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  1. #1
    duke's casettetape lemonpeace's Avatar
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    Default Characters and real world combat parallels

    this may be a little niche but let's see. so lately I've been lowkey obsessed with fighting: watching some mma, looking into a bunch things about different traditional martial arts in a variety of cultures, stuff like that. so it got me thinking, if you were to pick a fighter or fighting style to sort of encapsulate characters at DC and Milestone (you know since they coming back), who or what would you pick for whom?

    an easy one would be like, I could see Beast Boy using capoeira just due to his upbeat somewhat flamboyant personality and character. or like, after watching a few things about Bruce Lee, I honestly think he's the closest thing to if Cassandra Cain just walked off the page. Red Hood, I could see being a kickboxer with some wrestling techniques, while Dick Grayson is more Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (just my little headcanon, I'm sure they know all of the martial arts because comics). stuff like that.

    obviously I'm not an expert at this stuff, you don't have to be either, just thought it was a fun idea.
    Last edited by lemonpeace; 08-29-2020 at 12:37 AM.
    THE SIGNAL (Duke Thomas) is DC's secret shonen protagonist so I made him a fandom wiki

    also, check out "The Signal Tape" a Duke Thomas fan project.

    currently following:
    • DC: Red Hood: The Hill
    • Marvel: TBD
    • Manga (Shonen/Seinen): One Piece, My Hero, Dandadan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kaiju No. 8, Reincarnation of The Veteran Soldier, Oblivion Rouge, ORDEAL, The Breaker: Eternal Force

    "power does not corrupt, power always reveals."

  2. #2
    Black Belt in Bad Ideas Robanker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lemonpeace View Post
    this may be a little niche but let's see. so lately I've been lowkey obsessed with fighting: watching some mma, looking into a bunch things about different traditional martial arts in a variety of cultures, stuff like that. so it got me thinking, if you were to pick a fighter or fighting style to sort of encapsulate characters at DC and Milestone (you know since they coming back), who or what would you pick for whom?

    an easy one would be like, I could see Beast Boy using capoeira just do to his upbeat somewhat flamboyant personality and character. or like, after watching a few things about Bruce Lee, I honestly think he's the closest thing to if Cassandra Cain just walked off the page. Red Hood, I could see being a kickboxer with some wrestling techniques, while Dick Grayson is more Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (even though I'm sure they know all of the martial arts because comics). stuff like that.

    obviously I'm not an expert at this stuff, you don't have to be either, just thought it was a fun idea.
    I think during the Dixon run, Nightwing was explicitly stated to use Akido often, but from what I understand that's not exactly accurate given how he's portrayed even in that run. I wouldn't know either way.

  3. #3
    Moderator Frontier's Avatar
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    When they were making Batman: Bad Blood they explicitly tried to give every character their own fighting style.

  4. #4
    Ultimate Member j9ac9k's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lemonpeace View Post
    this may be a little niche but let's see. so lately I've been lowkey obsessed with fighting: watching some mma, looking into a bunch things about different traditional martial arts in a variety of cultures, stuff like that. so it got me thinking, if you were to pick a fighter or fighting style to sort of encapsulate characters at DC and Milestone (you know since they coming back), who or what would you pick for whom?

    an easy one would be like, I could see Beast Boy using capoeira just do to his upbeat somewhat flamboyant personality and character. or like, after watching a few things about Bruce Lee, I honestly think he's the closest thing to if Cassandra Cain just walked off the page. Red Hood, I could see being a kickboxer with some wrestling techniques, while Dick Grayson is more Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (just my little headcanon, I'm sure they know all of the martial arts because comics). stuff like that.

    obviously I'm not an expert at this stuff, you don't have to be either, just thought it was a fun idea.
    That's interesting - I don't think of Beast Boy doing a lot of fighting in human form. Wouldn't he maybe be like those martial artists who emulate animals with their fighting techniques though if he were to fight hand-to hand?

    I did like it when Black Canary was depicted as being a master specifically of Jiu Jitsu. It gave her fight scenes a sense of authenticity.

    I'm pretty sure Guy Gardner learned fighting by watching WWF (yes, before WWE...)

  5. #5
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    It surprised me that no hero with actual superpowers knows a proper way of fight besides Wonder Woman. They don't even have to know the big fancy stuff. At least let Clark use some boxing in his fights.

