Fights between characters equal in power in Universe But uneven in fan knowledge

[Devonix]

http://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/6/a0/4f2c7e74d0276/detail.jpg

Look at this image. Here we have two characters

Thor and Phoenix.

Now people who have read a lot about those two know that they are pretty evenly matched. with Phoenix being more powerful but not vastly. Now this here isn't a vs though thats ok to talk about. What this is about is why one character gets built up as unstoppable and the other talked down when they are both in the same league.

Examples being Aquaman vs Namor Now I know the reason Namor gets built up is he was never in Superfriends, but thats just the type of thing I'm talking about.

[The Extinguisher]

Because one character is more popular than the other. Most people who do this don't read comics, or read a whole lot of them, and are only going on popular descriptions on the character.

To use your Namor and Aquaman example. Most people don't know who Namor is. Meanwhile, everyone and their dog knows who Aquaman is, and they think of him as weak with dumb powers, because they've never read or seen anything with Aquaman in it. All they know is that he's silly, because other media has said that. It's a vicious cycle.

[Mx.Silver]

A lot of it is just favouritism, really. If someone is a fan of a particular character (or the source material said character is from) they may have a bit of difficulty with accepting that said character would be defeated by one they are unfamiliar with - especially so if that opponent is from a work they dislike. Over time, especially in more durable fandoms, this can create a kind of 'echo chamber' where the character's powers start to become inflated, sometimes to silly levels (e.g. Batman).

[Devonix]

Can you name some times when you've seen a matchup in a comic or on a show that was about to happen and you had someone asking you why they were putting someone very weak against someone that they assume was more powerful. And when you had to explain to them that they were actually evenly matched?

[Hiro Protagonest]

Aquaman is extremely powerful. He controls everything that lives in the sea. Kraken, Leviathan, Godzilla, Cthulhu, a bigger fish...

[Devonix]

Aquaman is extremely powerful. He controls everything that lives in the sea. Kraken, Leviathan, Godzilla, Cthulhu, a bigger fish...

Aquaman being powerful isn't in question. Its why some people get built up to uber levels in people's heads while others more powerful get seen as weaker.

[The Extinguisher]

Aquaman is extremely powerful. He controls everything that lives in the sea. Kraken, Leviathan, Godzilla, Cthulhu, a bigger fish...

Yes, but out of everyone who knows who Aquaman is, as a character, how many know just how powerful he is. I'd put good money down it's less than half.

[Tiki Snakes]

Meh, Aquaman is a bad example, as he's been deliberately powered up over the years specifically because of his superfriends style reputation. Namor in comparison was always a stone cold badass and relatively obscure in equal measure.

[Devonix]

Sorry Tiki but you are wrong there. Aquaman's changed very little from his first inception. He's learned more magic over time but nothing more than what he should have been.

[Tiki Snakes]

Oh? My bad. For some reason I got this crazy idea he ended up with a magical water hand or something and started going round dehydrating people to death.
http://images.wikia.com/marvel_dc/images/f/f6/Aquaman_0007.jpg
Heaven knows where I got a crazy idea like that from.

No, seriously though, in his original appearences he has gills and talks to fish in their own language, in modern times he has gotten away with mind controlling humans and a shifting array of powerups, magic items and assorted gear.

[Devonix]

Oh? My bad. For some reason I got this crazy idea he ended up with a magical water hand or something and started going round dehydrating people to death.
http://images.wikia.com/marvel_dc/images/f/f6/Aquaman_0007.jpg
Heaven knows where I got a crazy idea like that from.

No, seriously though, in his original appearences he has gills and talks to fish in their own language, in modern times he has gotten away with mind controlling humans and a shifting array of powerups, magic items and assorted gear.

Yes he did have that for a while. But no that wasn't a vast increase in power, Water manipulation is something he gets from being A Champion of Posideon and B the head of the most powerful magical nation on the planet. Him having magical artifacts makes sense.
If you are ruler of Atlantis it would be strange not to have such things. And he's a telepath, allways has been he's used telepathy on fish, birds, people, aliens all since the very beginning.
Strength, speed and durability have all remained rather unchanged.

[kpenguin]

Yeah, given he's had the strength to smash through a Nazi warship since the Golden Age, pre-Superfriends, I don't see his powercreep as being a response to his Superfriends incarnation and more in line with how powerful the rest of DC has gotten.

[Xondoure]

In regards to Phoenix versus Thor I think it has to do with how they were introduced. In the original Phoenix arc there were no restrictions to her power once she let go other than "drives you insane." She was turning trees into gold to make the point that the universe was hers to reassemble as she will. She only lost because Jean Grey held on long enough to open her defenses and get shot down by a super laser. Now I haven't read a whole lot on what happened later (most of my comic experience is restricted to an old collection box belonging to my dad I read through as a teenager) but I'd hazard a guess that in order to keep using her they lowered her power, created counters, or more likely raised everyone else's because as is she was a big red I win button (Oh what's that? No no Jean I wasn't calling you fat. Honest. Please don't break my mind.)

Or the X-men simply weren't at Thor's power level and thus didn't stand a chance in hell, and as well established characters this makes the reader feel equally powerless. Now Thor has had moments to establish how bad ass he is I'm not disputing that but his stories seem a little more overblown, and villains are often more intimidating.

[Devonix]

Basically Yeah the Xmen when they fought the phoenix weren't anywhere near thor's level.

When that was going on in X men Thor had allready done things like beating Galactus.

[The Durvin]

What if Franklin Richards was an evil, schizophrenic Member of Parliament? I give you Mad Jim Jaspers. I also think it's sad that Mojo doesn't get used more often; he might be bizarre (which is why I like him), but he's also massively powerful with some combination of magic and technology. (Personally, I'd have him fight Nextwave, but then that's me.)