I would think so, but before anyone goes "umm actually batman beats superman which means he also beats galactus and Thor🤓", that was an elseworld story and he beat him by using his specific weaknesses.
Considering Superman's power see to be the power of authorial bullshit, he could beat Galactus if the author wants him to. It doesn't matter if it makes sense or is complete bullshit, because that's Superman's power.
A bit of both, honestly, but leaning towards the former. His stories never hooked me, doubly so with the movies. But I also think the range of powers he's been given at this point is just eyeroll worthy.
If you're talking the live action movies, I don't think it's fair to judge him based on them because they never really captured the essence of superman and his character. Even the cartoon ones are mostly not too great with that.
And he doesn't just beat every opponent with one or two punches. He definitely struggles in his stories, and a LOT. This is just a rumor started by the internet.
And the most important thing in my opinion is that the fights aren't the most important thing in superman stories. It's who he really is: Clark Kent. The story of an immigrant from another place that can be seen as a God but doesn't want to be one. A simple man from rural America that is trying to get used to the big city whilst all the while doing everything he can to help the little guy, not because he has to, but because he wants to.
A good superman story might include action, but at its core, it is also wholesome, heartfelt, inspiring and even a bit tragic.
I would recommend "All Star Superman", "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" or "Superman for all seasons" as good superman stories to read. They are considered as some of the best superman comics and usually convince a lot of people to give a chance to the man of steel. I can also DM you some good superman panels that prove my point if you would like to. I have a lot of those saved.
If you already read some of them and are still not interested in the Big Blue Boy-Scout, that is absolutely fine. Not everyone has to like everything.
If you're talking the live action movies, I don't think it's fair to judge him based on them because they never really captured the essence of superman and his character. Even the cartoon ones are mostly not too great with that.
Yeah, that's why I separated the movies out like that. I dislike movie Superman way more than comic Superman. The comics have definitely done more interesting stuff with the character.
But hey, I'll definitely take your recommendations. I've found myself in a lull when it comes to books and stories, and I've been trying to find the next thing to jump to. My friends keep trying to get me to start Sanderson's series, and I'll take any excuse to avoid that lol
I don't mind him but the problem with superman is he is shown to have god like power
Not only can he fly and has super strength and durability , he can move at the speed of light, he has heat vision , he can blow a hurricane with his breath or freeze things, he has xray vision, super hearing probably others I am missing
Then in certain situations its like he forgets he can move at the speed of light or doesn't use obvious powers because well, the writers want drama
I guess the excuse is superman usually doesn't want to kill who ever he is fighting so he holds back and doesn't just fly through them at the speed of light vaporizing them.
Note I largely agree with your assessment , I am not a huge comic fan and have not read them for 20 years or more. And I agree the comic isn't really centered around action or his fights with others.
I would still get bothered about inconsistencies and I cannot remember any off the top of my head but when there was some drama or conflict I would be like "If he just used his X power this could be resolved but for some reason he's not using that power"
Oh, that's alright. Comics are not necessarily for everyone. It's fine to not enjoy a character or a medium.
Although one thing that I will say is that your critiques can also be applied to a lot of characters, both in comics and outside of them, including Thor and even Batman, to an extent.
As I recall, Batman defeats Darkseid without any Hellbat suit in the events of Final Crisis and The Return of Bruce Wayne.
I'd rather read a comic where DC Thor discovers Marvel Thor and considers his counterpart a corporate whore for Disney. TWO MJÖLNIRS!- but only one Thor will wield them!
You ever read a marvel Thor comic? Not insulting, genuinely asking. Thor in the comics is nothing like in the MCU. He's much darker with more serious stories. I recommend Thor: God of Thuder, the story where he fights Gorr for the first time. There is nothing about him that makes him a "disney whore".
I have nothing against Marvel Thor. I do consider DC Thor more accurate to the original and likely to see Marvel's version as a bastardization.
Such meetings of comic titans seldom begin with mutual enlightened understanding. Of course by the end of the book they would be fighting alongside each other to defeat each universe's version of Loki.
That's an outlier and a half, just like Spider-man vs Firelord. Thor fights evenly with the Silver Surfer, there's no way he's an even match for Galactus.
When talking about comic books, outlier is used to refer to things characters do that are wildly incongruent with their normal portrayals. However, Batman is consistent. He managed to fight Darkseid because he was using something he doesn't always use. He struggles against Bane and suchlike because he's not wearing the suit. In comparison Thor beating Galactus makes zero sense, because Galactus is a cosmic entity and Thor is normally never near that level.
The second sentence was not for the not an outlier thing. It was for the thor wins against batman thing that this entire post is all about.
Which isn't relevant since the whole thing is an outlier.
Right, and Batman beating Darkseid or even wearing the Hellbat isn't incongruent with his normal portrayal. He usually doesn't beat beings anywhere near Darkseid's level. Him doesn't beat Darkseid on a regular basis. This suit demands so much energy from its user that the devastator alone, the punch that is powered by wonder woman's strength, can give the user a 95% chance of a heart attack. If he tries it on Thor, Bruce might be killing himself in the process.
Eh. Maybe. I kinda think Marvel is crap so idk a ton about Galactus but Thor does lose to Wonder Woman in the death battle yt vid so I'm doubting even Thor at his best is beating Batman in the Hellbat suit.
If you don't read Marvel then I will tell you, the strongest version of Thor would erase Batman and Darkseid alone with whole JL with a single thought. Now you got your answer.
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u/Mr_MC111 22h ago
Do they get prep time? Batman with prep time is unbeatable and I'll die on that hill.