# The Hierarchy of Marvel and DC's Superheroes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 27, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hierarchy-of-marvel-and-dcs-superheroes/281835 "2004-12-27T22:37:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hierarchy-of-marvel-and-dcs-superheroes/281835/21 "2004-12-28T14:02:03Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > **Attempted** to kill, wasn’t it? Maybe. I don’t remember it being particularly clear whether Prometheus was dead or just helpless. I have something of a problem with that explaination for Plas’s mind-control immunity - J’onn’s quite often had Plas in on the telepathic communications. You’d think if he was immune to mind-control because of his brain (or lack thereof), J’onn would notice, at the very least, that there’s something odd when he makes telepathic contact. When he changes his brain makeup, if he maintains telepathic contact, the difference is noticable to whoever he’s in contact with. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hierarchy-of-marvel-and-dcs-superheroes/281835/22 "2004-12-28T14:10:12Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Maybe. I don’t remember it being particularly clear whether Prometheus was dead or just helpless. > > I have something of a problem with that explaination for Plas’s mind-control immunity - J’onn’s quite often had Plas in on the telepathic communications. You’d think if he was immune to mind-control because of his brain (or lack thereof), J’onn would notice, at the very least, that there’s something odd when he makes telepathic contact. When he changes his brain makeup, if he maintains telepathic contact, the difference is noticable to whoever he’s in contact with. Well, we’re dealing with comic-book pseudo-science here. I view it as reasonable to think that Plastic Man’s mind maintains a normal-looking telepathic ‘profile’ - capable of sending/receiving thoughts with telepaths - but the mechanisms a telepath might “push” against to force mental control on someone aren’t there. ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hierarchy-of-marvel-and-dcs-superheroes/281835/23 "2004-12-28T18:16:03Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > I have something of a problem with that explaination for Plas’s mind-control immunity - J’onn’s quite often had Plas in on the telepathic communications. You’d think if he was immune to mind-control because of his brain (or lack thereof), J’onn would notice, at the very least, that there’s something odd when he makes telepathic contact. When he changes his brain makeup, if he maintains telepathic contact, the difference is noticable to whoever he’s in contact with. Also, much of this is post-Obsidian-age ‘rebirth’ of Plas. He got all funky, is apparently ‘immortal’ now, and certainly not fully organic. Yet he retains his humanity, perhaps better than any other member of the JLA. This alone makes him one of my faves. That, and, well, he’s a silly guy. That counts for a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hierarchy-of-marvel-and-dcs-superheroes/281835/24 "2004-12-28T19:00:39Z")
> [@El Elvis Rojo](#): > > I’m suprised you only put Wolverine in a subset of potentials when clumped with other X-Men, seeing as how he has about seven books out at any given moment, seems to be linked to every team up that comes out these days, and is often refered to as “The deadliest mutant in the world.” > > but maybe that’s just the fanboy in me tlakin’… I’m as biased as you are but in the opposite manner. I like Wolverine okay but his fanboys annoy me only slightly less than Batman’s do. He’s made into a god and it just rubs me the wrong way. Plus, he just doesn’t seem to have the elusive \*\*IT \*\*factor to me even though he obviously does to lots of others. He is an essential X-Man though. One of the top three, in my opinion. Jean and Scott being the other two. > [@shy guy](#): > > I’m a little confused as to what exactly qualifies one to be in the inner circle. > > … > > Marvel? > > Captain America > Iron Man > Thor > Dr. Strange > Professor X > Phoenix > Reed Richards > Hank Pym > > Maybe Silver Surfer, Wasp, Cyclops, Sue Storm, Hawkeye, and the Thing. > > I disagree on Spider-Man, Hulk, and Wolverine (assuming we’re talking about in-universe noteriety). Spider-Man gets a lot of respect for what he does, but his area of expertise is more with street-level stuff, and he’s a loner. When the big stuff goes down, Spidey usually shows up of his own accord and tags along with the Avengers or something. Plus, he’s routinely slandered by the major newspaper of the area he protects. Within the Marvel U, I doubt he’s pulling down the same level of respect as even some of the 2nd-tier Avengers. I wouldn’t include Daredevil for similar reasons. > > Even when he hasn’t been a mindless monster, the Hulk is too much of a loner and not someone that others respect so much as fear and don’t really want to be around. The same goes for Wolverine, and he doesn’t even have the power thing going for him. You seem to have gotten the idea of it. This really has no point at all other than seeing if other fans’ conceptions of heroes matches my own, especially of characters like Namor and Strange, who I would consider top-tier although they never seem to have titles of their own. For what it’s worth, I was actually hesitant to include Spidey for reasons I couldn’t articulate and you just nailed it. And Wolverine was included as a member of the X-Men in my listing, not as a loner. I’ll just have to disagree on the Hulk. You give good reasons for not having him but I’m just going to have to stick my fingers in my ears and pretend I didn’t hear you. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hierarchy-of-marvel-and-dcs-superheroes/281835/25 "2004-12-29T00:56:06Z")
> [@](#): > > especially of characters like Namor and Strange That reminds me, I’m not sure why, of another one that I’d put in the Marvel catagory: Nick Fury. Pretty much every hero has dealt with him at one time or another, and he commands respect for his WWII stuff as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hierarchy-of-marvel-and-dcs-superheroes/281835.md?page=1)