From Champ To Chump - DC Characters On The Job

[Stanlos]

Power Girl. She jobs to everyone. I can't recall her ever actually winning a major fight solo against a same or above level opponent with a big name.

You know what? I think at one point it was even written into her Who's Who entry.

[K7P5V]

Don't forget Identity Crisis where Deathstroke single-handedly beat the JLA.

Truly classic, no matter what anyone says...

[Guy_McNichts]

And there was 2017's Justice League vs. Suicide Squad, where the League was defeated by the Squad and captured by Amanda Waller. Then, even when they escaped, they were enslaved by Max Lord and Eclipso, needing to be defeated AGAIN.

Jobbed out twice in the story, like the losers that they are.



I certainly look forward to Black Adam bitching them out in live action, because we all know that's where they're headed. And then Peacemaker can spit on them while they're down.

[Holt]

Martian Manhunter seems to exist for the express purpose of losing fights.

You also have mechanical or partially mechanical characters like Cyborg and Red Tornado, who writers love to use to demonstrate the villain's toughness since they can be destroyed without actually dying.

[Edwin30]

King the very next issue had Gotham Girl job to Damian Wayne while insulting superpowered characters.

Saying they are easy to beat.

At least punch her in the face. C'mon this is so unsatisfying.

[Jackalope89]

Talk about disrespect. I had to look it but, Gotham Girl’s powers come from a “rare” strain of Bane’s venom. How a addictive steroid cocktail makes you Superman level, I have no idea.

Well, originally, when powers were used to the extent to defeat a high powered being, it cost the user a lot of their life energy. To the point it killed Gotham Girl's brother, Gotham. This was back under King's Batman Rebirth Run, before the wedding fake out and what not. And if I remember right, a BS way around this cost was found, hence the scenes above.

[Edwin30]

Talk about disrespect. I had to look it but, Gotham Girl’s powers come from a “rare” strain of Bane’s venom. How a addictive steroid cocktail makes you Superman level, I have no idea.

Bane venom can now give powers of flight? Wow ok.

Didn't Mary Marvel did the same pose with Captain Atom in the past?

[K7P5V]

Bane venom can now give powers of flight? Wow ok.

Didn't Mary Marvel did the same pose with Captain Atom in the past?

Yeah! She sure did!! LOL!!!

[Doctor Know]

Well, originally, when powers were used to the extent to defeat a high powered being, it cost the user a lot of their life energy. To the point it killed Gotham Girl's brother, Gotham. This was back under King's Batman Rebirth Run, before the wedding fake out and what not. And if I remember right, a BS way around this cost was found, hence the scenes above.

Whisky
Tango
Foxtrot

Now I’m debating reading Tom King’s run to learn the answer. I don’t even know what you call this. PIS, Mary Sue, author inserted favoritism etc.

Bane venom can now give powers of flight? Wow ok.

Didn't Mary Marvel did the same pose with Captain Atom in the past?

Yeah! She sure did!! LOL!!!

Damn, son!

When will the humiliation end?

What did Captain Atom do to these people?

The only other character I can think of who gets disrespected this badly is animated Dick Grayson.


The powers that be at DC hate Dick and I don't know why. Dick and Captain Atom share the role of DC's punching bag.


Batman Under the Red Hood - Leg injured while pursuing Jason with Batman.




Son of of Batman - Cut up by Damian




Batman vs Robin - Impaled by Talon grunt harpoons and beat up by the main Talon.




Batman Bad Blood - Arm broken and beat up by Batman

[Doctor Know]

Skipping Nightwing's pecker slapping in Teen Titans Judas Contract by Deathstroke. Since that is adapted right from the comic. But in Judas Contract, Nightwing gets his shoulder dislocated.




Batman Hush - Dick is gassed and beaten up by Scarecrow. Like a rank amateur. He has to be rescued by Catwoman.




Justice League Dark Apokolips War - Dick is murdered by the Paradooms. Only to be brought back by Damian, crazed and insane.

[Jackalope89]

Whisky
Tango
Foxtrot

Now I’m debating reading Tom King’s run to learn the answer. I don’t even know what you call this. PIS, Mary Sue, author inserted favoritism etc.





Damn, son!

When will the humiliation end?

What did Captain Atom do to these people?

The only other character I can think of who gets disrespected this badly is animated Dick Grayson.


The powers that be at DC hate Dick and I don't know why. Dick and Captain Atom share the role of DC's punching bag.


Batman Under the Red Hood - Leg injured while pursuing Jason with Batman.




Son of of Batman - Cut up by Damian




Batman vs Robin - Impaled by Talon grunt harpoons and beat up by the main Talon.




Batman Bad Blood - Arm broken and beat up by Batman

Film version of Under the Red Hood; they needed Dick out of the action somehow. Considering in the comics, it was the same time that Bludhaven got blown up and Dick was missing for awhile, I'd say a bum leg while chasing someone similarly skilled (not as experienced, but skilled) is far more preferable.

[Doctor Know]

Film version of Under the Red Hood; they needed Dick out of the action somehow. Considering in the comics, it was the same time that Bludhaven got blown up and Dick was missing for awhile, I'd say a bum leg while chasing someone similarly skilled (not as experienced, but skilled) is far more preferable.

