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I dunno...Echo is pretty bad.

Or does she not count?

No?

Well let's go with "Triatholon"

What, no Whizzer? No D-Man? No Living Lightning (aka "Mr. All The Other Electricity-based Hero Names Are Already Taken")?

I like Echo. Wasn't Doctor Druid originally Doctor Droom? That's much better. I'm fine with Doctors and I'm fine with Druids, but I'd rather they each stick to their prime area of expertise.

Idk, thunder strike is a pretty cool name. And I mean c'mon they aren't supposed to make that much sense. There are a lot worse names out there than those five..

Rage is definitely lame. And don't let Hamma off easy- I'm pretty sure Rage wasn't revealed to be a teenager until after he was off the book.

I'm shocked that you left off Triathlon. Warbird and Deathcry deserve mentions too. And let's not let the fact that she's a cool character give She-Hulk a pass either.

His name may be silly, but Thunderstrike was a good character.
Eric as Thor wasn't my thing, but I liked Thunderstrike... weird, huh?

Thunderstrike was pretty cool, mostly because it fits with the "Transformers" rule, which states that if you have any name that could be the name of a Decepticon or an Autobot, that name therefore kicks ass.

How can Deathcry not be #1?

Seriously... Triathlon. Ugh. Jack of Hearts is kind of a dumb name, too. Oh, and Ant-Man.

Some of those don't strike me as so bad, though. Thunderstrike may be generic but it's hardly awful, and Giant Man has a certain to-the-point charm, even if Goliath is a better name for the character.

Have to go with Living Lightning and Deathcry. I actually like the name Thunderstrike.

I second the vote for Triathlon.

And Dr. Druid was forced to change his name to keep it from sounding like Dr. Doom. No excuse for having a name that belongs in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign though.

Having taken a shine to Henry Pym lately, I'll jump to his defense with Giant-Man - it's a name that incorporates a powerful word and perfectly describes the hero. I like it!

The funny thing is that Thunderstrike (the character) got made fun of in stories for the name. In continuity, he chooses that name because someone asks him what his superhero name is after a big battle, he's got no idea, and that's what's written on his brand new mallet. The next coupla issues, IIRC, feature villians making fun of his name.

That said, it's not a great name, agreed. Though the character was one of my favorites.

I always disliked "Starfox" as a name of a superhero.

Triathlon is definitely the worst Avenger name. What is he going to do bicycle me to death, swim at me or run away? And don't get me started on his costume.

Living Lightning? Really?

...OK, that one's got my vote. With Triathlon a close second (I keep seeing Marc Singer running down a beach with Steve Austin sound effects in the background...)

Giant-Man should've been higher, too; just because it's so terribly unimaginative. Naming yourself using the Legion of Super Heroes template is never a great idea.

(Y'know, that's a decent idea for another Top Five list: silliest Legion members ever.)

Thunderstrike...I dunno, it's so dorky it's actually kinda nifty. As long as you don't think about it too hard.

Whizzer.

C'mon. You laughed just then. Admit it.

I'm glad to see others have voted for Triathlon. Ugh. Just a horrible misfire of a character all around.

All those one-word superhero names from the 1990s really burned my beans, yeah. All those vague nouns and adjectives. I hate the name "Giant-Man" mainly because just "The Giant" works fine. 'Giant' can be used as a noun. "Giant-Man" always sounded clunky to me. "Dr. Druid" never bothered me, though, I suppose because 'Druid' is a unique enough term that it allows me to excuse the redundancy of it.

I agree, how can you not put Triathlon up there? Seriously...his name is Triathlon.

I agree, how can you not put Triathlon up there? Seriously...his name is Triathlon. And his power is even worse: a black guy that runs, jumps and lifts three times what a normal guy does. It just comes off so stereotypical, even though I know Kurt didn't mean it that way. It's as bad as an Asian guy called Trigonometry that can do math three times as fast as a normal guy, or an Irishman named Triple Sec that can drink 3 times the amount of a normal guy.

Thunderstrike is pretty bad, yeah (great character, though!), but you can't leave out Starfox, Echo, Triathlon and,most of all, Deathcry (da winner! And a terrible character too!).

Best,
Hunter (Pedro Bouça)

I figured that Triathlon would get some attention, but I think it worked pretty decently. I mean, the dude's powers were that he was three times as fast/strong/etc. than a normal person, right?

