One thing that makes George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards series a unique superhero tale is that its superpowered heroes and villains all share the same origin story: when an alien virus fell from the skies on September 15, 1946, its effects spread like the shuffling of a deck of cards. Ninety percent of those who contracted it drew the black queen and died in a brutal fashion; 9% suffered the twisted transformations that marked them as jokers; and a mere 1% became the aces, afforded extraordinary powers.
It may not surprise you to learn that many of the authors of the Wild Cards grew up reading classic comic books. As part of a special Wild Cards event hosted by George R.R. Martin in August 2017, authors including Melinda Snodgrass, the late Victor Milán, Walton Simons, Carrie Vaughn, and more shared their favorite childhood superheroes—including some you may not have heard of.
Captain America, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, and Batman (because he had no superpowers, naturally) all get their due, but the above video also calls out Donald Duck, G.I. Joe, and Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld. But the real burning question is, how would the Wild Cards fare against these greats? The Amazing Bubbles—who stars in the forthcoming Wild Cards XXVI: Texas Hold’em—could hold her own against Scarlet Witch… if she has the element of surprise. The Recycler and Iron Man would probably commiserate over building armor out of scrap metal. Superman is a bit of a conundrum, but Milán made a good case for one of Captain Trips’ identities going toe-to-toe with the Man of Steel.
And then there’s always the unexpected superhero crossover… You’ll have to watch the video to find out who Mary Anne Mohanraj thinks would make a great team.
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Wild Cards XXVI: Texas Hold’em
I need that Iron Giant immediately.
Fortunato or The Astronomer would straight up slaughter Superman. Magic.
And as for the Radical, the only way for anyone this side of the Phantom Stranger to whip him is how it happened in the books: get the “friends” so disgusted with the Radical that they withdraw their powers from the pool. Of course, it’s pretty hard to disgust Monster.
@@@@@ 2 Except it’s not really magic. The “magic” is merely a means for focusing their inherent powers. Tachyon reflected on that in a later volume; that Fortunato wasn’t really magical, and really didn’t need tantric sex to power up, it was just a psychological “totem” to power up.
They might beat Superman because of their immense power, but it wouldn’t be due to his vulnerability to magic.