WELCOME, you faces of people.
Today, I am bringing you a collaborative blogpiece for your mindboxes! On a forum I have been a member of since 2004, there have been a number of comic book readers that I have had the pleasure of speaking to on a regular basis. One of these people, long story short, is called Paul. He's not just CALLED Paul, it's his name.
He leans more toward the DC side of things than I do, and thus, when coming up with the idea for this post I decided I would invite him along. The post, you may be wondering, is regarding the best non-powered heroes and villains in comics.
We both chose five people and, in no order, we will tell you why we think these people are cool as shit. I wrote my parts, Paul wrote his parts. The trick is that they're not allowed to be powered! They can have NO powers, they must simply be human.
Without further ketchup, I bring you The Top 10 Best Non-Powered Heroes & Villains!
Paul Picks:
Booster Gold.
Yes, Booster Gold.
I hear people screaming their doubleyew tee effs already and talking about how much he sucks. Yes, until a couple of years ago, that was true. Then his solo series came along, where Booster tried to set right what once went wrong (Very Quantum Leap-like). This involved making sure Blue Beetle didn't die (Thereby screwing up the universe) and of course, the big one, trying to stop Barbara Gordon from being shot by the Joker (During The Killing Joke. Read it. Seriously).
To Booster's dismay, he finds out that some things can't be changed, enduring beating after beating at the hands of the Joker, hoping that once he might get lucky. For this selfless act, Booster has BATMAN HIMSELF come to him and express his gratitude, offering him his eternal friendship. Booster has come a long way, and is no longer the cheap, vain opportunist he once was. Well, not completely, anyway.
The Mast Picks:
Batman.
Inarguably one of the most iconic characters in creation, not just comics.
Despite not having a great deal of his comics, despite not LIKING a great deal of his comics, Batman earns his place. Batman's intention was to be a symbol of protection, a concept for villains everywhere to fear. He has done just that.
He remains one of the central pillars of the DC Universe and has done for a very, VERY long time. As s formidable fighter and, as most people forget, the world's very best detective, Batman has so much to offer every single one of his allies. This also means that he has an immeasurable amount of reasons for people to fear him. Like most tortured heroes, he has been through the ringer. His history with the Joker needs no explaining. It remains one of the most densely intricate feuds of all time and will probably rage on until we're all dead and buried.
What's interesting about Batman is that his villains are crazily successful. Not because they are especially smart or powerful, but because he seems to bring out the worst in them, and that theme of escalation is a burden he carries with him throughout Batman fiction. From the events of The Killing Joke (The scene in the cell at Arkham Asylum sums up their history) to the legendary murder of Jason Todd (Batman's, at the time, sidekick known to everyone as the second Robin), Batman has been through a lot as a result of the Joker alone. Never mind the fact that during Knightfall (Read it if you want to enhance your life at all), Bane released ALL of Arkham's prisoners. Just as Batman was at stress-level breaking point from tracking them all down, Bane literally breaks his back.
Through it all, though, Batman has been exactly what he appears as and what he is billed as: The Dark Knight.
Well...he's dead at the moment...but still...
Paul Picks:
The Joker.
Some villains you can reason with. Some you can identify with. Some can rationalise their actions, even if it's only to themselves. Joker is none of those.
Batman's nemesis still, to this day, terrorises Gotham in ways no other villain ever could, and he does it purely for fun. Clown Prince of Crime, and all that. His insanity means that he's unpredictable, dangerous, and seems to have no concept of morality or conscience (Except with Nazis. Joker never works with Nazis. Not kidding).
He sees crime with the innocence and curiosity of a child. His obsession with Batman and, to a smaller extent the Bat-family, does lead to some dark conclusions, but regardless, you know that when it comes down to it, all the Joker wants to do is put a smile on your face.
The Mast Picks:
Elektra.
Ok, so technically she MAY have some SLIGHT powers. This isn't due to her being powered, though. He minor mental powers have not been exhibited enough to be considered regular powers, and they came as a result of training.
