List of comic book superpowers
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Means
Examples of ways in which a character has the ability to generate an effect.
Object-based powers
List of objects in the DC Universe Powers derived from objects (also known as artifacts), such as armor, jewelry, weapons, and wands.
- Examples: Juggernaut's Crimson Gem of CyttorakThe X-Men #12 or Green Lantern's power battery and ringAll-American Comics #16
Mutation
- Examples: X-Men or Captain Comet
Methods
Examples of methods by which a character generates an effect.
Energy sourcing
Ability to draw power from large or small but abundant sources of energy, such as turning kinetic energy into physical blasts or converting solar energy into other forms. Sometimes based on proximity to source, sometimes stored for future use.
- Examples: NexusNexus #1 or Superman<ref name="AC1">Action Comics #1
- Supernatural
- Examples: Doctor StrangeStrange Tales #110 or Doctor FateMore Fun Comics #55
Not all "magical" superpowers are actually supernatural, but are based on alternate or futuristic "science" which is unexplainable [1]. Mxyzptlk's abilities, for instance, rely on a set of physics different from our dimension's.
- Pseudo-supernatural
- Example: Mister MxyzptlkSuperman #30The Origin of Mister Mxyzptlk or Impossible Man Fantastic Four #11
Technopathy
Ability to manipulate technology. Manifested as a special form of electrical/telekinetic manipulation, a special form of shapeshifting which allows physical interaction with machines, or even a special form of ESP that allows for mental interface with computer data.
- Examples: Black Box Deadpool: The Circle Chase #2 or Cyborg Superman Adventures of Superman #500 or Drummer The Drummer #3
Telekinesis
Ability to manipulate and control objects with the mind, often in ways not visible to the naked eye.
- Examples: Jean Grey or PsimonNew Teen Titans #3
Powers
Superpower manipulation
This section refers to the ability to manipulate superpowers themselves, not "power" such as electrical power or gravitational power.
Power bestowal
Ability to bestow powers or jump-start latent powers.
- Examples: Sage X-Men #132 or Synergy Stormwatch #1
Power mimicry or absorption
Ability to copy or absorb another's powers or skills.
- Examples: Rogue, Avengers Annual #10 or Black AliceBirds of Prey #76
Power negation
Ability to cancel the superpowers of others.
Power sensing
Ability to sense or recognize superhuman powers.
- Example: CalibanUncanny X-Men #148
Personal physical powers
Powers which affect a physical person's body.
Accelerated healing
Healing factor Ability to heal rapidly from any injury; the rate of recovery varies from character to character. Can sometimes result in the slowing of aging.
Acid generation
Ability to generate acid, can be manifested through touch or as a spray.
Animal mimicry
Ability to take on the abilities of certain animals.
- Examples: Animal Man Strange Adventures #180 or VixenAction Comics #521Animal Man #48-50
Biological manipulation
Ability to control all aspects of a living creature's biological make-up. This includes, but is not limited to, genetic alterations, physical distortion/augmentations, healing, disease, and biological functions.
- Examples: Elixir New Mutants vol. 2 #5. or Raven DC Comics Presents #26
Body part substitution
Ability to replace one's limbs or other body parts with those of another.
- Examples: Terror IncSt. George #2
Bone manipulation
Ability to manipulate the bones in one's own body. This includes, but is not limited to, the generation of new bone mass, projecting bones out from the skin or rearranging one's own bones.
Duplication
Self-replication Ability to create physical duplicates of oneself.
- Examples: Multiple Man Giant Size Fantastic Four #4 or Triplicate GirlAction Comics #276
Temporal duplication
Ability to bring past and future versions of oneself back to the present.
- Examples: Flashback Alpha Flight #1 or Damian TrypX-Factor vol. 3 #2
Echolocation
Echolocation Ability to determine location of items in the environment by use of reflected sound waves, whether generated by the character or ambient sound. Also known as sonar sense.
Invisibility
Invisibility Ability to render the user unseen to the naked eye.
- Examples: Invisible Woman The Fantastic Four (vol. 1) #1 or Invisible Kid Action Comics #267
Invulnerability
Ability to be immune to one or more forms of physical damage or injury.
