History LetsGetDangerous / ComicBooks

* Many members of ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational are this as well, when they're not being {{Flanderized}}. These include Elongated Man Ralph Dibny, who had the same powers as the aforementioned Plastic Man, a woman who once commanded Darkseid's legions (Big Barda), a god-level genus who could get out of any trap ever devised (Mr. Miracle), an ice goddess (Ice), a woman with fire powers (Fire), one of the most skilled martial artists in the world (Black Canary), a man who could create things out of pure willpower ([[Franchise/GreenLantern Guy Gardner]])...most of the time they were just hanging around trying to bumble their why through real world problems, but these were people who regularly teamed up with [[{{Superman}} Power Girl]], ComicBook/MartianManhunter and Franchise/{{Batman}} himself.

* Disney Italy's creation of Paperinik years. The basic idea is DonaldDuck as either an avenger of himself, a SuperHero, or a combination of the two, DependingOnTheWriter (it was originally an avenger of himself, being inspired to freakin' ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}). ''Not'' depending on the writer, he's always awesome: a typical instance of avenging Paperinik is the first story, where he stole Scrooge's money-filled bed ''while he was sleeping on it'' (he [[LampshadeHanging pointed out stealing some of the money bags lying around the room would have been just as lucrative but not as awesome as he was doing it]]), humiliated the police multiple times, ran everyone through a merry chase, and (accidentally) framed Gladstone for all of this (you may understand why stories with the Avenging!Paperinik play him as TheDreaded); and a superhero, Paperinik is pretty much ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', only somewhat goofier and a lot more ''workaholic'' (Batman doesn't visit crooks of other towns to scare them in staying out of his way, after all); and as a combination of the two... Well, one time the Beagle Boys organized a marathon with Paperinik's identity (that they didn't know) as the prize to successfully convince every single person in town to leave while they sacked it, and Paperinik's interference ended up getting them caught red-handed and beaten up by the ''entire population of Duckburg'' (he could have stopped them easily in other ways, but it wouldn't have been as punishing). ''[[UpToEleven Then]]'' [[UpToEleven Disney Italy decided Paperinik needed to]] TakeALevelInBadass, and created the series ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures''.

In JLA issues 52-54 (collected in the ''Divided We Fall TPB''), in which the Justice League were divided between the superhero selves and their civilian identities, Plastic Man pretty much became a dadaist lunatic unable to concentrate on anything, more or less a [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] version of his usual personality. ''Eel O'Brian'', on the other hand, was a mean as hell BadassLongcoat who rallied the civilian identity squad together and acted as their leader, not to mention delivering a brutal mocking as he beat the crap out of Bruce Wayne.

* ComicBook/PlasticMan in the ''Franchise/{{Justice League| Of America}}'' comics was often this. Despite nominally being the comic relief, he kicked bad guy ass so often that Franchise/{{Batman}} classed him as possibly the most dangerous member of the League. At one point, someone writes Plastic Man off as a useless addition to the team, whereupon Batman points out that this is someone that has survived being shattered into millions of pieces and scattered on the ocean's floor for thousands of years, and is not to be trifled with. Notably, in Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain'', one character refers to him as "Immeasurably powerful. Absolutely nuts," and asserts that he could kill them all with ease. \\
When the ComicBook/MartianManhunter turned into a crazy, homicidal Burning Martian who took out the rest of the JLA with ease, Plastic Man was the one who took him on. Single-handedly. It turns out that the main reason Batman wanted Plastic Man on the team was to have somebody who could stop the Martian Manhunter if he went rogue. Because [[CrazyPrepared he's Batman]].\\

* In the ''ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Season 8 comic ''Wolves at the Gate,'' we have Dracula. While he is technically as dangerous as any other vampire, he is mostly played for laughs both in his one appearance during the TV show and during the comic. However, in the final battle of the issue, he delivers a chilling reminder of just how dangerous he can be when he's derided as an old man by one of the enemy leaders along with an awesome speech:
-->'''Dracula''': "Did you forget who I used to be? I've killed more men than God's plagues combined. And that was before I started eating people for fun. The fields of Europe used to stream with the blood of my enemies. Trust me... the vampire's the least of your concerns. It's the old man you need to worry about."

