how could they lose?

[sgt.null]

In terms of abilities and raw power, the Composite Superman was one of the most powerful enemies Superman and Batman ever faced. In addition to all of Superman's powers (derived from Supergirl), the Composite Superman's strength and invulnerability levels were three times as powerful as Superman's because Legionnaires Mon-El and Ultra Boy were invulnerable and possessed super-strength. The Composite Superman also possessed numerous special powers, derived from various Legion members:

The ability to grow to giant size (Colossal Boy)
The ability to shrink (Shrinking Violet)
The ability to divide into 3 people (Triplicate Girl)
The ability to fire lightning bolts (Lightning Lad)
The ability to generate heat and light (Sun Boy)
The ability to make things super-lightweight (Light Lass)
The ability to make things super-heavy (Star Boy)
The ability to consume absolutely anything (Matter-Eater Lad)
The ability to turn invisible (Invisible Kid)
The ability to inflate into a large ball (Bouncing Boy)
The ability to stretch any part of his body (Elastic Lad)
The ability to shapeshift (Chameleon Boy)
Telepathy (Saturn Girl)
12th level intelligence (Brainiac 5)
Magnetic powers (Cosmic Boy)
X-ray vision that could see through anything, even lead (Ultra Boy)
The ability to transmute elements (Element Lad)
The ability to phase through solid matter (Phantom Girl)

[CovenantJr]

I can buy that Composite Superman would have increased super strength, but how can he have increased invulnerability? A person (creature, being, whatever) is either invulnerable or not.

[sgt.null]

I can buy that Composite Superman would have increased super strength, but how can he have increased invulnerability? A person (creature, being, whatever) is either invulnerable or not.

well in the Golden Age the bad guy was defeated because his invulnerability wasn't enough to beat x number of heroes. so there must be degrees of that power.

[emotional leper]

Superman is vulnerable to magic. Golden Age Green Lantern could easily kill him.

[dANdeLION]

The super-power that allows him to keep half a mask on his head alone would be enough to defeat most super villains....

[dlbpharmd]

The super-power that allows him to keep half a mask on his head alone would be enough to defeat most super villains....

[sgt.null]

the Super Adaptoid possesses the following templates. (powers & weapons)

Antman, Atlas, Beast, Black Knight, Luke Cage, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Citizen V, Dr. Druid, Goliath, Hawkeye, Hercules, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Iron Fist, Iron Man, Mach 1, Mr. Fantastic, Moonstone, Quasar, Quicksilver, Red Skull, Scarlet Witch, Songbird, Techno, Thing, Thor, Vision, Wasp.

[aTOMiC]

This one is a no brainer. Clearly, based on his costume, the super adaptoid found Hawkeye's powers the most appealing thereby giving him terrific aim when using a urinal but pretty useless otherwise.
His defeat was assured.

[sgt.null]

in reality the Adaptoid has the brains of Reed Richards and the power of a god (Thor) and two cosmic being (Marvel/Quasar) everything else should be gravy.

[dANdeLION]

Whoever wrote the owner's manual for the Adaptoid clearly exaggerated, and sometimes outright lied. Reed's brain? Thor's power?


Puh-leeze.

[TIC TAC]

Look it's all a matter of degrees.
Thor's power? That's ambigous. If well defined you would discover that Thor had the power to cut a huge one on command and the Adaptoid was gifted with that very useful ability. Reed's brain? Maybe Reeds IQ but not his actual brain, therefore the adaptoid was given a paper certificate with the number 223 written on it. So what! He still got his can kicked and that's really what this thread is all about. Cans getting kicked. Sometimes repeatedly.

[dANdeLION]

Seriously, the Adaptoid was beaten by Daredevil. Iron man defeated the Adaptoid, which isn't really a surprise, if it weren't for the fact that IM was having a heart-attack when they fought. Everybody who fights the Adaptoid wins convincingly.

[sgt.null]

Seriously, the Adaptoid was beaten by Daredevil. Iron man defeated the Adaptoid, which isn't really a surprise, if it weren't for the fact that IM was having a heart-attack when they fought. Everybody who fights the Adaptoid wins convincingly.

hence the title of the thread.

honestly if i had the Adaptoid's power I am fairly sure i could find some way to get rich.

[CovenantJr]

I can buy that Composite Superman would have increased super strength, but how can he have increased invulnerability? A person (creature, being, whatever) is either invulnerable or not.

well in the Golden Age the bad guy was defeated because his invulnerability wasn't enough to beat x number of heroes. so there must be degrees of that power.

Hell no. Invulnerable = 'incapable of being wounded, injured, or harmed' (from Merriam-Webster).

Clearly comic writers need to own more dictionaries. If someone can only be harmed by, say, 25 superheroes, they're not invulnerable, they're extremely resilient. Someone who's invulnerable cannot be harmed at all.

