Saturday, July 20, 2013

Ogun Aint Colossus


Superheroes having similar powers is nothing new to comic book fans.  For decades we've seen characters with nearly identical powers and designs grace the pages of our favorite comic books.  Sometimes it causes a debate on who would run faster, Quicksilver or the Flash, or who would win an archery contest, Hawkeye or Green Arrow.  It's prompted us to ponder the seriously disturbing results of a fight between Mr.Fantastic and Elastic Man.  If anyone actually cared much about our aquatic heroes we'd have discussed who would rule the seas; Aquaman or Namor (but nobody much did).  Serious geeks noticed the tech, style, and costume similarities between Batman and the Black Panther.  The only visible difference between Ms.Marvel and Power Girl was frequently the amount of cleavage displayed.

But sharing powers isn't really a problem because comic book fans know that the devil is in the details.  Sure, Black Canary and Banshee have similar powers but one is a dude from Ireland and the other is a chick who knows kung-fu.  Deadpool is a jokester.  Deathstroke not so much.

So, does Ogun look like Colossus?  Sure, I guess.  I mean, aside from the fact Ogun is black, has bling,  green pants, and a giant freaking tribal mask on his chest, I guess I could see where you'd think their powers are similar.  So, for sake of clarity, I'll do a little power/persona comparison.

COLOSSUS
  • Mutant Human
  • Incredibly Strong
  • Metal Skin 
    • Underneath the "shell" Colossus is a normal human, with normal organs and susceptible to damage.
  • Russian
  • Artist
  • Raised on a rural farm
  • Average IQ
  • On-again, off-again relationships
OGUN
  • Divine Imbued Human
  • Metal Manipulation
    • Ogun has the ability to shape and reform metal by touching it.
  • Solid Metal
    • When in metal form Ogun is solid.  He does not need to breathe, eat, or have discernible organs.  He is, literally, an animated statue.
  • Raised in urban Detroit
  • Incredibly Strong
  • Engineer
    • Ogun is a tinkerer and inventor, fascinated with all forms of technology. 
  • Genius Level IQ
  • Has been married for years.
So, if I had to compare Ogun's powers to some existing characters (and I don't, but it's fun to do) I'd have to say it's like someone transported Forge's brain into Colossus's body and gave him Magneto's powers with a limited touch radius.

Which is badass.

And we shouldn't worry too much about Colossus' feelings being hurt for someone having a similar style.  After all, Cable has been running around with his arms for years!  He's got to be used to it by now.

I know Mr.Sinister is.

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