* ComicBook/{{Rogue}} of the ComicBook/XMen is usually reluctant to use her powers to drain someone, given all the grief it's caused her and others; if she ever takes off her gloves, that's the sign she's been pushed hard enough that she's willing to say the hell with it and use them. (Seeing as the power requires skin-to-skin contact to use.)

* In the ''ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Season 8 comic ''Wolves at the Gate,'' we have Dracula. While he is technically as dangerous as any other vampire, he is mostly played for laughs both in his one appearance during the TV show and during the comic. However, in the final battle of the issue, he delivers a chilling reminder of just how dangerous he can be when he's derided as an old man by one of the enemy leaders along with an [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome speech]]:

** In ''Comicbook/WarWorld'', Superman and Supergirl try a frontal attack against the eponymous KillSat after surviving Warworld's weakest weapon. Mongul decides he has had it and shoots his whole arsenal.
** In the "Superman and the Legion Of Super-Heroes" storyline in ''Comicbook/ActionComics'', not only do a group of third-rate villains [[NotSoHarmlessVillain take over the world]], but they're stopped in large part by the Legion of Substitute Heroes, a team that raises WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway to an art form. The Subs don't have crappy powers (one of them has all the energy projection powers of the ENTIRE EMOTIONAL SPECTRUM, for example, from the GL comics), they just have sucky methods of using them. Stone Boy, sure, he has crap powers. But Fire Lad, Chlorophyll Kid, and Rainbow Girl? Just not the best methods of application for their powers. When they use them well? It's pure awesome.
** In the Silver Age Superman story "The Most Amazing Camera in the World", a criminal, having gotten ahold of some Kryptonite, has the Man of Steel at his mercy. ComicBook/JimmyOlsen, observing this with horror, runs into the room, brings down the crook with a flying tackle to the knees, and relieves him of the Kryptonite.
* Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}: In a Franchise/TeenTitans issue, ''[[Comicbook/{{Supergirl 2005}} Post-Crisis Kara]]'' and Miss Martian come to blows. Kara thinks M'gann is not in her League until the Martian girl punches her hard. Supergirl then gets serious and fights Miss Martian hard.

* ''Comicbook/{{Empowered}}'' is a case of this happening to the main character. Four out of five times, poor [[FauxActionGirl Emp]] winds up [[BoundAndGagged tied up]], beat up, and/or [[TheWoobie humiliated]]. That fifth time, though, is generally a thing of beauty, up to and including the point where she imprisoned an unstoppable monster in a set of power-draining alien bondage gear after it tossed her more-powerful teammates around like rag dolls. Plus the fact that she uses her head, but she has a definite CrowningMomentOfAwesome in Volume 4 when she [[spoiler:introduces Fleshmaster/dWARF! to the true meaning of a CurbStompBattle.]]

** In ''Comicbook/SupermanVsTheAmazingSpiderMan'' Comicbook/DoctorOctopus nearly kills Spider-Man at the beginning of their fight because Spidey wasn't taking him seriously. Peter realizes his mistake and decides it's time to get serious.

* During the climax of "[[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW The Return of Queen Chrysalis]]", where Twilight's friends and the three Crusader fillies have been captured, and Chrysalis is [[FallenHero about to corrupt Twilight]] and gloats that [[TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget she will destroy them herself after being turned to the dark side.]] Twilight gets pissed and immediately blasts a massive hole through ''a stone castle wall,'' leaving astonished {{Jaw Drop}}s all around.

* The second ComicBook/BlueBeetle, Ted Kord, was a goofy practical joker who didn't seem to take things seriously most of the time and who's only weapons were ridiculous gadgets and some martial arts training, so he was usually seen as a second-rate Batman. The thing is, "second-rate Batman" is still way more badass than any normal human being has the right to be, and he was still an extremely competent fighter and a GadgeteerGenius bordering [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark-levels]] of intellegence. It's also worth noting that while the other two Blue Beetles gained superpowers from the [[AlienArtifact Scarab]], Ted was always a BadassNormal, and he still managed to keep up with them.

