jaxthejester
Visit The Halls of Hulk!
Both count.
But I find combat Feats that have repetition (i.e.- not "one off" showings, but repetitive CONSISTENT performance) are the Gold Standard for really placing a character.
A big reason for me to pick this as my preferred weighing mechanism is based in the visual style variations of (primarily) Marvel and DC.
Note: The following is my opinion based on my view of industry "averages"; and I know that exceptions certainly apply. 😉
Marvel tends to be more "combat feat" rooted for its higher end Feats. Sure, there are "Splash Page Moments" from time to time, but planet pushing is not a typical means for a Marvel Write/Artist to express the power level of their Earth-Bound Herald Class characters.
Or put simply- A character does not need to literally "push a planet" for me to know that they are capable of pushing a planet. Simply (repetitively) matching strength with other foes that themselves have pushed planets is enough to make the basic deduction.
Hulk rarely (for example) blows up a planet. But he has a VERY long history of "consistently" matching well in combat against foes that are obvious planet poppers (such as Thor, Gladiator, Hyperion, etc).
Thus I could deduce that Hulk was a Herald Class Striker waaaaaay before Pak had him pop a planet.
Marvel just tends to be more combat oriented, IMHO, when it comes to showing how its "Supermen" size up against each other.
DC, by contrast, seems far more liberal with its over the top "Splash Page" non-combat visuals.
Wonder Woman, MM, and Supes tugging a planet using a giant chain... this is more of a DC medium than a Marvel medium. Again- I get that exceptions apply.
But overall; we are far more likely to see Superman push a planet than, say, Sentry or Gladiator. This doesn't mean that Gladiator is not capable of pushing a planet (Gladiator matched up almost identically with Hyperion in a grapple, and Hyperion is now famous for planet catching).
As long a character shows me consistent ability to match up with Planet Pushing Star Smashers in combat, then I don't require a separate Splash Page Picture of them also pushing a Planet of their own.
Common sense and repetitive comparative combat analysis are a better indicator for me.
After all... both Superman and Black Adam can push a planet. But it's not until you see them lock up with each other a few times that one can truly tell which of them is stronger than the other.
Nice thread! 🙂