Fifth-Dimensional Trickster Meets Pop-Upian Shapeshifter: Mxyzptlk vs. Impossible Man

A Clash of Comic-Book Chaos

In this week’s Dynamic Duel Podcast, Johnny DC and his twin brother Marvelous Joe set their sights on two of the most delightfully disruptive characters in superhero comics: DC’s Mister Mxyzptlk and Marvel’s Impossible Man. Both are prank-happy reality benders who first appeared as thorns in the sides of Superman and the Fantastic Four, respectively. They even met once in the Superman / Silver Surfer crossover, but that comic ended in a stalemate. The twins refuse stalemates, so AJ9K’s thousand-run Monte Carlo simulator was summoned to declare a definitive winner—while Johnny and Joe painted a wildly imaginative play-by-play featuring birthday-cake kaiju, stadium-sized mech suits, and a reality-warping battle of the bands.

The Origins Behind the Mischief

Marvelous Joe kicks things off with Impossible Man’s long, zig-zagging backstory. Born on the planet Pop-Up in the Tenth Galaxy, this emerald imp belongs to a communal species whose members share one hive mind and possess total molecular control over their bodies. After centuries of dodging predators, one adventurous Pop-Upian rocketed to Earth, robbed a bank merely to buy lunch, and delighted in outsmarting the Fantastic Four. Dubbed “Impossible” by Ben Grimm, he adopted the name and never looked back. Over the decades he lured Galactus away from Earth, produced thousands of “Impossible Kids,” and routinely gate-crashed Marvel Comics offices, Hollywood movie sets, and even the X-Mansion—each visit marked by a loud “pop” sound and a wave of unpredictable hijinks.

Johnny DC counters with Mister Mxyzptlk, an imp from DC’s Fifth Dimension, a realm so advanced its technology appears magical to us. Arriving on Earth purely for laughs, Mxyz spent years tormenting Superman with reality-defying pranks—everything from transforming downtown Metropolis to trapping the Man of Steel in impossible logic puzzles. Superman could only banish him by tricking the imp into saying his own name backwards, a tactic that every ninety days reset the prank war. Over time Mxyz’s antics broadened: he once empowered the Joker with 99.9 percent of his power (turning the world into a nightmare), and later helped the Justice League by opening a portal to the Sixth Dimension. Whether scientist, researcher, or lunatic jester, Mxyzptlk’s motives invariably boil down to curiosity and amusement.

How Their Powers Compare

Despite superficial similarities, their abilities diverge. Impossible Man’s molecular morphing lets him mimic virtually any object or being, grow to Galactus-size, shrink to microbes, duplicate himself, fly, teleport, and fire energy blasts—though he is traditionally stuck in a green-and-purple color scheme. Mister Mxyzptlk, on the other hand, is an outright reality warper. He rewrites the laws of physics, time, and space on a whim, is immune to temporal changes, and cannot be physically harmed in any conventional sense. His only limitation is the self-imposed rule that compels him to return home when he says or is tricked into speaking his name backwards.

The Hosts’ Speculative Showdown

The imaginary battle begins with Impossible Man turning himself into a 100-foot birthday cake—only for Mxyzptlk to scatter the confection with a single super-breath. From there the duel spirals into escalating absurdity: fireworks, giant vacuums, asteroid-headed meteors, and a baseball stadium that transforms into a towering mech driven by Mxyz’s face on the Jumbotron. The Pop-Upian responds by piling his duplicates into a colossal green Sasquatch. Eventually the scene goes dark, spotlights snap on, and the fight pivots into a rock concert. Mxyz shreds on an axe-shaped guitar, shaking Impossible Man to his core. Not to be outdone, the Pop-Upian conjures a multi-tier keyboard with notes stretching from A to Z and hammers out a solo so frenetic it nearly spells Mxyzptlk’s name backward in music. Only fifth-dimensional reflexes—and a well-timed guitar chop—save the trickster from an impromptu banishment.

The AJ9K Simulation and Final Verdict

After the laughter fades, the AJ9K algorithm takes over, crunching their official stat profiles—strength, speed, durability, intelligence, perception, range, versatility, damage potential, and more—across a thousand randomized bouts. The results weren’t even close: Mister Mxyzptlk triumphed in 803 of the simulations, leaving Impossible Man with just 197 victories. Johnny DC celebrates the DC imp’s supremacy, while Marvelous Joe notes (with tongue firmly in cheek) that John Byrne once hinted the two characters might be alternate aspects of the same being. If that theory holds, perhaps both imps can claim victory in some fifth-dimensional sense. Nevertheless, AJ9K’s numbers crown Mister Mxyzptlk the prank king of this cross-company confrontation.

Why This Episode Works

The podcast shines whenever the twins tackle out-of-left-field matchups, and this episode may be their zaniest yet. By combining meticulous comic-lore research with free-wheeling speculative storytelling, Johnny and Joe remind listeners that Marvel and DC’s depth extends far beyond their marquee heroes. Whether you love impish chaos or just want to hear two brothers riff on cosmic absurdity, this duel delivers big laughs and surprising insight into two cult-favorite characters.

Catch the full episode here: Mister Mxyzptlk vs. Impossible Man.