Most radical power creeps and nerf

[MichaelC]

The Mandarin is a weird, mixed example.

Back when he was first introduced, he was basically a Mortal Kombat character in the Marvel universe. He had superhuman martial arts abilities, and ten rings that were basically just moderately powerful gadgets. He was the sort of character who would trap your feet in ice and then go off on you with the martial arts while you were partially immobilized. While at the same time he would have a scheme to conquer the world using science and armies and obscene wealth.

Over the years the rings got jacked up to ridiculous, boring, cosmic levels of power, doing things like turning a mountain into multibillion ton rock monster with a gesture. At the same time, though, the Mandarin himself turned into a jobber. His martial arts, science, wealth, and strategic scheming all fell by the wayside, and he kinda turned into one of those lesser Herald of Galactus types, the boring ones who pop up for one issue, use their powers in a stupid way that is only a threat because they are cosmically powerful, and then is promptly disposed of.

So they overpowered the Mandarin's rings massively, while nerfing the hell out of all of The Mandarin's personal abilities.

[Username taken]

Fall of Avalon... The Acolytes find Holocaust and go "Hey, it's a Mutant!" then take him to the Avalon space station to talk... that went spectacularly badly. Exodus and Holocaust get into a fist fight that shatters Avalon.... when Exodus nails Holocaust with a flying tackle that smashes Holocaust through the superstructure of the station. Technically Holocaust wins in the end, but not until the two of them had knocked each other through multiple tons of rock and machinery. It was a lot like that fight in Superman: MoS... but in a space station, not Metropolis.

Oh and neither of them got injured by the re-entry into the atmosphere.... or suffocated in space.... or DIED, despite doing their absolute best to kill each other.

Yeah, Exodus has been a beast durability wise for a while now.

[babyblob]

How about the Sentinels being nerfed for a time. When they first showed up they were a major problem for beings with mutant powers. Then they got turned into such a joke that even The Falcon beat one at one point.

One example of power creep I can think of is Magneto. When he first showed up he was a generic villian with magnetic powers. Then he went to a guy that could throw the Earth off its axis using magnetic waves and such.

[MichaelC]

Magneto is one of the few guys I think worked better at an obscene power-level, because that power is coupled with his crippling depression. Magneto is someone so haunted by grief that he is a washed out shell of a man. There's something oddly compelling about someone who is almost too depressed to breath yet who can move mountains with a thought.

Unfortunately, I think Magneto's success influenced the writing of a lot of other villains for the worse. Back in the early nineties is when you start to see a lot of villains jacked up to insane levels, but without the crippling depression that makes Magneto's near omnipotence work narratively. Magneto was the top villain of the most successful comic in the world, so suddenly every villain had to be Magneto-level-powerful.

[nx01a]

She had powers in the Outback era. She got them back during Fall of the Mutants. I do agree that uber powerful characters get boring, though.

My bad. You're right. Even typing I was like, did she have them then? Inferno was during that time and there's that great shot of her and Jean flying. Thanks, though. I don't want to come off as a Storm hater. I love her but she's boring as an unbeatable goddess.

[Arachne]

Oh, I'm a fan, too. It's just some times they make things feel too easy.

[nx01a]

Fall of Avalon... The Acolytes find Holocaust and go "Hey, it's a Mutant!" then take him to the Avalon space station to talk... that went spectacularly badly. Exodus and Holocaust get into a fist fight that shatters Avalon.... when Exodus nails Holocaust with a flying tackle that smashes Holocaust through the superstructure of the station. Technically Holocaust wins in the end, but not until the two of them had knocked each other through multiple tons of rock and machinery. It was a lot like that fight in Superman: MoS... but in a space station, not Metropolis.

Oh and neither of them got injured by the re-entry into the atmosphere.... or suffocated in space.... or DIED, despite doing their absolute best to kill each other.

In mid-battle, Jean tried to get into his mind and Exodus just mentally slaps her down like it was nothing. Jean even comments on how powerful Exodus is. I miss the bad guys generally outclassing the heroes, forcing the good guys to get creative. Not everyone has to be an omega level god mutant, and omega level power doesn't immediately make you a good character.

[Nomads1]

I think the Invisible Woman has the best 616 power creep. She started off as the weakest physically and emotionally but ended up the strongest FF member.

