (NOT the comics) couldn’t kill with a touch, she just absorbed powers… which means she’s useless in a fight against opponents who have no powers. As **Waldo Pepper** (no, not that one) pointed out, the first person we see Rogue use her powers on in the movie is her (presumably) unpowered boyfriend. So it does work on normal people, although it’s not clear exactly what she’s taking from him, since in other scenes, she only seems to absorb powers, and not memories. ---
**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 29, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/91 "2015-07-29T00:17:15Z")
I think she’s taking generic lifeforce (in D&D terms, she’s giving people negative levels). For metahumans, powers go along with that, but it’s still dangerous to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437/92 "2015-07-31T01:21:10Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > As **Waldo Pepper** (no, not that one) pointed out, the first person we see Rogue use her powers on in the movie is her (presumably) unpowered boyfriend. So it does work on normal people, although it’s not clear exactly what she’s taking from him, since in other scenes, she only seems to absorb powers, and not memories. \ I see what you did there…and I lol’ed. \ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-powers-but-useless-in-a-fight/725437.md?page=4)