As the saying goes, age and experience will beat youth and treachery. And when you're a superhero, regularly risking your life to save the world, the universe or even the multiverse, you need every edge you can get. But superheroes, unlike regular people, are often fortunate enough to escape the ravages of time. Some of them, already powerful, level up to even greater strength, thanks to high-tech equipment, or mystic incantations, or physical transformations, or even cosmic intervention.
Then again, some superheroes aren't so lucky. Some struggle with aging just as mere mortals do, but not the same way. The kinds of infirmities that hit the average Joe hit harder when you're a speedster or once-superior hand-to-hand fighter. Losing a step -- say, being able to run only at the speed of sound after you used to be able to run at the speed of light -- might not sound all that terrible to an ordinary schmoe, but to a superhero, it can be devastating. Worse still to the capes-and-tights crowd is if you can't rely on your powers or your skills the way you used to be able to in a fight. Or if you can't pull your weight with your fellow teammates anymore. Here, CBR looks at 10 older versions of superheroes who got stronger in their old age, and 10 who got weaker.
20 WEAKER -- ALL-STAR SUPERMAN
In the 12-issue maxiseries All-Star Superman (November 2005-October 2008), Lex Luthor executes his most dastardly plot against Superman. As a team of space explorers examines Earth's sun, they are rescued by Superman, who extends his bioelectric field around their spacecraft as a sunspot flares up.
That sunspot was caused by Luthor, with the result that Superman's body is overwhelmed with solar energy. In effect, Superman became weaker because he was too powerful; he had only one year to live. Over the course of the series, Superman moved to accomplish various good deeds for the planet, and revealed his secret identity to Lois Lane to make the most of their time together.
19 STRONGER -- THE MAESTRO
The Incredible Hulk is near the top of the Marvel Universe's heavyweights. He is strong enough to bear the weight of a mountain range on his shoulders, as he did in Secret Wars #4 (August 1984). That's 150 billion tons. And it's just one of his insane feats of strength, but even so, he got stronger in the future.
The Future Imperfect two-part special (December 1992-January 1993) had the Hulk time-travel 100 years into the future, in which Earth was ruled by a despot called the Maestro. Civilization was devastated because of a nuclear war, and the Maestro turned out to be the Hulk, whose body absorbed massive doses of radiation. This drove him mad, but also made him more powerful than ever.
18 WEAKER -- MC2 SPIDER-MAN
Spider-Man broke the mold when he came on the scene in Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962). He was a teenage superhero who wasn't a sidekick or a junior partner-in-training to a more seasoned adult hero. Over the years, Peter Parker has grown into manhood, graduated high school and college, and married and had a child.
In the MC2 future, that child, May Parker, is now a teenager in high school and a budding superhero in her own right. But Spider-Man doesn't fight alongside her. In the 1998 "Gathering of Five" and "Final Chapter" crossovers in the Spider-Man titles, Spider-Man had a climactic battle against the Green Goblin. In the MC2 future, he lost his right leg in that fight, and retired.
17 STRONGER -- CABLE
The X-Men ally Cable is the son of Cyclops (Scott Summers) of the X-Men and Madeline Pryor, who is the clone of Jean Grey. He was born in Uncanny X-Men #201 (January 1986). Later, the villain Apocalypse infected the baby, named Nathan Summers, with a techno-organic virus.
To save the infant's life, Scott Summers allowed him to be taken 2,000 years into the future by a member of Clan Askani, a 37th century cult of freedom fighters. The Clan Askani wanted the child to prevail in its fight against Apocalypse. As an adult, Cable became leader of X-Force, and gained an array of telekinetic and telepathic powers, as well as military skills.
16 WEAKER -- EARTH X WOLVERINE
From the start, Wolverine has been known as a fierce fighter. In his first complete appearance, Incredible Hulk #181 (October 1974), Wolverine was bold enough to take on the Hulk. He has rarely withdrawn from a challenge since, thanks to a combination of an adamantium-infused skeleton and a natural healing factor that lets him recover from any injury.
But in the 1999-2000Â Earth X miniseries, we see a slovenly Wolverine with a gut living with an equally slovenly Jean Grey, bickering like an old married couple (Earth X #5, August 1999). Later in the series, she declares she's leaving him -- and reveals she's really Madeline Pryor, which is something Wolverine's senses should have detected.
15 WEAKER -- BATMAN BEYOND BRUCE WAYNE
At the peak of his abilities, Batman can and has handled foes -- and sometimes allies -- with greater power and prowess, thanks to his keen mind, relentless physical regimen and, yes, extensive preparation. But Batman has no physical enhancements, and without any, he's just as susceptible as anyone to the toll that Father Time can place on the body.
