To determine whether a fight between Blue Marvel and Superboy is close, let’s analyze their powers, abilities, and the opponents they’ve faced. We’ll look at the context of their most notable battles and compare the relative strength and feats of their adversaries.
Blue Marvel (Adam Brashear)
• Powers/Abilities:
• Energy manipulation (antimatter-based).
• Superhuman strength (can lift 100 tons+).
• Near-invulnerability (has taken punches from the Sentry and King Hyperion).
• Super speed, stamina, and durability.
• Genius-level intellect in physics and engineering.
• Notable Opponents:
1. Anti-Man: A being with the ability to manipulate vast amounts of energy, rivaling cosmic entities. Blue Marvel fought and defeated him multiple times, often at great personal risk.
2. Sentry: A reality-warping powerhouse who fought Blue Marvel to a stalemate, showing Adam’s ability to hold his own against one of Marvel’s strongest characters.
3. King Hyperion: A villainous multiversal version of Hyperion. Blue Marvel defeated him, showcasing his strength against someone who has destroyed entire worlds.
Superboy (Conner Kent)
• Powers/Abilities:
• Kryptonian physiology (strength, speed, durability, flight, heat vision, etc.).
• Tactile telekinesis: Allows him to manipulate objects at a distance and enhance his physical abilities.
• Accelerated healing and near-invulnerability.
• Hybrid advantage: Combination of Kryptonian DNA and human DNA allows for greater adaptability.
• Notable Opponents:
1. Match: A genetically engineered clone with similar abilities to Superboy, capable of matching him in direct combat.
2. Superman: Superboy has sparred with Superman multiple times, often struggling but holding his own due to his hybrid nature.
3. Titans-level threats: Superboy has faced threats like Trigon’s forces, Doomsday clones, and other superpowered enemies with his team.
Comparison of Opponents
1. Power Level of Opponents:
• Blue Marvel’s foes like Sentry and King Hyperion operate on a higher tier, often threatening the stability of planets or multiverses. Anti-Man alone can be considered a cosmic-level threat.
• Superboy’s adversaries, while dangerous, tend to be limited to Earth-level threats. For example, Match and Superman clones don’t have the same raw power or cosmic impact as Blue Marvel’s opponents.
2. Solo vs Team Battles:
• Blue Marvel often faces foes alone, taking on threats that sometimes require entire teams to defeat.
• Superboy frequently fights alongside teams like the Teen Titans or Young Justice, which can dilute the direct comparison of his capabilities.
Verdict
While Superboy is extremely powerful, Blue Marvel’s history of fighting cosmic-level threats and holding his own against characters like Sentry and King Hyperion places him in a higher league. Their opponents reflect this gap—Superboy’s enemies are largely Earth-based, while Blue Marvel faces entities with universal or multiversal implications.
This fight leans heavily in favor of Blue Marvel, especially when comparing their respective achievements and the caliber of their foes.
During Infinite Crisis, Superboy (Conner Kent) demonstrated a significant increase in strength and capability compared to his previous portrayals. His strength was boosted dramatically due to the dire circumstances and his proximity to other powerful Kryptonian figures, such as Superman and Superboy-Prime. Let’s analyze whether this power boost could have made him a viable contender against Blue Marvel during that time.
Superboy’s Strength During Infinite Crisis
1. Key Feats:
• Holding His Own Against Superboy-Prime: Superboy-Prime is one of the most powerful Kryptonians in DC, capable of shattering reality with his punches. While Conner was ultimately outmatched, he managed to hold his own against Prime for a notable amount of time, showcasing strength far beyond his usual limits.
• Sacrifice to Stop the Multiverse Machine: In one of his most heroic moments, Conner physically destroyed Alexander Luthor’s Multiverse Tower, an object imbued with cosmic-level energies. This feat required immense strength and determination.
• Fighting with Superman-Level Allies: During Infinite Crisis, Conner operated on a higher tier, stepping up to face universe-altering threats. His abilities seemed closer to Superman’s than his usual hybrid levels.
2. Power Context:
• While his strength and durability increased dramatically, it’s important to note that his growth was situational and temporary. Conner’s feats in Infinite Crisis were bolstered by sheer willpower and the narrative stakes of the event.
