Major Spoilers

Major Spoilers Question Of The Day: Mendeleev Wuz Here Edition

By Matthew PetersonApril 21, 2012Updated:June 15, 201314 Comments1 Min Read

While formulating today’s Question Of The Day, I asked my daughter (age 8) if there were any unanswered comic book questions that plagued her slightly more than half a dozen years on the planet. She looked at me, squished up her adorable little nose, and threw me for a loop with some high-octane comic query: “Why isn’t Iron Man made of steel?” She then proceeded to explain that steel is much stronger and easier to work with, making Daddy very proud in the process. I was going to explain to her about the half a dozen characters already named Steel when the QOTD leapt fully formed from my brow like Athena or The Great Gazoo…

The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) is this: We have Iron Man, Steel, The Silver Surfer, even Little Iodine… Which of the remaining elements would make the best superhero identity?

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Matthew Peterson

Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.

14 Comments

Ian on April 21, 2012 12:01 pm

Shazamium, obviously
Drew on April 21, 2012 1:30 pm

There is a whole periodic table of awesomeness waiting to team up here…
Doctor Lithium, Master of Manic-Depressives
The Explosive White Phosphorus
The Mysterious Mister Xe(non)
And the Table Salt Twins, Sodium and Chloride.
All under the watchful eye of the Noble (Gas) Krypton!
Alisha Mynx on April 21, 2012 3:03 pm

Quartz and her sidekick Crystal, who can, uh, bend light slightly and look sparkly?

Hey, it works for strippers (and whiny vampires), why not superheroes?
Dan on April 21, 2012 3:18 pm

Unobtanium man. With the power to be unsubstantial and unobtainable.
Kirby on April 21, 2012 3:49 pm

I think Cobalt was only used once in an old Metal Men comic, so I’d call that up for grabs.
- Matthew Peterson on April 21, 2012 5:42 pm
  
  There was Milestone’s Kobalt, but he was named after, ostensibly, kobolds… Cobalt Man was a minor Iron Man villain back in the day, as was Titanium Man. Great name, though.
  - Drew on April 22, 2012 1:31 am
    
    Don’t forget Barry Allen’s evil twin… Cobalt Blue!
Gehrigan on April 21, 2012 7:34 pm

How about Oxygen thief? He is obnoxious and shouldn’t have survived his power accident :)
J_Michael_T on April 21, 2012 8:54 pm

The Alimonium Wench… Made from a combination of aluminum and greed, she has the ability to take half your stuf for a looong time (I’m not bitter; not at all).
Oldcomicfan on April 21, 2012 9:31 pm

Helium Man, obviously, because his voice would sound like Donald Duck.
Sean on April 21, 2012 11:03 pm

The Mighty Thorium?
Captain Americium?
The Good Samarium?
Berenstein Barium?
~wyntermute~ on April 22, 2012 7:35 am

Lead Foot. ‘Nuff said. ^_^
Jimmy on April 22, 2012 8:51 am

The Plutonium…

Err, never mind.
zebsdead on April 22, 2012 10:07 am

Lesion Lad, who, after eating a special sandwich of cesium salami and beryllium bolgna, discovers he can thwart his foes with removable hair and teeth…