- Examples: Champion of the Universe Marvel Two-in-One Annual #7 or SupergirlAction Comics #252 or BritBrit (Oneshot)
Kinetic absorption
Ability to absorb forms of kinetic energy into oneself and convert it into physical strength.
- Examples: Strong Guy New Mutants vol. 1 #29 or Sebastian ShawUncanny X-Men #131
Matter ingestion
Ability to consume any sort of matter without any ill effects on the user.
- Examples: Matter-Eater Lad Adventure Comics #303
Merge
Ability to temporarily merge two beings into a single being, which results in a completely new and stronger being.
- Examples: Kleinstocks Uncanny X-Men #298 or B'Wana BeastShowcase #66
Pheromone manipulation
Ability to generate and control pheromones which may have various effects.
- Examples: Wallflower New Mutants vol. 2 #2 or Crimson FoxJustice League Europe #6
Poison generation
Ability to assault others with one or more varieties of toxins, with widely disparate effects.
- Examples: Cobra Journey into Mystery #29 or Poison Ivy Legends of the Dark Knight #43
Prehensile/animated hair
The ability to animate and lengthen one's hair.
- Examples: Medusa, Lorelei Travis
Reactive adaptation/evolution
Ability to develop a resistance or immunity to whatever they were injured by or exposed to. This effect can be permanent or temporary.
Self-detonation or explosion
Ability to explode one's body mass and reform.
Sonic scream
Ability to generate vocal sounds of a higher amplitude than a normal human.
- Examples: Siryn Spider-Woman #37 or Black Canary Justice League of America #219
Superhuman durability
Ability to have a higher resistance to one or more forms of damage before being injured.
- Examples: Luke Cage Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 or Solomon Grundy All-American Comics #61 or TickNewsletter #14
Superhuman reflexes
Ability to react faster than a normal human.
- Examples: Blade or Midnighter or Madman
Superhuman senses
Ability to see, smell, taste, feel and/or hear more than a normal human.
- Examples: Sabretooth or Timber Wolf
Superhuman strength
Superhuman Strength Ability to have a level of physical strength higher than that possible by a human being in real life.
- Examples: Hulk The Incredible Hulk, vol. 1 #1 or Blok Legion of Super-Heroes #272 or Mister Majestic WildC.A.T.s, vol. 1 #11
Superhuman vision
Ability to see more than a normal human.
Heat vision
Heat vision Ability to project beams of concentrated radiation from the eyes.
- Example: Superman Action Comics #1
Night vision
Night vision Ability to see clearly in darkness.
- Examples: Owl or Doctor Mid-Nite
X-ray vision
X-ray vision Ability to see through solid objects.
Telescopic or microscopic vision
Ability to magnify vision to various levels.
- Examples: Hyperion or Power Girl
Wallcrawling
Ability to cling to objects or surfaces by a variety of means. Often related to animal mimicry.
- Examples: Spider-Man or Anole
Waterbreathing
Water breathing Ability to respirate through water in lieu of a gaseous medium. Not to be confused with an ability to go without breathing or to be able to breathe an alternate air supply.
Mental faculty and knowledge-based abilities
Innate capability
Ability to naturally have skills and/or knowledge typically earned through learning.
Omni-linguism
Ability to understand any form of language, a natural polyglot. This can be accomplished in various ways.
Superhuman intelligence
Ability to have intelligence far above genius level.
- Examples: Leader or Brainiac 5
Astral projection
Ability to separate and control one's astral body.
- Examples: Marvel Girl or Ravager
Cross-dimensional awareness
Ability to detect actions and events in other dimensions. This is occasionally used in comics as an awareness of the fourth wall between the characters and the artist or audience.
- Examples: She-Hulk or Ambush Bug
Empathy
Empathy Ability to read or sense the emotions and/or control the emotions or feelings of others.
- Examples: Empath or Psycho-Pirate
Mediumship
Ability to see and communicate with the dead (ghosts).
- Examples: Wicked or Lionel Zerb
Precognition
Ability to perceive the future. It may be expressed in vague dreams while asleep, other times it can be clear and can occur at will. It may also be used as a form of "Danger sense" to show the user that they are being threatened and from what direction it is coming from.