Yeah, I'm quibbling over semantics, but that's my favourite passtime.

[sgt.null]

Powers and abilities
Doomsday was created and evolved through cloning an infant and having it killed over and over again by one of the most dangerous species of the universe and in one of the harshest habitats in existence, prehistoric Krypton. As such, he returns to life and becomes resistant or immune to what killed him before. After the Radiant killed him the first time they fought Doomsday grew immune to the latter's energy-projection, and even managed to withstand Darkseid's full Omega-Effect. The amount of damage dealt to Doomsday determines the length of time it would take to fully recover. During his outwardly undamaged death at Superman's hands he only needed some months to recover, but when Imperiex reduced him to a skeleton, it could take a hundred years without assistance.

Doomsday can also develop/evolve resistance from ordinary injuries. In the Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey series Superman used a sound gun to greatly discomfort him, but Doomsday's auditory canals closed up, making him impervious to Superman's weapon. Waverider once paralyzed Doomsday with chronal energy, but the second attempt backlashed. In essence, Doomsday gradually turns more invulnerable if not injured beyond his ability to recover, which is so far undefined. Doomsday has also developed weapons and abilities that counters the powers of an opponent. He managed to cancel out the pure-energy Radiant by slamming into him, and greatly extend his claws and develop a poison to strike Superman in flight and reel him in (Also in Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey) or breathe flames against the fire-sensitive Martian Manhunter (Superman #175). As a result Doomsday is covered by bony protrusions that serve as added protection for his few vital organs (brain, eyes, nervous system) and as weapons (in the form of claws, fangs, and elbow/knee spurs).

Doomsday possesses extreme physical strength that even surpasses that of Superman, at one point enabling him to effortlessly stand his ground against the entire Justice League, including Superman and Orion (The Doomsday Wars). He was able to break Superman's left arm with limited effort, as well as outmatch and beat Darkseid unconscious in physical combat. (Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey) He is immensely resistant to heat, cold, and conventional damage, allowing him to survive on the most inhospitable worlds, or in the vacuum of space. Doomsday possesses seemingly inexhaustible stamina, and was not noticeably slowed down from fighting Superman for an entire day. His reflexes and speed are vastly beyond what's expected for his bulky size, and has been able to match Superman in this regard. He cannot fly, but rather travels by leaping miles at a time. Superman took advantage of this in their first battle by trying to keep him airborne, as the sky was his element.

Doomsday has a highly accelerated healing factor that allows him to quickly regenerate from most damage. When his side was cut by Superman with a plasma sword it closed within moments. As a result of his engineering, Doomsday does not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep and his body is almost solid mass.

Doomsday is now genetically Kryptonian due to his genes having been spliced with Kal-El's, however with the exception of his flame-breath he has displayed no additional abilities. In fact he was shown weaker than previously when he was singlehandedly beaten by Superman, which should not have been possible given previous accounts.

Due to his Kryptonian DNA, he is susceptible to Kryptonite. Unlike Superman, it causes him pain but cannot kill him. This was done to render him controllable.

[___]

He looks like a wimp to me.

[matrixman]

(risks poking nose into comics forum once more)

I never read the "Death of Superman" story involving Doomsday. He/it does seem to live up to his name, judging by that elaborate description. But I'm like Cov - I just throw up my hands in frustration over the contradictions and inconsistencies I've read in comic book stories.

Doomsday grew immune to the latter's energy-projection, and even managed to withstand Darkseid's full Omega-Effect.

How does one "grow immune" to a force that supposedly annihilates any material thing it encounters? Like you're going to have time to "get used" it?

The ability to consume absolutely anything (Matter-Eater Lad)

The ability to inflate into a large ball (Bouncing Boy)

I can let go some of those other titles and super-abilities, but...Matter-Eater Lad? Bouncing Boy?

I join with Cov in weeping tears of bitter despair.

[dANdeLION]

I want to know how one can know what happened in prehistoric Krypton, a fictitious planet that exploded 70 years ago, leaving nothing but radioactive particles, a beat-up spaceship and one baby boy. Oh, and a dog. And a few criminals. And a baby girl. And.......

[wayfriend]

On a semi-serious note, isn't this the basic flaw of developing any sort of dramatic story around super-heroes or super-villians? There is no interesting story about someone who is all-powerful or invulnerable. Therefore, they always inevitably have weaknesses and achilles heels. And, thereby, aren't all-powerful or invulnerable after all.

Each instance proposes a new hero or villian that is that much more all-powerful or invulnerable than the previous one. And then must fail. Repeat ad infinitum.

How much road is there before you hit the wall and create a superhero called God?

[CovenantJr]

How much road is there before you hit the wall and create a superhero called God?

Well, there's already been a game called 'Jesus: Kyoufu no Bio Monster'