Not all superheroes are created equal. For every Flash, there's a Whizzer. For every Batman, there's a Red Bee. For every Superman, there's a Goldstar. However, just because a hero's elevator pitch is silly doesn't mean that they can't also be useful in a jam. In fact, many of the heaviest hitters in all of comic book history are also some of the strangest heroes ever conceived. And we're not talking, "benevolent alien with god-like powers" strange. Today, we're taking a look at sentient streets, the literal embodiment of American values and a surprising number of magicians not named Doctor Strange who have donned colorful costumes to defend the people of Earth.

From Golden Age classics like Stardust the Super Wizard to modern day men in tights like One-Punch Man, this list compiles the cream of the crazy superhero crop. That being said, because how powerful any given character is shown to be can vary from writer to writer, consider this list more of a greatest hits than a definitive ranking. Whether they can bend themselves or the very fabric of reality, these characters represent some of the most powerful and straight up goofiest superheroes the medium has to offer!

20 SQUIRREL GIRL

Marvel_Squirrel_Girl

Doreen Green, aka Squirrel Girl, is practically the poster child for goofy, but surprisingly OP superheroes. Over the years, it's become a running gag at Marvel that Squirrel Girl is easily able to defeat many of the best fighters the Marvel Universe has to offer. Granted, this often occurs off-panel or because of some crazy loophole, but you can't argue with her results.

Squirrel Girl famously defeated Doctor Doom by summoning an army of Squirrels.

In her first appearance in Marvel Super-Heroes #8, in a story plotted and drawn by the legendary Steve Ditko and writer Will Murray, Squirrel Girl famously defeated Doctor Doom by summoning an army of Squirrels to attack him. Since then, she's defeated the likes of Deadpool, Wolverine and even Thanos. Perhaps her biggest achievement, however, was saving the Earth from Galactus by befriending the cosmic being and convincing him to spare the planet.

19 UNCLE SAM

Uncle_Sam_DC-Comics

During his time at Quality Comics, the prolific writer/artist Will Eisner and writer/artist Dave Berg created a superhero named Uncle Sam based on the national personification of the United States. Debuting in National Comics #1 all the way back in 1940, Sam was originally written as a magical entity that spawned from the soul of a patriotic American soldier who died during the revolutionary war.

When DC later acquired the character along with the rest of Quality Comics's superhero line, Sam was rewritten to be the result of an occult ritual held by the Founding Fathers. Though his powers have undergone a lot of changes over the years, Uncle Sam has been shown to be invulnerable, capable of changing size and traveling to other dimensions, and on some occasions he can even predict the future.

18 DANNY THE STREET

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Making his debut on the pages of Doom Patrol Vol. 2 #35 by writer Grant Morrison and artists Richard Case, John Nyberg and Daniel Vozzo, Danny the Street is in the running for the strangest superhero of all time. He is capable of teleporting around the world and seamlessly fitting into a city without causing any damage. He uses his powers to act as a safe haven for strange or disenfranchised peoples.

See, Danny was never a human being, but was born as a sentient street.

At one point Danny left the DC universe entirely to become his own sentient world where he could care for the needy people of every dimension. In the current Rebirth run on Doom Patrol, Danny again became Danny the World, but instead of populating himself with needy people, he uses his newfound power to create life.

17 BIG BERTHA

Big_Bertha_Marvel Comics

A founding member of the Great Lakes Avengers, Ashley Crawford, aka Big Bertha, is a force to be reckoned with. Originally appearing in West Coast Avengers Vol. 2 #46 by writer/artist John Byrne and artists Mike Machlan and Bob Sharen, the mutant hero possesses the ability to alter her size and mass, which makes her capable of adding hundreds of pounds to her body at will.

In addition to allowing Bertha to grow far beyond the size of a normal human, she also gains superhuman strength. At peak performance, Bertha has been shown to be able to lift as much as 50 tons and leap massive distances in a manner similar to the Hulk. Her ability to control her mass also grants Bertha enhanced durability which allows her to shrug off bullets, extreme temperatures and the impact from her giant leaps.

