Is the definition of street level different now?

When i started posting in 2000, the rule of thumb was, ‘Spider-man straddled the line between street level and the higher powered characters’.

Has that line shifted?

Because for years now, characters i used to consider street level have gotten more and more powerful.
Black Panther used to be a jungle gymnast, basically, now he can do some truly outrageous stuff. Iron Fist’s chi powers have him doing things i never even considered possible.
Those are just two examples, but what got me to ask was this:

^^^Posted here recently.
Is Batman really a guy who takes on muggers still? Packing that kind of tech?

Does the street level definition ‘fights crime on the streets’ still apply and to heck with the fact that most of these characters dont, any more, and can easily fight high level metas?

-If characters like BP, IF, and Bats arent street level any more, who actually is?

-If they are street level, then where’s the line now? Is it still Spidey?

Just wanna hear your take(s) on it, if you have one.

Does the street level definition ‘fights crime on the streets’ still apply and to heck with the fact that most of these characters dont, any more, and can easily fight high level metas?

MMA experts tagging FTL speedsters. Peak human fighters bodying metahuman tanks. Peak human characters tanking hits from metahumans that can lift trucks. I can go on but you get my point.

Nowadays 'street level' heroes are people like Jarvis and Aunt May.

As far as Iron Fist, he was nuking city blocks and surviving direct nuclear radiation as early as the 80's. The problem is, everyone went the "Voltron school of drama", so he wouldn't just end a fight at the start even though he totaly could.

If comics generally shows you as having a good fight with Spiderman, you're street leveler, regardless of the 'hellcarrier' feats and whatnot.

Yes, that includes Thor, too. Although he's more low-meta.

^^^the ****? 🤨

If a grenade can at least hurt you, your beech ass is street to me.

https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/14/147844/4907269-3283315553-46567.jpg

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https://comicvine.gamespot.com/api/image/scale_super/4909138-8419171561-37319.jpg

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The scans are great, i was confused by your sentence structure. Thought you were saying Thor is street level?

He is.

I wouldn't even call him street level, I'd say sea level is more appropriate.

The only scan there that is relevant is Masterson vs. Spider-Man, and he's a guy who forgot he could summon lightning, and who screams out from flying into a building only to realize he was invulnerable.

I guess the Mantis scan counts too, but she struck Thor from behind with mystical/alien Kung-Fu or whatever that can affect non-biological beings with nerve attacks.

The rest are just trolling. Especially the first two.

Yeah, i shouldve known better than to ask an actual question w. posters like Phil as regulars.

Oh well, back to posting Superman threads, its something those posters understand.

Spider-Man was never street level. He's always had legit super strength..etc. Neither does A-listers like Cap/Bats because jobber aura. You have to be a B-lister or below and not have any super power or enhancement whatsoever to be considered street.

'Street level' was always a misnomer though. It's not like Black Panther was ever focused on just fighting street crime. Same with Cap, who was considered the mark for top-tier street level, for a while at least.

If street level just means 'no real super powers' then yeah, the definition is outdated, because the line has blurred between Bat gadgets and Iron Man armor (to say nothing of Bats' superhuman stats). At what point do gadgets = having powers? And this definition never really applied to Iron Fist or others anyways.

If street level means 'notably less powerful than high meta/heralds', then I think the term still basically applies. Black Panther has gotten more powerful, but so has Iron Man. Individuals might shift up and down but the rough comic book power divides still seem to exist.

I think you could probably make a case that DC heroes have all gotten more powerful at a faster rate than Marvel. Maybe all these tier concepts are less useful if the two big companies are less aligned.

I think characters like the Punisher should be the bar for Street Level.

Interesting question, yeah most so called streets from years ago are clearly low meta now like Bane. A street nowadays would be someone like the Cat who just has martial arts as a skill, and normally not any advance tech or armor. Someone who can still be killed by a single gun shot, that doesn't have enhanced stats or even a slight healing factor. Spiderman is definitely above all streets and a lot of low metas.

What I love about the Wolverine/Thor scan is that Thor actually got sneak attacked by Wolverine jumping from the only tree in like a 1 mile radius without any leaves to hide in. 😂

Originally posted by Rage.Of.Olympus
The only scan there that is relevant is Masterson vs. Spider-Man, and he's a guy who forgot he could summon lightning, and who screams out from flying into a building only to realize he was invulnerable.

I guess the Mantis scan counts too, but she struck Thor from behind with mystical/alien Kung-Fu or whatever that can affect non-biological beings with nerve attacks.

The rest are just trolling. Especially the first two.

Black Panther used to be a jungle gymnast

Woah woah woah! This is a family forum pal, not Stormfront

Originally posted by One Big Mob
Woah woah woah! This is a family forum pal, not Stormfront

Part of the "street level" problem is that it's not a KMC exclusive term. The comics world, both creators and consumers, shares a common but vague understanding of what constitutes street level. Most of the low meta, and even some above that, are considered street level by the general populace. It's only on battleboards that we separate them into "powers vs no powers."

Originally posted by One Big Mob
Woah woah woah! This is a family forum pal, not Stormfront

Also, BP is from the jungle, and was primarily a gymnast.
Now he can literally walk on water.