Why dont writers let characters use their full potential?!

Is there any character that actually uses their full potential when they fight? It seems like no superhero every uses their full potential and usually tend to gloss over some of their most useful powers at some of the times where that power would be most useful.

Like me break it down to you.

For example: You know how Flash can supposedly think at the same speed he runs? Then why do we see him getting out smarted by regular guys like Captain Cold, Lex Luthor and Batman? Dr.Doom would easily out smart Flash too.

My biggest one that I see that annoys me. You know how Shazam and Black Adam have the ability to use magic? Why on earth do they refuse to use it in battles, especially against guys like Superman who are weak against it? Instead they decide to fight hand to hand. *Facepalm*

Most people don't know this one, but Wolverine is actually a expert in virtually every form of martial arts yet he uses none of it. Why?!! Instead he decides instead of using it he would rather bust out his claws and just go berserker charge into every enemy. Which is why he gets his ass handed to him on a regular. Unlike Batman who actually uses his Martial arts lol.

Plot conveniance

@ariesxmasters: To be fair, didn't Flash nearly get killed when he got caught up in his own thoughts? I think he generally refrains from thinking like that because he can't help but consider every possibility, but he doesn't act.

As for Adam and Shazam, I would think it's because they're both confident that they can take Superman hand-to-hand, (and generally they can hold their own. Better than most, anyway.)

As for Wolverine, I think that's just it. He probably just prefers it, because he knows he'll be fine (or at least, used to,) anyway with his healing factor. Plus, it looks far more fun, and visually appealing to go all slice and dice on his enemies.

Isn't the answer pretty obvious?

@ariesxmasters: because it finishes the story so fast that fleshing out the whole potential of that story is lost.

one more thing, superman isn't weak to magic, he's vulnerable to it as much as a human being is.

Ahhh I understand.

Didn't we go over this? Superman is weak to magic Batman said he was and he was acting like.

@ariesxmasters: you didn't go over it to me. he has shown higher feats enduring magic attacks. i distinctly remember one panel showing superman enduring a transmutation blast that changed wonder woman and he was not changed.

long story short, he's not so vulnerable to it that it kills him on a hit, he's able to endure it as well.

Whilst people generally appreciate consistency, the amount of comic fans that actually care about whether a fictional character uses their fictional abilities to their supposed fictional full potential is very very small compared to those that want an approximate or general representation of characters abilities, personalities, visual appearances, attitudes and so on, with a general priority given to the bigger more popular characters and if their is deviation from that it usually needs to be explained.

In that sense, arguably many fans and writers also prioritize in a value sense other attributes and characteristics of a character beyond their abilities/powers. Wolverine's occasional anger and rage issues, is something about the character many fans and writers like. His savage nature and tendency to lose control and fight like a beast and also the dichotomy that presents with his more disciplined and honed restraint as far as samurai ideology and his martial arts training. So some stories will play up or emphasize one over the other or even use one or the other as an excuse for focusing on the other respective trait.

Wolverine is also a commodity in the sense that if you want to convey to readers/fans that another less popular character is also quite technically proficient in martial arts or savage and bestial, having them interact with Wolverine in certain ways in theory should help establish some credibility with them. With some fans/people it does, but for others they view this as Wolverine "jobbing" and similar can happen with other characters and the way writers/fans perceive them. Batman in contrast to Wolverine, could be argued to be more strict, disciplined, stoic as far as how much he values restraint and control, also more intelligent and calculating.

Batman's anger would also manifest itself or be conveyed differently to Wolverines anger. Say for Batman, revenge is a dish best served cold would apply, where as for Wolverine, arguably its more fun and fitting that berserker fury and animalistic rage or burning hot passion, is something as true to character… even if Wolverine can also be tactical, cold and calculating. That and also some stories will/can show Batman as being a bit emotional/moody/angry in a more obvious way and done well such moments are suppose to be like "woah" because of the rarity.

I thought I did, but I'll let Batman reiterate for you. I usually don't show feats but here. just read this.

Before you read it.

Read what Superman and Batman are saying, forget about the girl. Read what magic is doing to Superman just being around it. While Batman is fine around it.

