Who Is DC’s Truly Weakest Hero?

Over the years, DC Comics has come up with some characters who appear to be basically useless. Several lists and articles have been made discussing them. However, there seem to be some natural standouts who have sadly, never reached their full potential. These characters are the weakest not because their powers dictate as much, but because DC makes it so on the page. Who is DC’s truly weakest hero?

In order to be considered DC’s weakest hero, it stands to reason that a character should actually be a legitimate hero—particularly one who has seen some action. These DC heroes should also be actively trying to be a hero, using whatever abilities they have. Weak doesn’t mean never useful, it just means that they won’t be first pick for a team designed to physically or strategically take down most enemies. The Justice League have all proven to be able to hold their own against numerous foes with different abilities. So have the Teen Titans and other super teams that can be considered major leaguers at this point. So where does that leave heroes to be chosen from?

The Legion of Super-Heroes reject list, of course. Many heroes have tried out to be part of the Legion of Super-Heroes and not all have succeeded. In fact, some were called downright silly or dangerous by members of the Legion itself! A select few members from this group of rejects have been given second chances, as part of the Legion of Substitute Heroes. However, not all of the heroes on this team would be able to hold their own in a major fight when push comes to shove. Some may be helpful, but ultimately, they are far from being first-string heroes.

Weakest Hero Candidates

In 1963, the Legion of Substitute Heroes made their first appearance in Adventure Comics #306. Members of the team have included Color Kid, Polar Boy, Stone Boy, and many others. There have also been heroes throughout DC that have seemed less than stellar, such as Bouncing Boy, Friendly Fire, Arm-Fall-Off-Boy, Matter Eater Lad, and Ambush Bug. Each of these heroes has special abilities and some have even proven to be very helpful. However, in a fight, some of these random rejects and oddballs can still prove rather useful. Ambush Bug, for example, has served as a villain and a hero. His only ability is teleportation, but at this point he is mainly a wannabe hero who is just a night janitor for DC Comics in the digital-first series, Let Them Live!: Unpublished Tales from the DC Vault. As a villain he beat up humorously on the Legion of Substitute Heroes, proving he has offensive abilities that would take him out of the weakest hero running even if he weren’t inactive in trying to save the day.

Arm-Fall-Off-Boy‘s ability is exactly what his name says. His arms fall off. However, he has been known to use his arms as weapons, smacking foes with them. In that regard, he would actually be physically handy in a fight. He could dole out damage while not having to lug around extra weaponry either. Bouncing Boy is a hero whose power is made obvious by his name. He is a large, rotund boy that bounces. Though strange, he can still be used as a weapon, bouncing or being thrown into foes, physically harming them. Though none of these heroes have super intelligence, they can all prove useful in a fight and may not be taken down as quickly as other candidates. Matter-Eater Lad may seem like a good option, since his main ability is eating. He has super digestion and is most often used to clear out obstacles. Yet he does have another power: super speed. Throwing a punch or kick at a faster speed, like the Flash, automatically makes it a little stronger and unexpected for a foe, so Matter-Eater Lad has the potential to still do some serious damage with some more combat training.

Friendly Fire, on the other hand, is more likely to take out his own allies, as his name suggests. However, he is still able to deal out damage, even if it is to the wrong people! He isn’t necessarily the weakest hero, his abilities just don’t lend to being an effective one. There are probably instances where he may be beneficial, such as if an ally went rogue or if he managed to successfully partner with DC villains. However, he ducked out of the hero business, before ultimately going up against hitmen in a fight where his powers became his own personal doom. Polar Boy isn’t really a weak hero, since he can force the temperature to drop to the point of causing cold, frost, and ice. Freezing an enemy is really helpful and ice generally can be used as a weapon—just ask Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold, and Killer Frost! This leaves two main candidates left.

The Final Comparison

Ultimately, the weakest DC hero should most likely be a contest between Stone Boy and Color Kid. Stone Boy can only turn into stone like a statue. When he transforms, he is unable to move. This severely limits his options when it comes to a physical fight. Though rock hard, he isn’t like Marvel’s Colossus or the Thing. Throwing punches while stone is a complete impossibility. Color Kid on the other hand can change the colors of objects and camouflage himself, as well as others. He can also unleash color beams, which is helpful but usually only temporarily.

Stone Boy’s skills can still be useful in combat. Turning to stone during a foe’s attack could cause them to hurt themselves physically. A strong attack from a DC enemy—if able to be hindered by rock—could cause an enemy to hurt themselves beyond an ability to fight in a fistfight. Additionally, stones can be thrown or dropped and cause damage. Teaming up with an ally like Superman may allow for Stone Boy to be used as a blunt object to destroy various enemies like robots or some weapons. While his mobility makes him less useful with some tactics, strategic employment of his skills would make him a force to be reckoned with.

Color Kid on the other hand, isn’t so lucky. Although he is useful in some situations—such as changing the color of Kryptonite to help Superman—Color Kid is not great in a fight. He has no combat training and therefore, no real enhanced physical strength. Sure, he could temporarily blind or confuse enemies by shining light at them or changing the colors of the sky and ground, but this is only temporary. A single punch from a strong enough foe would quite literally knock his lights out. So which of these two is the weakest?

The Final Verdict

While it can be argued that Color Kid can be useful in saving the day at times, and that his powers would be effective against his own allies, none of this makes this Legion of Substitute Heroes member a strong hero for many conflicts. In reality, being able to be turned against allies like this is more of a liability than anything, which puts him more along the lines of Friendly Fire. If he isn’t a villain and there are no enemies that are strongly affected by certain colors, he has very little chance of being strong in a fight. Color Kid seems to have more of a support role capability to him. He could help Green Lantern get through obstacles that affect him, blind enemies while other heroes deal some damage, change Kryptonite so it doesn’t harm Superman, and brighten up overly dark areas. Not every hero has to be physically strong, but his inability to deliver any effective damage to opponents in any other way makes him a lackluster ally in many instances where strength is necessary, and just a bit weaker than Stone Boy. Though he has a lot of heart and some really interesting—and helpful!—abilities, Color Kid is TRULY the weakest DC Comics hero.

About The Author

Samantha King
(829 Articles Published)

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Samantha King is a Comic News Writer for Screen Rant. She has a B.A. in English & American Literature with a concentration in Shakespeare and a minor in Creative Writing from UTEP. She also has a M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Texas.

Samantha used to get in trouble for reading comics in class back in high school, but she gets the last laugh. She took a graphic novel course in college and now gets paid to write about comics. She runs her own blog at: www.therealworldaccordingtosam.blogspot.com

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