* Many members of ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational are this as well, when they're not being {{Flanderized}}. These include Elongated Man Ralph Dibny, who had the same powers as the aforementioned Plastic Man, a woman who once commanded Darkseid's legions (Big Barda), a god-level genus who could get out of any trap ever devised (Mr. Miracle), an ice goddess (Ice), a woman with fire powers (Fire), one of the most skilled martial artists in the world (Black Canary), a man who could create things out of pure willpower (Guy Gardener/GreenLantern)...most of the time they were just hanging around trying to bumble their why through real world problems, but these were people who regularly teamed up with [[{{Superman}} Power Girl]], ComicBook/MartianManhunter and Franchise/{{Batman}} himself.

* The first book of ''RicketyStitchAndTheGelatinousGoo'' introduces L. Nerman Fuddle, a happy-go-lucky gnome hermit who surrounds himself with friendly woodland creatures. When Stitch is sent by an ogre to lure Fuddle into a trap, the gnome is utterly unable to see through his PaperThinDisguise and BlatantLies and will be no match for the ogre. [[spoiler:That is, until the reveal that he's a retired wizard in control the whole time, along for the ride to see what would happen and powerful enough to face the ogre solo. Oh, and the L stands for Lich-bane.]]

* In ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'', Volstagg the Voluminous was originally known for being a [[BigFun fat and jolly]] goof with [[MilesGloriosus a penchant for bragging that belied his actual cowardice]]. Then it turns out, he's actually got a huge family of children, biological and adopted, whom he loves very much. So much so that when they get threatened, the cowardly braggart goes away and what's left is a [[StoutStrength fat but super-strong]] BoisterousBruiser who will not hesitate to kick ass for their sake. The man (well, Asgardian) once single-handedly kicked an ''army'' out of Asgard to protect his kids. Over the years, however, Volstagg has turned into more of a general BoisterousBruiser.

** Spidey is well-known for his tendency to [[YouFightLikeACow make jokes and wisecracks while fighting]]. Most villains (and fellow heroes) often find this annoying. However, the alternative, [[TranquilFury when he stops joking]], will be a beating so severe that Spidey ''might'' forget not to ''beat the person to death''.

* In ''ComicBook/TheAstoundingWolfMan'', Cecil assembles a crew of all of the series' [[{{Badass}} badasses]] to storm a corrupt research facility. Before they go jumping out of their plane, we see Wolf-Man, Gray Wolf, Vampire Girl, Mecha-Maid, Agent Hunter, and Donald lined up with loads and loads of [[MoreDakka dakka]] and {{BFG}}s. Oh yes, dangerous indeed.

* Comes up occasionally in DC's ''Comicbook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'' comic regarding the Legion of Substitute Heroes, a group of misfit heroes rejected for Legion membership because [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway their powers are lame]]. A particularly notable example appears in Creator/GailSimone's four-issue "[[http://legionabstract.blogspot.com/2006/12/legionnaires-for-no-better-reason.html For No Better Reason]]" storyline: after all hell breaks loose on Earth, Legion support staff member Chuck Taine sends the team the only backup he can find -- apparent CListFodder from the Legion Academy. Who proceed to kick butt and take names.
* In the "Franchise/{{Superman}} and the Comicbook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}}" storyline in ''Action Comics'', not only do a group of third-rate villains [[NotSoHarmlessVillain take over the world]], but they're stopped in large part by the Legion of Substitute Heroes, a team that raises WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway to an art form. The Subs don't have crappy powers (one of them has all the energy projection powers of the ENTIRE EMOTIONAL SPECTRUM, for example, from the GL comics), they just have sucky methods of using them. Stone Boy, sure, he has crap powers. But Fire Lad, Chlorophyll Kid, and Rainbow Girl? Just not the best methods of application for their powers. When they use them well? It's pure awesome.
* In the Silver Age Superman story "The Most Amazing Camera in the World", a criminal, having gotten ahold of some Kryptonite, has the Man of Steel at his mercy. ComicBook/JimmyOlsen, observing this with horror, runs into the room, brings down the crook with a flying tackle to the knees, and relieves him of the Kryptonite.