You just reminded me. Didio trying to have Dick killed off during Infinite Crisis and only thing that saved him was George Perez objecting to it. Johns wrote it as Dick being mortally wounded but surviving.

Then years later, Johns and Didio had Dick beaten nearly to death during Forever Evil.

[Timber Wolf-By-Night]

You just reminded me. Didio trying to have Dick killed off during Infinite Crisis and only thing that saved him was George Perez objecting to it. Johns wrote it as Dick being mortally wounded but surviving.

Then years later, Johns and Didio had Dick beaten nearly to death during Forever Evil.

I don't remember George Perez saying anything about it, but it seemed like it was literally everybody else objecting to it, Geoff Johns included. I think the straw that broke Didio's back was Paul Levitz, who was still Dan's superior at the time, stepping in and telling him that killing off a character that had been a fan favorite and moneymaker for DC for going on more than 70 years just to satisfy Didio's grudge against legacy characters and Grayson in particular was a very bad idea.

As for Captain Atom, I've long suspected that TPTB at DC comics, behind the scenes, viewed Captain Atom as an in-universe threat to Superman's popularity and authority, both in- and out-of-universe. The early-Post-Crisis years gave us a Superman who was not the sheer raw powerhouse he was known as after the first 50 years of his existence, as well as somebody who was still somewhat insular in terms of spending time outside of Metropolis, let alone off-planet, and was being deliberately kept off the Justice League for various reasons. Captain Atom, on the other hand, was a recent acquisition from the defunct Charlton, who'd been rebooted post-Crisis even more extensively than Superman was. He had a power level comparable to/rivaling Superman's, he'd joined the Justice League, and had a level of authority due to his status as an agent of the government/military that early-Post-Crisis Superman didn't, to the extent that during the Invasion! event CA, not Supes, was made acting commander-in-chief of Earth's super-heroes. I think the people behind the entire "Armageddon/Who is Monarch?" nonsense initially chose Captain Atom because they viewed him as a possible threat to somehow overtake Superman, thus violating the entrenched hierarchy that DC views their heroes through, and ever since that event and the cancellation of his late 80's DC book, that is when Captain Atom started becoming a jobber.

Or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.

[Edwin30]

GL Guy Gardner

[Doctor Know]

I don't remember George Perez saying anything about it, but it seemed like it was literally everybody else objecting to it, Geoff Johns included. I think the straw that broke Didio's back was Paul Levitz, who was still Dan's superior at the time, stepping in and telling him that killing off a character that had been a fan favorite and moneymaker for DC for going on more than 70 years just to satisfy Didio's grudge against legacy characters and Grayson in particular was a very bad idea.

I remember Perez objecting the loudest to killing off Nightwing. Since Perez was one of the artists for Infinite Crisis and he co-created Nightwing with Wolfman on New Teen Titans. Nobody wants to see their character get axed to satisfy a grudge. But I shouldn’t be surprised hearing other creators coming to Dick’s rescue. Now if only they could help out boy out in animation.

As for Captain Atom, I've long suspected that TPTB at DC comics, behind the scenes, viewed Captain Atom as an in-universe threat to Superman's popularity and authority, both in- and out-of-universe. The early-Post-Crisis years gave us a Superman who was not the sheer raw powerhouse he was known as after the first 50 years of his existence, as well as somebody who was still somewhat insular in terms of spending time outside of Metropolis, let alone off-planet, and was being deliberately kept off the Justice League for various reasons. Captain Atom, on the other hand, was a recent acquisition from the defunct Charlton, who'd been rebooted post-Crisis even more extensively than Superman was. He had a power level comparable to/rivaling Superman's, he'd joined the Justice League, and had a level of authority due to his status as an agent of the government/military that early-Post-Crisis Superman didn't, to the extent that during the Invasion! event CA, not Supes, was made acting commander-in-chief of Earth's super-heroes. I think the people behind the entire "Armageddon/Who is Monarch?" nonsense initially chose Captain Atom because they viewed him as a possible threat to somehow overtake Superman, thus violating the entrenched hierarchy that DC views their heroes through, and ever since that event and the cancellation of his late 80's DC book, that is when Captain Atom started becoming a jobber.

Or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.

I hadn’t thought about it like that, but it certainly tracks. Of all the Superman level characters out there Kal fights; Lobo, Mongul, Darkseid, evil Supermen (Ultraman, Zod, Hank Henshaw, Bizarro, Injustice Supes, Superboy Prime), Rogol Zaar, Kara Zor-El. It is Captain Atom and General Zod that are repeatedly made to look like biggest chumps against the MOS. Like, mate? Is there a rivalry here? On the back of what reputation does Nathan Adams have with Superman to keep this non-existent feud going. At least with Batman and Doomsday (who Clark never fails to fight at least once a year in some form of media nowadays), have a famous story to harken back to.

Arguably the best showings Captain Atom had against Supes were in the JLU cartoon and Injustice comic. They jobbed Captain a little too hard in JLU but that’s Bruce Timm production. He jobbed Supes pretty hard on all his DCAU shows.