Which is where we find Bruce Wayne in the distant future of the 1991-2001 animated series Batman Beyond. Wayne is in his 70s, a recluse who retired 20 years prior after suffering a heart attack. He forms a partnership with a teen named Terry McGinnis, who carries on as Batman in a high-tech battle suit.
14 STRONGER -- DOOM 2099
The armored despot Doctor Doom has been one of the Marvel Universe's most formidable villains since his first appearance in Fantastic Four #5 (July 1962). Doom wields the forces of science and sorcery with equal facility, but is often undone by his arrogance.
Doom found himself in the future, with no knowledge of how he got there, in the series Doom 2099, which ran from January 1993 to August 1996 after a preview in Marvel Comics Presents #118 (December 1992). Awakening in his Latverian homeland, Doom joins his gypsy clan and uses the technology of the future to create more powerful armor. He proceeds to liberate Latveria and then moves to conquer the United States.
13 WEAKER -- MARTIAN MANHUNTER
J'onn J'onzz, the Manhunter from Mars, is a founding member of the Justice League of America and a powerhouse of the team with great strength and prodigious array of abilities. He first appeared in Detective Comics #225 (November 1955), accidentally pulled to Earth by a teleportation beam invented by scientist Saul Erdel.
Erdel died, leaving J'onnz without a way to return home, so he made a life for himself as a police detective and superhero, always striving to understand humanity. But in the Elseworlds series Kingdom Come (May-August 1996), the Manhunter is a feeble shell of himself, barely able to hold his form together, after opening his mind to read the thoughts of everyone on Earth.
12 STRONGER -- THE FLASH (WALLY WEST)
Wally West was a boy when he visited his Barry Allen -- who was then the boyfriend of Wally's aunt, Iris West -- on the job. He experienced the same kind of accident that turned Allen into The Flash -- getting doused with a mess of chemicals while being struck by lightning. This happened in The Flash #110 (December 1959). West became Kid Flash, and then a founder of the Teen Titans.
West took over as The Flash in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (March 1986) after Allen lost his life in issue #8 (November 1985). He went on to become the greatest, fastest Flash of all, once he discovered the Speed Force, a source of energy from another dimension that powers the speedsters who know how to tap into it.
11 STRONGER -- THE GOLDEN AGE GREEN LANTERN
The Golden Age Green Lantern first appeared in All-American Comics #16 (July 1940). He was a founder of the Justice Society of America, and also headlined his own title. He was Alan Scott, who came upon the green lantern after a railroad bridge collapsed. The magical talisman told him to make a ring, which he used to focus the lantern's energies.
The source of power for this Green Lantern is the Starheart, a collection of energies trapped by the Guardians of the Universe that functions differently than the Power Battery that runs the Green Lantern Corps. Eventually, Scott merged with the Starheart, making him physically younger than his true age, and much more powerful.
10 WEAKER -- THE GOLDEN AGE FLASH
The first speedster to bear the name The Flash, Jay Garrick was a college student who gained the ability to move at super speed thanks to a laboratory accident in which he inhaled "hard water" vapors. His first appearance was in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940), and he went on to be a founder of the Justice Society of America.
After DC developed the parallel worlds concept with The Flash# 123 (September 1961), Garrick was presented as being from Earth-Two and older, relative to the new Flash from Earth-One, Barry Allen. As an old-timer, he's still formidable, but it's harder for his body to handle the Speed Force and he is slower than just about all of his cohorts who bear the Flash mantle.
9 STRONGER -- DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN WONDER WOMAN
Wonder Woman is an unparalleled powerhouse, but is often underestimated by allies and foes alike. Introduced in All-Star Comics #8 (January 1942), Wonder Woman soon went on to be the lead feature in Sensation Comics and headline her own title that year. But when she was added to the Justice Society of America in All-Star Comics #11 (June 1942), she was the group's secretary.
There's no relegating Wonder Woman to such a role in the future tale The Dark Knight Strikes Again (December 2001-July 2002). Here, in the middle of the tale, Brainiac has launched an assault on Metropolis and Wonder Woman fights back -- astride a winged horse, wielding lightning bolts from Zeus.
8 WEAKER -- BLACK PANTHER
T'Challa, the Black Panther, has enhanced physical abilities thanks to ingesting the Heart-Shaped Herb. But it doesn't make him invulnerable or impervious to damage. In Black Panther (Volume 3) #39 (February 2002), he has a fierce battle with a brainwashed Iron Fist, and comes away with an inoperable brain aneurysm.
The Black Panther dealt with the consequences of this injury -- or rather, mostly avoided dealing with them -- over the next 10 issues. But in issue #35 (October 2001) he also uncovered a counterpart Black Panther from 10 years in the future, who was dying from the same aneurysm. The future, older Panther is less grim, and the contemporary Panther tried saving his life by putting him in suspended animation.
