Top Ten Superheroes WithOUT Superpowers!

// added April 09, 2009 // 64 comments //
Image...
DeliaTheArtist

more from Movies:

http://fangirlworld.blogspot.com/2009/04/top-ten-superheroes-without-...

10. Bluntman and Chronic
Kevin Smith writes my fantasy come true: stoners win the lottery and become superheroes! Sign me up! With no powers to speak of and a super agenda to save New Jersey, Bluntman and Chronic start my list off- P.S Kevin, if you need another addition to your team, I'm available!

9. The Spirit
Somewhere between pulp crime stories and superhero comics is The Spirit, fighting crime in a suit and mask. Will Eisner’s creative storytelling spanned multiple genres and his characters inspired many comic book creators including Frank Miller. The Spirit has been called "the only real middle-class crimefighter" - probably true, since most of the people on my list are billionaires!

8. Hawkeye
Yeah, he’s wearing a flamboyant purple costume, wanna fight about it? I wouldn’t; I tend to avoid situations that end with bows and arrows! So why is Hawkeye so low? This usually non-powered hero cheated for a time when he used Pym Particles to become Goliath. Why would you want to be more like Henry Pym? That’s a question even I can’t answer.

7. The Punisher
Marvel’s skull wearing weapons expert comes in at lucky number 7-not that he doesn’t kick serious ass, but that he is a far cry from the traditional sense of “Superhero.” From his conception, The Punisher was meant to be an “anti-hero”- he tortures, he kidnaps, he kills- all with no real remorse. Since he has usually been on the side of good, I say it counts!

6. Nite Owl II
No one from the Minute Men had real superpowers except of course for Dr. Manhattan- but were they all “superheroes“? While characters like Rorschach and The Comedian walked a villainous line, Nite Owl II stayed true to the concept of what a Superhero was supposed to be, complete with cave like dwelling, suits for different environments and animal themed transportation. He would have been higher on the list if he had spent more time crime fighting and less time being…well, a huge nerd.

5. Green Arrow
Don’t let the fact that he looks like a Renaissance Fair worker fool you- Ollie is quite the inventor, filling his quiver with everything from exploding arrows to ones with boxing gloves on them. He gets points for being part of groundbreaking story lines, like his sidekick being addicted to drugs (his name was SPEEDY after all!)

4. Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)
Who wouldn’t want to descend from their bug shaped craft via steel cable, light gun blinding enemies before you launch into a flying kick and knock them out? That’s Blue Beetle’s MO, relying only on his genius and athleticism to defeat his foes while providing the reader with some comedic relief!

3. The Phantom
The Phantom set a lot of standards for Superheroes. From a modest beginning as a comic strip, he started both the skin tight spandex trend as well as the pupil-less eye mask style. Not to mention the concept of new heroes taking over where others have left off- there have been at least 20 generations of Phantoms who have donned the costume and sworn their lives to “the destruction of piracy, greed, cruelty, and injustice, in all their forms.”

2. Iron Man
Oh Tony Stark, you sly dog! Who else can get away with being an wealthy, arrogant, boozehound weapons manufacturer yet still be loved by billions? It’s gotta be the suit- of armor, that is, and the best damn one in comic book history. Iron Man is constantly up to date on the newest technology (most of the time he’s inventing it!) and rich enough to afford anything he wants, putting him just shy of the number one spot.

1. Batman
Who else? Batman is the poster boy for the “powerless” superhero- he may have a dark side and some questionable methods, but uh…it’s fucking BATMAN. ‘Nuff said.
  1. groups:
    Movies,   Upstream,   Art and Style,   Gaming,   1 more
  2. tags:
    Art and Style,  Movies,  Gaming,  Upstream,  11 more
  3. credits:
    DeliaTheArtist Created/added this, Bigdog_mike helped with the list

64 comments // Top Ten Superheroes WithOUT Superpowers!

  • 747nomad
  • 747nomad
  • ashcatash
  • SinCity26
    • 0
      SinCity26  

    • Hhahah...yes Kato! Thank God they kicked him off the show. Otherwise he may have never made some of the best martial arts movies ever!

    • 10 months ago
  • SHAWN_RITTIMAN
  • Gargaryun
  • SHAWN_RITTIMAN
  • SinCity26
    • 0
      SinCity26  

    • Lol...notice that all comic book superheroes without powers are lunatics. Including real life "super heroes" these days. So tragic...

