Villains who are powerful but stupid

[Odin's Lapdog]

bullseye's origin is really unknown, he's told a few various incarnations of it., they are all on wikipedia if you are interested

 

[The Overlord]

i think he meant more on the lines of kingpin making villains....giving them powers/weapons/costumes etc...

But that's not what I'm getting at, you can give a idiot powers, but if you don't teach them to use them correctly, they will never be used well. Kingpin never seems to give these idiots any hints on how to use their powers better.

 

[Gilpesh]

bullseye's origin is really unknown, he's told a few various incarnations of it., they are all on wikipedia if you are interested

Ah. That's where I bet I got it from.

 

[Anubis]

But that's not what I'm getting at, you can give a idiot powers, but if you don't teach them to use them correctly, they will never be used well. Kingpin never seems to give these idiots any hints on how to use their powers better.

Which is a smart move on his part.

 

[The Overlord]

Which is a smart move on his part.

Maybe, but what about a brainiac villain who hasn't been used very well in years and really has nothing to lose (Wizard, answer, etc)? Is there any reason why they wouldn't do it?

Morons line up to buy help self help books and spend millions to have other people run their lives, would couldn't a smart criminal do the same?

 

[Anubis]

The thing is, this has been done before. Electro got an upgrade thanks to physics lessons from Doc Ock. Kicked Spidey's ass good too. Then the next time we see him, he faints at the sight of Luke Cage with webbed up fists. The Wizard taught Hydro Man how to drain the water right out of peoples bodies. Still got his ass kicked along with the rest of the Frightful Four by the FF. Everything you're asking, has been done, and then some, but everything always reverts to the status quo. Villains are losers, and the hero always wins in the end.

 

[IFryKids]

Apocalypse has been pretty stupid for awhile, but maybe not in the same way that this thread is defining "stupid".

If there's anyone that could use an Annihilation power-up, its Apocalypse.

 

[Dread]

The thing is, this has been done before. Electro got an upgrade thanks to physics lessons from Doc Ock. Kicked Spidey's ass good too. Then the next time we see him, he faints at the sight of Luke Cage with webbed up fists. The Wizard taught Hydro Man how to drain the water right out of peoples bodies. Still got his ass kicked along with the rest of the Frightful Four by the FF. Everything you're asking, has been done, and then some, but everything always reverts to the status quo. Villains are losers, and the hero always wins in the end.

You could argue that said "upgrades" of villains that didn't stick weren't the fault of the characters, but the fault of writers, in those cases Bendis and McDuffie, happier with the older status quo rather than embracing something new.

 

[stillanerd]

I'm shocked. Nobody has mentioned Absorbing Man? The guy has the ability to take on the physical properties of anything he touches including steel, diamond, concrete, stone, etc. and his IQ is below 100--meaning he's mentally deficient. Heck, any guy who gets tricked into turning himself into crack has obviously not the sharpest tool in any shed.

EDIT: Oh, it was mentioned in the first post of the thread. Oops.

 

[The Overlord]

The thing is, this has been done before. Electro got an upgrade thanks to physics lessons from Doc Ock. Kicked Spidey's ass good too. Then the next time we see him, he faints at the sight of Luke Cage with webbed up fists. The Wizard taught Hydro Man how to drain the water right out of peoples bodies. Still got his ass kicked along with the rest of the Frightful Four by the FF. Everything you're asking, has been done, and then some, but everything always reverts to the status quo. Villains are losers, and the hero always wins in the end.

Yeah but how about a smart villain who tries that with a bunch of stupid villains at once, instead of just one?

Besides neither Wizard nor Ock plans elusively focused on improving Hydro man or Electro. Heck Ock was just giving Electro tips off hand, it wasn't to serve any real purpose.

See what I'm suggesting is the super villain version of a pyramid scheme, the plan is the more stupid villains who join, the more money and power is created for this brainiac villain.

 

[Dread]

At least Absorbing Man has a bonafide reason, being clinically ******ed. Although he has had his moments. But, yeah, before Rhino & the Wrecking Crew got overused, he was the MU's jobber.

 

[spideyboy_1111]

Maybe, but what about a brainiac villain who hasn't been used very well in years and really has nothing to lose (Wizard, answer, etc)? Is there any reason why they wouldn't do it?

Morons line up to buy help self help books and spend millions to have other people run their lives, would couldn't a smart criminal do the same?

well most smart villains are only going to help when it benefits them. why teach a villain (competition), to be more powerful when they can A) use what they learned right back on ya, or B) get to what you want first?

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

Bullseye couldn't manage to outsmart the Punisher or Deadpool. He's pretty stupid.

Yeah but you're talking about the King of Insanity there.

 

[The Overlord]

well most smart villains are only going to help when it benefits them. why teach a villain (competition), to be more powerful when they can A) use what they learned right back on ya, or B) get to what you want first?

Because the smart villain would still be more clever than the stupid villains he is teaching and would get half the cut from the jobs the stupid villains pull.

 

[Dr.Doom]

Based on Earth X, Absorbing Man would be insanely powerful if he was just a little smarter.

 

[spideyboy_1111]

Because the smart villain would still be more clever than the stupid villains he is teaching and would get half the cut from the jobs the stupid villains pull.

usually the smart villains are not after money...

 

[The Overlord]

usually the smart villains are not after money...

I'm taking about a C-list smart villain. its not like Doom would do this, but why wouldn't the Answer?

 

[Artistsean]

Rhino is powerful but dumb. Didn't they do a story where he got super smart?
Did he become a powerful super villain then or stop being bad?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

He stopped being bad.

 

[/Co/mrade]

Ultron, Annihilus, Galactas, and the In-Betweener to name a few.

 

[Venomfan]

the thing is if they have something like Electro getting taught how to fight better or w/e it makes him too powerful that he can't be beaten. so it only really works for one story. if the Wizard assembled a team of guys that are powerful and told them what to do he couldn't be beaten, because most of the time the villains are actually more powerful than the heroes

 

[Dr.Doom]

How is Galactus stupid?

 

[bullets]

If the heroes were smarter all of these guys would be dead by now.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

How is Galactus stupid?

He keeps sparing planets for sentimental nonsense, which makes him starve and stay in a perpetual state of near-death.

 

[Odin's Lapdog]

maybe in the same way a hindu would rather starve than eat a heathy cow infront of them?