# Who is the best non super powered, super hero **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433 "2005-05-04T20:14:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/41 "2005-05-05T04:19:25Z")
How about the Spirit? The Shadow? John Constantine? Jon Sable? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/42 "2005-05-05T04:39:56Z")
> [@Scott\_plaid](#): > > Ahem… > > The Question. Though he hardly ever uses it, he has “leet ninja skelz/ possibly batman level” and while his violent methods almost lead to his destruction, his style of fighting villains would certainly lead to a vastly reduced rogues gallery. Were this real life, that would be a good thing. > > Also, his transitioning to multiple mediums hasn’t hurt him, unlike, say, Howard the Duck. I only remember the Question from the old Steve Ditko days. Always liked him. That faceless mask thing was always cool. I always thought it was a little strange that all his clothes turned rodins egg blue from that gas he used. That color never seemed to mysterious or frightening. Something darker might have been better. So what changes did he go through since then? Fill me in. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/43 "2005-05-05T05:07:14Z")
Lots of suggestions and heros I had forgotten. The Spirit was funny the way his battles always ended in torn clothes. The Golden Age Sandman. The Shadow {who knew?} I’m not familiar with the Watchman although they sounded cool when I read up on them. Wikopodia said they were fashioned after other old heros and reminded me of a couple of others Remember the Peacemaker with the white Helmit and brown shirt. A Jet pack and some strange handgun. How about Peter Canon The Thunderbolt. He was a superb athelete with some kind of Zen tibetan thing that gave him extra strength in a crisis. I’m not so sure about James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. I do remember a masked man of the old West Not the Lone Ranger. Remember Gunmaster? ---
**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:** [May 5, 2005, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/44 "2005-05-05T11:38:40Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > Lots of suggestions and heros I had forgotten. > > The Spirit was funny the way his battles always ended in torn clothes. The Golden Age Sandman. The Shadow {who knew?} The Spirit is obviously the ancestor of James T. Kirk, of ripped-shirt-fightin’ fame. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/45 "2005-05-05T12:02:18Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > I’ll nominate Rorschach and Ozymandias, from _The Watchmen._ Though Veidt (Ozy) is pretty much an all-around “peak human”\*, Rorschach has extremely high [Mojo](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=254666) and Badass levels. That’s _Watchmen_. Ozymandias, if you like, but badass as Rorschach is, Ozy cleans his clock in a matter of seconds. > [@Ranchoth](#): > > \*Does his “uses 100% of his brain” ability count as a superpower, though? In real life, I think it’d mean that he’d be having a Grand Mal seizure all the time. But it might just have been ad copy, anyway; maybe he only uses his existing brain differently, so he gives himself the abilities of an autistic savant without sacrificing his ability to talk or dress himself. Extremely good way of looking at it! I’d never thought of Ozy’s “smartest human on the planet” shtick in quite that way, but it fits to a T. Similarly with his physical prowess, I’d say: not that he has exceptional gifts beyond the reach of lesser men, but he uses _every bit_ of it, up to and including snatching a bullet from the air. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/46 "2005-05-05T12:18:25Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > How about the Spirit? The Shadow? John Constantine? Jon Sable? The Shadow has some hypnotic abilities (the power to “cloud men’s minds”), and Constantine has more than enough magic skill to disqualify him, I would say. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/47 "2005-05-05T12:21:10Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > I’m not familiar with the Watchman although they sounded cool when I read up on them. Wikopodia said they were fashioned after other old heros and reminded me of a couple of others > > Remember the Peacemaker with the white Helmit and brown shirt. A Jet pack and some strange handgun. > > How about Peter Canon The Thunderbolt. He was a superb athelete with some kind of Zen tibetan thing that gave him extra strength in a crisis. We discussed the Watchmen and their Charlton Comics counterparts on another recent thread. I wasn’t sure if you knew or not, but Peacemaker and Peter Cannon were the bases for Comedian and Ozymandias in Watchmen! The others were Rorschach = The Question, Nite Owl I and II = Blue Beetle I and II, Dr. Manhattan = Captain Atom, and Silk Spectre = Nightshade + Phantom Lady. