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[kswiston]

Last week we had a thread about Entertainment Weekly naming Wonder Woman the most powerful Superhero in their (then) upcoming Top 50 Superhero list. Penguin made a thread about it here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1293104

The latest issue of Entertainment weekly has the entire Top 50 list. Instead of posting it 200+ posts into a week old thread centered on Wonder Woman, I thought there would be enough interest to just start a new thread for the complete list.

EW ranked 155 characters (or character conglomerates) on a 100 point scale to come up with their ranking. Characters were scored a maximum of 10 points for each of the following eight attributes. Bankability, Character Design, Modern Relevance, Mythology, Nemeses, Originality, Personality, and Powers. The final scored attribute was Cultural Impact, where characters could earn up to 20 points.

If you want to read the individual write-ups or see the score breakdowns, you can buy today's issue on Entertainment Weekly on newsstands, or digitally. If you don't want to spend money, to can try the magazine free for 30 days on Kindle and cancel after reading it. Obviously no scans here.

EW's Top 50 Most Powerful Superheroes (point totals are out of 100)

1) Wonder Woman - 90.3 points
2) Spider-man - 90.0 points
3) Batman - 89.7 points
4) Superman - 87.2 points
5) Wolverine - 85.3 points
6) Iron Man - 82.8 points
7) Captain America - 80.3 points
8) The Hulk - 79.2 points
9) Black Panther - 77.7 points
10) The Flash (Barry Allen, Wally West, who cares. The costume is what matters) - 77.5 points
11) Buffy (the Vampire Slayer) - 77.0 points
12) Deadpool - 74.9 points
13) Thor - 74.7 points
14) Jean Grey - 74.3 points
15) Storm - 70.5 points
16) Daredevil - 69.2 points
17) Green Lantern (all 7200) - 67.5 points
18) Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) - 67.4 points
19) Professor X - 67.2 points
20) Robin (All of them, because they are basically interchangeable I guess!) - 67.0 points
21) Raphael (TMNT) - 66.9 points
22) Black Widow - 66.8 points
23) Supergirl - 66.5 points
24) The Thing (Fantastic Four) - 64.6 points
25) Green Arrow - 64.0 points
26) Doctor Strange - 63.8 points
27) Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers, Sorry Slayven) - 63.7 points
28) Silver Surfer - 63.3 points
29) Luke Cage - 63.0 points
30) Aquaman - 62.9 points
31) Nick Fury (Chocolate and Vanilla versions) - 62.4 points
32) Hellboy - 62.2 points
33) Human Torch (both Storm and Hammond, because why not?!) - 61.7 points
34) Rogue - 61.5 points
35) Falcon - 61.3 points
36) Nightcrawler - 60.8 points
37) Ant-Man (All of them. Pym is no better than O'Grady to EW) - 60.4 points
38) Vision - 60.3 points
39) Jessica Jones - 60.1 points
40) Kitty Pryde - 59.8 points
41) Mr Fantastic - 59.6 points
42) Blade - 59.3 points
43) Beast (X-Men) - 59 points
44) The Punisher - 58.4 points
45) Cyclops (almost as important as Blade) - 57.8 points
46) The Invisible Woman - 57.5 points
47) Shazam (Captain Marvel for nerds who refuse to accept the 5 year old name change) - 57.4 points
48) Morpheus/Dream (Gaiman Sandman) - 57 points
49) Hawkeye - 56.2 points
50) Dr. Manhattan - 56.1 points


Bonus Top 10 villains list (no points listed)
1) Magneto
2) The Joker
3) Kingpin
4) Doctor Doom
5) Catwoman
6) Loki
7) Ozymandias (Watchmen)
8) Venom
9) Galactus
10) Dark Phoenix


Top 5 by Attribute:

Cultural Impact (Out of 20)
Wonder Woman - 20 points
Batman - 20 points
Superman - 20 points
Captain America - 18.3 points
Black Panther - 18.3 points


Bankability (Out of 10)
Spider-Man - 10 points
Batman - 10 points
Superman - 10 points
Iron Man - 10 points
The Hulk (lol) - 10 points


Character Design (Out of 10)
Deadpool - 9.7 points
Batman - 9.3 points
Jean Grey (I assume her phoenix outfit) - 9.0 points
Spider-man - 8.7 points
Wolverine - 8.7 points
Storm - 8.7 points
Silver Surfer - 8.7 points


Modern Relevance (Out of 10)
Wonder Woman - 10 points
Batman - 10 points
Iron Man - 10 points
Black Panther - 9.7 points
Deadpool - 9.7 points


Mythology (Out of 10)
Batman - 9.7 points
Spider-man - 9.3 points
Superman - 9.3 points
Wolverine - 9.3 points
Wonder Woman - 9.0 points
Captain America - 9.0 points
Morpheus/Dream - 9.0 points
The Thing - 9.0 points (no idea)


Nemeses (Out of 10)
Batman - 10 points
Spider-Man - 9.7 points
Superman - 8.7 points
The Flash - 8.7 points
Buffy - 8.7 points
(Jean Grey was the only other one over 8 with an 8.0. One assumes that earthworms and other detritivores number among her nemeses)


