MovieChat Forums > Superman (2025) Discussion > Are some superheroes objectively more ri...

Are some superheroes objectively more ridiculous than others?


Not sure if I am biased by the era I grew up in or the comics I read, but it seems to me like certain superheroes are "plausible" while others are laughably ridiculous in live action. I am shocked some of these superheroes are getting included in a genre of movies that was only able to move beyond comic books because it started taking a "realistic" approach to storytelling. I struggle particularly with the Hawkgirl/man characters.

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Yea, you're biased

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When grown men salivate over them, they're ALL ridiculous.

Get married, start a family. Grow the fuck up.

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What in the flaming ninth gate of hell are you babbling about?

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"ninth gate of hell"

Ninth Gate was a good Johnny Depp flick.

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It really was.

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I don't disagree. I think it is hard enough to pull off Superman with a more realistic tone. It will be interesting to see how Hawkgirl/Hawkman are handled.

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Is there a Hawkman?

I thought it was just hottie Hawk(tuah)girl.

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Not sure. I just saw Hawkgirl/man in the OP's message. I think it's just Hawkgirl in the movie.

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Captain America and Batman don't have "super powers" Superman can planets from their orbits is a little to much.

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CA does, he was literally called a Super-Soldier, after taking "Super-Soldier Serum" that gave him super strength, super speed, etc.

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per. Stan Lee....the serum wore off while Cap was frozen. Cap does not have super powers.

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This statement is incorrect; Steve Rogers did not lose his enhanced abilities when he was frozen in ice, meaning the "Super Soldier Serum" did not wear off while he was in suspended animation, and he still possesses peak human strength, speed, and durability due to the serum's lasting effects.

Key points to remember:

The serum's permanence:
The Super Soldier Serum is designed to permanently alter a person's physiology, granting them enhanced abilities even after years have passed.

No decay while frozen:
While in the ice, Captain America's body remained in a state of suspended animation, preventing any natural degradation of the serum's effects.

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tell it to Stam Lee..the serum got him to peak human physiology. He is able to maintain it through hard work and good American values.

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I like the idea . . . but it's certainly divorced from the reality of how the human body works. Just ask anyone who used steroids for a while and then came off of them.

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If Stan Lee said that, then he was contradicting what's in the comic books and films. Perhaps Lee intended that at the time, and may even have scripted some of the early '60s Captain America comics with that in mind, but it was retconned very early.

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he didn't say it, and even if he did, he was wrong

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Yeah, I'd be interested in seeing the interview or article where Lee supposedly said that. I know it's been said about Daredevil, and some other heroes, but Captain America has always been portrayed as having superhuman strength and agility.

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Agreed.

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He is no stronger the Arnold is portrayed in some of his movies.

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That doesn't tell us anything. Schwarzenegger is routinely depicted as being superhuman, and performs feats in film that no man could ever do. Commando might be the most egregious example of this, but it occurs in many of his films. Captain America inarguably does things in the MCU films that no human could do.

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...and how Batrok almost kicked his ass.

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He dispatched with Batroc easily.

He also had the strength to hold Thanos at bay, albeit using two hands to Thanos' one. That more than anything should tell you he isn't just a regular guy in peak shape. Thanos beat down the Hulk and Thor.

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Thanos swatted him down like a fly. Remember Cap is a peak human and is able to stay that way through hard work.

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I'm pretty sure you know you're wrong, but in case you don't, rewatch that scene. Thanos was unable to budge Cap's hand, and the surprise showed on his face. Or, rewatch any number of scenes of Cap running through walls, outrunning a speeding car, holding a helicopter in place, falling 20 stories, or tearing tree stumps in half with his bare hands.

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unless you can get "Stam" Lee on here to back you up,

then i don't believe you

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Judging from the number of things in quotes in the original post.. yes I realize expecting realism is a losing battle. However there are levels to suspending disbelief, and I am beginning to get the sense that the studios are beginning to steer to a much younger demographic and more frivolous story lines instead of exploring serious themes. Perhaps it is time to grow up and move on as some have said. However genre such as fantasy and sci-fi have managed to pull this off and endure - no one says these are just for kids.

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I think that one thing we learned from the Snyder films is that if a superhero film becomes too serious and too dark, it also becomes not a lot of fun. And one thing every superhero movie should be is fun. Not many people want to see a depressing drama with guys in tights wearing capes and possessing super powers.

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I don't know about individual superheroes per se but what about the Fantastic Four?

No huge fan or anything but didn't they get their powers after being hit by some space gamma radiation or such like? Yet one goes all stretchy, another starts shooting out flames, etc. How exactly did those differing powers occur from the same origin?

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I believe the idea was that it caused them to mutate, and each of them got a random mutation of their existing genes.

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“Plausible”. That’s the funniest thing yet. HE’S SUPERMAN G’dammit. What the f*%k did you expect? He’s an old character from an old DC comic. It came out, this is the way it was wrote and it is what it is, but we’ve already have known this for ALL these years. What the hell makes you bitch about it now? I’m debating what I’m expecting from this version but I guess it’ll be decent. In the trailers we see him bleeding and a little bit roughed up so I”m wondering what that’s all about but again we’ll see.

The rest of you can shove it, I mean I don’t care if he’s white, black, Asian, what have you but this is how the character was written and after all this time who are you all to take issue with it? Don’t like it? Then don’t f*ing see it, that’s all I got to say to the people here. Instead of being crazy and arguing about it.

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Superman/Batman/Green Lantern/Flash are not so hard to go along with, I manage to suspend disbelief and roll with it with limited effort.

However when you get into Hawkgirl/man and even Mr. Terrific, that's when my brain starts asking too many questions and the spell is broken. But I suppose its all equally outlandish.

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With Superman, he's an alien from another planet that had a different sun. That's not the most unbelievable. Though I like him Hulk probably has the most ridiculous origin in comics. Banner gets hit by a radioactive bomb and it ends up causing him to turn into a grey monster at night. Then the monster turns green though mostly cause grey didn't print well back then. Then Banner uses a radioactive machine he somehow can power in a cave to turn into said monster and be in control of it. Til he loses control of it and that's when he started transforming in fear/rage. It's ridiculous and I like it but it's not realistic.

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Hulk can't fly through the sun or change the orbits of planets.

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Superman is an alien though so that's excusible imo.

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The She-Hulk and Kraven origins in the recent series/movie make that seem like a documentary. They didn't even try to make those remotely plausible.

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I didn't like the origin of She Hulk in that show either. In the comics she was shot by mobsters for being involved in a case against them. Bruce happens to be there and witnesses it. So he hurridly gives her a blood transfusion to save her life. Didn't bother seeing Kraven cause I'd rather he be a villain in a Spider-Man movie.

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