Welcome back to our weekly series Heroes vs. ‘Heroes’, last week I decided that while Claire is a great character on the show Heroes, she really isn’t mainstream comics material. This week we’re going to look at the show’s most powerful character Peter Petrelli, who has the ability to absorb and use any other persons abilities through what looks literally like osmosis. With that kind of power in a comic book universe I thought it best to put him in a situation that would really test his abilities.
The Wildstorm Universe is home to a more updated take on the classic superhero to say the least. A show like Heroes can work in a similar vein considering the shows format; I would figure that Peter should fit right in. So, how would he do as…
A hero:
That's right dude, super duper all-American!
In the Wildstorm Universe being a hero isn’t exactly cut and dry, but Peter would be an exception. He’s too powerful to bully, and since it would be tough to destroy it would be dangerous to manipulate him. No, Peter would be the Superman of the Wildstorm Universe very quickly, and provide an almost archaic moral edge to the books. He would be a far more interesting character in comparison to others of his type, his inherent humanity would make his decision making more complex, a lot like on the show. He would be dope in his own book, and there would be enough going on in that universe to keep readers coming back week after week.
As a villain:
If Parker can go 'emo' evil, then dammit so can I!
Peter’s powers aren’t really unique to comics, although his powers are different in a lot of ways to most others, so I’ve seen villains like Peter before. As a villain in the Wildstorm Universe Peter would lose his life very quickly, there are just too many people out there that have things figured out on a level that makes you glad their on your side. The heroes of the Wildstorm Universe are the only ones that Peter would have to worry about.
Who is he stronger than?
'This' being a wet spill on aisle 18.
Just about any super strong type hero or villain and below. There are a few important exceptions, but for the most part Peter would just be as strong or stronger than you, plus he’d have all other kinds of freaky powers, after a while it would be like fighting everybody at once, which is pretty much what it is. He might have difficulty with Spartan, but would have enough power from someone else to take the android. He would beat up all of Gen 13 too.
Who is he weaker than?
In case you didn't know, this guy is your worst nightmare.
The Midnighter would kill Peter Petrelli. I could stop right there, but for those of you who don’t know who the Midnighter is, he’s why some people just aren’t all that impressed with Batman (and those damn kids) as much as they used to be. Quite possibly the hardest dude in comics, Midnighter is a genetically engineered soldier turned heroic killing machine. You see, in the Wildstorm Universe a lot of the character play for keeps, and Midnighter is definitely not one for harmless fisticuffs. I don’t think Peter could absorb Midnighters powers considering that he doesn’t really have any. I don’t think Peter’s powers would cause him to grow computer enhancements and battle schematics, and an extra heart or two (I’m not kidding, The Midnighter is some piece of work, like a comic book writer had a horrible Captain America nightmare on an acid trip after watching Batman Returns thirty seven times bad) and therefore would succumb to The Midnighters abilities (not powers) in an awful way too, I don’t think he’s ever killed anyone in a way that wasn’t just ghastly. Peter could never go bad.
Final Analysis:
I would definitely buy a book drawn by Tim Sale.
In the end, Peter is a perfect fit for most comic universes. He’s a complex character with a lot of power. Because of his powers the suspension of disbelief is easier to hold, because it seems obvious he should be capable of tremendous things. You could really do a lot with that sort of character. Despite the fact that Wildstorm already has a Superman in Mr. Majestic there might still be room for an Adam Warlock type in the Wildstorm Universe, and Peter would fit that role perfectly. Come back next week when we raise the dead.
