Superhero Q&A!

Batman's riches! Hulk's shorts! Your burning superhero questions—answered right here and now!

Q: What's the main difference between Marvel superheroes and DC superheroes?

DC superheroes, in general, are more "classic" superheroes—they're really super, and they're really heroic. Take their most famous hero, Superman. He's got super-everything, he fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice...in short, he's everything a superhero should be. Marvel superheroes, on the other hand, are more down-to-earth, and they have to deal with ordinary problems. Look at Spider-Man, Marvel's most famous hero. Unlike Superman, he's a nerdy kid who has to juggle his grades (and later, his job), girls, and gig as a superhero.

Other differences? DC superheroes are usually more powerful, and they live in made-up cities. Marvel superheroes are lower on the power scale, and they live in real-world places like New York.

Q: How come superheroes never get old?

Superman and Batman first appeared in the 1930s, Spider-Man and Iron Man in the 60s. But how come they're still so young in today's comics? Marvel and DC Comics use a little trick called the sliding timescale, where important events in a superhero's life are measured in terms of how far back they are from the present. For example, Batman didn't appear back in the 1940s...in comic-book time, he actually appeared around 10 to 15 years ago (around the years 1995-2000). So everything that's happened to Batman in the past 70 years (in real-world time) is compressed into the last 10-15 comic book years. This trick, though, means that you have to constantly update a superhero's origins. When Iron Man first appeared, the comics showed him building his first Iron Man suit during the 1950s' Korean War. Nowadays, though, Iron Man is shown building the Mark I armor during this decade's war in Afghanistan.

Famous business magazine Forbes sometimes releases its Fictional 15—a list of the 15 richest made-up characters! In 2007, they said that Bruce Wayne was richer than Tony Stark...then one year later, they said that Tony was richer! Well, we guess it means that they're both kinda even. (Take note, though: in their list for 2010, Tony Stark was again on top.)

Q: If there's a Green Lantern, does that mean there's a Blue Lantern?

Not just a Blue Lantern, folks...but a Red, Yellow, Orange, Indigo, Violet, Black, and White. They're powered by different emotions. The Green Lanterns get their energy from willpower, Red Lanterns from anger, Agent Oranges from greed, Sinestro Corps (or Yellow Lanterns) from fear, Blue Lanterns from hope, the Indigo Tribe from compassion, and the Star Sapphires (or Violet Lanterns) from love. Zombie-like Black Lanterns are fueled by death, while the ultra-special White Lanterns get their power from life.

Q: How come Bruce Banner's pants don't get ripped when he turns into the Hulk?

'Cause he wears really loose pants? Also, he could be wearing special material invented by the Fantastic Four called unstable molecules. This special material responds to the wearer's powers, and is standard issue among most superheroes and villains. Clothing made up of unstable molecules is the reason why, for example, Human Torch's fire powers don't burn the duds off his body. It could also explain the Hulk's pants.

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