When did composite become a thing?

So many composite characters in tournaments despite the fact they are different characters that only share the same name and rarely mesh well together.

When did it become a thing to just assume you could combine every character with the same name?

I only use composite for game characters since although 2 games are set in the same universe, character A has power B in game 1, but in game 2, character A has power C.

This is incredibly annoying to see. It's like character X dominates everyone in pre-52 and then when said character reaches new-52 and loses, X character is held at the same standards as his pre-52 counterpart which somehow makes the other character "superior".

Not to say any names(And if you see this, no offense) but I say a CaV with Despero and Martian Manhunter and both were composite. Even though Despero dominates Martian Manhunter in TP, since Martian Manhunter beat him in new-52 that somehow made Martian Manhunter superior?

I wonder if they also take their weaknesses too.

@wardemon32:

One question: Does pheromones count as a TP like attack?

I think people only intend to take strengths so it would be pre-52 Despero's stats as he was all out superior.

@tomofukuoka: They are actual characters.

I am referring to the idea of combining 2 separate characters that share the same name,

Sometimes it can work in the case of many pre/new 52 characters but that's best left up to the tournament organizer. @lukehero often allowed that.

But even that is dodgy when you are combining characters like Mr Terrific, then you add even more abilities to T-Spheres

@dextersinister:

Are you asking me if I think pheromones count as a TP attack? I would count it as a TP attack since it is an attack on someone's brain. It may not be a traditional TP attack but it should still count. We count Ultrons technopathy but as far as I'm concerned he's using a virus and it's not really under his own power. We even count Starro's little virus as a telepathic assault and Martian Manhunter was even able to communicate with it yet it isn't a traditional TP attack.

And if we are going to take strengths we should also take weakness. This isn'ta buffet, you can't choose what you want to use and don't want to use.

@wardemon32: @dextersinister: In a tourney you would have to accept the low and high showings of a character, but you would get the best qualities when it came to skill and stats. Such as using composite Slade you would get Pre52's skill and speed with New 52's strength.

It can be tricky, but that's why I have a huge rule section. Also I give a question and answer session before each tourney in a group pm and private pms. That way for the most part people won't claim they were uninformed on how I was going to rule.

As far as pheromones and other borderline TP(but not TP) ablities counting under the TP umbrella. I have basically finally adopted a TP umbrella rule that all soul, mind, phermone, and any kind of similar ablitiy will all apply as the same. That way characters can defend themselves no matter the type of attack. It makes for a more stream lined tourney and much more enjoyable, other wise a lot of characters will be left defenseless or you end up having to spend any aviable up grade points on hax defense.

@lukehero: I was more talking about the idea that people just assume that they can take composite characters when it was normally a case that if someone took pre-52 Batman first then someone else could always take new-52.

In a lot of cases it normally means extra powers and/or equipment the other version wouldn't have.

@dextersinister: Yeah you can never assume that you can. You always have to ask and it has to be open to everyone what the options are.