@sc: Holy smokes that is a long post, but I read it because it seemed very informative, which is why it caught my eye. Seems you're saying portraying the character in a certain fashion is more important them showing power/abilities they have but don't use. Even still so, I understand people look at Batman as the disciplined fighter and Wolverine as more of a loose cannon fighter. But still I don't think seeing Wolverine try to be a little more disciplined would be a detriment to the character or make the character seen really in any more of a negative way. It would actually be interesting but I do understand when you think of Wolverine you think of him going berserk mode and not showing restraint or discipline.

Wolverine is a "loose canon" because he chooses to be. He'd rather fight reckless and get the adrenaline flowing. When you heal as fast as him, it's not a terrible strategy to be a big flash and take a few hits.

@ariesxmasters: Thanks for reading it despite being very long heh heh. Personally I tend to agree with you as far as Wolverine. I like Wolverine more as a disciplined character, who has over how long life has used his experiences and past to drive him towards stoicism. So when it comes to physical confrontations, he has his wits about him and exercises skill in martial arts and proficiency with it.

Occasionally some writers try to do that but also unfortunately what many will try and do will press reset on Wolverine and have a story plot be that Wolverine has gotten lazy and undisciplined because of his healing factor/anger issues/unbreakable skeleton and so he needs to be deconstructed first to be rebuilt up… but then another writer will do that same story again a few months later heh heh.

Because it isn't always necessary.

Because no one in a superhero comic has a true upper limit, therefore no full potential.

non canon I know

@sc: I'm more for him being disciplined as well. But from a story kind of view I can get why he would get "lazy" or "rusty" per say because he knows he has his powers to depend on versus someone like Elektra or Batman who do not. I have have "The death of Wolverine" but I have yet to open it yet I'm to busy catching up on Batman Eternal and finishing up Justice League Dark two series which I can say I love a lot. With the condition Wolverine is in right now, if anytime ever, it would be now he need to use his martial arts and self defense, because he lost his most powerful ability, his ability to heal. But I doubt he will, doesn't because in the Captain Marvel he made an appearance. He was pretty weak and frail and was seriously injured from a minor fall and was still fighting the way he use to, only now he doesn't have his healing factor.

But can I imagine Wolverine fighting organized like someone like Batman or Daredevil? No, that's the honest answer. We are so use to seeing Wolverine go head first in everything and get his can kicked around the arena and back it's almost at this point like we expect it.

Like would seeing Flash out think Batman pretty much blow everyone's mind, despite the fact he is suppose to be able to think as fast as he runs? Yup. It would probably even blow the people who are huge Flash fans mind. They would be like "What?! Flash out thinking Batman?? I'm a Flash fan in all but that was the last thing I was expecting."

@ariesxmasters: wolverine does use his skills look at his latest run, the main reason he tanks blows is beacuse he can and this puts him in a better situation beacuse he would think nothing about doing a risky attack beacuse he knows he can heal through it however if he tagged them they will be seriously hurt its a good strangely tbh

Most of the time "full potential" is actually based on Flanderization of the character.

Many writers dont like that or decide to limit the power to make the character less godalike.

I agree with the OP, Batman should be allowed to use his full potential. If the writers showed Batman his true powers then he would have conquered the omniverse but they make him very weak so he doesn't make the JLA look bad.

People have to understand the biggest objective from the company's point of view, in writing and drawing a fight, are not to show an accurate depiction on how two people with said set of abilities would interact, but to present the fight in best light that would be most enjoyable to read.

A comic is published to tell a story with the hope that majority of readers reading it would like it. To reiterate, neither the writer nor the comic book company are really bothered with the idea of having a fight be an accurate depiction how two character, with 2 different set of powers, in real life would butt heads. It revolves around trying to make the fight between 2 characters be presented in a way that appears "cool" and fits the story better.

@ariesxmasters: Thor is notorious for this, and like someone said plot convenience, it's easier to drag the story on for 20 or so pages of him looking like he's getting beat up, only to reveal that he wasn't trying because they are mortals and trying to hurt a mere mortal is beneath him. Even though the fight caused so much destruction and he apparently was bloodied and pummeled. There is no gray area with thor. Either he wins effortlessly, or he almost dies because he wasn't trying.

@w0nd: That is exactly what it seems like. Because Thor is very big on "holding back" and taking a beating even though he could easily finish the guy effortlessly.

@ariesxmasters: and we have other scans floating around that nullify that so no, as much as you think that magic has the same effect as kryptonite on him, the other feats show contrary to that. it's generally acknowledged that he is vulnerable to it, not lethal to it.

