The Official DC Stupid Question Thread....

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

Martial arts augmented by superpowers don't count. If they did, Wonder Woman is the best trained fighter with both super strength and enhanced speed.

I don't know, that is a tough one to argue. Wally may not be as skilled as the others, but his ability would more than make up for the lack of training. And speed in martial arts is one huge thing.

You could say the same for Cassandra Cain, she may not actually be better than Batman or Lady Shiva or some others, but the fact that she can basically read a kick or punch coming gives her an enhanced advantage.

Bruce Lee for example heavily relied on his speed, he is even quoted as saying that when going up against bigger stronger opponents he knew he needed to use his speed and strike three or four times otherwise he would be in trouble.

Wally is obviously an extreme case of speed many times over his fighting ability. But he does have martial arts training and like Cassandra his ability takes him from maybe average hand to hand to pretty much being unstoppable.

 

[Manic]

So you're saying we can count superpowers because they're allowed to use any ability at their disposal, including abilities no human being should ever have? Well hell, Superman is surely fast enough to react to the Flash's attacks, and strong enough to knock him out with ease. Let's just ignore his complete lack of fighting ability and say he's the best martial artist.

 

[CBG]

Superman has been trained in boxing, according to Wildcat's origin in the 52 back-up stories.

He also knows Torquasm-Rao, but I really doubt any writers today would bother to bring that back.

 

[BrianWilly]

Cassandra's ability to read her opponents isn't a metahuman ability because it was specifically honed and developed naturally due to her upbringing. It's unconventional, but it's still just training. Raise another human in the same way and it's possible to end up with the same exact ability (though proficiency will vary, as always). That's martial arts. Real superpowers aren't. Wally didn't train to move faster than sound. Superman didn't train to be Kryptonian.

 

[CBG]

Plus, Lady Shiva can bodyread too.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Cassandra's ability to read her opponents isn't a metahuman ability because it was specifically honed and developed naturally due to her upbringing. It's unconventional, but it's still just training. Raise another human in the same way and it's possible to end up with the same exact ability (though proficiency will vary, as always). That's martial arts. Real superpowers aren't. Wally didn't train to move faster than sound. Superman didn't train to be Kryptonian.

Karate Kid did train to have speed comparable to them and special moves that can lay even Superman low, though. And then he died of a virus, which was lame.

 

[CBG]

I don't know. I thought I saw him in Legion of 3 Worlds.

Not Karate Kid II, but actual Silver Age Val Armorr.

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

So you're saying we can count superpowers because they're allowed to use any ability at their disposal, including abilities no human being should ever have? Well hell, Superman is surely fast enough to react to the Flash's attacks, and strong enough to knock him out with ease. Let's just ignore his complete lack of fighting ability and say he's the best martial artist.

I'm just saying with Wally because he has been trained formally in martial arts. So imho it's hard to put him in either category because obviously his speed gives him an unfair advantage. I am not considering him in the human only category. Just the general hand to hand category overall, same with WW.

And no, I don't think Supes is fast enough to react to Wally. Wally is the epitome of speed in the DCU. It doesn't get faster than him. Except maybe for Superboy Prime but he is another story all together.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I don't know. I thought I saw him in Legion of 3 Worlds.

Not Karate Kid II, but actual Silver Age Val Armorr.

That would be odd, given that the Val Armorr in Countdown was supposedly the Silver Age version who died fighting Kid Nemesis and somehow came back.

 

[Scarecrow_King]

yeah, but who pays attention to Countdown anyway?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

No one with any sense.

That is to say, Dan DiDio does.

 

[CBG]

52 done right.

Bloody hell.

 

[WompuM]

Are you seriously arguing that Wally West should be considered one of the best martial artists in the DCU? Do you not understand that you are completely and utterly missing the point?

I'm gonna say the Anti-Monitor is the best martial artist because in martial arts, size is important and he is the biggest.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The Monitor can counter the Anti-Monitor's size with his superior corn rows.

 

[Scarecrow_King]

how many of the monitors are even still around? all of 'em?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Don't know, don't really care. There's only one Monitor in my mind... and my heart.

 

[WompuM]

And his crotch.

 

[Lobo]

How good of a fighter is Katana? Like, where would she rank in comparison to some of the Bat family?

 

[BrianWilly]

how many of the monitors are even still around? all of 'em?

None of them. Supposedly they all went back into the OVERVOID (The blank page) at the end of Final Crisis, because they saw that the multiverse doesn't need their monitoring.

Considering how they were received by the readership -- as in, horribly -- I think it's fair to say that it'll be a good long while before any writer undoes that.

 

[Manic]

I thought they all turned human at the end of Final Crisis.

 

[BrianWilly]

According to Morrison somewhere I can't really remember at the moment, that only happened for Nix Uotan. He "is now the lone Monitor retained by the Over Monitor to maintain his function." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitors_(comics)

 

[JonathanKNathan]

Don't know, don't really care. There's only one Monitor in my mind... and my heart.

You have a pacemaker?

 

[CBG]

According to Morrison somewhere I can't really remember at the moment, that only happened for Nix Uotan. He "is now the lone Monitor retained by the Over Monitor to maintain his function." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitors_(comics)

Final Crisis Exit Interview.

 

[Anubis]

How good of a fighter is Katana? Like, where would she rank in comparison to some of the Bat family?

She's decent. Don't think she could take anybody in the Bat Family though. Maybe Tim a couple of years ago but not now.

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

Are you seriously arguing that Wally West should be considered one of the best martial artists in the DCU? Do you not understand that you are completely and utterly missing the point?

I'm gonna say the Anti-Monitor is the best martial artist because in martial arts, size is important and he is the biggest.

Oh stop it. We are talking about comic books. Get off of your high horse, seriously.

Speed trumps everything is what I am saying. Power, Size, Strength, Endurance, all of it. Wally is formally trained in martial arts.

All I am saying, if you are talking about everyone that is formally trained in hand to hand combat. Wally to me is the best.

Not the most skilled, it's just that his speed makes him the best because no one else can keep up with him.

So again, relax and drink a beer. It's all a dream anyway.