Lets rationalize why certain top tier MAs don't have the ability to do quasi-mystical chi ampage ala Ironfist, Shang-Chi, Elektra and the Mandarin, yet are still in the same skill ballpark. Drop a of a name and come up with a reason why they can't, and if you have some examples of chi usage or something you think might be chi, from unlikely characters list them as well. DC characters are welcome, but since chi seems to be largely nonexistent (at least visible extensions of it) outside of Shiva's one time only dues-ex machina resurrection technique, I think that will be more difficult.
Captain America: Super Soldier Serum. Having his body augmented by outside sources likely buts Steve at a disadvantage. Hard for your mind and body to be one, when your body isn't even technically yours. Although, Steve has demonstrated at the very least a fundamental knowledge of Chi and was teaching Peter Parker to focus/harness it, he doesn't seem to have any practical uses for it.
Black Panther: Heart Shaped Herb? The superhuman enhancements from the Herb likely put T'Challa in the same boat as Steve Rogers.
Wolverine: The same reason he can't access the Alshra unaided. Wolverine is fundamentally at odds with himself on virtually every level. His mind is at odds with his body and his healing factor is at odds with his Adamantium skeleton. He will never achieve the necessary harmony needed to access the the Alshra or harness his chi in any substantial way.
Daredevil: While his radar sense was originally a side affect of being blinded by radio active waste, he lost that ability. The radar sense he has now he was taught by Stick which is an extension of skill and arguably a chi ability.
Taskmaster: Has shown some chi ampage in the passed. He has demonstrated an "iron-fist" technique that will stop a mans heart with one blow which was attributed to chi. I would also attribute his ability to briefly boost his speed to the levels need to catch bullets and blitz a bullet timer as a chi ability, but that was never stated.
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Chi is simply a different skill than martial arts. Martial arts mastery allows and is complemented by it, but is not the same thing.
Note also how different Chi users manifest it in different ways and different amounts. All the Immortal Weapons can use chi, but Dog Brother #1 and Tiger's Beautiful Daughter don't have any Iron Fist-esque abilities, just healing and perhaps physical amping. Elektra's chi is different from Danny's is different from Shang Chi's is different from the previous Iron Fist's.
Except some characters who have undergone largely the same training vary with one character having displayed chi abilities while others haven't, or characters have been taught by characters with substantial chi / mystical abilities that weren't imparted on their students. Obviously the manifestation of the a characters chi differs but no manifestation at all calls for some sort of explanation.
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There's some chi skills that overlap (are more basic?), and some that are more unique.
Perhaps there's some other component and some people aren't as able to chi manipulate as others, or the teachers are selective on who gets taught. Perhaps it requires a mental component.
I think chi (in marvel) manipulation is an extension of martial skill. People like Cap use MA more as combatives. I think at some point the MA'ers get to a point where their mastery of martial arts break through a purely physical level and goes into a spiritual level as well. Chi is an extension of that focus.
Some chi users can use chi for basic purposes, i.e. pain control, a powerful punch, senses etc. (The Cat?, DD, Task master) Then you have the next level of chi control, i.e. chi manipulation for offensive/defensive purposes. (Shang Chi , Elektra). Those people have nearly mastered chi use. Then you have the uber chi masters, Mandarin, Temugin, Iron Fist. They can use chi for nearly any purpose be it energy manipulation/projection, healing of themselves or others, super speed, strength and durability etc.
This actually IMO is what begins to separate the uber MA'ers from the top tier MA'ers. I don't see a master level chi user losing to a street level or even a basic chi user without heavy doses of enhancements, PIS, CIS or just plain bad writing. They should be at the top of the top tier.
1. Attempt at a logical reason.
Chi is a result of specific training: it doesn't blossom full-blown simply because one is a MA expert. Unless someone like Cap / Daredevil / Wolverine have spent sufficient time training specifically to access chi, I don't see why they should be able to master it as well as someone deliberately seeking to do so. All else being equal, a black belt in karate will not be able to access chi as well as an akido master: the training is different. It also depends on what the character is used to relying on. Why would Wolverine want to put forth the required mental training if he can get the job done more quickly with his claws and healing factor.
2. Attempt at a comicological reason.
Characters and powers tend to be "territorial," ie, certain powers/characteristics become signature for some characters but not for others. As such, eg, Captain America has been designed to be powerful for defined reasons, while Iron Fist has been designed to be powerful for other reasons. One character shall not invade the others' territory, otherwise you blur what makes each of them unique. For example: the Hulk can leap great distances because of his leg strength. Other characters are not that much weaker than him, yet we don't see them leaping almost-as-great distances. Why? Because "leaping great distances" is one of the hulk's signature moves, not Ben Grimm's or Colossus' (at least, afaik).
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May 20th, 2010 11:30 PM