Because it helps the story and can make things entertaining. And I'm pretty sure unless they're new to here and comics, pretty much everyone here knows that Logan is highly skilled

Because they're bad writers. If you can't make a good story while using the characters powers then maybe they should find a different book to write for.

as much as you think

You make it sound like I made that comic up or something. As for the other people's "feats" I guarantee they're not as new or recent as that one I just posted. Show me something from the New 52 (Not from some old comic from the 1980s or anything like that) that shows him not being weakened by magic. Plus I'm pretty sure most if not all people who comment that he is not are either doing 1 of 2 things. 1. Making very uneducated guesses which most are doing. Or 2 the second most popular, just googling "Is Superman weak to magic" and taking those people's word for it and hoping they are correct.

Like for some reason people can't accept that Superman has more weaknesses than kryptonite.

@ariesxmasters: i didn't made it sound like that but you were generally saying the magic is lethal to a point that it is equal to kryptonite to superman. even prior n52, writers were generally mixing up that interpretation so we have other numerous scans of superman getting downed by otherwise weak magic and as far i have read in n52, superman writers are still confusing that kind of weakness.

weakness is different from being lethal and you are mixing both of them and yes he has more weaknesses than kryptonite but magic is one of those contested ones because of writers have so much varying interpretations to it compared to kyrptonite

you were generally saying the magic is lethal to a point that it is equal to kryptonite to superman

Can you really say it's not? Anything that is killing you from just standing around it, I would consider a huge weakness. Anything your body is "rejecting" and as a result you start to have trouble standing because your dieing I consider a weakness. Specially when your ally Batman was in the same exact place as you and yet he seemed fine to me.

I mean everyone says "He's not weak against it he is just vulnerable to it" even though he very much is.

I mean all of his writers contest everything about him even kryptonite so no surprise there.

That's fair , but this isn't always the case, so that's the writers and editors fault lol. Sometimes being near magic made him sick, but obviously this can't be the case, it has to be harmful magic,or dark magic, I assume or standing beside wonder woman or shazam would cause him pain. I guess the logical thing to do is look at the cases and see what happened more. Has it happened more often than not?

@ariesxmasters: that's one instance. we can't just assume one instance happens always. diana's sword is magical and yet he doesn't keel over from handling it. as far as i have seen in n52, that doesn't happen with anything closely related to good or neutral magic.

kryptonite has always been portrayed lethal to supes. magic has mixed portrayals.

I agree with you. "Has it happened more often than not?" That was like the only instance in the New 52 where Superman has really dealt with magic. In his New 52 the worst he deals with is guys who have telepathy that mess with his mind and hender him mentally. I understand you, like if it is not magic used in a offensive manner then of course he'll be fine.

Example: If Zatanna does a spell that changes Superman's hair to stick up like he got zapped by lighting is he going to start dieing? Of course not. Now if Zatanna were to cast a offensive magic spell, like if she were to trap him in a magic box then yes he would start getting weaker and giving into the magic.

I guess because, they keep forgetting about their full potentials.

I'll never understand the "Superman isn't weak to magic, just vulnerable like a regular human" Umm..that IS being weak. What happens to regular human if they get hit by a magic fireball? They die! Therefore if Superman is "vulnerable like a regular human" to it, if he got hit by one, he'd die also. So my understanding is if Zatanna got into it with Superman and said "eiD namrepuS" He would die. Of course, if we're going to let Superman use his abilities to there fullest, he could splat Zatanna on the wall before she could finish the sentence.

First, no two fights are alike. Meaning, no matter how well trained you are and how familiar you are with your equipment, every fight presents certain unique challenges and your mind will focus on certain aspects. This is why certain, even highly disciplined and martial, characters would not always use everything at their disposal all of the time. Sometimes, you are overcome with the situation in front of you and your mind tunnels.

Then there is character personality. For example: Kaine Parker has a stealth suit, but he isn't prone to using it all the time because sneaky and stealthy just isn't how he is. Certainly, he realizes certain situations call for it and he does use it, but most of the time he's a far more direct person. No one is perfect, which is what makes fictional characters feel human.

Plot. Yes, sometimes it is that simple. Sometimes we know a certain character simply doesn't stack up to another, so there's some 'play' involved in the writing. For example when Spider-Man struggles with peak humans despite being multitudes stronger, faster, and having a form of precognition. It doesn't work on paper, so for plot purposes we create a reason why Peter why perform a certain act.