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  1. #1
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    Default A more realistic Superman in a more realistic World: Superman 10,000

    Often times comic books go over the top with Superman, but what if we limited his abilities to 10,000 times the normal strength of a human being and his other abilities are limited by 10,000 as well. What sort of abilities would this imply?

    Superman is as strong as 10,000 men. So if a normal man can lift 100 pounds, Superman can lift 1,000,000 pounds or about 500 tons, is that super enough?

    Superman is fast, since he can run with 10,000 times the energy of a normal human, that means he can run or fly 100 times as fast, which would be around 1,000 miles per hour.

    He has the ability to seen through material less dense than lead., he can see a human sized object 10,000 times as far away as a human could, he can hear things 10,000 times as faint as a human could, he has laser eyes that can set things on fire and freeze breath.

    So working within these limits and staying within them, how would a Superman comic book or movie be different, how do we generate suspense?

  2. #2
    Invincible Member Vordan's Avatar
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    Sounds like these would definitely be of interest to you:




    Both have a weaker “street-level” Superman around the powerset you’re talking about. The answer is that a Superman at that sort of power level can be used to tackle more “realistic” problems directly without coming across as a godling throwing his weight around. You can have him tackle social ills with his fists, and you can have “normal” street level thugs threaten him with guns and what not. I would love to see an ongoing starring a Superman who is at that base sort of level, I think it would be fun. Hopefully would handle that better than the New 52 Truth did.

  3. #3
    Extraordinary Member superduperman's Avatar
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    Probably TAS version.
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  4. #4
    Kon-El "The Scion" SuperX's Avatar
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    Next big non contuinty DC event should be all the characters at weaker levels, and see how it looks and feels to us fans.
    Created from 2 of the greatest men,made with 2 powersets thst are both SUPER,and has 2 cool asf looks and attitudes.

  5. #5
    Father Son Kamehameha < Kuwagaton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vordan View Post
    Sounds like these would definitely be of interest to you:




    Both have a weaker “street-level” Superman around the powerset you’re talking about. The answer is that a Superman at that sort of power level can be used to tackle more “realistic” problems directly without coming across as a godling throwing his weight around. You can have him tackle social ills with his fists, and you can have “normal” street level thugs threaten him with guns and what not. I would love to see an ongoing starring a Superman who is at that base sort of level, I think it would be fun. Hopefully would handle that better than the New 52 Truth did.
    There's nothing street level about lifting 500 tons. The Marvel threshold is like 100 tons.

    Honestly the reason I like a more modest power set, modest being relative to lifting planets and flying through time, is because that's still more than too much power if you're really thinking the application through. The "weakest" Superman is still powerful enough to make it hard to challenge, but minimal when it comes to having to write so that you don't corner yourself
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  6. #6
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    I wouldn't like it if they limited superman powers to those levels. He should be powerful enough to go toe to toe with the most powerful supervillains in the Dc universe! Not some minor league hero!!
    Last edited by lotchj; 01-27-2021 at 09:29 PM.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by SuperX View Post
    Next big non contuinty DC event should be all the characters at weaker levels, and see how it looks and feels to us fans.
    I don't agree!! I never like it when they water down the heroes powers. I hated the truth arc with that weak superman!! I thought he was a joke.

  8. #8
    Invincible Member Vordan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kuwagaton View Post
    There's nothing street level about lifting 500 tons. The Marvel threshold is like 100 tons.

    Honestly the reason I like a more modest power set, modest being relative to lifting planets and flying through time, is because that's still more than too much power if you're really thinking the application through. The "weakest" Superman is still powerful enough to make it hard to challenge, but minimal when it comes to having to write so that you don't corner yourself
    I swear I remember Spider-Man holding up buildings a couple times (although he’s basically peak street level).

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vordan View Post
    I swear I remember Spider-Man holding up buildings a couple times (although he’s basically peak street level).
    Yeah, the numbers don't actually mean anything.

  10. #10
    Father Son Kamehameha < Kuwagaton's Avatar
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    For a company owned character Spider-Man is pretty consistently written, and he's mostly ranged from like 10-30 tons. He's generally one to lift like an 18 wheeler or support beams in buildings. They'll probably never have him look so strong that they lose the homage to the pretty modest feat in If This Be My Destiny. At least on Wikipedia they say a calm Hulk can lift about 70 tons but that means writers fluctuate pretty wildly even compared to Superman. It's those fantastically strong characters where the numbers come out of a hat.
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  11. #11
    Kon-El "The Scion" SuperX's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lotchj View Post
    I don't agree!! I never like it when they water down the heroes powers. I hated the truth arc with that weak superman!! I thought he was a joke.


    I meant like a elseworld story
    Created from 2 of the greatest men,made with 2 powersets thst are both SUPER,and has 2 cool asf looks and attitudes.

  12. #12
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    I don't want to harsh anyone's buzz--lower level superman stories are fun, I love UNBREAKABLE--but I don't think it's any more realistic to have a guy that's much stronger than any normal man, but not as strong as the present day Superman. Because, realism dictates that this is all impossible. Any body that was capable of such feats would break--it's impossible to build something that could sustain that and still function as a living organism. As soon as you apply real physics to Superman or any super-heroes, it all comes crashing down. Even UNBREAKABLE seems to depend on some sort of magic that makes him capable of his feats and not science.

    The Super Superman exists because the publishers decided they might as well go big or go home--given the character is scientifically impossible even at lower levels.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Kelly View Post
    I don't want to harsh anyone's buzz--lower level superman stories are fun, I love UNBREAKABLE--but I don't think it's any more realistic to have a guy that's much stronger than any normal man, but not as strong as the present day Superman. Because, realism dictates that this is all impossible. Any body that was capable of such feats would break--it's impossible to build something that could sustain that and still function as a living organism. As soon as you apply real physics to Superman or any super-heroes, it all comes crashing down. Even UNBREAKABLE seems to depend on some sort of magic that makes him capable of his feats and not science.

    The Super Superman exists because the publishers decided they might as well go big or go home--given the character is scientifically impossible even at lower levels.
    SO!! Superman powers are Scientifically impossible!! I guess every character has to be on the Batgod level when it come to abilities and powers. Is the end of superpowered heroes is coming. There will Just be boring non powered heroes. Z-Z-Z!!

  14. #14
    Extraordinary Member superduperman's Avatar
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    I just think it's funny that DC went to all this trouble to bring back all these SA concepts and now we have people wanting the lesser powered Superman back. They recently released a new BTAS book but not a Superman one. If people really want a lesser powered Superman, they have one. They just won't do anything with him.
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  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by lotchj View Post
    SO!! Superman powers are Scientifically impossible!! I guess every character has to be on the Batgod level when it come to abilities and powers. Is the end of superpowered heroes is coming. There will Just be boring non powered heroes. Z-Z-Z!!
    I'm not saying that, just because the science doesn't really work, these stories shouldn't exist. I'm quite happy with the fantasy worlds that false science has produced. I'm just saying that, if the argument is lessening powers will make the characters more realistic, that doesn't wash. There are other reasons for lessening powers, but let's not kid ourselves that it adds realism.

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