Well, Triathlon gets that across pretty effectively, I think. Add in the Olympic background, and I think it works well.

Also, I totally dug Thunderstrike. He just had a dorky name.

Deathcry was a lame character, but I don't have a problem with the name. A death cry is at least, you know, a THING.

Echo will be on there if she joins the team as Echo. That is a lame name.

Living Lightning is an interesting pick...he probably deserves at least an honorable mention.

Rage is definitely lame. And don’t let Hamma off easy- I’m pretty sure Rage wasn’t revealed to be a teenager until after he was off the book.

Nah, Hama revealed that in Rage's origins. I think it was Nicieza, though, who pointed out how silly the idea was, and made Rage a member of the New Warriors.

When I saw the title of this post, She-Hulk was the first name that popped into my head

Thunderstrike works for the same reason that Rage works, in that Eric Masterson is a complete and total dork.

C'mon ... Is there any point whatsoever to this article? Debating whether or not a name is stupid is like debating whether or not tomatoes taste good. Everyone will disagree ad nauseum. What a waste of time.

(I happen to like the name and the character Rage. A lot.)

See, now I would have gone in a different direction. I would do a list of characters with stupid "real" names, as opposed to their alter egos. For instance, The Riddler having the name Edward Nigma. Now thats lame. I mean how lame is it that someone with an ironic name ends up with a power or ability reminiscent of that name? If that were the case, why not outlaw naming a kid anything that could be sinister?

"No, I'm sorry Mrs. Morrow, you can't name your son Thomas."

There are many like that, but I'm experiencing vapor lock at the moment, and can't think of anymore.

The name Triathlon gets his powers across, but I say it's still lame. It's a freakin athletic event! I mean "Hammer Throw" gets Thor's powers across, but naming him that would still be wack!

Personally, I think Thunderstrike is a very cool name.
It doesn't HAVE to have a real-word meaning.
If you feel it does, then... when he STRIKES you so hard, you hear THUNDER.
How's that?

And I'm not even a FAN of the character, either.
Don't really care one way or the other.

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As for DR. DRUID, well... if YOUR name was DRUID, wouldn't you have some interest in possibly researching Druids to see what they were all about?

Turns out that's pretty much his deal (after some retconning).
(AFTER Marvel changed his name from DROOM to DRUID)

He earned an MD then went into psychiatry, then looked into his interest of the occult (ostensibly because he learned he had druid heritage and wanted to learn more about it).

Of course, one side-trip to the Ancient One and he became a forerunner (and a back-up plan) for DOCTOR STRANGE.

So, he didn't start off as a Druid.
He was a Doctor, turned psychiatrist, turned MYSTIC.

The real DRUID part wasn't really until his own mini (where they then killed him).

Just my 2cents.

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Even D-MAN isn't tat bad, once you remember that it is a short version of his real code-name:
DEMOLITION MAN.

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As for me...my choice for worst name would be;

Whizzer
(too funny)

My choice for worst CHARACTER would be:

SILVERCLAW
and/or
TRIATHLON
and/or
RAGE

But, I'm sure they're someone's favorite, so what do I know?

I like a guy with the very fortuitous name of DOCTOR STRANGE.
Good thing DR. HERBERT MENDELSHAM didn't get into that car crash.

DOCTOR MENDELSHAM... Master of the Mystic Arts.

Yeah... luckily a guy named STRANGE filled that bill.

~P~
P-TOR

So basically, ever character that was created in The Avengers last 15 years was been terrible.

Actually, I think this includes villains as well.

What the hell is so lame about Echo?

I was going to put in a vote for NFL Pro - er, Triathlon - too, but I see the Internet has beat me to it.

>> C’mon … Is there any point whatsoever to this article?

Ok, I've got to throw one in: The Hulk.

Seriously, think about it. If the character hadn't caught on, we'd be making fun of that name. It's what you call a wrecked and abandoned ship.

Similarly, "Vision?" Not really an AVengers name, but what about "The Thing?"

We'll forgive a dumb name if the character itself is good.

Looking over everyone's suggestions, I have to ask; are any of the Avengers' names NOT goofy? Let's see...
Iron Man, Hawkeye, Quicksilver... that's about it.