- Examples: Destiny or Dream Girl
Psychometry
Psychometry Ability to relate details about the past or future condition of an object, person or location, usually by being in close contact with it.
- Examples: Adrienne Frost or Abe Sapien
Telepathy
Telepathy Ability to read the thoughts of, or to mentally communicate with others.
- Examples: Emma Frost or Saturn Girl
Domination and mind control
The ability to alter the perceptions of others, and general mind-control.
- Example: Karma
Astral trapping
Ability to cause an astral projection to stay on the astral plane, usually in one specific place.
- Example: Shadow King
Memory manipulation
Ability to erase or enhance the memories of another.
- Example: Professor X or Zatanna or Hatori Sohma
Mind control
Mind control Ability to control the actions or reasoning of another with the mind.
- Examples: Mesmero or Maxwell Lord
Possession
Ability to take control of another person’s body via astral projection or mind transfer.
Psionic blast
Ability to overload another's mind causing pain, memory loss, loss of consciousness, vegetative state or death after having created a psionic link into that person's mind.
- Examples: Psylocke or Gorilla Grodd
Psychic weapons
Ability to create a weapon of psychic energy that can harm mentally and not physically.
- Examples: Danielle Moonstar or Wild Thing
Manipulate fundamental forces or reality
These powers may be manifested by various methods, including: by some method of molecular control; by access to, or partially or fully shifting to another dimension; by manipulating the geometric dimensions of time or space; or by some other unnamed method.
Animation
Ability to bring inanimate objects to life or to free a person from petrification.
- Examples: Selene or Ozymandias
Darkness or shadow manipulation
Ability to create or manipulate darkness, often by mentally accessing a dimension of dark energy (the Darkforce dimension in Marvel Comics, and the Shadowlands in DC Comics) and manipulating it.
- Examples: Black Death or Obsidian or Darkness
Density control
Ability to increase the natural density of an object and/or one's self.
- Examples: Vision or Martian Manhunter
Disintegration
Ability to disintegrate matter through touch.
Elemental transmutation
Transmutation The ability to alter chemical elements, changing them from one substance to another by rearranging the atomic structure. May be limited to self-transmutation.
- Examples: AlchemyX-Factor vol., 1 #41 (June 1989) or MetamorphoThe Brave and the Bold #57
Gravity manipulation
Ability to manipulate or generate gravitons, or other types of gravitational interactions.
- Examples: Alex PowerPower Pack #1 or Geo-Force
Immortality
Immortality Ability to live forever. This may be complete immortality encompassing invulnerability, partial invulnerability to all but specific events (i.e. decapitation or exposure to a specific chemical such as kryptonite), the ability to die but become resurrected, or simply an inability to age normally.
- Examples: Mr Immortal or Vandal Savage
Intangibility or phasing
Ability to phase through solid matter without harm.
- Examples: Shadowcat or Phantom Girl
Light manipulation
Ability to control, generate or absorb photons (particles of light).
Magnetism manipulation
Ability to control and/or generate magnetic fields.
- Examples: Magneto or Doctor Polaris
Mass manipulation
Ability to increase or decrease mass in an object or person.
- Examples: Harry Leland or Star Boy
Molecular manipulation
Ability to mentally manipulate the molecules of objects and/or one's self on a molecular level.
- Examples: Apocalypse X-Factor #6 (vol. 1, July 1986) or Firestorm or Solar
Probability manipulation
Probability Ability to alter probability, causing unlikely things to happen or likely things to not happen.
- Examples: Domino or Calamity King
Radiation manipulation
Ability to generate, manipulate or have immunity to toxic radiation.
- Examples: X-Ray or Captain Atom
Reality warping
Reality warping Ability to change or manipulate reality itself.
- Examples: Franklin Richards or Mister Mxyzptlk
Sound manipulation
Ability to manipulate sound waves.
Time manipulation
Ability to affect the flow of time by slowing, accelerating, reversing, or stopping it.
Classical elements
Ability to control or manipulate the classical elements.
Air and wind manipulation
Ability to control, generate, or absorb air or wind.
