Are any POC the best at anything in the DC Universe?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Any other times before that?

I can't remember the specific story, but my Nerd Spidey sense is telling me that there was at least one more references to it during Johns's JSA. I know that the JLA cartoon wasn't the first time it was brought up.

[j9ac9k]

Supergirl, Power Girl, and...Wonder Woman would care to argue that with her. Among others.

I wouldn't call Supergirl "dangerous." It's not a monniker based on power. And if Batman can beat Superman, Shiva can beat Supergirl. (yeah, it's silly, but it's comic books) Call Shiva "the most lethal woman alive" then since the heroes you mentioned aren't murderers, but she has been considered "the best" at times, which was the subject of this thread. (I know that's up for debate, especially since Cass came onto the scene)

[Krakoa]

It’s been heavily implied on multiple occasions that Mr. Terrific is indeed the world’s smartest man, but pretends to be the third because he’s too smart to bother threatening either Luthor or Batman’s gigantic egos.

I've never really liked the idea of Batman as one of the world's smartest people. I've always felt he works better as a very smart but not really scientifically trained or "genius" level.

[CPSparkles]

I wouldn't call Supergirl "dangerous." It's not a monniker based on power. And if Batman can beat Superman, Shiva can beat Supergirl. (yeah, it's silly, but it's comic books) Call Shiva "the most lethal woman alive" then since the heroes you mentioned aren't murderers, but she has been considered "the best" at times, which was the subject of this thread. (I know that's up for debate, especially since Cass came onto the scene)

Talia Al Ghul is the most dangerous woman alive according to this list of the top 10 biggest threats facing the DC universe.





Never knew Talia was a cosmic level threat.

[Frontier]

Why should he? He's been traditionally billed as the world's "3rd smartest" man, not the smartest.

Maybe so people underestimate him. His biggest competition is Luthor.

Who’s the world’s third greatest detective?

Batman after Detective Chimp and Elongated Man .

[achilles]

Maybe so people underestimate him. His biggest competition is Luthor.

Batman after Detective Chimp and Elongated Man .

No, Luthor's biggest competition is the as yet unnamed character, poised to make his or her appearance whenever it becomes convenient for the plot. Anyhow, he's at his best when he has to struggle to outsmart his opponents. Even Sherlock Holmes wasn't claimed to be the smartest or best; Conan Doyle knew better than to do that. And he was outsmarted himself from time to time. So too should Mr. Terrific; they shouldn't ruin him by making him OPed in that respect. Some characters are walking (or flying) squash matches, but others like Mr. Terrific are the kind who gets the readers on their side by NOT being perfect at their best thing.

Also, do you really want that? Look at how being the "smartest" in a comic book world means. It means you'd be saving the day by reconfiguring the matrix positron inverter warp drive shields. Every time. Would you actually "act" smart? No, but you would pull technobabble out of thin air to amaze and confound you enemies and insult the reader's intelligence. And you'd build a maguffin to find the other maguffin the plot inevitably involves. And everyone would act amazed.

As I said, I prefer it where he struggles against another smart opponent before finally outsmarting him, or even simply outfighting him. No technobabble need apply, but that sort of thing is much harder to write than simply having him pull a gadget out of thin air, (hi Batman!).

Also, I'll note that in this case, smartest seems to mean smartest HUMAN, as Mr. T himself marveled at the two Kryptonian ladies' ability to hurl technobabble and build his maguffin faster than he ever could in one of those minor League stories.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Not the world, but still an impressive title nonetheless.

Yes the world.

[CaptCleghorn]

Maybe so people underestimate him. His biggest competition is Luthor.

I maintain Michael is actually the smartest and says he's third so the question shifts to "who are one and two?" as opposed to dealing with him.

[Ascended]

I maintain Michael is actually the smartest and says he's third so the question shifts to "who are one and two?" as opposed to dealing with him.

Agreed.

I've always assumed Holt was said to be the third smartest so the character wasn't seen as threatening to the uber fans of Batman or Superman. Remember the uproar when Marvel claimed Moon Girl was the smartest there is? Yeah, people didn't take it well. And with DC fans, nobody can be better than Bruce Wayne and anything that makes Lex look bad reflects badly on Clark, and y'all know how crazy we Superfans are over Clark's status.

But we all know the truth. Holt's #1.

Memory is vague but wasn't Dr. Light the world's leading expert on....whatever her particular scientific field was?

Shiva has most certainly been said to be the world's greatest martial artist. And Cass Cain isn't far behind her on that list, last I knew.

Is Katana considered the greatest swordsman? I know Other History claims she had no training at all, just anger and intimidation, but I feel like other books have said otherwise?

[D.Z]

Smartest man is Luthor. Then Batman.

[DABellWrites]

As others stated. The current Mr. Terrific is among the smartest men on Earth. Personally, I don't see that amounting to much since DC is full of geniuses and everyone has Batman to fall back on when they need someone to do something smart. So, not much monikers for them. Then again, does Diana have a moniker?

[Iclifton]

Karate Kid is probably the best hand to hand combatant id DC history.

[Jim Kelly]

"POC"? not sure this short form has a promising future.

Mr. Terrific is the Most Terrific. Vixen is the Foxiest (a vixen is a female fox). Little Sure Shot is the Best Shot. Jackie Johnson is the Best Fighter of His Generation. Bronze Tiger is the Most Wanted and the Most Feared (also the Most Misunderstood). Dr. Light (Kimiyo Tazu Hoshi) is the World's Leading Expert on Photonics. Blue Beetle is the Greatest Exoskeletal Hero. Steel is the Mightiest Human with a Hammer. Nubia is the Amazons' Best Hope. Cassandra Cain has the Most Intense Training. Flippa Dippa is the Worst Codenamed Member of the Newsboy Legion. The Manhattan Guardian is the Best Morrison Creation. Stuff the Chinatown Kid has the Most Stuff. "Chopper" Wu Cheng is the Most Improved Negative Stereotype.

[Mutant God]

Who’s the world’s third greatest detective?

The Question (Vic)

[Redjack]

Yup, they did it on the cartoon, but the comics have also made reference to it, most recently in Strange Adventures.

yep.