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Comics are a favored form of escapism as you witness these heroes accomplish tremendous feats. But there are plenty of cases when those powers scale beyond the scope of “reality,” so to speak. They reach the bizarre and downright impossible range. When this happens, writers can casually weed them out until readers forget they existed. Whether for good or bad, there are 10 standout OP superpowers that comic history obscured for several overpowered heroes.
10. Wolverine’s Hot Claws
This ability for our favorite gruff and moody hero is a double-edged sword. On one hand, his claws turning red hot is an OP superpower because it was meant to boost Wolverine’s already deadly attacks. On the other hand, it drained his healing abilities, giving him a sense of vulnerability we’re not used to seeing in him.
The bottom line is that it was a strange addition to Wolverine that no one seemed to ask for. So, why did it happen? It followed his resurrection in Hunt for Wolverine, so some strangeness is expected. Let’s just be grateful Marvel shied away from it.
9. Supergirl’s Sonic Scream
Supergirl always boasted abilities her popular cousin lacked. One of tose was a supersonic scream that could rival Black Canary. You can catch a good glimpse of it during The New 52 run in Supergirl #5. It’s brief, but in her anguish, she releases a dreadful howl that reverberates throughout.
Kryptonians are already among the most overpowered heroes. Adding supersonic anything to their power lineup seems overkill, which is possibly why we don’t really see her using it all that much. Still, it wouldn’t exactly hurt if they edged back into her comics someday.
8. A Teleporting Deadpool
The man who needs no introduction, using “OP” in the same sentence as Deadpool seems redundant. But we must speak about his ability to use a teleportation device. It instantly transported him anywhere he wanted to be whether a few feet away or miles away in a different country.
Did Deadpool need something to move him anywhere in seconds to work along with his other OP superpowers and skills? No. Does it still pop up in animations from time to time as a running joke with the one-liner king? Yes. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
7. Mister Fantastic’s Hypno Ability
When you think of Mister Fantastic, the first thought is of a nerdy-like guy who can stretch his body in unthinkable ways. But that’s not all. At least not back in the ‘60s. During Marvel’s storyline with the Skrull invasion, they had Mister Fantastic take care of a few on Earth who already were defeated. It turned into something rather eerie.
Mister Fantastic utilized hypno skills we didn’t think he had, manipulating and trapping the minds of the Skrulls, making them believe they were cattle. They claimed the powers stem from his incredible intellect, but that’s a tough pill to swallow. So tough that it seemingly vanished from his story.
6. A Camouflaging Venom
Camouflage and Venom shouldn’t go together, but for a time, it did. It’s a creepy element that makes the symbiote even more nerve-wracking, especially when he uses it against Spider-Man. Venom took advantage of the camouflaging abilities, hiding away to ambush our young hero.
Thanks to his other OP superpowers, this doesn’t pop up often, but Venom does use the shapeshifting ability. The two seemed close enough, but the camouflage remains an unsettling element of the symbiote.
5. Superman’s (and Supergirl’s) Time Traveling Feats
Like his cousin, Superman being one of the most overpowered heroes comes with the territory. One OP superpower DC steadily phased out was his ability to travel through time by increasing his speed. Kind of like how a certain scarlet speedster handles things, right? Even classic Supergirl demonstrated this ability.
Despite this power appearing in the live-action during the 1978 Superman, it’s not an ability used much. With how much speedsters usually mess with the timeline, it’s not like DC needed any other hands in the cookie jar.
4. Spider-Man’s Versatile Webbing
Just because he’s a friendly neighborhood spider, it doesn’t mean he isn’t at the table with the other overpowered heroes. But a rather comical aspect of Spider-Man was how he held the power to manipulate his webbing into intricate and often strange designs. For instance, he created a massive tarantula. Why? Well, why not?
It seemed like the writers, Stan Lee in particular, simply had fun with the web-slinger even if it meant giving him more OP superpowers. Despite the lighthearted approach (and the greater implications of just what he could create with that power), it’s an OP move that Marvel drifted to the wayside.
3. Zatanna’s Mindwiping Abilities
Zatanna is one of the most impressive sorcerers in DC. Her backward incantations seem limitless. For a time, she used her incantations to wipe people’s minds. Except that wasn’t reserved for the bad guys. She mindwiped Batman and even Catwoman, encouraging her to go down a better path rather than a villain one. Good in theory, but grossly invasive.
All of it stemmed from the situation with Doctor Light (arguably deserved, but decide for yourself by checking out Identity Crisis #2) where Zatanna and a few other Justice League members scrambled his mind, much to the displeasure of Batman. It led to the controversial run. She doesn’t use the ability much these days, but it’s an OP superpower that further helps set her apart from other magic users.
2. The Flash’s Invisibility
The Flash is an absolute powerhouse capable of more than just running fast. Once he taps into the Speed Force, his accomplishments appear infinite. But one of the most remarkable things he can do that he just doesn’t do as often as you would think is turning invisible. Back in the Silver Age, comic fans caught random acts of Barry Allen vibrating his molecules fast enough that he vanished even while standing still.
With his already OP superpowers, it does make sense that they would try to bring him back down to Earth by phasing out the invisibility trait. You can still catch it in live-action as it was highlighted on The Flash on the CW, but not so much in the comics.
1. Superman’s Solar Flare
And we’re rounding things off with yet another entry of the OG overpowered hero: Superman. Kryptonians share a close relationship with the sun, but Superman took that to unprecedented levels during The New 52 run. As Clark faced off against the villain Ulysses, he unknowingly started to release a solar flare. Quickly, heat expelled from his body, not just his eyes.
Discovering that Clark could produce enough energy in each of his cells to release such an attack was a stepping stone in his stacked abilities. Of course, it did feel like overkill compared to the plethora of OP superpowers he already has, which could be why it silently drifted away.