Could Superboy Have Defeated Blue Marvel?
Strength Comparison:
• During Infinite Crisis, Conner’s strength peaked at levels where he could challenge beings like Superboy-Prime and destroy cosmic constructs. While this puts him in the same ballpark as Superman-level characters, Blue Marvel has shown consistent feats at that level, such as battling King Hyperion and Sentry.
• Edge: Even at his peak, Conner’s strength might have matched Blue Marvel’s but not surpassed it.
Durability:
• Conner demonstrated incredible durability during Infinite Crisis, surviving Superboy-Prime’s devastating attacks. However, Blue Marvel’s durability has been tested against antimatter explosions, multiversal punches from Sentry, and sustained assaults from King Hyperion.
• Edge: Blue Marvel remains more consistently durable against energy and cosmic-level attacks.
Energy Manipulation:
• Conner’s lack of energy-based attacks puts him at a disadvantage. Blue Marvel’s antimatter energy manipulation, capable of destroying large-scale targets and bypassing physical durability, would still be a significant challenge for Superboy.
• Edge: Blue Marvel retains a clear advantage in ranged combat.
Battle Experience and Intellect:
• Conner fought valiantly during Infinite Crisis, but he remained a relatively young and less-experienced hero compared to Blue Marvel, who has decades of combat experience and a genius-level intellect.
• Edge: Blue Marvel.
How the Fight Would Play Out During Infinite Crisis
1. Early Battle:
• Superboy’s boosted strength and speed during Infinite Crisis would allow him to initially press Blue Marvel, landing powerful blows and possibly staggering him. His willingness to fight to the death, as demonstrated in the series, would make him an extremely tenacious opponent.
2. Mid-Battle:
• Blue Marvel would adapt quickly, using his superior experience and energy manipulation to keep Superboy at a distance. While Conner’s tactile telekinesis could disrupt some of Blue Marvel’s attacks, it wouldn’t be enough to counter antimatter-based assaults.
3. Late Battle:
• Superboy’s increased power during Infinite Crisis wouldn’t negate his vulnerability to sustained energy attacks. Blue Marvel’s durability and ability to outlast opponents would eventually allow him to wear down Superboy. Conner’s temporary power boost wouldn’t sustain him in a prolonged battle.
Conclusion: Could Superboy Win?
• Possibility: Yes, but only in specific circumstances.
• If Conner could capitalize on Blue Marvel’s potential hesitation or emotional restraint, he might pull off a victory through sheer determination and Kryptonian power. However, this would require him to finish the fight quickly, as Blue Marvel’s endurance and energy projection would eventually overwhelm him.
• Overall Likelihood: Blue Marvel still wins 7/10 times.
• Even with his Infinite Crisis boost, Conner’s temporary spike in strength and durability would likely fall short against Blue Marvel’s consistent cosmic-level power, energy manipulation, and experience.
Superboy during Infinite Crisis comes closer than in other eras, but Blue Marvel still holds the upper hand in most scenarios.
Blue Marvel one shots. Is that what you needed to hear? The power difference is way off kilter. Blue Marvel is hooked up to a near infinite source of power. Superboy rose to the challenge like Thor or any number of characters have done, which also includes their opponent.
I placed that up there to help sober the disillusioned into possibly thinking on a more critical level instead of the common he stomps without looking deeply into who would actually win.
Gender: Male Location: Planning to take over the WORLD!
so impulse was much faster than he was and he kept up with clark through a cornfield....? you've convinced me my god you've somehow gotten way worse at this whole thing. somehow.
Gender: Male Location: Planning to take over the WORLD!
yeah i thought that's what happened.... i legit think you broke him. back in the day a small fraction of his arguments made SOME kind of sense. now it's like he's gone all savage carv and is arguing like a 5 year old. carv smash!
I raced against Usain Bolt, who casually beat me, this is obv a speed feat for me. Good argument lmao.
And as for a counter, none whatsoever. I like to note that in that Flash/Superboy race, KRYPTO was the winner. Please bear this in mind whenever you ask for Krypto speed feats