7 STRONGER -- WILDCAT
Ted Grant's original superpower was just being tougher than the average guy -- so tough, he became the world heavyweight boxing champion, with the tutelage of "Socker" Smith, the previous title holder. But Smith's corrupt managers accidentally ended him with an overdose of poison and then put a hit on Grant to keep him from telling what he knew. In fleeing from the murder attempt, two police officers were offed, so Grant took on the Wildcat persona to prove the truth.
Along the way, Wildcat gained a "nine lives" power, which keeps him vigorous despite being around since the Golden Age of Comics and able to come back from injuries that would cripple or do worse to others. Wildcat first appeared in Sensation Comics #1 (January 1942).
6 WEAKER -- GOLDEN AGE BLACK CANARY
The original Black Canary debuted in Flash Comics #86 (August 1947). Dinah Drake was a crimefighter who often partnered with, and eventually married, police detective Larry Lance. Black Canary joined the Justice Society of America in 1948. With the creation of parallel worlds, Black Canary was one of several Golden Age characters reintroduced to the DC Universe.
Justice League of America #219-220 (October-November 1983) revealed that the Lances had a daughter, also named Dinah, who was kept in suspended animation from infancy to adulthood because she was cursed with an uncontrollable sonic scream. Black Canary, dying of radiation poisoning, had her memories transferred into her daughter by the Thunderbolt and the Earth-One Superman. All of that has been retconned away.
5 STRONGER -- THE INVISIBLE WOMAN
Sue Storm, initially known as the Invisible Girl, was once thought of as the weakest member of the Fantastic Four. In the book's debut, Fantastic Four (Volume 1) #1 (November 1961), all she could do was turn herself invisible. Fantastic Four #11 (February 1963) devotes a few pages to the team breaking the fourth wall and addressing reader complaints that Storm wasn't carrying her weight.
Things changed with issue #22 (January 1964). There, Storm first learned to project force fields and to turn other objects invisible. With time, training, necessity and growing confidence, Storm developed her abilities to the degree that she was now the powerhouse of the team. With issue #284 (November 1985), she changed her code name to the Invisible Woman. Even further in the future, an older Sue Storm has an even greater command of her powers, as seen in Fantastic Four #560.
4 WEAKER --Â OLD MAN HAWKEYE
Hawkeye moved from the shady side of the law to being a leader of the Avengers and the Thunderbolts, as well as mentor to the next generation of heroes. He began as an antagonist for Iron Man, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #57 (September 1964). He straightened up and joined the Avengers in Avengers (Volume 1) #16 (May 1965).
In the bleak time of Old Man Logan, some 50 years in the future -- Wolverine (Volume 3) #66-#72 (August 2008-June 2009) plus Giant-Size Wolverine: Old Man Logan #1 (November 2009) -- Hawkeye is now aged, and blind. He allies with Old Man Logan and they travel cross-country to deliver a package. Old Man Hawkeye was spun off into his own series in March 2018.
3
Just like Sue Storm evolved from being the weakest member of her team to the strongest, so did Jean Grey. She was a founding member of the original X-Men, debuting with the team in X-Men #1 (September 1963). Then a teenager, Grey had the power of telekinesis though her mutant abilities. She also was a telepath, but it was revealed that those powers were dampened by Professor Charles Xavier until she could control them.
After years of adventuring with the X-Men, Grey became linked to the Phoenix Force, a cosmic entity that masqueraded as her and became increasingly corrupt and evil, once wantonly destroying an inhabited planet.
2 STRONGER -- WICCAN
Wiccan first appeared in Young Avengers (Volume 1) #1 (April 2005). He was a teenager named Billy Kaplan, whose mutant electrokinetic powers were unleashed by the Scarlet Witch, who encouraged him to stand up to bullies. However, when he did, his new powers nearly cost the bully his life.
Kaplan adopted the name Wiccan and sought help from the Avengers, only to learn the team had been disbanded. However, the Vision had made provisions for the team to carry on, and Kaplan joined its replacement, the Young Avengers. In Young Avengers (Volume 2) #9 (October 2013), Loki reveals that Kaplan is a mage of such great power that he can potentially "rewrite the rules of magic" in the past and future "through all realities."
1 WEAKER -- CAPTAIN AMERICA
Steven Rogers is possibly the most famous 98-pound weakling of all time. But thanks to the grand experiment that had him injected with the Super-Soldier Serum, boosted by Vita-Rays (Captain America Comics [Volume 1] #1, March 1941), Rogers gained more than 100 pounds of muscle and became a physical specimen at the peak of human potential.
Unfortunately, he's learned the hard way, more than once, what happens when the Super-Soldier Serum is removed from his body. A recent occasion was in Captain America (Volume 7) #21 (August 2014). The villain Iron Nail shot Captain American with darts that reverted him to a 98-pound weakling, but one physically nearly a century old.