Originally posted by abhilegend
Having more abilities doesn't means you're more powerful. Iron man is more versatile than the Hulk but Hulk is undoubtedly far more powerful.
You are technically correct, but in this case I think the conclusion applies: The Abilities of the Silver Surfer aren't just more versatile than Superman's or the others listed, they far exceed Superman's own with the exception of strength. Superman may have feats which are out of his ordinary, but over-all only his strength is consistently superior to the Surfer's, not his energy projection or manipulation over matter or space.
Originally posted by abhilegend
Versatility=/=power. Never has been.
I didn't say versatility, I said level of ability(ies). Surfer can do more than Superman, and has more ways to win. Not more ways to *fight*, more ways to actually *win*.
Originally posted by abhilegend
So does this mean Thanos or Mangog are less powerful than Surfer?
No because with the exception of speed, Thanos could do practically anything the Silver Surfer can do and more. Again, this is not about versatility, this is about the level of their abilities and what any character would have to offer in a fight. If a character has numerous ways to win a fight over a character who has less ways to win, the probability of victory goes to the former.
Obviously Mangog is more powerful than the Silver Surfer, and again it's not about versatility. Like you said, Iron Man has more technical weapon and abilities than the Hulk, but the Hulk's durability and strength far exceeds anything Iron Man has to offer.
Superman and the Silver Surfer are a close match. We're not talking about Superman VS Spiderman or Superman VS Magneto. We are talking about a cosmic entity who was created to search the galaxies for worlds to be consumed, someone who has unmeasurable speed and countless access to any energy source in the known universe.
Superman CAN defeat the Silver Surfer, obviously, but it's not guaranteed. Superman has to CATCH the Silver Surfer before he can even hope to land a single hit. Superman then has to beat the Silver Surfer with enough time and force to put him out. The Silver Surfer can literally form Kryptonite if he knew the elements that created it. The Silver Surfer can drain any ambient energies from the sun disconnected Superman from any source that would increase his power. Superman's strength would be his greatest asset, but is energy blasts, his freeze-breath, his heat-vision, etc. would just not be enough to subdue the surfer.
Superman would literally have to keep the Surfer contained so he can repeatedly beat him to death. He just hasn't shown the energy projection necessary to subdue the Silver Surfer long-range. The Silver Surfer has more ways to defeat Superman than vise versa. That is why the Silver Surfer is just more powerful. It's not simply about how many abilities the Surfer has, it's about how powerful these abilities are and how he can apply them in this fight.
I'm sorry - Superman is not more powerful. He is by far stronger. He is a stronger minded and stronger-hearted character than the Silver Surfer, yes, I give him that. But he is not more powerful over-all. He's as close as a Kryptonian can possibly be, but he's just not at Surfer's level. Sorry.