    • 10 months ago
  • SHAWN_RITTIMAN
  • SinCity26
  • SHAWN_RITTIMAN
  • Slick
  • DeliaTheArtist
  • faktotuhm
    • 0
      faktotuhm  

    • Yes!!! Batman rules!!! And everyone told me I was crazy because he doesn't have superpowers. Pent-up anger and violent tendencies are the best superpowers ever!

    • 10 months ago
  • MonkeyBones
  • MonkeyBones
  • MonkeyBones
  • Mactor
  • Mactor
    • Mactor  
    • This comment has been removed.
  • Mactor
    • Mactor  
    • This comment has been removed.
  • drewsuf721
  • drewsuf721
    • 0
      drewsuf721  

    • How about the real Harry Houdini.

      I recommend the book 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay' by Michael Chabon.

      Their superhero is the Escapist and alludes to the fact that maybe stealth and 'escapology' is what gives heroes that 'super' title.

    • 10 months ago
  • paulos
    • 0
      paulos  

    • 10 The Punisher
      9 Blue Beetle
      8 Dare Devil
      7 Captain America
      6 Snake Eyes
      5 Red Arrow
      4 Ultimate Hawkeye
      3 Night Wing
      2 Green Arrow
      1 who else BATMAN

    • 10 months ago
  • madXmedic
  • cztheday
    • 0
      cztheday  

    • I am deeply conflicted on this one. My favorite is Iron Man -- but I was born in the early 1960s. Back when I started daydreaming about one day creating my own suit of armor (right after I built the most successful multinational corporation since the Large Boom (or was that Big Bang...I can never keep that straight), Tony was just a handsome, rich genius. The whole alcoholic, pro-registration thing came WAYYYY afterwards. Admittedly, he is more interesting with flaws, but I doubt that those would have been the flaws I would have picked (something more like one blue eye and one brown eye...like the duke...would have been MY thinking).

      So I am thinking that if he had been an alcoholic traitor back in the day...I probably would have gone with The Black Panther. When I started attending junior high at the most violent, drug-ridden school in my home city, a couple of friendly panthers would have come in real handy. After those two, I was fascinated by the Silver Surfer. But of course he just about DEFINES super powers (anybody who could take on Galactica Eater of Worlds...), so he would not be on THIS list.

      P.S.: The one thing that has always bothered me is why the super heroes who can fly insist on doing so with their bodies horizontal to the ground, with one arm extended in front of them -- as if they are trying to be aerodynamic. I mean, Superman can stand in front of a speeding train! A little air blowing in his face is not going to cause an insurmountable friction barrier no matter HOW fast he is flying. Why not just strike a relaxed standing pose on the ground...and maintain that same pose while flying 10,000 miles to the crime site? That way, when he gets to the destination, he can land on his feet without having to adjust from the horizontal to the verticle.

      Just re-read that last paragraph. Delia, has it ever occurred to you that the two of us probably need to get OUT more?...

    • 10 months ago
  • cztheday
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • 0
      DeliaTheArtist  
    • cztheday:

      " mean, Superman can stand in front of a speeding train! A little air blowing in his face is not going to cause an insurmountable friction barrier no matter HOW fast he is flying. Why not just strike a relaxed standing pose on the ground...and maintain that same pose while flying 10,000 miles to the crime site?" LOL, very true- but where would the dynamic art be if Superman lazily flew around? Hell, you might as well get rid of the underwear on the outside of the tights (and perhaps the tights themselves!) if you're going to apply logic here :)

    • 10 months ago
  • Agent_Alpha
  • Giganticus
  • 4free
    • 0
      4free  

    • Oracle (Barbara Gordon) should be magnetospherically high up that list.
      She rocks. Where would the JLA be without her?

    • 10 months ago
  • CiGuArAyA
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • 0
      DeliaTheArtist  
    • Image...

    • Here's the interesting thing about Rorschach:

      He's a badass and a sociopath. He's delusional and paranoid. He beats the shit out of everyone and kills animals and people with no problem. Do these things scream "SuperHERO" to you? They don't to me, which is why Nite Owl II is on the list but Rorschach isn't (Nite Owl's secret lair, Archie and all the suits don't hurt either!)