* {{Spider-Man}} himself is constantly underestimated. He's not the strongest or toughest guy, certainly not the most powerful, and makes endless jokes and is generally a goofball but his combination of powers and wits makes him surprisingly formidable especially when he gets serious. He's taken down all the X-men at the same time, tackled the Fantastic Four and beat the herald of Galactus when he finally decided to pull out all the stops.

* Comes up occasionally in DC's ''Comicbook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'' comic regarding the Legion of Substitute Heroes, a group of misfit heroes rejected for Legion membership because [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway their powers are lame]]. A particularly notable example appears in GailSimone's four-issue "[[http://legionabstract.blogspot.com/2006/12/legionnaires-for-no-better-reason.html For No Better Reason]]" storyline: after all hell breaks loose on Earth, Legion support staff member Chuck Taine sends the team the only backup he can find -- apparent CListFodder from the Legion Academy. Who proceed to kick butt and take names.

* ComicBook/{{Rogue}} of the {{XMen}} is usually reluctant to use her powers to drain someone, given all the grief it's caused her and others; if she ever takes off her gloves, that's the sign she's been pushed hard enough that she's willing to say the hell with it and use them. (Seeing as the power requires skin-to-skin contact to use.)

* In ''TheMightyThor'', Volstagg the Voluminous was originally known for being a [[BigFun fat and jolly]] goof with [[MilesGloriosus a penchant for bragging that belied his actual cowardice]]. Then it turns out, he's actually got a huge family of children, biological and adopted, whom he loves very much. So much so that when they get threatened, the cowardly braggart goes away and what's left is a [[StoutStrength fat but super-strong]] BoisterousBruiser who will not hesitate to kick ass for their sake. The man (well, Asgardian) once single-handedly kicked an ''army'' out of Asgard to protect his kids. Over the years, however, Volstagg has turned into more of a general BoisterousBruiser.

* ComicBook/PlasticMan in the ''Franchise/{{Justice League| Of America}}'' comics was often this. Despite nominally being the comic relief, he kicked bad guy ass so often that Franchise/{{Batman}} classed him as possibly the most dangerous member of the League. At one point, someone writes Plastic Man off as a useless addition to the team, whereupon Batman points out that this is someone that has survived being shattered into millions of pieces and scattered on the ocean's floor for thousands of years, and is not to be trifled with. Notably, in Creator/FrankMiller's ''TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain'', one character refers to him as "Immeasurably powerful. Absolutely nuts," and asserts that he could kill them all with ease. \\

* In ''TheAstoundingWolfMan'', Cecil assembles a crew of all of the series' [[{{Badass}} badasses]] to storm a corrupt research facility. Before they go jumping out of their plane, we see Wolf-Man, Gray Wolf, Vampire Girl, Mecha-Maid, Agent Hunter, and Donald lined up with loads and loads of [[MoreDakka dakka]] and {{BFG}}s. Oh yes, dangerous indeed.

* ComicBook/PlasticMan in the ''{{Justice League| Of America}}'' comics was often this. Despite nominally being the comic relief, he kicked bad guy ass so often that Franchise/{{Batman}} classed him as possibly the most dangerous member of the League. At one point, someone writes Plastic Man off as a useless addition to the team, whereupon Batman points out that this is someone that has survived being shattered into millions of pieces and scattered on the ocean's floor for thousands of years, and is not to be trifled with. Notably, in Creator/FrankMiller's ''TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain'', one character refers to him as "Immeasurably powerful. Absolutely nuts," and asserts that he could kill them all with ease. \\

* Many members of JusticeLeagueInternational are this as well, when they're not being {{Flanderized}}. These include Elongated Man Ralph Dibny, who had the same powers as the aforementioned Plastic Man, a woman who once commanded Darkseid's legions (Big Barda), a god-level genus who could get out of any trap ever devised (Mr. Miracle), an ice goddess (Ice), a woman with fire powers (Fire), one of the most skilled martial artists in the world (Black Canary), a man who could create things out of pure willpower (Guy Gardener/GreenLantern)...most of the time they were just hanging around trying to bumble their why through real world problems, but these were people who regularly teamed up with [[{{Superman}} Power Girl]], ComicBook/MartianManhunter and Franchise/{{Batman}} himself.

