Warning: Contains potential spoilers for Spider-Boy #19!

With its massive lineup of superheroes, villains, and everything in between, Marvel has introduced some wild and wacky superpowers in its time, yet one character just unlocked one that’s truly unique. There are plenty of Marvel characters with animal-based powers, but even the most die-hard comic fan has never seen one that’s quite as specific and strange as the ability that’s just about to debut in the pages of Spider-Boy.

Marvel’s preview for Spider-Boy #19, written by Dan Slott, with art by Paco Medina, finds the kid sidekick and his friend Christina Xu battling Inner Demons, henchmen of Spider-Man supervillain Mister Negative. When it’s revealed that the crime boss villain has been employing people who have been turned into human-worm hybrids, Christina unleashes a superpower she didn’t know she'd been hiding.

Used to intimidate the wormlike henchman, Chrissy harnesses the power of “pigeon aura,” a residual superpower from a transformation that character experienced earlier in the series, the product of villain Madame Monstrosity’s twisted Humanimals experiments.

What Exactly Is "Pigeon Aura"? Marvel’s Weirdest New Superpower, Explained

Spider-Boy #19; Written By Dan Slott; Art By Paco Medina; Color By Erick Arciniega; Lettering By VC’s Joe Caramagna

"Pigeon aura" may seem like a totally random ability for this character to bust out in Spider-Boy’s latest adventure, but it’s actually paying off a storyline that’s been over a year in the making. The villainous Madame Monstrosity scientifically experimented on and turned Bailey Briggs, his mother, and many other characters into Humanimals, which were hybrids made between kidnapped people and any animal she could find. When Christina ed Bailey on a mission to stop Madame Monstrosity, Chrissy was captured by the villain and transformed into a half-human and half-pigeon creature, finding herself also able to communicate with the birds.

In her half-pigeon form, Chrissy ed Spider-Man, and the webslinger was able to help Spider-Boy rescue everyone and put a stop to Madame Monstrosity’s crimes. Spidey helped build a machine that reversed the effects of all the Humanimals experiments except for Bailey’s, meaning Christina and the pigeon were quickly freed from their forced fusion. However, it seems they didn’t get rid of all of Christina’s pigeon powers, as she can still use its aura specifically to intimidate worms and wormlike creatures. Though it’s her only superpower, and not a very threatening one, it still works against some Inner Demons.

Though Certainly Odd, Pigeon Aura Is Far From The "Worst" Superpower In Marvel Comics’ History

Spider-Boy Has Introduced Other Peculiar Powers

With Spider-Boy’s own origin being connected to the Humanimals, the series has featured a lot of Madame Monstrosity’s experiments and all the strange abilities that her twisted transformations offer. Even Bailey’s powers are sometimes seen as gross and disturbing, proving when it comes to getting random animal-like superpowers, a character in the Marvel Universe could do a lot worse than just getting the aura of a pigeon. While the superpower may seem pretty useless, and certainly not as cool as most of the options out there, there are others that are much more detrimental and actually difficult to live with.

Marvel’s mutants are perhaps most known for having a wide variety of powers that can manifest and evolve that are sometimes totally useless or even harmful to the person forced to live with them. However, it seems that Madame Monstrosity’s experiments and those that have supposedly been cured can unlock even more random abilities, and problems might begin to arise depending on the animal they’ve been previously fused with. Having the aura of a pigeon could certainly end up being more useful and less of a problem than those that have been biologically mixed with earthworms and other creepy crawlies.

In The Vast Marvel Multiverse, Any Superpower, Even "Pigeon Aura", Could Save The World Someday

It's All About Time, Place, And The Right Story

Christina Xu isn’t a superhero just yet, only Spider-Boy’s best friend who is still experiencing some strange side effects from one villain’s evil plot from over ten issues ago. Still, Chrissy’s pigeon powers are able to help Bailey deal with this one Inner Demon, and there’s a possibility that they could prove to be useful again. If another random villain from the massive Marvel Multiverse has some sort of wormlike biology, or has another aversion to pigeons, Christina’s pigeon aura powers still have a chance to make her a real hero if she’s called upon at just the right moment.

Part of what makes these stories great is that they’re truly inspiring, proving that even the most random ability and unlikely person can sometimes save the day.

When it comes to desired superpowers, most people probably aren’t going to have “pigeon aura” at the top of their list. However, before the creation of Spider-Man, it doesn’t seem likely that many people were begging to swing from webs either. Part of what makes these stories great is that they’re truly inspiring, proving that even the most random ability and unlikely person can sometimes save the day. Marvel readers may think they’ve seen it all when it comes to superpowers, but the latest reveal in Spider-Boy showcases that there’s still more to be seen in the publisher’s fantastical Multiverse. ​​​​​​​

Spider-Boy #19 will be available May 28, 2025, from Marvel Comics!