The heroes of the Marvel and DC Comics universes have been protecting the world from the forces of evil for decades now – and it never gets any easier. Whether they’re confronting mad scientists, alien invaders, or something even worse, these dedicated guys and gals need to draw upon every superpower at their disposal in order to save the day.
Or do they? Lately, we’ve started to notice that many of our favorite costumed adventurers have a baffling tendency not to cut loose with their full power-set. It’s almost as if they forget they can even do these things – which is kinda crazy, especially considering how powerful some of the abilities in question are.
True, sometimes readers are provided with an in-universe explanation that clarifies exactly why a superhero opts not to employ a specific skill capable of resolving their current predicament. But more often than not, we’re not really presented with any rationale at all – which doesn’t exactly reflect well on our supposedly hyper-competent champions.
Of course, the real world excuse for these random instances of amnesia or ineptitude is that it simply boils down to storytelling. As a writer, it can be a real challenge to create dramatic tension when your protagonists are theoretically capable of overcoming any threat without really breaking a sweat. The easiest solution is to subtly dial back their power levels – and that extends to intentionally ignoring their more effective, lesser known talents.
Regardless of why it happens, this is an undeniable phenomenon – as this list of 30 Superpowers Marvel And DC Heroes Have (But Won’t Use For Some Reason) makes abundantly clear!
Offensive Portal Creation (Doctor Strange)
We know what you’re thinking: Doctor Strange conjures up magic portals all the time, both in the comics and on the big screen. It’s true that the Master of the Mystic Arts does rely heavily on this particular branch of spellcraft – what we’re pointing out in this entry is that he tends to overlook what else it’s capable of.
Sure, portals are a great way to get around (who doesn’t want to zip from A to C without bothering with B?). But they can also be used offensively, and if Strange had ed that, he’d have used one to slice off Thanos’ Infinity Guantley-clad arm at the elbow in Avengers: Infinity War!
Super Hearing (Superman)
Superman is arguably the greatest superhero of them all (and undoubtedly the most influential) – but as the several entries devoted to him on this list illustrate, he can be a real pain to write. Take super hearing: the way this power is traditionally depicted across all media, it means that the Man of Steel is capable of detecting precise sounds all over the globe.
So really, it should be impossible to attack or plot against Superman – or any other Kryptonian, for that matter – since he’s never technically out of earshot. That’s probably why his super hearing tends to drop in and out, to allow writers to craft scenarios where he might actually be in danger!
Super-Laser (Iron Man)
Tony Stark may not have any powers – unless you count being a super-genius – but suited up as Iron Man, he packs at least as much firepower as his superhuman peers. One of the more impressive weapons in Shellhead’s arsenal is the ultra-intense red laser he can unleash from the back of either armored hand in the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon.
Funnily enough, though, Iron Man seems to use his super-laser at full power sparingly, in deference to it’s “one and done” shelf-life. However, it feels like a perpetual tinkerer like Tony would have increased the super-laser’s shelf-life by now, and we can’t comprehend why we haven’t seen him use it against the likes of Thanos!
Fast Thinking (The Flash)
As the Fastest Man Alive, The Flash’s whole deal is that he’s super-humanly quick on his feet – and we don’t just mean this literally, either. The Scarlet Speedster’s thought processes are lightning quick as well, due to both his meta-human physiology, as well as the extra amount of time he has to puzzle things out.
But this isn’t something you would necessarily pick up on if you’re a casual Flash fan – especially if your only exposure to the character is his popular CW television series. Here, our hero is frequently outwitted by his malevolent rivals, the Rogues, despite his supposedly superior brainpower.
Enhanced Eye Sight (Captain America)
As a result of the Super-Soldier serum that courses through his veins, Captain America represents the pinnacle of humanity’s physical potential. This manifests itself in several ways, and while some are rather obvious – he’s faster, stronger and tougher than pretty much any other human on the planet – others are more understated.
Take Cap’s senses, which operate at the peak end of the spectrum. Most notably, this includes his eyesight, which is unbelievably sharp. You’d expect him to rely on this pretty heavily, but amazingly, the perfect peepers of Marvel’s ultimate soldier are rarely commented on, in the comics or the MCU!
Faster Than Light Travel (Starfire)
Starfire hails from Tamaran, and like all natives of that distant world, she’s blessed with a variety of awe-inspiring abilities. Of these, perhaps the coolest is her ability to fly really fast – like “faster than the speed of light” fast.
Not only does this allow her to link up with her Teen Titans pals almost instantaneously, but she’s able to zip between solar systems in minutes! Or at least, she can in the comic books – the version of Starfire that appears in both live-action and animated adaptations never even approaches her established top speed.
Mind Control (Scarlet Witch)
While the comics incarnation of Scarlet Witch primarily relies upon reshaping reality, manipulating probability and good ol’ fashioned magic to fight the good fight, the MCU version is different. Although her power-set is broadly similar – telekinesis is used as a substitute for many of her basic abilities, such as flight and energy blasts – on the big screen, Wanda also excels at mind control.
Indeed, this was the villainess-turned-heroine’s favorite party trick when she made her MCU debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Since then, Scarlet Witch hasn’t really called upon her telepathic skills – which is bizarre, considering it could have successfully defused multiple high-stakes situations!
Psychic Abilities (Beast Boy)
It’s fair to say that Beast Boy has a lot going on: he’s a green-skinned shapeshifter who can assume the form of any animal. This makes him the most versatile member of the Teen Titans, as he can assume the form of anything from a lumbering rhino to a microscopic organism, depending on what the current mission demands.
Yet in addition to his incredible metamorphic gifts, Beast Boy also happens to be a psychic – or at least, he’s shown an aptitude in that area. In a mid-80s issue of Tales of the Teen Titans, it was strongly implied that our guy had latent mental abilities, although this has never been addressed again!
All-Tongue (Thor)
When you think of Marvel Comics powerhouse Thor, the first word to pop into your head probably isn’t “master linguist.” After all, whether it’s on the page or the silver screen, the God of Thunder is best known for his titanic strength and ability to channel lightning, rather than his conversational prowess.
Nevertheless, one of Thor’s many divine skills is known as “all-tongue,” which enables him to speak any language in the universe. Although comics readers have seen the Odinson put this talent to good use, it’s not something his MCU counterpart has tried – he never once responds in kind to “I am Groot,” for one thing – and possibly not even something he’s capable of!
Martian Vision (Martian Manhunter)
Strange visitor from another planet, blessed with abilities far beyond those of humankind, and utterly devoted to protecting his adopted home-world – must be Superman, right? Wrong: we’re actually referring to the Martian Manhunter, although this just serves to highlight how similar both characters are in many ways.
That’s probably why the creative team behind the Justice League animated series decided not to ever feature J’onn J’onzz cutting loose with his Martian Vision. Given Superman already had optical abilities like Heat Vision and X-Ray Vision, it was smarter to focus on the Manhunter’s unique telepathic and shapeshifting powers, instead.