Originality (Out of 10)
Wonder Woman - 9.3 points
Buffy - 8.7 points
Black Panther - 8.3 points
Wolverine - 8.3 points
Batman - 8.0 points
Superman - 8.0 points
The Hulk - 8.0 points
Jessica Jones - 8.0 points


Personality (Out of 10)
Spider-Man - 9.5 points
Buffy - 9.3 points
Wonder Woman - 9.0 points
Iron Man - 8.8 points
Deadpool - 8.8 points
(Cyclops got a 3.5)


Powers (Out of 10)
Superman - 9.7 points
Dr Manhattan - 9.7 points
Jean Grey - 9.0 points
The Flash - 8.7 points
Green Lantern - 8.7 points

 

[HStallion]

Saitama is the real Number 1, they just don't know it yet.

 

[A-V-B]

Saitama is the real Number 1, they just don't know it yet.

NUMBER ONNNNNNNNNNNE

 

[G-Fex]

Magneto above the Joker makes this ok.

 

[jiggle]

Yay ororo in top 20
Deserves higher

 

[adj_noun]

1) Magneto
2) The Joker
3) Kingpin
4) Doctor Doom
5) Catwoman
6) Loki
7) Ozymandias (Watchmen)
8) Venom
9) Galactus
10) Dark Phoenix

Poor MCU.

Does Venom at least come with Spidey or is that still Sony.

 

[Avixph]

Why is Doctor Manhattan at number 50?

 

[IdreamofHIME]

Using powerful to mean influential is a strange choice of words and will only lead to drive by posts of how stupid the list is.

Why is Doctor Manhattan at number 50?

Any of these lists that don't happen to feature Doctor Manhattan as the immediate number one is worthy of no man's time.

I must be psychic

 

[friskykillface]

Saitama is the real Number 1, they just don't know it yet.

the god

Saitama gets no respect anywhere, especially from neo gaf man

 

[Parallax]

wow. pym is on the same level as lang and ogrady?

 

[HStallion]

Why is Doctor Manhattan at number 50?

People can't handle the BBC all out in the open like that. Think of the children.

 

[SpaceWolf]

Any of these lists that don't happen to feature Doctor Manhattan as the immediate number one is worthy of no man's time.

Edit: I was too quick to judge. It's not just based on power levels. Forgive me, forum gods

 

[Slayven]

*scratches like a crackhead*

Must not correct them.....no matter how wrong they are

Any of these lists that don't happen to feature Doctor Manhattan as the immediate number one is worthy of no man's time.

*fiending intensifies*

 

[Nemesis121]

3 DC top 5, and yet they made 2 duds this year, save us AT&T, send some of those WB exec to another department and get rid of Synder vision..

 

[jediyoshi]

Using powerful to mean influential is a strange choice of words and will only lead to drive by posts of how stupid the list is.

Next gen click bait. It's the views of people wanting to discuss powerful super heroes plus the engagement of people who don't read anything past the list. Devilish.

 

[kswiston]

I'm slowly updating the OP with top 5 scores in each attribute (more if ties take it past 5). If you want more detail than that, buy/try out the magazine.

I do find it hilarious that knock off Spider-man is the best design in comics, while actual spider-man is tied for 4th.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

Oh, Culturally powerful. I was about to have an aneurysm.

 

[GekigangerV]

Unless I am mistaken, Dream is the only character to not have a live-action adaptation at any point, right? Seems like a left-field entry into the horrible list.

Captain Marvel/Shazam at least had that 70's show, but is pretty obscure now.

Bankability (Out of 10)
Spider-Man - 10 points
Batman - 10 points
Superman - 10 points
Iron Man - 10 points
The Hulk (lol) - 10 points

Maybe those Hulk Hands sell REALLY, REALLY well.

 

[anaron]

happy buffy ranked so high

 

[Chezzymann]

Don't really understand how wonder woman is #1. In terms of personality and originality she's not that interesting, in terms of bankability, modern relevance, and cultural impact I'd say she's well below batman, Superman, and Spiderman or even iron man now. I just don't see any individual category she's actually #1 in.

I'd say at max she's #4.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

How much is WB paying them for that Wonder Woman spot?

 

[gutter_trash]

Oh, Culturally powerful. I was about to have an aneurysm.

same

 

[The Silver]

Looks at attributes they chose to rank, looks at Wonder Woman in the top spot...............................QUE?

 

[HStallion]

Doesn't Spidey merch sell far more than the next couple heroes combined or something along those lines? I thought the Spiderman brand is the biggest out their by far so should he be a few points above the others in bankability.

 

[kewlmyc]

For those who come to complain about powerlevels and don't read the OP, this is about mostly impact on the real world via:

Bankability
Character Design
Modern Relevance
Mythology
Nemeses
Originality
Personality
Powers
Cultural Impact

Considering this, yeah. This list makes sense. Wonder Woman did a lot for women since her introduction.