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/48 "2005-05-05T12:41:57Z")
> [@](#): > > that means the old Disney charecter Scarecrow must be included. > remember him? Indeed. He was also the subject of at least two movies before Disney got to him. But neither of those starred Pastrick McGoohan. BTW, the protected Marsh near where I live is “Rumney Marsh”. I can’t help but think of Scarecrow every time I drive by the sign. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/49 "2005-05-05T13:00:28Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Indeed. He was also the subject of at least two movies before Disney got to him. But neither of those starred Pastrick McGoohan. Indeed, you are correct. It was Patrick McGoohan, not Pastrick. Oh, wait, it’s that, “certain movie never happend” riff. Never mind. Personally, I’ll be waiting for the DVD release I mentioned earlier. No, wait, I’m just being [jerked around by disney.](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001I55T2/qid=1115298301/sr=8-11/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i8_xgl74/103-1153928-3592668?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846) ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/50 "2005-05-05T13:36:02Z")
Not sure if he counts since he has been known to wield magical and psychic powers, but I gotta put in a plug for Grimjack. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/51 "2005-05-05T13:45:28Z")
In another thread about sidekicks someone mentioned the Falcon. Another good one. There’s also Shang Chi. The kung Fu guy. Iron Fist doesn’t really count because of that fist flaming thingy. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/52 "2005-05-05T13:47:37Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > Who was the charecter a few years ago, called XO or something, who was a barbarian with some alien symbiotic combat suit? You’re thinking of [X-O Manowar](http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/x/xo.htm), a passable title. BTW, the living armor suit idea is now being raped in a craptacular Image title called Armor X. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/53 "2005-05-05T13:48:38Z")
My friend at work said Batman does have one super power. Super timeing. He always shows up just in time to save the powered heros like Superman. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/54 "2005-05-05T13:56:12Z")
What about DC’s old [Vigilante](http://www.titanstower.com/source/whoswho/vigilante.html#vig1)? I remember him as being pretty bad-ass. ---
**Author:** ![holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e95f7d/32.png) [@holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holmes)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/55 "2005-05-05T14:09:36Z")
Does Nick Fury really count? Wasn’t he subjected to a weakened/modified version of the super-soldier formula? ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/56 "2005-05-05T14:10:13Z")
> [@Happy Scrappy Hero Pup](#): > > What about DC’s old [Vigilante](http://www.titanstower.com/source/whoswho/vigilante.html#vig1)? > > I remember him as being pretty bad-ass. There have been three Vigilantes, actually. The singing cowboy/Hollywood Western star/member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory Greg Saunders (currently seen in the background in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon), the black-clad '80s antihero Adrian Chase (who committed suicide), and a woman named Pat Trayce, the current Vigilante. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/57 "2005-05-05T14:58:13Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > There have been three Vigilantes, actually. Six, according to [the unofficial guide to the DCU](http://www.dcuguide.com/whoswho/V.php). Pat Trayce isn’t even the most recent, unless she’s stepped up again. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/58 "2005-05-05T15:07:47Z")
Just finishing up his own miniseries, and still he gets no respect: Adam Strange A mostly ordinary man thrust into extraordinary situations. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/59 "2005-05-05T15:08:53Z")
I stand corrected, even though there wasn’t any information about the more recent one. That’s a nice site, though. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433/60 "2005-05-05T15:15:42Z")
Let’s not forget Karate Kid of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Cool in ANY re-tooled version. From the new Legion series, issue # 2: Element Lad: “Couldn’t you have just waited for me to transmute that wall?” Karate Kid: “I did transmute it. I transmuted it from a solid to a more rubbly solid.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-non-super-powered-super-hero/302433.md?page=4)