How do underpowered superheroes stay in business?
By "business" I, essentially, mean alive. Time and again, we see underpowered superheroes-- acrobats, martial artists, soldiers-- with enough moxie and grit to keep them in the game when their "peers" with the ability to fly and shoot lasers, or manipulate the elements have been taken out of the fight.
For my money, the perfect case study is the partnership between The Icon and the enigmatic Kasey Jones.
We all know The Icon. He is, forgive me, iconic. He flies. His flesh is invulnerable. He hurls blasts of electricity from his hands like a Greek god, or at least an early 90s video game character.
Chances are you know Kasey as well. She's the one who blatantly stole her identity from a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character; Raphael #1, 1985. (Note- this may be incorrect, as I refuse to fact-check my Ninja Turtles trivia as a matter of pride. If I'm wrong, leave a note in the comments column). Kasey's unique twist is, instead of a hulking master of stealth and violence, she's female master of stealth and violence. She has a great body, scantily covered by Kung-Fu pants and a sleeveless shirt that refuses to cover her belly-button. Even with the ever-present hockey mask, she's a frequent character in the fantasies of young men whose proclivities run toward capes and crime fighting. True to character, she even shouts "Goongala" before bashing in her opponents face.
We've seen these two fight side by side at least a dozen times on the national news, more if you follow any of the superhuman television/radio/magazines, or if you read web-based superhero-related news outlets, which you do.
Kasey has no apparent superpowers, unless creating a baseball bat focused martial art is a superpower. She's faster than a normal human. But so is every Olympic runner. She's strong for a woman her size and weight, but not impossibly so. Her perception may be a little quicker than everyone else's, but she isn't clairvoyant. She has an edge, but one that comes through strict training, not superpowers.
Theories abound on how she manages to stay on the same relative powerlevel as heroes like The Icon: cybernetic implants, unconscious use of fate/probability manipulation, drugs, she's faking not having powers. But my favorite explanation is this: she's good.
I don't mean to say she's skilled, which she is. I mean that she is a genuinely good person. Before you get your feathers ruffled, let me say this: we all know genuinely good people. None of them dance around with belly shirts, beating invading aliens bloody with a Louisville Slugger. Ask yourself this. How many of the truly good people you know have the drive to truly make a difference? Do they? Make a difference I mean. The ones who do probably lead community organizations, feed the poor, direct neighborhood watch groups, volunteer their time caring for the sick and dying. They're real heroes. Now, imagine they had the drive to help the world on a large scale. You end up with one of the true greats; Gandhi or Mother Teresa. Now, imagine this hypothetical person's skill set tended toward war instead of peace. Make her a beautiful woman, with a warrior princess's body. Put a hockey mask on her. You get my point.
What am I implying? That our homegrown heroes, our pugilists and vigilantes who choose to go toe-to-toe against villains dangerously above their power level, are some variety of warrior saints? Well, yes.
I believe that God, or the Universe or Karma or Whatever, smiles on these people for what they do and for their dedication to a righteous cause. I won't presume to guess who is responsible. That's not my place. But I will tip my hat and say thankya to whomever it is. Don't believe me? That's fine. We live in a world of secret hideouts and death rays, giant robots and power blasts. Today's headline the Tribune was about a dog who can wreathe himself in flame or turn into stone because he is infused with the elemental energies of creation. You'll forgive me a little indulgence in the fantastic.
Cheers,
-B.H.
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