 

[NewFresh]

Don't really understand how wonder woman is #1. In terms of personality and originality she's not that interesting, in terms of bankability, modern relevance, and cultural impact I'd say she's well below batman, Superman, and Spiderman. I just don't see any individual category that or even iron man now. she's actually #1 in.

I'd say at max she's #4.

She has a movie coming out soon and this is entertainment weekly. This is and advertisement piece and nothing else.

 

[kmfdmpig]

Looks at attributes they chose to rank, looks at Wonder Woman in the top spot...............................QUE?

I was surprised that nemeses played a role in their ranking as she is so far behind the other big ones in that regard:
Batman
Flash
Spider-Man
and Superman all have amazing rogues galleries. Wonder Woman has a few decent enemies, but it's not at all comparable to the others.

 

[kswiston]

I was surprised that nemeses played a role in their ranking as she is so far behind the other big ones in that regard:
Batman
Flash
Spider-Man
and Superman all have amazing rogues galleries. Wonder Woman has a few decent enemies, but it's not at all comparable to the others.

Wonder Woman got a 7/10 for her nemeses, which is still too high.

 

[Magilla]

Pay to Play ftw

 

[SpaceWolf]

Wonder Woman got a 7/10 for her nemeses, which is still too high.

Without Cheetah and Circe, Wonder Woman's rogues gallery ain't worth a damn thing. Not a goddamn thing!

 

[Vengal]

Who are the interesting wonder women villains?

Ares, cheeta?

 

[kswiston]

Alright, Top 5 per attribute has been added to the OP. Superman and Dr. Manhattan win for the Powers part of Powerful (in the Top 50)

 

[Prototype Viktor]

Cyclops too high on the list

 

[kmfdmpig]

Wonder Woman got a 7/10 for her nemeses, which is still too high.

Outside of the top 11, the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Punisher, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and Shazam she probably has one of the better ones, but those are all so far ahead that I'd say a 4/10 or 5/10 would have been more reasonable.

If Spider-Man, Flash, and Batman are a ten then Superman should be a 9 and most of the others on the list should be a 1 or a 2 for villains.

 

[Afrodium]

Mythology (Out of 10)
Batman - 9.7 points
Spider-man - 9.3 points
Superman - 9.3 points
Wolverine - 9.3 points
Wonder Woman - 9.0 points
Captain America - 9.0 points
Morpheus/Dream - 9.0 points
The Thing - 9.0 points (no idea)

The Thing has great mythology man

 

[Htown]

If they switched Wonder Woman and Superman's places, it would be a decent list.

 

[Seesaw15]

Character Design (Out of 10)
Deadpool - 9.7 points
Batman - 9.3 points
Jean Grey (I assume her phoenix outfit) - 9.0 points
Spider-man - 8.7 points
Wolverine - 8.7 points
Storm - 8.7 points
Silver Surfer - 8.7 points

Hmmmm

 

[kswiston]

While I am sure some of it was point padding or subtracting to get the top 15-20 they were looking for, I am curious how they arrived at some of the scores.

Nemeses for the X-men are all over the place. Jean got an 8. Nightcrawler got a 6. The rest were somewhere between those two, despite being on the same teams and mostly fighting the same villains.

 

[Dai101]

For those who come to complain about powerlevels and don't read the OP, this is about mostly impact on the real world via:

Bankability
Character Design
Modern Relevance
Mythology
Nemeses
Originality
Personality
Powers
Cultural Impact

Considering this, yeah. This list makes sense. Wonder Woman did a lot for women since her introduction.

Fair enough. Then how is that WW is no.1?

 

[KeyBladerXIII]

I can't help but laugh at Cyclops.

 

[Bold One]

They're not even subtle about this anymore.

 

[Makonero]

The Hulk is original? The character literally based on Jekyll and Hyde?

 

[Kard8p3]

Flash numabah one

 

[The Faceless Master]

Raphael!

 

[kswiston]

Fair enough. Then how is that WW is no.1?

They gave her good to great scores in everything.

Bankability - 9.3
Character Design - 8.3
Modern Relevance - 10
Mythology - 9.0
Nemeses - 7.0
Originality - 9.3
Personality - 9.0
Powers - 8.3
Cultural Impact - 20

 

[smurfx]

Who are the interesting wonder women villains?

Ares, cheeta?

i don't know of any major characters in the wonder woman universe besides her. well other than batman and superman i don't really know of too many bad guys in the dc universe. most of the stuff i know is from the tv shows.

 

[kswiston]

Batman got a 5.8 and Superman got a 6.5 in personality. I guess they shouldn't have spent so long screaming about Martha and making pissy faces in BvS if they wanted to be #1.

 

[TheOMan]

Saitama is the real Number 1, they just don't know it yet.

For real.

 

[Raptor]

Superman not 1 = No sale

 

[Romars202129]

Saitama is the real Number 1, they just don't know it yet.

I was hoping they'd throw Goku on the list, just for shits and giggles. But looks like east and west will remain separate.