Action is a very important part of comics, even though it's a static medium. The sheer spectacle of superpowered beings battling it out has kept readers coming back for years. Marvel and DC both have showcased heroes and villains with a variety of fighting styles over the years, showcasing martial arts masters and experts in all manners of weapons.

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Some fighting styles and weapons have gotten more popular than others over the years, leading them to become rather played out when it comes right down to it. There are plenty of other fighting styles that could be brought into comics that would be more interesting than the same old same old.

10 Overdone Fighting Style: Boxing Is So Played Out

DC Wildcat Batman 1

One of DC's oldest heroes is Wildcat, a champion boxer who gained nine lives and fought alongside the Justice Society. Wildcat was the first of many boxing-themed heroes but he wouldn't be the last, as many heroes in DC and beyond brought the sweet science into comics. Even heroes like Green Arrow and Green Lantern got into, using boxing glove-themed weapons and attacks.

With all of the great martial artists in the DC Universe, so many DC heroes went back to boxing well. It wasn't as prevalent over at Marvel but it was still there, making the whole thing feel rather played out.

9 Style We Don't See Enough Of: Supergirl's Kryptonian Martial Arts Have Never Been Expanded On

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One of the greatest things about comics is the ability to create entirely new martial arts. This happened with Supergirl, as it was established that she learned Kryptonian martial arts before she was placed in the rocket that saved her from the destruction of Krypton. It's this greater fighting ability that has set her apart from her cousin and yet it's rarely ever been shown as anything special.

It's bizarre that it's established that Supergirl is a martial artist and yet it's never expanded on. Having someone show her using Kryptonian martial arts would be very interesting and a change from the same martial arts readers are used to, especially if she taught others.

8 Overdone Fighting Style: Bow And Arrow Wielding Heroes Are Hard To Make Unique

Green Arrow ready to shoot an arrow

The bow and arrow is one of the most iconic weapons in human history. It was a great equalizer, making any peasant armed with a bow and arrow a danger to a knight in full plate armor. Robin Hood was certainly an inspiration on comic heroes and this shows in Green Arrow. Marvel would eventually introduce Hawkeye and both publishers were off to the races with bow and arrow armed heroes.

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Since then, trick arrows have been introduced to liven up the whole thing and make it make sense against superpowered foes but it's still weird that so many heroes use bows and arrows in comics.

7 Style We Don't See Enough Of: Spear Fighting Is Way Cooler Than It Seems

Javelin in DC Comics

Bows and arrows get a lot of play in comics because they're long-range weapons and a cool visual that audiences are used to but they are pretty useless for hand-to-hand combat. The same can't be said for a spear. Spears work well as both a long-range weapon as they do when enemies close in on the user, allowing the user to bludgeon with blunt side or slash with the bladed side.

While one has to retrieve a spear when it's thrown, a spear fighter has advantages that a bow user doesn't and there are all kinds of cool visuals that can be gleaned from spear fighting. More spears users in comics would be great.

6 Overdone Fighting Style: So Many Heroes Use Swords

Black Knight and Excalibur

Swords are another weapon that are extremely important to human history and there are as many different types of swordfighting styles as there are types of swords. It's always been a bit strange that so many heroes are armed with swords. Swords are extremely lethal weapons when used correctly; removing a limb is enough to cause someone to bleed to death and a slash across the torso is often lethal.

Superheroes are not usually about killing, so having so many use a weapon that is very hard to use non-lethally has always been odd. Beyond that, there are so many heroes and villains who use swords that they have become a cliche.

5 Style We Don't See Enough Of: Judo Is A Great Defensive Based Style

judomaster in who's who

Judo is a modern martial art, created in Japan towards the end of the 19th century. It's mostly known as a defensive art, where the user turns their opponent's attacks back upon them. Developed for the moral and physical betterment of its practitioners, judo is kind of perfect for a lot of superheroes.

Captain America uses it sometimes and the various Judomasters of the DC Universe have also practiced it but it's not highlighted nearly as much as other martial arts in comics. As a defensive style, it seems tailor-made for a lot of superheroes, allowing them to deal with their foes in a non-lethal but definitive manner.

4 Overdone Fighting Style: Kung-Fu Is So Played Out

Shang-Chi and the Celestial Order of Si-Fan assassins

Kung-Fu had a big renaissance in the United States thanks to actor Bruce Lee and comics followed. This Chinese martial art has been practiced for centuries and comics went all-in on it, with Marvel creating characters like Shang-Chi and Iron Fist. Both were masters of Kung-Fu, with Iron Fist's chi mastery giving him the power of the Iron Fist and Shang-Chi basically being superpowered because of extreme mastery of the art.

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Kung-Fu is a big part of pop culture and comics have often followed pop culture. That doesn't mean it isn't a played-out fighting style, as anyone using it in comics is suddenly some all-powerful master of fighting secrets that act more as a superpower than a fighting style.

3 Style We Don't See Enough Of: Savate Is A French Created Style Of Kickboxing

Batroc The Leaper

Kickboxing is pretty cool in general and underdone in comics. There are several styles out there, including Muay Thai, but one that is used in comics by only one person is Savate. Batroc the Leaper is a Captain America villain and one of comic's greatest mercenaries, with his mastery of Savate being the reason for this.

Savate combines hand and foot strikes, taking the best of kickboxing and boxing and melding them together. It's an interesting martial art that Batroc has used to challenge some of the best fighters in the Marvel Universe and it would be great to see more characters use it.

2 Overdone Fighting Style: Ninja Are A Dime A Dozen

Daredevil The Hand Ninjas

Ninja became a big thing in the '80s, with creators like Chris Claremont and Frank Miller bringing their love of them over to comics. The fighting art of Japanese assassins, ninjitsu and comics have gone hand in hand for decades now. At this point, it's easier to list heroes who aren't ninja than it is to list ones who are.

Ninjitsu is a go-to martial art for many heroes and villains and ninja themselves have made amazing cannon fodder over the years, with the Hand clan of ninja being a favorite in the Marvel Universe. Ninja are an inescapable part of comics.

1 Style We Don't See Enough Of: Karate Isn't As Common As It Seems It Should Be

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Karate is another Japanese martial art that gained popularity in the '80s but even before that, there was a karate-using character in comics, Legion of Superheroes member Karate Kid, debuting in 1966. He's pretty much the only high-profile karate-using hero. While many heroes are said to know Karate, it's not as prevalent as other martial arts.

Karate dojos are quite common in many parts of the world but it hasn't gotten the same love in comics that Ninjitsu and Kung-Fu have. This has always been bizarre and the fact that aren't more karate-themed heroes is odd.

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