      However, in the end of Watchmen *SPOILER ALERT!* (movie AND comic book) Rorschach is the only one to fully stand up for what he believes is right. Dan and Laurie more or less begrudgingly submit to Adrian's scheme (they have better things to do than ponder ethics... like, well, fucking!) while Rorschach would rather die than "sellout." That's superhero-ish I guess, but did he ever stop to consider the other point of view? No, and he wouldn't, about ANYTHING, because he's a lunatic.

      So, the question remains: Is Rorschach actually a SUPERHERO?

    • 10 months ago
  • wirehedd
    • 0
      wirehedd  
    • DeliaTheArtist:

      yes, a superhero will defy the odds no matter the price and do what is right.

      Rorschach is just that. A little nuts as well but definitely a superhero. Moreso than Adrian, Nite Owl or SS2 in my opinion.

    • 10 months ago
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • 0
      DeliaTheArtist  
    • DeliaTheArtist:

      See, I can't agree that he's more of a Superhero than Nite Owl. Being a superhero doesn't mean blind dedication to your cause no matter what the cost; sometimes it means being open to perspective and figuring out the best way to do what's "right" with as little collateral damage as you can.

      Nite Owl was a Batman like character; of all the characters in Watchmen, he is the most Superhero like of them all; technological prowess, suits for different environments and more importantly he WANTS to be a superhero in the most classical sense of the word.

    • 10 months ago
  • ashcatash
  • MattJSour
    • 0
      MattJSour  

    • Always loved the Jonah Hex and the Question, who was DC comics resident conspiracy theorist. Neither of them had super powers.

      I also like Luke Cage, Hero for Hire, but I can not remember if his super strength was natural or given to him by science.

    • 10 months ago
  • AgorfulKid
    • 0
      AgorfulKid  

    • The one "superhero" that wasn't on there that in my opinion should be on there is believe it or not Wonder Woman.

      I mean, all she is and does is a hot iconic lady that gives Superman a reason to go to work and flies around like a sexy bird.

    • 10 months ago
  • wirehedd
  • DeliaTheArtist
  • seanalyn
    • 0
      seanalyn  

    • Awesome list!

      Im going to have to put my new favorite non superhero superhero on top though....Batnaan! He was created thanks to a typo last weekend. Still havent figured out exactly what he does but Im sure its spicy!

    • 10 months ago
  • i_am_she
  • TheDesertEagle
  • seetee
  • wirehedd
    • 0
      wirehedd  

    • Despite his modification by the Supersoldier formula wouldn't Cap fit in here somehow?

      The formula was, after all, simply meant to allow him to attain maximum human physical potential.

    • 10 months ago
  • DeliaTheArtist
  • oracleruby
    • 0
      oracleruby  

    • The Oracle (Barbara Gordon) will always be #1 for me. Even after being paralyzed from the waist down after the Joker shot her she didn't give up hope. I was already in love with her when she was Batgirl; the definition of girl power. It doesn't hurt that I got a thing for redheads too :)

    • 10 months ago
  • erodut
  • vickangaroo
    • 0
      vickangaroo  

    • Um, I'd like to mention that The Spirit can't die. Denny Colt died, then came back to life.

      That's kind of a super power...

      I remember reading one story of The Spirit where he's still alive hundreds and hundreds of years in the future... but hasn't aged a day since his first death.

    • 10 months ago
  • DeliaTheArtist
  • vickangaroo
    • 0
      vickangaroo  
    • vickangaroo:

      Well, setting aside Frank Miller's The Spirit movie, I'm certainly having a hard time finding definite evidence of The Spirit's immortality. Wikipedia even says Denny Colt never died! It seems so absurd to me since I've always assumed he did die!

      However, the issue of the Spirit I previously mentioned is from "The Spirit: The New Adventures" issue 03. The story is called "Last Night I dreamed of Doctor Cobra" written by Alan Moore, published in 1998.

      In that story it's implied that The Spirit has lived for a very, very long time. He returns to Central City decade after decade to see the broken down and lifeless city.

      I suppose had I suggested you remove him from the list I would retract that suggestion. I would like to suggest The Green Hornet and Kato, as quite the awesome powerless, crime-fighting duo.

      Also Optimus Prime. Transforming isn't really a power... it's like putting on a costume! The whole alien robot thing... I'm willing to look past it!