Elektra burst onto the scene in Daredevil #168 where she was sent to kill none other than Daredevil. Their history goes WAY back, but her first appearance was in that issue. Not long after, in Daredevil #181, she was graphically and shockingly killed off at the hands of Bullseye. Only to be resurrected against Frank Miller's (Her creator) wishes in the Fall from Grace storyline that spanned from #320 to #325.
Some consider her to be Matt Murdock's truest love, but they have never really reached any kind of happiness or healthy relationship. Multiple reasons are to blame for this, most notably the fact that Elektra is an assassin with a body count rivalled by Wolverine alone, probably. Daredevil was never really big on murder, so while he loves her (He really does), he can never be with her while she chooses to maintain her job.
That's where she won me over. She never came crawling back, she did what she did without ever giving a shit, or giving a shit and separating it from her work.
From being killed not long after reuniting with her old love and friend, to being a victim of Skrull kidnapping and experimentation, Elektra has endured and dished out her fair share of pain. Nevertheless, she remains THE most badass female in all of comics.
That and she's hot. Like, REALLY hot. It must SUCK that Matt can't even see her. Such cruel fate.
Paul Picks:
Hawkeye.
Clint Barton is full of win. That's it, really.
Seriously though, on a team of scientific and technological geniuses, national icons and norse gods, Hawkeye managed to carve out his own niche by showing that he could be just as useful as almost anyone else on the team.
Like Batman in the JLA, Barton never let a little thing like being powerless affect him, going up against the likes of Ultron and managing to live to talk about it. His death during The Avengers: Disassembled left this fan with a sour taste in their mouth, but his return during/after House of M was nothing short of awesome, and so far, he's shown why he's just that damn good. Even putting an arrow in the head of the Skrull Queen during Secret Invasion.
His problems with Mockingbird seem to have abated for now and it's looking more and more likely that when a reunion of The Avengers finally happens, Clint will once again don the purple (He makes it work) and pick up his bow. Can't wait.
The Mast Picks:
Bullseye.
Some people say never to judge a book by its cover, but if you take one look at Bullseye and think he's someone you should get to know better, you're messing with fate.
To me, Bullseye is Daredevil's most hated enemy. Some would say The Kingpin is, and I'd probably agree they're tied now that I consider it, but none have had the continual impact that Bullseye has. Not only have they fought on countless occasions, but Bullseye - to this day, void of a full real name and known only as Lester - has brought tragedy to the man on many fronts.
He killed Elektra with her own said, in front of Matt. If that wasn't bad enough, he killed Karen Page, the only other woman who could claim to have a spot in Matt's heart as strong as Elektra did.
Bullseye's ability is to have frightening accuracy with any weapon and any object. He has no real powers, but his abilities and feats are impossible in the real world. That doesn't stop everything he's done being DAMN awesome. For example, you can enter a stationary store and I could probably point out more than 30 items that he has killed with. He has killed someone with a toothpick from an opposite building, he has killed people by slicing their throats with playing cards (THAT is how you use cards, Gambit) and to cap it all off? He once spit his own loose tooth through the skull of another man.
Bullseye indeed.
Paul Picks:
Nightwing.
Despite the fact that Nightwing TECHNICALLY doesn't exist anymore, he's still here because of, well, how awesome he is.
The original Robin, Dick Grayson left the roost and forged his own life for himself as Nightwing. The closest thing Batman has to a son (Barring that little brat. Yes, you know who), Dick is now one of the most respected and loved heroes in all of the DC Universe. Inside and outside the universe. Despite his attempts to be less and less like Bruce, he's still managed to end up just like him, even if he has managed to maintain a barely healthy personal life.
He's even managed to be less of a dick than Bruce and he keeps his relationships intact as best he can.
As the new Batman, Dick has left Nightwing behind, but for how long is anybody's guess.
The Mast Picks:
Rorschach.
Oh, Rorschach.
If anything, Rorschach's very purpose and existence is to shine a really bright spotlight on the inherent ridiculousness and danger that comes from the concept of being a vigilante. We can all romanticise about how awesome Batman or Daredevil are, but if they really existed we'd be calling them nutjobs. That's what it takes, to some degree, to be a vigilante. You have to be unhinged and a bit wrong in the head.
Enter Rorschach.