I dunno, I think the Scarlet Witch is pretty cool too. It's got that whole...scarlet-y witch-y thing happening.

Also, of course, there's Thor, who is a Norse god and therefore untouchable re: coolness (except and unless he's a frog at the time). Beast is also pretty decent.

No, even as a Frog Thor is rad.

Insult Simonson and we'll need to talk.

Outside.

Ron Frenz confused the word "thunderstruck" with "thunderstrike" but yeah, thunder doesn't strike. It makes little sense.

I'll vote for Ms. Marvel a lame attempt to make a hip sounding character in the 70's. Of course she was a clone of Captain Marvel. And then there was a female Capatin Marvel who wasn't Ms. Marvel.

U.S. Agent. I get the pun. But everytime a superhero changes his costume for six months eventually someone will don that costume and name. I mean no band goes out and calls themselves "The Knack" just because the real Knack isn't using that name right now.

Scarlet Witch is like Silver Surfer. It's a weak name we've come to accept.

I'll close with Wiccan from the Kid Avengers and Dinah Soar from the Great Lakes Avengers.

Triathlon (name and character) is one of those that I actually like. Same with Warbird - it works pretty well, better than "Ms. Marvel," I think.

Starfox would get my vote, though interestingly, the '80s slang usage of "fox = attractive person" that makes the name grating postdates (I think) his 1973 introduction. (Oh, wait, looking him up on wikipedia seems to indicate that he didn't get the codename until joining the Avengers, so the criticism stands in full....)

When was Thunderstrike a member of the Avengers? I only remember him being in the Avengers before he was Thunderstrike, and I remember that Captain America *hated* Eric Masterson...

I remember when the Avengers *fought* Thunderstrike, but I honestly don't recall him ever being on the team.

Triathlon? TRIATHLON? The guy didn't even have a bicycle...

I know he was a 13-year-old who was pretending to be an adult,

I'm still confused as to why a 13-year-old boy, given the opportunity to be a big tough superhero, would wear a mask with kittycat whiskers.

*Sigh!* No love for Thunderstrike, Deathcry, or Silverclaw? Gotta tell ya, it's tough being an Avengers fan who started following the titles circa 1990. The one-two punch of "The Crossing" and "Heroes Reborn" was enough to break the spirit of even the most stalwart reader. But, y'know, amidst all the bizarre stuff of the 1990s, I really did like a lot of the second stringers who joined the Avengers.

At least Dinah Sour is supposed to be goofy.

Oh, and I see your Wiccan and raise you a "Speed". I loved Young Avengers but those names were terrible.

In addition to the names previously mentioned:

Moondragon is pretty nonsensical. I think Tigra sounds more like a He-Man character than a super-hero. Masque? Yeah, lots of Avengers wear masks. What's your point? I think "Wonder Man" sounds as awkward as "Giant Man."

I like Warbird better than Ms. Marvel. (not to mention "Binary")

I think Tigra actually *was* a He-Man character. Either that, or Thundercats. Possibly spelled Tygra...but, uh, yeah. Pretty much.

I'd really put Deathcry up there. Sure, it's a basic product of the random name generator, but death just isn't exactly a good adjective for a Avenger. It's just so very much a product of the 90s.

Triathlon gets a pass from me, though. He was really an updated 3-D Man, and the number of names that could get the point of his powers across is pretty slim. Besides, at least it meant something. Yeah, Deathcry, I'm looking at you. Either get some sonic powers or change names.

scarlet witch makes since, only when she is wearing red. she used to wear green when she was a member of the brotherhood of mutants.

What about "Avengers"? I always thought that their name is, at least, innacurate. After all, what were they avenging in the first place?

"Moondragon is pretty nonsensical."

When your original codename is "Madame McEvil", anything is a step up.

There is nothing wrong with Giant-Man. Clear, distinct, and reminiscent of the character's fifties sci-fi origins.

And don't even think about crapping on Ant-Man.

Awww, Apodaca has a warm'n'fuzzy Golden Age side! I always knew it.

Some "this is what I do" names end up working. What the hell else would Pym or Stark call themselves? But I think it's scary how dumb Echo is for a name.

I always felt sorry for Warbird. I mean, it is a name that makes a lot of sense for the character, but it sounds like it came from a random name generator. So, it's a good name that will forever be considered bad.

Theno