If Matter-Eater Lad can “eat” anything, does that mean merely that he has super-strong teeth and jaws, or does it mean that his entire gastrointestinal tract is invulnerable? Can he eat molten steel or antimatter? Does it mean he can’t be poisoned by any substance? Is his stomach limited to the normal volume of food for a human or does anything he eats disappear like it’s falling into a black hole? Does he derive any nourishment from non-organic substances?
He can eat pretty much anything. He comes from the planet Bismoll where microbes made the food poisonous. The natives evolved so they could eat anything, organic or inorganic, and digest and derive nourishment from it. And yes, he can eat an unlimited amount. He once hollowed out a meteor. He didn’t seem to be anything but comic relief, since the DC writers had difficulty thinking of anything useful with his powers. He eventually quit the Legion of Superheroes to become a Senator on his home planet.
Bismoll? Is the capital called Pepto? Someone at DC was definitely having fun with M-E Lad…
Indestructable’s not really the right word for it, but it’s his entire digestive tract.
Yes, in fact, he can eat even more esoteric substances - the Miravle Machine was desposed of by him eating it. (I can’t remember if he ever ate Inertron.)
Yes. As Cherry Garcia said, that’s why the Bismolians devoloped the ability in the first place. He has described the tastes of various minerals at different points, but I can’t remember what he said.
The limit of his gut has never been shown. He can eat a substantial ammount without ill effect - definitely several times his own mass, for sure. He’s somewhat of a glutton, but most Bismolians are.
DC are fond of doing that. Worlds, people, races all named for puns.
Tenz’s teammate Ultra Boy, who got his powers from being in a space whale is named Jo Nah. (a joke I didn’t get until cmkeller pointed it out. :smack: )
A race of people who can inflate and bounce in L.E.G.I.O.N. were called Bumb’ls. (One Bumb’l, a L.E.G.I.O.N. hopeful that the team rejected, yelled ‘BUMB’LS BOUNCE!’ while attacking a L.E.G.I.O.N.naire. Just before he was killed. By bouncing onto a spike.)
Then there’s one Tamaranian naming style, which aren’t puns on the characters with the names, but are silly - Koriand’r, Komand’r, Miand’r, Oleand’r…
They must cringe when he walks into an ‘all you can eat’ place…
There’s probably a whole class of insurrance in the UP for restaurants to deal with just such an eventuality.
‘A bus load of Bismolians, huh? This is going to increase your rates, you know.’
I thought Koriand’r was a pun on the spice coriander, Komand’r on commander, Miand’r = meander and Oleand’r = the flower.
Yes, exactly. Like I said, nothing particularly about the characters (other than a general ‘feel’ of the characters), but a little silliness.
At one sitting? With no bathroom breaks? Has he got a black hole floating around his colon?
Bismolians probably have an ingrained sense of politeness that would cause them to avoid putting financial hardship on the proprietor of such an establishment.
“You leave! You leave now! You been here four hour! You scare my wife!”
You know…trying to apply this description to Tenz, or the other Bismolians we’ve met (except for Calorie Queen, who seems unusually sane) makes my head hurt. <_<
…“Calorie Queen?”
Of course! What else would she call herself?
If it’s any consolation, she was a member of the Legion of Super-Rejects. (No, seriously!)
I… just… I have this horrible picture that spontaneously arose in my mind, of a sort of soft-serve ice cream restaurant with a hugely fat bleached-blonde southern belle as a mascot on the sign…
Which is not to be confused with the Legion of Substitute Heroes, of course. (Or the Legion of Supervillains, which, at various times, has had a significant number of Legion of Superheroes rejects as members. They really needed to lay off the cattle calls…)
Their mistake was making him a hero; that power is all wrong for a hero. A villain, on the other hand . . .
Lightning Lad " What have you done with Mon-El ?!"
Matter-Eater : “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”
Can’t they be weird and polite?