No, the illusions wouldn't have the ATA.

The only way I can think of for a character to use an ata without being assigned it at the beginning of the game would be to copy it using a wildcard team ability or similar effect.

does using forceblast to damage a character due to knockback gain a stat?

Maybe an AST?

I feel like the intuitive answer is that it should, but the rules as written don't actually include it. Same goes for poison and miscellaneous effects like Imperiex's drill, Tabitha Smith's timebombs, etc.

Perhaps for next season, the description for an SA could be reworked to include these things?

Well, all of those things can earn ASTs and KOs and Forceblast can also earn DFDs.

so if I use forceblast to knock someone where they are unable to make an attack against the forceblast user next turn, that would be a DFD?

No. You can't get a DVD for yourself. But if the forceblast prevented an attack, entirely on someone else, you can take a DFD

Huh. I didn't get that at all from the description on the first page.

That makes it sound like it's only if you do something that directly affects another character's ability to make an attack.

DFD in particular continues to confuse me as to what counts or doesn't count for it.

If I use character A to carry character B out of range/lof, is that a DFD?

Magneto moves adjacent to Jean Grey, Jean Forceblasts Mags back, adjacent to Wolverine, Wolverine runs claws through Magento. Jean gets an AST.

What about the other stuff mentioned, like poison and other effects that do damage without an attack roll?

Do you get credit just for dealing damage with them, or only if you damage a character with them, and then someone else makes a successful attack against the same character that turn?

Yes, that would get you a DFD.

If you Poison someone and that changes their defense (think perplexing down), then that same turn another character hits but would have missed the previous defense value, then you would get an AST.

For some historical context until around season 4 or 5 when the current definitions were created Forceblast and Poison could only earn you KOs and carry earned you nothing.

When you upgrade a character do you have to get every upgrade or can you buy any upgrade if you have the point difference

You must spend at least 50 XP on an upgrade.

I have Superboy at 100 points. He has versions at the following point values: 106, 125, 127, 158, 164. Now I could spend 50 points and upgrade to the 106, 125, or 127 point versions. If I spend 50 XP to get the 127 pt version I get the other 2 as well. I could wait until I have 58 XP to get the 158 pt versions and the other 3, or I could wait until I hit 64 points and get all of the versions.

I can't remember, if you mind control do you get 1 SA for the hit and then 1 SA again if the controlled figure makes a successful attack?