    Capoeira for Beast Boy is pretty cool especially if he can combine that with the hoves of a horse

    I would love an elseworld where DC hero's with powers used Martial Arts in a Mortal Kombat like world. Sadly it feels like DC believes on non powered heroes need to know martial arts.
    Last edited by Shockingjustice; 08-28-2020 at 10:10 PM.

  6. #6
    Black Belt in Bad Ideas Robanker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shockingjustice View Post
    It surprised me that no hero with actual superpowers knows a proper way of fight besides Wonder Woman. They don't even have to know the big fancy stuff. At least let Clark use some boxing in his fights.

    Capoeira for Beast Boy is pretty cool especially if he can combine that with the hoves of a horse
    Clark actually was trained in boxing pre-Flashpoint, as is Power Girl (who even used some basic fundamentals against Wonder Woman in the latter's title). People forget Black Canary has superpowers and is among DC's top 5 martial artists. One could argue Deathstroke has a superpower, same with Cass Cain (I know both don't technically have powers, but they may as well). Duke Thomas is a trained martial artist and has powers as well.

    If you count Ted's Nine Lives, then he also has powers and was the world heavyweight boxing champion.

    Their training usually doesn't get highlighted because then non-powered heroes would get humbled, and the current landscape is "but I need muh self-insert to bet teh godz!"

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    When you are as strong as Superman: technique, speed, or any weapons mean nothing you. Your power beat everything. It's simple like that. Wonder Woman can use any fancy techniques she wanted, but against the overwhelming power of Superman, it means nothing. Just one punch with vibration higher than anything on Earth, delivered in the speed of light is enough to kill. The same thing with Flash, he is so fast he can almost do anything with Speedforce. The fighting style is irrelevant to him, because he can just one punch everyone before they can even move.

    So to put it simple, giving them a clear proper way of fight is just overkill. Unless you are Mongul or Darkseid.

  8. #8
    Extraordinary Member Restingvoice's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robanker View Post
    I think during the Dixon run, Nightwing was explicitly stated to use Akido often, but from what I understand that's not exactly accurate given how he's portrayed even in that run. I wouldn't know either way.
    Aikido's mainly defensive right? Yeah, doesn't really fit.
    I actually imagine Nightwing does Capoeira since it's like a dance and he's off his feet a lot.

    Early Golden Age Batman and Robin only mentioned jiu-jitsu as their martial arts choice.

    Quote Originally Posted by j9ac9k View Post
    That's interesting - I don't think of Beast Boy doing a lot of fighting in human form. Wouldn't he maybe be like those martial artists who emulate animals with their fighting techniques though if he were to fight hand-to hand?
    Interesting idea, Kung Fu Beast Boy

    I also imagine Oracle Barbara as a sitting kung fu master

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    I could see Terra and Geo Force specializing in savate.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Laufeyson View Post
    When you are as strong as Superman: technique, speed, or any weapons mean nothing you. Your power beat everything. It's simple like that. Wonder Woman can use any fancy techniques she wanted, but against the overwhelming power of Superman, it means nothing. Just one punch with vibration higher than anything on Earth, delivered in the speed of light is enough to kill. The same thing with Flash, he is so fast he can almost do anything with Speedforce. The fighting style is irrelevant to him, because he can just one punch everyone before they can even move.

    So to put it simple, giving them a clear proper way of fight is just overkill. Unless you are Mongul or Darkseid.
    It means something against enemies in that power range who know how to fight.



    Characters like Metallo should be problems because of this, in some continuities Corben's a veteran soldier. Mongol and Maxima are warriors.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Steel Inquisitor View Post
    It means something against enemies in that power range who know how to fight.



    Characters like Metallo should be problems because of this, in some continuities Corben's a veteran soldier. Mongol and Maxima are warriors.
    Yeah basically this.

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    In part, I think this misconception rose from the bit where Black Canary says in her hero worshipping way around Diana, that no one else in the top superpower set knows how to fight, which Diana herself later admits isn't true with respect to Power Girl, who she was fighting at the time. Two different issues both by Gail Simone IIRC. But apart from Power Girl, many other superpowered heroes know how to fight.