16 BAT-MITE

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Though he may not technically be a "hero," Bat-Mite's heart is certainly in the right place. Making his debut in Detective Comics #267 by writer Bill Finger and artists Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris, the imp from the Fifth Dimension has been a well-meaning thorn in Batman's side ever since.

Since his first appearance, Bat-Mite has used his reality bending powers to "help" Batman and Robin fight crime.

Though he often only ends up causing more trouble for the Caped Crusader, Bat-Mite is a true blue fan of Batman's work and doesn't mean him any harm. That being said, he's been shown to cause a ton of chaos thanks to his ability to do things like change the size and mass of any object, grant life to inanimate objects and endow people or animals with superpowers.

15 ONE-PUNCH MAN

Since originating as a self-published webcomic in 2009 by writer/artist ONE, One-Punch Man and its hero Saitama have taken the world by storm. Originally becoming a hero "for the fun of it," Saitama quickly became disillusioned by his newfound career because of his inability to find a worthy opponent.

Thanks to eating right, not using an air conditioner or heater and sticking to his daily workout of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and a 10 km run, Saitama has become so powerful that he can easily defeat any enemy with just a single punch. In fact, it often takes MUCH less than that. When Saitama is required to exert a bit of effort to defeat a foe, he pulls out his "serious punch" and still wipes the floor with his opponents.

14 X-MAN

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Nate Grey, aka X-Man, was one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel Multiverse when he first appeared in X-Man #1 by writer Jeph Loeb and artists Steve Skroce, Mike Sellers, Cam Smith, Bud Larosa, Will Conrad and Mike Thomas. Nate was created in the Age of Apocalypse universe by Mister Sinister, who used genetic material from Scott Summers and Jean Grey to create the ultimate mutant.

By the time he had reached his peak, Nate was capable of destroying entire worlds!

Before he had his powers drained by a device called the Omega Machine, Nate was an Omega level mutant with far too many powers to list here. At one point he was considered the most powerful psionic in any reality and attained near omnipotence. By the time he had reached his peak, Nate was capable of destroying entire worlds on a whim if he so chose.

13 SWAMP THING

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Though Swamp Thing earned a ton of "cool" points during Alan Moore's iconic horror-influenced run on the character, writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson's original elevator pitch has still always been a bit silly. Swamp Thing is an elemental being who was created when botanist Alec Holland died in a swamp and his Bio-Restorative Formula bonded with local plant life and absorbed his consciousness and memories.

Swamp Thing is unquestionably one of the most powerful beings in the DC Multiverse thanks to his connection to The Green, a network which binds all plant life on the planet. In addition to his ability to communicate and control all plant life, Swamp Thing also has a number of other abilities. Arguably his most impressive feat is that as long as there is any plant life anywhere in the universe, Swamp Thing is immortal and able to reform his body.

12 STARDUST THE SUPER WIZARD

Our next entry is another often forgotten throwback to the Golden Age of Comics. Stardust the Super Wizard premiered on the pages of Fox Feature Syndicate's Fantastic Comics #1 by writer/artist Fletcher Hanks in 1939. Stardust only appeared in 17 issues before Hanks left comics and the character was retired, but during that time he displayed a staggering number of incredible and unexplained powers and gadgets.

His most notable tool was his Radiation Belt, which granted him the use of various "rays" and "beams" that could do anything from make objects disappear to summoning the skeletons of innocent murder victims.

Similar to Superman, Stardust was capable of feats of super strength, endurance and speed. He was also shown to have extrasensory perception and an ability to breathe under any circumstances. Stardust also utilized (possibly alien) technology which made him even more ridiculously overpowered.

11 CAPTAIN MARVEL/SHAZAM!

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Fans of modern comic books will immediately recognize Shazam, aka Captain Marvel, aka Billy Batson, as one of the most powerful heroes in DC's roster and a member of the Justice League. But, before that Billy and the rest of the Marvel Family of characters were the premiere line of superheroes published by Fawcett Comics beginning with a story in Whiz Comics #2 by writer/artist Bill Parker and artist C.C. Beck.