It was done over the course of almost 300 issues. I consider that character development, not a power creep. Plus, similar power boosts happened over time to all the FF members (especially the Thing) as their powers and experience in using them were upgraded. It was not something that happened overnight, or with a simple change in writers or creative team. However, if you are going to consider it a power creep, I agree, it probably was Marvel's best.

Peace

[Galerion]

In mid-battle, Jean tried to get into his mind and Exodus just mentally slaps her down like it was nothing. Jean even comments on how powerful Exodus is. I miss the bad guys generally outclassing the heroes, forcing the good guys to get creative. Not everyone has to be an omega level god mutant, and omega level power doesn't immediately make you a good character.

Well thankfully not everyone is. Hickman made a list with all the Omega Level mutants and that's that. The narrative doesn't revolve around them and the vast majority of mutants are not Omega Level. Also reversely having power doesn't make someone a bad character.
Do you think randomly depowering people will suddenly produce stories that you apparently will enjoy more?

[nx01a]

It was done over the course of almost 300 issues. I consider that character development, not a power creep. Plus, similar power boosts happened over time to all the FF members (especially the Thing) as their powers and experience in using them were upgraded. It was not something that happened overnight, or with a simple change in writers or creative team. However, if you are going to consider it a power creep, I agree, it probably was Marvel's best.

Peace

I'd definitely call it good advancement or development, too, but decided on creep for the purposes of this thread.

Well thankfully not everyone is. Hickman made a list with all the Omega Level mutants and that's that. The narrative doesn't revolve around them and the vast majority of mutants are not Omega Level. Also reversely having power doesn't make someone a bad character.
Do you think randomly depowering people will suddenly produce stories that you apparently will enjoy more?

It comes down to the writer and their creativity, not how powerful or not powerful the character is. Having said that, having even a few people able to change every mind on the planet or reduce every Master of Evil and Sentinel and human bigot into slurry with a stray thought seems to lend toward stories featuring those characters being neutered or reduced in power.

[Galerion]

It comes down to the writer and their creativity, not how powerful or not powerful the character is. Having said that, having even a few people able to change every mind on the planet or reduce every Master of Evil and Sentinel and human bigot into slurry with a stray thought seems to lend toward stories featuring those characters being neutered or reduced in power.

So what's the problem then?
On one hand you are saying that "overpowered" characters are boring but now you say that in stories they tend to be reduced in power which is correct. Powerful characters not using their full power all the time is common and for multiple reasons. Either they need preparation, it takes a strain on them, they run the risk of losing control, doing so would lead to collateral damage, etc.
Like there are all kind of story reasons as for why these characters simply don't obliterate everything in their way which kinda voids the argument against them.

[Micabe]

I think the Invisible Woman has the best 616 power creep. She started off as the weakest physically and emotionally but ended up the strongest FF member.
Totally agree. Her original mutant hex power was cool, original, and versatile. Snapping your fingers and erasing an opponent from existence is boring. It's a lack of creativity on the part of the writers who felt the need to magic her up and then make her a reality warper. Pity she fell victim to the typical Marvel 'female gets uber-powerful and goes insane' trope just like Jean and Sue... all written by John Byrne. Hmm.
Storm's gone from a powerful mutant and great fighter to this unbeatable, unstoppable, ultimately powerful goddess. That's boring. I found her most interesting during the Outback era when she was powerless and occasionally lost a fight but still successfully leading the X-Men, not today when she's hurting the Silver Surfer with lightning and boasting about never having died.

Heh... I guess Ororo developed selective amnesia and forgotten her adventure with the Brood egg and the Acanti Space Whale she was reborn in.

As Storm hopes the Embryo doesn't survive the ordeal... Neither does she!

[Micabe]

In other words, Ororo effectively died...
Uncanny X-Men #165 (1982)

[mung]

The progenitors when they were introduced in Royals were super strong, in every sense of the word. "Too powerful to be fought physically", telekinetically grabbed a ship from orbit and blew it up, threw a spear from outside the galaxy to earth with pin point accuracy, easily wiped out earth's heroes and the Inhumans with primagen boost, Gorgon blowing up one of their planets wasn't even an inconvenience it was interesting to them. But that was in royals, they jobbed super hard after that. Taken out with missiles, and by groot, and afraid of the guardians after they beat two of them. Keep in mind they gave no F's about a planet a planet busting. They got much more respect in the X-men books but the overlord did get easily taken out with the reason being that it isn't a combat unit, despite it trying to fight the Inhumans directly, and being durable enough to stand inside a sun engine.

[Darkshadow]

Galactus: nerf.