Updated July 27, 2020 4.9K votes 1.2K voters 82.2K views
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Vote up the comic book characters that are way stronger than you expected.
It’s not exactly headline news that a lot of superheroes are strong. We’ve all seen Wonder Woman and the Hulk perform enough terrific feats of strength that it wouldn’t be surprising to see a hero lift just about anything. Seriously, Superman has moved around planets on multiple occasions (but really, Superman can basically do anything), so there really appears to be no limit to just how well the bulging muscles of the spandex crowd can perform. However, the presence of these uber-powerful behemoths in the DC and Marvel universe has created a bit of an odd playing field, where even the most street-level heroes need to be stronger in order to compete. After all, if the Spider-Men and Daredevils of the world are going to take on threats like the Juggernaut, they’re going to need to pack a bigger punch than the average, non-fictional, pitiful human.
The list of small or unimposing superheroes that are surprisingly strong is a long one. A good rule of thumb is that everyone in comics is stronger than you might expect, as even the weakest-looking comic book characters could probably beat up, like, several bears. People say not to judge books by their covers, and that’s especially true of comics. You never know what sort of superhuman might is hiding under those colorful tights.
In a sense, Spider-Man might be the reason that Marvel Comics started publishing their heroes’ personal stats in the first place. Marvel often felt the need to publish addendums to their comics that illustrated just how strong their new most popular character was, and they demonstrated that Spidey could lift over 10 tons!
This puts Spider-Man in a strength tier just below the Hulks and Thors of the world, which is pretty impressive for a guy who only weighs about 160 pounds. It turns out that having the proportionate strength of a spider is a useful tool for crimefighting.
Aquaman is often the butt of jokes, mostly due to his garish costume and his ability to talk to fish. Real comic fans, however, know that Aquaman is stone-cold awesome, and Jason Momoa’s portrayal in Justice League is helping to rehabilitate Arthur Curry’s reputation. He’s actually one of the strongest members of the Justice League, and has performed some truly epic feats of strength. DC’s heroes are often ranked in comparison to one another, making it difficult to nail down an exact strength level for Aquaman, but he’s been seen lifting ships that weigh hundreds of tons, so that’s a clear indication that he’s pretty strong.
Kingpin's astonishing strength is a source of surprise even for in-comic characters. Vigilantes like Spider-Man and Daredevil are constantly underestimating the abilities of Wilson Fisk, and Spidey especially likes to make cracks about his weight. However, underneath his expensive white suit is a body that is almost 100% muscle.
Fisk trains his body obsessively, and operates at near-peak human ability. He’s even been able to outmuscle superpowered folks before, and any regular human who tries to test him is in for a rude awakening. Fisk is probably the most deceptively strong character in the Marvel universe.
Baymax became a household name in 2014 thanks to his role in Big Hero 6, the first animated Marvel film of the Disney era. Baymax is a lovable balloon robot, and only looks the slightest bit intimidating when he’s tricked out in battle armor. With or without the upgrades, however, Baymax is a force to be reckoned with, as official Marvel records state that he can lift up to 75 tons, making him one of the strongest beings ever created on Earth. So now we know where the “Big” in Big Hero 6 comes from.
Emma Frost is known for defying the laws of gravity, but that has more to do with her attire than her physical strength. Emma’s power comes from her mind, as she’s one of Earth’s most powerful psychics, but she is otherwise a normal woman. That is, until she gained a secondary mutation that allowed her to turn her body into diamond.
While in this form, Frost loses her psychic powers, but gains near-invulnerability and superstrength. Marvel files claim that she can lift up to two tons while in bedazzled mode, making her one of the strongest X-Men, period.
Nightcrawler is one of the most visually frightening X-Men, but that has more to do with his tail and blue fur than anything else. The swashbuckling mutant is quite lithe and built for acrobatics, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t hiding some impressive strength in his three-fingered hands.
According to Marvel’s official stats, which can be found in various appendices and trading cards, Nightcrawler is capable of lifting 300 pounds, which is almost three times his body weight. This means he should be able to toss large foes like Sabretooth with little effort.