- Examples: Wind Dancer or Red Tornado
Cold and ice manipulation
Ability to reduce the kinetic energy of atoms and thus reduce temperature, can be used to control, generate, or absorb ice.
Earth manipulation
Ability to control earth; sand, stone, rock, lava, dirt, or minerals.
Electric manipulation
Ability to control, generate or absorb electrical fields.
- Examples: Electro or Black Lightning
Fire and heat manipulation
Pyrokinesis Template:See also Ability to control the kinetic energy of atoms to generate, control or absorb fire.
- Examples: Pyro or Fire or Liz Sherman
Plant manipulation
Ability to accelerate the growth of, control or animate plant life.
- Examples: Gardener or Poison Ivy
Water and moisture manipulation
Hydrokinesis Ability to control, generate or absorb water.
Weather manipulation
Weather control Ability to control or mentally affect the weather. This includes the ability to generate various natural phenomena (rain, tornadoes, lightning, etc.) or control the intensity of the weather.
- Examples: Storm or Typhoon or Sarah Rainmaker
Energy manipulation
Energy These powers deal with energy generation, conversion and manipulation. In addition to generic energy, versions of these powers exist that deal with such things as light, sound, electricity, nuclear energy, and "darkforce".
Concussion beams
Ability to generate or transform various forms of energy into a "solid" or concussive beam of energy.
Energy blasts
Heat vision Ability to expel various forms of energy from the body.
Energy constructs
Ability to create complex shapes (such as giant boxing gloves or cages) or even functional machinery (such as fire extinguishers or laser rifles) out of solid energy.
Energy conversion
Ability to absorb one form of energy and convert it into another form of energy.
Force field generation
Ability to project powerful fields of manipulated energy.
- Examples: Captain Britain or Argent
Transportation or travel
Dimensional transportation
Ability to create wormholes, portation "discs" or other spatial portals for transport between two non-adjacent locations
Electrical transportation
Ability to travel through electrical conduits (such as power lines, or telephone lines). Can enter through devices such as televisions, electrical poles or computers.
Omnipresence
Ability to be present anywhere and everywhere always.
- Examples: Eternity or the Source
Summoning
Ability to summon objects or beings for assistance.
- Examples: Magik or Kid Eternity
Superhuman speed
Ability to move at speeds faster than a normal human.
- Examples: Quicksilver or Flash
Teleportation
teleportation Ability to move from one place to another without occupying the space in between.
- Examples: Nightcrawler or MisfitBirds of Prey #1003.
Time travel
Time travel Ability to travel back and forth through time.
- Examples: Kang the Conqueror, Time-Rider or Waverider
Miscellaneous
The following powers could be manifested in any number of ways.
Flight
Ability to lift off the ground, to ride air currents or to fly self-propelled through the air. Different forms of flight include:
Energy propulsion methods
- Cosmic energy control
- Example: Ms. Marvel
- Energy aura projection
- Gravitational manipulation
- Example: Gravity
- Magnetic levitation
- Sonic repulsion field
- Example: Banshee
- Telekinetic power
- Thermo-chemical energy
- Example: Cannonball
Physical propulsion methods
- Insectoid form
- Examples: Wasp or Insect Queen
- Wind current control
- Examples: Cyclone
- Wings
Illusion
Illusion Ability to alter or deceive the perceptions of another. Can be sensory, a light or sound-based effect, or an alteration of mental perceptions.
- Examples: Mastermind or Princess Projectra
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting Ability to change appearance or body structure.
Types of shapeshifting include:
- Animal morphing: Ability to take on animal forms. May be able to take on the abilities of the altered form.
- Elasticity: Ability to stretch, deform, expand and contract one's body into any form they can imagine.
- Examples: Mister Fantastic<ref name=FF1/> or Elongated Man
- Inorganic: Ability to transform completely into an inorganic substance while retaining organic properties.
- Liquification: Ability to turn partially or completely into a liquid.
- Size shifting: Ability to increase or decrease one's size.
- Examples: Yellowjacket or Giganta
- Sublimation: Ability to transform into a gaseous, mist, or fog-like form.
- Examples: Amelia Voght or Mist
- Transformation: Ability to transform into substance touched.
- Examples: Absorbing Man or Amazing-Man or Grunge