He still stands high as the character I most enjoy reading whenever I return to Watchmen (Because fuck the movie, in all honesty). Not in the way that most stupid kids who liked the movie see him, but as he was intended. He isn't supposed to be cool, he isn't supposed to be seen as a hero. He is, in fact, a contradictory and hypocritical borderlined facist. He's a psychopath.
I never could decide if his intentions being good justified the fact that he was going around splitting peoples' heads in half with meat cleavers. When he hunts down a child molester and acts out the aforementioned cleaver-to-head intimacy, I really didn't know what to think. On one hand, you don't molest children. On the other, you...don't go around doing that kind of thing with kitchen utensils.
He makes it onto this list because he is an absolutely flawlessly created character, even if he is an extremely flawed, unsettled human being.
I do not think he's insane, I just think he feels this is absolutely the right thing to do. Why? I have no clue, but I also do sort of see it. To truly understand Rorschach is to admit you'll never be on the level of understanding people like him. The best you can do is read Watchmen and bask in the genius of the man who created him.
Paul Picks:
Hal Jordan.
Considered by many within the comic universe as the greatest Green Lantern, there's plenty of opportunity to see why if you sit down and read the books.
His rivalry with Sinestro is unlike anything within the G.L. universe, and as for the man himself, well there's more to him than being a silver age remnant that's taking Kyle Rayner's place. He's the everyman of the four Earth Lanterns, especially when it comes to his constructs. He doesn't have Guy's cockiness, Kyle's flair or John's complexity, but instead, Hal favours simplicity, as it more often than not gets the job done.
While he sometimes straddles the line between Boy Scout and anti-hero, Hal is still THE hero of the Green Lantern Corps. Plus, he's a well developed, rich character that can be introspective without being cliched. Also, he's a total pimp.
The man deserves respect either way.
The Mast Picks:
Dr. Doom.
Never have I found a villain so unintentionally hilarious. The funniest part is, Dr. Doom is NOT funny. The hilarity comes from his ability to show up at any point, anywhere, for any reason, and make literally any plan he has into a success.
Wearing an armour that makes Tony Stark's look like something churned out by Fisher Price, bearing an intellect that goes unsurpassed on Earth or even in space to some degree(I do believe he surpasses Reed Richards, but others disagree), and possessing more devices than a chick at a lesbian slumber party, Dr. Doom has cemented his place as the greatest villain in all of comics. In my opinion, at least.
His achievements put other villains to shame. From running his own country (This means he has diplomatic immunity and cannot be arrested, ANYWHERE. Such a clever plot device) to stealing the powers of various cosmic entities and using them to his own diabolical ends, Dr. Doom has proven time and time again that he is a major threat. As it stands currently, he is spending time in Castle Doom, dissecting Asgardians in hopes of discovering a means to achieve immortality. Most scientists are content with dissecting a frog, but Doom dreams big and goes after gods for HIS vivisections. In every field he meanders into, he excels at it. Whether it's science, magic or anything else...he pretty much aims for mastery, not competence. He was even a candidate for Earth's Sorceror Supreme when Dr. Strange lost his powers.
The sheer ambition of the man knows no bounds. During the amazing saga of The Infinity Gauntlet, there's a climactic battle between Thanos and most of Earth's heroes. Out of nowhere, literally, Dr. Doom shouts: "THE GAUNTLET! IT'S MINE AT LAST!", or something to that effect, and lunges for it. I don't think it's ever made clear WHERE the fuck he came from, but that goes to show that he always knows what's up, and usually has a plan regarding it.
He's just too good, even when he's too evil. With all his European coolness, his epic villainy and his penchant for doing what he wants, when and why? He inspired one of the most iconic villains in movie history. Oh yes. Because no matter how much he denies it, we all know where George Lucas REALLY got his main ideas for Darth Vader from.
Samurai outfits, my ass.
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That took mildly longer than I expected, but I think it's one of the most fulfilling posts I've ever made.
I want to thank Paul for contributing to the blog and you for reading. I hope this post exposed you to yet more characters to get into, or at least to read about. I could probably re-shuffle this list a good few times, but this is the best way to do it.
Again, thanks for reading and I will be back, hopefully, on...Tuesday!
Until next time, peace.
-The Mast
