Strength level (comics)
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Strength level is a concept sometimes applied to comic book characters (particularly those published by Marvel Comics) to define and compare the physical strength of characters.
Strength level is an unofficial form of classification, as due to the nature of comic book fiction, such standards are loose and writers are given a wide latitude for interpreting them. There is marginal evidence that writers and editors at Marvel Comics actively use a strength level system to maintain continuity, except in only the broadest sense of the concept. And strength level ratings will never answer longtime fannish debates such as "Who's stronger, the Hulk or Thor?"
That said, the commonly used "standard" measure of superhuman strength is the amount of weight a character can lift over his or her head (a so called overhead or "military" press). As a measure of superhuman strength, the most commonly used unit of measure is the ton. Among characters actually considered super-strong, fifty or more tons is standard. Super strong characters ranked among their universes's strongest, such as Marvel's Colossus or DC's Superman, frequently have strength levels which allow them to lift 100 tons or more.
Frequently, these characters are tough to measure because some factor allows them to increase their strength to meet particular challenges, such as The Incredible Hulk's "the madder he gets, the stronger he gets." Also, strength becomes very difficult to measure, as even if the character can lift more than one hundred tons, he may not be able to exert leverage on such a massive object or find a place to stand that will support him while he does so. For these two reasons, even characters whose actual strengths are well above 100 tons are often referred to as "100+" or "Class 100" without any attempt to pin down a more exact level.
[edit] History
Support of the concept of strength level ratings was increased by the success of role-playing games in which characters' attributes are numerically rated. In the 1980s, Marvel published the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe which loosely codified the nature and extent of characters' powers. It was roughly contemporary to the role-playing game Marvel Super-Heroes, which used a rating system derived from the Official Handbook. However, even these handbooks didn't correlate well with many of the creators conceptions of what the characters were supposed to be as they were only written by a few editors and it is difficult for two or three people to be familiar with all of the characters. The more obscure the character, the less accurate the depiction in the Handbook was. And as obscure characters became more popular, the inconsistencies became more obvious.
A difficulty that frequently arises in episodic fiction, especially fiction that is long-running and written by multiple authors, is "power inflation." Over time, characters tend to be given greater and greater strength as each new crisis they face presents a challenge greater (and therefore more suspenseful and exciting) than previous ones. A classic example of power inflation is Superman. In his initial appearance his powers were relatively limited; he was stronger than a locomotive, faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap tall buildings with a single bound, and able to withstand the force of a bursting shell. But over time, writers kept increasing Superman's powers until he was able to fly faster than light, push entire planets through space, emit various types of radiation from his eyes, and other special abilities. Power inflation can occur in any genre, not just superhero comics; E. E. Smith's Skylark and Lensmen series provide other examples. Retconning away increased powers is a method that is sometimes used to reverse power inflation.
[edit] Real World
In the real world, upper body strength is typically measured by how much weight a person can bench press, lying flat on a bench and lowering weight until the bar lightly touches their chest and is then pressed back up into the starting position. This is also generally the "comfort weight"; the weight a character can lift under optimum conditions.) However, in the Olympics the overhead press is, in fact, used as the measure of strength as the bench press has been eliminated.
[edit] Artistic license
The limits of a comic character's physical strength often depends upon the writer of the comic in which the character appears, even though "The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe" have provided clearly-defined standard levels of physical strength.
A particular writer may decide to either increase or decrease a comic character's physical strength above or below that of a prescribed level, such that it falls somewhere between two standard levels.
Broad displays of artistic license have often led to debates among fans of particular comic book characters that have superhuman strength, such as the Hulk, Thor, the Thing etc., as to which comic characters are stronger, or exactly which level their strength is.
