Sleeping Giants: secret weapons

[lemonpeace]

When you think OP you usually think Superman or Caprain Atom or White Lantern Kyle Rayner but then we have people like John Stewart who's a living human power battery and one of the deadliest shooters ever, that's pretty OP but people don't think about that. so, who are some characters that are secretly OP that people don't think about?

[Frontier]

Cassandra Cain.

The Spectre.

Shaggy Man.

People tend to underestimate how tough Aquaman is, although maybe less so after his solo movie.

[lemonpeace]

Cassandra Cain.

The Spectre.

Shaggy Man.

People tend to underestimate how tough Aquaman is, although maybe less so after his solo movie.

I wouldn't say Spectre or Cassandra Cain are ever overlooked in the OP department, I would say everyone who knows of their existence knows how OP they are. I'm thinking more characters that people typically overlook how OP they are or they aren't portrayed as OP as they could be. like for example Duke Thomas is pretty OP on paper, he's been trained by Batman and all his Robins, he's got pohotkinetic vision powers that allow him to see what you are gonna do before you do it and see what you did earlier in the day, he can control shadows now, and he's potentially immortal if his father is to be believed; yet he's never considered or portrayed as OP as he is despite all these abilities.

[Frontier]

I wouldn't say Spectre or Cassandra Cain are ever overlooked in the OP department, I would say everyone who knows of their existence knows how OP they are. I'm thinking more characters that people typically overlook how OP they are or they aren't portrayed as OP as they could be. like for example Duke Thomas is pretty OP on paper, he's been trained by Batman and all his Robins, he's got pohotkinetic vision powers that allow him to see what you are gonna do before you do it and see what you did earlier in the day, he can control shadows now, and he's potentially immortal if his father is to be believed; yet he's never considered or portrayed as OP as he is despite all these abilities.

I was thinking somewhat from a general audience perspective.

[lemonpeace]

I was thinking somewhat from a general audience perspective.

I can see that, all of those characters are overlooked when it comes to characters being OP in the sense that general audiences don't readily know them or what they can do; with the exception of Aquaman until relatively recently. I remember still having real life arguments with people, trying to convince them how powerful Aquaman is as recently as 2015.

[tako]

I wouldn't say Spectre or Cassandra Cain are ever overlooked in the OP department, I would say everyone who knows of their existence knows how OP they are. I'm thinking more characters that people typically overlook how OP they are or they aren't portrayed as OP as they could be. like for example Duke Thomas is pretty OP on paper, he's been trained by Batman and all his Robins, he's got pohotkinetic vision powers that allow him to see what you are gonna do before you do it and see what you did earlier in the day, he can control shadows now, and he's potentially immortal if his father is to be believed; yet he's never considered or portrayed as OP as he is despite all these abilities.

I'm not sure what you just said, but this sounds like the reason I can't read Scott Snyder or James Tynion.

[lemonpeace]

I'm not sure what you just said, but this sounds like the reason I can't read Scott Snyder or James Tynion.

i'm not sure what you're getting at but none of that is in Snyder or Tynion's runs; besides training with Batman I guess. that aside, what part did you not understand about what I said? So I can clarify.

[Agent Z]

Starfire

Donna Troy

Garth

Vibe

Mera

[Robanker]

In terms of a sleeping giant? The Spectre. He jobs mostly because he doesn't seem to give that much a care.

But when he does? He no-sells Silver Age Superman's haymaker and wrestles the full-powered Anti-Monitor.

Unfortunately, and to put on my boomer hat for a moment, powers have been sliding upward and don't really mean a whole lot anymore. People come out the womb qualified to join the Bat family now, so really a sleeping weapon is whoever the writer or editorial wants to shine at that given moment.

Broad spectrum when the general approach to the DCU is respected? Probably Sodom Yat. Powers of a Kryptonian and either a GL or the host of Ion. Pretty strong!

Doctor Fate is another. He's DC's strongest sorcerer and yet when DC needs a strong mage they're calling Constantine or Zee (because they're more popular). But Fate could smoke 'em both.

Mera would be one I assume most will say but before Johns her powers were never really played up as much. Now? She's absolutely not to be messed with.

Black Canary for non-powered people. When you think of "DC's top fighters," the list starts with either Shiva, Cassandra or Richard Dragon (if you're old like me). You then get into the Bronze Tigers, Batmen and so forth. Canary absolutely comes between the first set and second. I'm convinced she's a better fighter than even Batman. Most tend to write her as "Green Arrow's girlfriend who kicks butt and can scream" and the movie did her the great disservice of being on Harley's level for combat if not below.

[DrNewGod]

Firestorm. Particularly in his Bronze Age interpretation. Unlimited transfiguration (and let's face it, that's what he was doing regardless of the fancy pseudo-sci terms hung on it) is a terrifying power.

[Flash Gordon]

Mera, Queen of the Seven Seas

Garth is nobody to sleep on either.

[kalai]

Danny the Street,
When you think about it, this is actually a universe level reality warper who can create a new universe.
Basically by the end of Morrison's run, Danny became a universe or something, as Danny the World.
And in Gerald Way's run, Danny basically is a World and a Car at the same time, or maybe I read that part wrong.

[DrNewGod]

Rip Hunter. Time travel is, all by itself, a dreadful power.

Starman/Hawkman. DC's never really gotten into all the things that ability to manipulate gravity could mean.

[Robotman]

In the Burning Martian storyline, it's reveled that Plastic Man is kind of Batman's secret weapon since his malleable brain makes him immune to telepathy. Plus he's just crazy powerful in general.

[DrNewGod]

Element Lad is another one whose power is just frightening if taken to its logical extremes. Suppose he converts the oxygen in your body's water into hydrogen. Or changes the elements in your clothes into phosphorus. Or just changes the oxygen in your blood into pure sodium.