In his original incarnation, Billy was granted the powers of the gods by the wizard Shazam. Whenever he spoke the wizard's name Billy would transform into the ageless Captain Marvel and was endowed with a number of incredible abilities. In addition to more traditional powers like an increased intellect, super strength and flight, Billy also displayed the ability to heal himself and others, speak multiple languages and even endow others with his powers.

10 INFECTIOUS LASS

Druha Sehpt, aka Infectious Lass, is an alien from the planet Somahtur who was briefly associated with the Legion of Superheroes. The character made her first appearance in Superboy #201 by writer Cary Bates and artist Dave Cockrum, when she tried out for a spot in the Legion.

Like every other Somahturan, Druha is a carrier for thousands of diseases, which she can infect others with at will.

Her species is immune to the diseases they carry, allowing their bodies to be used for biological warfare. Due to her inability to properly control her powers, Infectious Lass earned a reputation for accidentally infecting innocent bystanders and even her allies. As a result Druha wasn't chosen to join the Legion, but eventually went on to become a member of their sister team the Legion of Substitute Heroes alongside her friend Porcupine Pete.

9 DOOP

Doop_Marvel-Comics

It's hard to explain who (or better yet what) Doop is, because even his creators don't seem to be totally sure. First appearing in X-Force #116 by writer Peter Milligan and artists Michael and Laura Allred, Doop is a Slimer-like creature who is an ally of the X-Men. Despite his ties to the mutant community it's unclear what the source of Doop's powers are, but he certainly has a lot of them.

He's one of the few heroes in the Marvel Universe capable of going toe to toe with Thor, but has also displayed a number of psionic and magical abilities. His most hilarious trick is his "Power of Funk," which allows him to channel his bass playing abilities into an attack he's used to defeat enemies like Master Pandemonium and the actual, factual Devil.

8 FLEX MENTALLO

Flex Mentallo in DC comics

Our next pick is another member of the Doom Patrol introduced during Morrison's run on the book. He first appeared in Doom Patrol #35 by Morisson and artists Richard Chase, John Nyberg and Daniel Vozzo, and his power is often described as a reverse of the principle of mind over matter. The "Hero of the Beach" taps into the power of Muscle Mystery to gain access to a number of magical abilities.

Basically, Flex Mentallo is able to bend the rules of reality simply by flexing his muscles.

In addition to his reality altering powers Flex is also endowed with other seemingly magical powers like mind control, extra sensory perception and telepathy. The force also supplies him the powers you'd expect of your typical muscle man like enhanced senses, super strength and increased durability.

7 DEADPOOL

Deadpool_Marvel-Comics

We all knew this one was coming eventually, right? Though he started off as nothing more than a shameless copy of DC's Deathstroke, Deadpool has since evolved into one of the Marvel Universe's zaniest characters. At this point the wise-cracking Merc with a Mouth is infamous for his sense of humor, love of unicorns and his ability to break the fourth wall.

But underneath all of the mental illness and chimichangas, Deadpool is one of the fiercest fighters Marvel can muster. He can regenerate from seemingly any wound, has an immunity from all disease and can resist both psychic and supernatural attacks on his mind thanks to his healing factor and wavering mental health. He's also super strong, fast and can physically exert himself for days without rest. All of these skills have served him well as one of the most deadly assassins in the Marvel Multiverse.

6 CAPTAIN TRIUMPH

Quality Comics hero Captain Triumph made his debut in a story by artist Alfred Andriola and an unknown writer on the pages of Crack Comics #27 back in 1943. The issue introduced the character's convoluted backstory, involving twin brothers Michael and Lance Gallant.

Michael is a pilot for the army who is murdered when his plane is sabotaged, but after Lance swears vengeance on the murderers Michael's spirit is preserved by the Fates. The two brothers are granted the ability to fuse into the superhero Captain Triumph by touching their matching birthmarks. The Fates give the brothers a number of powers to use in their fight against evil including flight, invisibility, invulnerability, mild super strength and the ability to change size and physical appearance. While in his ghost form, Michael also has the ability to influence others thoughts and actions.