    Starting with Power Girl; she was taught boxing...and karate of some sort, probably kyokushin given her personality. She seems to use muay thai or perhaps muay boran a lot. Possibly Krav. Doesn't seem to know any wrestling at all, or even striking moves to get out of wrestling move. She fights hard, practical save the not knowing grappling, and sort of military in style. I'd say MMA would be perfect for her, but she clearly knows absolutely nothing about grappling, considering she keeps losing to the same move. Get the to a judo/BJJ class, Power Girl!

    Wildcat of course taught her. Basically, he's the best boxer in the world. Seems to be all he needs.

    Dick is too smart to use aikido; it's useless in a fight, and he'd know that. Anything acrobatic for him, I should think.

    Magog was a military fighter.

    Pretty much anyone who's been in the JSA for a long time would know boxing, I should think.

    There are a lot of superpowered warrior types who would know whatever their alien or fantasy martial arts are.

    Diana herself is more interesting IMO. She should know boxing and wrestling. Pankration. Hoplite drills, sundry sword, spear, staff, stick, and other weapons including whatever type of bows they used, and she'd probably be good in a chariot, and a good horsewoman, kangas notwithstanding. That's...quite a bit to know well, and I'd think she'd stick mostly to that, rather than learn outside martial arts like kung fu styles or karate.

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    Any of the Amazons would use a fighting style that mixes armed and unarmed combat such escrima or pankration. I assume their ethnically diverse background makes for a versatile number if fighting styles.

    Roy Harper would also use escrima or Okichitaw. Maybe some styles of karate.

    Cheshire could use the Vietnamese martial art of Vovinam. Sportsmaster would likely be a boxer and wrestling hybrid. Tigress could use styles similar to her sister and father.

    KGBeast is probably a sambo or systema user.

    Sasha Bordeaux probably knows Krav Maga.

    Lady Vic and Alfred would probably use bartitsu.


    Quote Originally Posted by Shockingjustice View Post
    It surprised me that no hero with actual superpowers knows a proper way of fight besides Wonder Woman.


    Black Canary is known as one of DC's best fighters. There is also Deathstroke, Starfire, the Hawks, the Wonder Girls, Bane, Cynthia Reynolds, Wildcat, Sasha Bordeaux, Duke Thomas.
    Last edited by Agent Z; 10-07-2020 at 07:45 AM.

  14. #14
    Astonishing Member Ra-El's Avatar
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    Superman should know some boxing, a little wrestling and maybe even some Krav Maga. He needs to know how to fight, because, Zod and Mongul for example, are expert warriors on the same power level as Superman, if goes against them without know what he is doing he would be putting Earth in risk. Ultimately he would more a brawler, with some training and a lot of experience that would made him come up with his on style, adapted most to the type of enemies and environment he usually fights, basically superpowered guys, flying, ignoring gravity and etc.

    Hawkman should know almost everything, especially armed combat. He should know martial arts and combat styles that are forgotten, he would use, imo, most HEMA giving his usual choice of weapons, but because of the reincarnation angle, he should be the one who mastered 127 martial arts, even more.

    Aquaman should know whatever the atlanteans use as martial arts, so probably some ancienty greek stuff. Hal Jordan would the standart Air Force hand-to-hand training and a lot of bar brawls experience, maybe he boxed while on the USAF. Same for John Stewart, but with the Marines. Guy is most street fights and wrestling, on high school and TV. Kyle don't know how to fight that well, he is, after all, just a normal artist that is supposed to be relatable to the overall comic book fan, who usually don't know how to fight.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Agent Z View Post
    Any of the Amazons would use a fighting style that mixes armed and unarmed combat such escrima or pankration.

    Roy Harper would also use escrima or Okichitaw.

    Cheshire could use the Vietnamese martial art of Okichitaw. Sportsmaster would likely be a boxer and wrestling hybrid. Tigress could use styles similar to her sister and father.

    KGBeast is probably a sambo or systema user.





    Black Canary is known as one of DC's best fighters. There is also Deathstroke, Starfire, the Hawks, the Wonder Girls, Bane, Cynthia Reynolds, Wildcat, Sasha Bordeaux, Duke Thomas.
    I'm talking about heroes with high level powers. For most of the heroes you named are prerry much street level with added bonuses. Also I know starfire is a princess, but I don't recall them ever showcasing her fight prowess. She usually just throws star bolts. But then wonder girls who fight things way stronger than some random normal civilians is what I'm talking about.

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