    • 10 months ago
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • 0
      DeliaTheArtist  
    • vickangaroo:

      Yeah it's weird; you're not the first person to bring up The Spirit's possible immortality yet I can't find it written anywhere that that's true or is some kind of power. Strange!
      Also if we look past Prime's alienhood that means we should count Superman because technically he wasn't powered on his home planet!

    • 10 months ago
  • vickangaroo
    • 0
      vickangaroo  
    • vickangaroo:

      You are incorrect. If Krypton never exploded and baby Kal-El was never sent to good ole USA, then he most likely would have just grown up into your average Kryptonian, a scientist like his father perhaps.

      It is only in the extraordinary circumstances of his arrival to our planet, his life among ordinary humans, and his possibly limitless abilities that led him to become a Superhero. One of the main qualifiers for this list!

      Optimus Prime has been fighting Decepticons for centuries back on Cybertron.

      I should also suggest Indiana Jones. No powers, kicks all kind of ass including but not limited to: Nazis, Commies, crazed Indian Occultists.

      Plus I second Lando. HE BLEW UP THE DEATH STAR! Luke only did it cause of the force.

    • 10 months ago
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • 0
      DeliaTheArtist  
    • vickangaroo:

      "You are incorrect. If Krypton never exploded and baby Kal-El was never sent to good ole USA, then he most likely would have just grown up into your average Kryptonian, a scientist like his father perhaps.

      It is only in the extraordinary circumstances of his arrival to our planet, his life among ordinary humans, and his possibly limitless abilities that led him to become a Superhero. One of the main qualifiers for this list!"

      That's what I'm saying- "technically he wasn't powered on his home planet!"

      The problem with what ifs is it doesn't matter- he IS on Earth, so compared to humans he is superpowered for sure.

    • 10 months ago
  • vickangaroo
    • 0
      vickangaroo  
    • vickangaroo:

      Whoa whoa, wait. Are we saying the same things? what's the argument here?! Is the Spirit immortal or not?! Is this about Optimus Prime? cause I already know Superman shouldn't be on the list... Also! What about Indy?!

    • 10 months ago
  • boywhocould
    • 0
      boywhocould  

    • heres 5 of a mixed list some real people others fiction maybe not super but heros none the less... and that frankly should be enough )

      5: Lando Calrissian (one shot killed the death star and the empire...IF you don't read any of the books post jedi)
      4: Jackie Chan (lets face it Jackie can only play Jackie the names and places change but hes always awesome)
      3: King Leonidas (this requires some skepticism but if the story is remotely true what a man he must have been... not to metion the 7000+ Thespians and Theban that fought beside his 300)
      2: Clancy's Jack Ryan character (Hes aided the needy, secure peace, saved Sean Connery's butt and survived nuclear detonation, pro American propaganda aside that's quite mighty)
      1: River Tam (since this list was getting a bit XY had to include her regardless of your stance on "READING" besides she wasn't exactly confirmed as being a reader in an ambiguous way also I just really miss Firefly and this little girl had major potential)

      Well there it is, not out of the comics but stories are stories. besides this list has all of 20 mins of thought put into it......discuss !

    • 10 months ago
  • DeliaTheArtist
  • poptart_invasion
    • 0
      poptart_invasion  
    • boywhocould:

      while the Punisher would be on my list, Rorschach would beat him easily: more clearly defined (if perhaps arbitrary) morals, did the job more efficiently with lil or no denaro. the punisher kicked ass, who couldn't will enough weaponry to put a battleship to shame?

    • 10 months ago
  • DeliaTheArtist
  • poptart_invasion
  • Sexirobot
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • 0
      DeliaTheArtist  
    • Sexirobot:

      The ONLY reason Nick Fury isn't on my list is because he's taking some kind of gov't serum as well (from wiki): "It is eventually revealed that Fury takes a special medication called the Infinity Formula that halted his aging and allows him to be active despite being nearly a century old."

      If I counted him and didn't count "serums" as giving you "powers", I might as well count Captain America, and I didn't want to include all that!

      How could Sam Jackson NOT give him justice? It's Samuel L Fucking Jackson!!!

    • 10 months ago
  • blood77
  • JDogg
  • St_Alia_10191
  • DeliaTheArtist
  • seanalyn
  • DeliaTheArtist
  • DeliaTheArtist

Add your comment

most popular
videos on current tv

current videos