* The whole point of one section of ''TheDarkKnightReturns'' is the lead up to a shopkeeper realising that when a little old lady is mugged outside your store, all it takes is to shout a bit and get one hit in on the mugger to make it right.

* Disney Italy's creation of Paperinik years. The basic idea is DonaldDuck as either an avenger of himself, a SuperHero, or a combination of the two, DependingOnTheWriter (it was originally an avenger of himself, being inspired to freakin' ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}). ''Not'' depending on the writer, he's always awesome: a typical instance of avenging Paperinik is the first story, where he stole Scrooge's money-filled bed ''while he was sleeping on it'' (he [[LampshadeHanging pointed out stealing some of the money bags lying around the room would have been just as lucrative but not as awesome as he was doing it]]), humiliated the police multiple times, ran everyone through a merry chase, and (accidentally) framed Gladstone for all of this (you may understand why stories with the Avenging!Paperinik play him as TheDreaded); and a superhero, Paperinik is pretty much ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', only somewhat goofier and a lot more ''workaholic'' (Batman doesn't visit crooks of other towns to scare them in staying out of his way, after all); and as a combination of the two... Well, one time the Beagle Boys organized a marathon with Paperinik's identity (that they didn't know) as the prize to successfully convince every single person in town to leave while they sacked it, and Paperinik's interference ended up getting them caught red-handed and beaten up by the ''entire population of Duckburg'' (he could have stopped them easily in other ways, but it wouldn't have been as punishing). ''[[UpToEleven Then]]'' [[UpToEleven Disney Italy decided Paperinik needed to]] TakeALevelInBadass, and created the series ''PaperinikNewAdventures''.

* The second BlueBeetle, Ted Kord, was a goofy practical joker who didn't seem to take things seriously most of the time and who's only weapons were ridiculous gadgets and some martial arts training, so he was usually seen as a second-rate Batman. The thing is, "second-rate Batman" is still way more badass than any normal human being has the right to be, and he was still an extremely competent fighter and a GadgeteerGenius bordering [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark-levels]] of intellegence. It's also worth noting that while the other two Blue Beetles gained superpowers from the [[AlienArtifact Scarab]], Ted was always a BadassNormal, and he still managed to keep up with them.

* During the climax of "The Return of Queen Chrysalis", where Twilight's friends and the three Crusader fillies have been captured, and Chrysalis is [[FallenHero about to corrupt Twilight]] and gloats that [[TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget she will destroy them herself after being turned to the dark side.]] Twilight gets pissed and immediately blasts a massive hole through ''a stone castle wall,'' leaving astonished {{Jaw Drop}}s all around.

* Rogue of the {{XMen}} is usually reluctant to use her powers to drain someone, given all the grief it's caused her and others; if she ever takes off her gloves, that's the sign she's been pushed hard enough that she's willing to say the hell with it and use them. (Seeing as the power requires skin-to-skin contact to use.)

When the MartianManhunter turned into a crazy, homicidal Burning Martian who took out the rest of the JLA with ease, Plastic Man was the one who took him on. Single-handedly. It turns out that the main reason Batman wanted Plastic Man on the team was to have somebody who could stop the Martian Manhunter if he went rogue. Because [[CrazyPrepared he's Batman]].\\

* Many members of JusticeLeagueInternational are this as well, when they're not being {{Flanderized}}. These include Elongated Man Ralph Dibny, who had the same powers as the aforementioned Plastic Man, a woman who once commanded Darkseid's legions (Big Barda), a god-level genus who could get out of any trap ever devised (Mr. Miracle), an ice goddess (Ice), a woman with fire powers (Fire), one of the most skilled martial artists in the world (Black Canary), a man who could create things out of pure willpower (Guy Gardener/GreenLantern)...most of the time they were just hanging around trying to bumble their why through real world problems, but these were people who regularly teamed up with [[{{Superman}} Power Girl]], MartianManhunter and Franchise/{{Batman}} himself.