With the possibility of a movie based upon the Henry Pym character from Marvel looming, it's gotten me thinking about characters whose powers involve (or regularly include) "growing" to immense size. I've got a partial list of all I could think of... who is your favorite and why?

Mine would be Atlas for a couple of reasons: When Kurt Busiek changed the Master of Evil Goliath into Atlas and made me like him, I was very surprised it worked. Goliath gave Hercules some serious injuries in an earlier story when the MOE invaded the Avengers Mansion (an event that also included the MOE destroying Captain America's original shield and the only photograph he had of his mother). He was definitely a serious villain, the kind we comic readers love to hate. Kurt showed Erik Josten being "seduced by good" to the point where he was practically a new man. Kurt did this with most of the original Thunderbolts, actually. Another thing I really like about Atlas is, by and large, he is much more powerful than other "giant" heroes like Giant-Man and Black Goliath. Atlas was originally called "Power Man" and had been given superhuman strength through a process similar to the one that made Simon Williams into Wonder Man. Despite having lost much of these powers, Josten was still superhumanly strong when he gained the ability to grow into a 60' giant. This alleviates one pesky conceptual problem I've always had with giant heroes... the whole size/weight/strength ratio problem.

Oh, and Atlas was from Wisconsin. That's another plus in my book.

Apache Chief. His diversity means he brings a different perspective, and therefore makes any team he is on more effective.

I didn't include Colossal Boy because his power isn't growing. It's shrinking.*

(But I suppose I should have added him anyway. He's there now.)


*As of the 2004 reboot, anyway.

Thank you. It's only been "shrinking" since Mark Waid's reboot a few years ago; the one I grew up with was a giant.

I know. It was just me forgetting about him because I'm not a Legion fan. The shrinking comment was just me saying "I meant to do that" in Pee Wee Herman fashion. Colossal Boy should be on the list.

Now somebody besides me vote!

Kevin, why did you vote for Colossal Boy? Anything about him that stands out from the others or are you just a Legion fan*?


*Which is a perfectly legitimate reason.

Dr. Pym for me. None of the others have much meaning to me other than Clint, and I prefer him as Hawkeye. I haven't read too many stories featuring the other ones either, besides Colossal Boy... but he's out because I'm just not a big fan of the legion.

I'll vote for Cockrum's Colossal-Boy analogue in the Imperial Guard.

I think "Titan" was his name, maybe ... ?

I was a big fan of Bill Foster/Giant Man in Marvel Two-In-One, he gets my vote.

I'm a Legion fan. So, Colossal Boy it is

Bill Foster for me. Like Ross, I like the Marvel Two-in-One storyline. Additionally, I like scientist heroes, but like Pym better as Yellowjacket.

Colossal Boy... Gym Allon.

Possibly the first Jewish superhero, had it goin' on with Shrinking Violet and then with his Durlan wife.

A Durlan wife... that should give him the win right there.

There was also Nuklon of Infinity, Inc., who became Atom-Smasher of the JSA.



Salu Digby also became Leviathan of the Legionnaires.



As for me, I voted for Gim Allon, Colossal Boy, Leviathan, Micro Lad of the LSH. Also known as Captain Gim Allon of the Science Police. Early in his career, he was one of the first Legionnaires to be considered a traitor. He used it as a ruse to free other members so that they could do what they needed to defeat Computo.

Colossal Boy was almost always the first into battle, at least until Xs joined the Legionnaires.

A straightforward fighter, you could count on him to be a team player, even if it meant taking one for the team.

My kind of hero.

That's your favorite?

Yeah!!!

Powergirl.

My favourite pair of giants

Mainly because I'm a Legion fan, but also because he seemed to be just a regular guy trying to do the right thing. Even before he gained powers, he was training to be a police officer.

Giant Man. I love(d) ol' High Pockets. He was cool!

best when written by Stan.

As a kid, with Super Friends, I used to think Apache Chief was one of the coolest dudes ever though.

Didn't Apache Chief once grow so big that he was actually larger than the Earth so he could fight some cosmic space giant....or did I hallucinate the whole thing (which happens more often than I'd care to admit.)

I think I remember him doing that too. But Superman pushed the Earth in the cartoon. The theory seemed to be "if they have a power there is no limit to it"