Almost science
Hey Everyone!
Weiler checking in. I had a long day at rehersal today, and I'm beat so I'll make this quick. I present to you....
The Theorum of Superhero to Supervillain Power Ratio Permanence!
That's a mouthful, eh? I'll just call it the Ratio Permanence Theorum.
Now, the idea works like this. It is commonly known that in comics and cartoons and such where heros go up against villians that the hero always wins. This implies a ratio of power based on the hero/villian interaction. This ratio is usually somewhere around 1.1 to 1, the 1.1 being the hero, and the 1 being the villain. This means that the powers of good and evil are well matched, but that good will always win out against evil. Example: A superhero fights a supervillian, they strugle for a while, there's conflict and tension and then the superhero wins. However, I submit to you that this ratio never changes. That it, in fact, stays the same in all circumstances in which it applies. This means that if you were to introduce more than two people into the conflict (if the superhero or supervillian teamed up with someone) that that side's power would then be split between those on the team, making each individual member, in effect, weaker. For example: In an episode of Samurai Jack, Jack faces a villian that can summon, and resummon, many different warriors to fight for him. The villain first summons a single fighter. It takes Jack a good five minutes, with some difficulty, to defeat this fighter. The villain then summons back that same fighter and four others and we see that Jack can now defeat this same fighter in a matter of seconds! This doesn't seem to make sense, does it? But, if we apply the Ratio Permanence Theorum it does. While it was just the one, that fighter pocessed all the power of the villian side of the ratio. But, as soon as other fighters were brought to his side he had to share his power between them, making him weaker, and more easily defeatable. I'll give you another example. Lex Luther devises a sinister plot to take over the world or some-such thing. The Justice League then swoops in to take care of him, and you see him tossing around the individual members of the league like whinning babies! Now, let's take into account that Lex Luther is easily dealt with by Superman alone on a daily basis and we start to see that this makes absolutely no sense at all. But, if you apply the Ratio Permanence Theorum, you can see that each member of the Justice League has to share the power of their side of the ratio, while Lex has the entire might of his side of the ratio, making him more than a match for each individual member, yet still destined to fail as the combined might of the League is still greater than his power alone, as dictated by the ratio. Now, the tricky part is knowing when to apply this ratio, as there can be many examples to counter it if they are taken out of context. Plot battles, or plot senarios, situations where the outcome of the battle, and/or the events of the battle are dictated because of the story exist outside the influence of the ratio. This means that heros can be captured and tricked earlier in story because it is a set up for the period when the ratio comes into effect: The Final Battle, or The Even Playing Ground. As can be seen quite frequently, the last battle of any story is always the one where the neither the villians or the heros have any advantage, they go head to head in a true, equal footing, conflict. It is here that the ratio makes itself evident, and you can see the results every time.
So, next time you're watching Samurai Jack beat bunches of baddies at an impossible rate, or cry in outrage at the shear improbability of Lex Luther beating the crud out of Superman, remember the ratio, and know that all will be well in the end.
Join the Fun
~Weiler
Weiler checking in. I had a long day at rehersal today, and I'm beat so I'll make this quick. I present to you....
The Theorum of Superhero to Supervillain Power Ratio Permanence!
That's a mouthful, eh? I'll just call it the Ratio Permanence Theorum.
Now, the idea works like this. It is commonly known that in comics and cartoons and such where heros go up against villians that the hero always wins. This implies a ratio of power based on the hero/villian interaction. This ratio is usually somewhere around 1.1 to 1, the 1.1 being the hero, and the 1 being the villain. This means that the powers of good and evil are well matched, but that good will always win out against evil. Example: A superhero fights a supervillian, they strugle for a while, there's conflict and tension and then the superhero wins. However, I submit to you that this ratio never changes. That it, in fact, stays the same in all circumstances in which it applies. This means that if you were to introduce more than two people into the conflict (if the superhero or supervillian teamed up with someone) that that side's power would then be split between those on the team, making each individual member, in effect, weaker. For example: In an episode of Samurai Jack, Jack faces a villian that can summon, and resummon, many different warriors to fight for him. The villain first summons a single fighter. It takes Jack a good five minutes, with some difficulty, to defeat this fighter. The villain then summons back that same fighter and four others and we see that Jack can now defeat this same fighter in a matter of seconds! This doesn't seem to make sense, does it? But, if we apply the Ratio Permanence Theorum it does. While it was just the one, that fighter pocessed all the power of the villian side of the ratio. But, as soon as other fighters were brought to his side he had to share his power between them, making him weaker, and more easily defeatable. I'll give you another example. Lex Luther devises a sinister plot to take over the world or some-such thing. The Justice League then swoops in to take care of him, and you see him tossing around the individual members of the league like whinning babies! Now, let's take into account that Lex Luther is easily dealt with by Superman alone on a daily basis and we start to see that this makes absolutely no sense at all. But, if you apply the Ratio Permanence Theorum, you can see that each member of the Justice League has to share the power of their side of the ratio, while Lex has the entire might of his side of the ratio, making him more than a match for each individual member, yet still destined to fail as the combined might of the League is still greater than his power alone, as dictated by the ratio. Now, the tricky part is knowing when to apply this ratio, as there can be many examples to counter it if they are taken out of context. Plot battles, or plot senarios, situations where the outcome of the battle, and/or the events of the battle are dictated because of the story exist outside the influence of the ratio. This means that heros can be captured and tricked earlier in story because it is a set up for the period when the ratio comes into effect: The Final Battle, or The Even Playing Ground. As can be seen quite frequently, the last battle of any story is always the one where the neither the villians or the heros have any advantage, they go head to head in a true, equal footing, conflict. It is here that the ratio makes itself evident, and you can see the results every time.
So, next time you're watching Samurai Jack beat bunches of baddies at an impossible rate, or cry in outrage at the shear improbability of Lex Luther beating the crud out of Superman, remember the ratio, and know that all will be well in the end.
Join the Fun
~Weiler