5 MATTER-EATER LAD

Comic book panel of Matter Eater Lad eating a fence.

Matter-Eater Lad was introduced as the newest member of the Legion of Super-Heroes on the pages of Adventure Comics #303 in a story written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel and artists John Forte and Joe Letterese. As his name suggests, Matter-Eater Lad a.k.a. Tenzil Kem is capable of eating and digesting literally anything.

He's likely one of the few characters in existence capable of killing Superman.

Much like Infectious Lass, Tenzil's powers come from his alien physiology. Matter-Eater Lad hails from the planet Bismoll, where his people adapted to eat any sort of matter after their planet's entire food supply was poisoned. Now this may seems like a pretty lame power, but it's been confirmed that Matter-Eater Lad can bite through and consume even supposedly indestructible materials. This means that under the right circumstances, he's likely one of the few characters in existence capable of killing Superman.

4 MERLIN THE MAGICIAN

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Another Quality Comics character, Merlin the Magician made his first appearance in National Comics #1 in a story by artist Dan Zolnerowich and an unknown writer. After learning that he is a direct descendant of the Arthurian legend Merlin, playboy Jock Kellog was given a magical cloak that granted him all of his ancestor's powers.

Despite DC revealing that the character died in a fight against an evil entity called the "Stalker" years after their acquisition of the Quality heroes, Merlin the Magician is arguably one of the most OP characters on this list. Though the limits of his powers were never clearly defined the character was seemingly able to do anything he could imagine. He battled Gods, bended reality to his will and even demonstrated the ability to resurrect the dead.

3 IMPOSSIBLE MAN

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Like Bat-Mite, the Fantastic Four's frenemy Impossible Man is more of a wannabe than a true hero. In the character's first appearance on the pages of Fantastic Four #11 by the all-star team of writer Stan Lee and artists Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers and Stan Goldberg, Impossible Man is nothing more than an alien trickster looking for a place to vacation. Much like the Fifth Dimensional beings found in DC Comics' publications, Impossible Man is a shapeshifter and reality bender.

At one point, he even demonstrated the ability to create life through a mitosis like split which resulted in the creation of his wife Impossible Woman. The two have been shown to be able to travel through the vacuum of space by transforming into an imitation of a spaceship and entering a hibernation period where they can survive without food, water or oxygen for months on end.

2 HERBIE THE FAT FURY

Herbie_the_Fat_Fury_American_Comics_Group

Herbie Popnecker was a comedic superhero published by American Comics Group during the Silver Age of Comics. He was a short, fat little boy who had god-like powers that came from magical lollipops. Herbie can talk to animals and gain their powers, fly fast enough to reach other galaxies in moments and even travel through time.

The character is often remembered for his terse speech, inexplicable fame and incredible luck. 

Herbie originated on the pages of Forbidden Worlds #73 by writer Richard E. Hughes and artist Ogden Whitney, but soon proved popular enough to warrant his own solo title by the same creative team. In issue #8 of Herbie, the "Little Fat Nothing" decided to create a superhero persona called Herbie the Fat Fury by donning a red onesie and wearing a plunger on his head.

1 PLASTIC MAN

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Plastic Man, the original goofball superhero, burst onto the scene in 1941 on the pages of Police Comics #1 in a story by writer/artist Jack Cole. Like many of the other Quality Comics characters we've discussed, Plastic Man eventually became a part of the DC Universe and went on to become one of the most powerful members of the Justice League.

Plastic Man is best-known for his laid back, jokester persona and his nearly limitless ability to edit his molecular structure.

However, except for his weakness to abrupt changes in temperature or certain corrosive chemicals Plastic Man is nearly invincible and presumed to be immortal. During the JLA storyline "Obsidian Age" it was revealed that Plastic Man spent over 3000 years as "little more than crumbs at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean," but once his body was reunited he reformed to continue fighting crime without skipping a beat.