Marvel and DC Comics have showed readers the best of humanity. The heroes created by the two companies have shown what the best of us can accomplish with power. For many, superpowers help them to become better people, and allow them to make a difference in the lives of those around them. Conversely, these powers turn others into supervillains, causing conflicts the likes of which are unimaginable in the real world. Everyone likes to believe that if they were given superpowers, they would become great heroes like Superman, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Cyclops, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and the like. The truth, though, is much more sinister.
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Most normal people would find some superpowers to be too much for them. Power corrupts in the real world in a way it doesn’t in the comics, and superpowers would create way more supervillains than superheroes. These seven superpowers would be too much for a normal people to handle, fashioning them into supervillains.
7) Phasing
Kitty Pryde is one of the best X-Men, and her adventures have showed how useful phasing can be. The ability to walk through anything would be a pretty great power to have, but think about what you could do with that. Scout banks to find the vault, and come back later in a balaclava and just walk in and take what you want. Even if you got caught, you could just walk through everyone after you. Humans steal, and phasing is the ultimate power for that. As with all things, it would start innocent, but the amount of people who would use the power for crime would be substantial.
6) Kryptonian Powers
Superman is a superlatively powerful hero, and he’s an example of the best in humanity. He works hard to be a hero but he had the kind of upbringing that made it possible. However, most people don’t have that kind of upbringing, so if they were given his powers, it would be a huge problem. Kryptonian powers make you into what amounts to a god. You could literally do anything you wanted, and stopping you would be pretty impossible. Let’s be real: more people would turn out like Homelander than like Superman if they had his powers.
5) Shapechanging
Shapeshifting is one of those powers that is used by heroes and villains in equal measure, but in the real world, most people would use it villainously. The ability to change into anyone, and no one being the wiser, is the kind of thing that would start innocently, but would eventually corrupt people. Not only could you get away with anything, you could blame anyone else for it. Think about all of the times you’ve lied in your life; duplicity is a common part of the human experience, and having the power to change into anything would be enough to break the morality of most.
4) Magic
Magic is one of the greatest powers in comics, and by its very nature is corrupting. Magic breaks so many users from Marvel and DC, so imagine what it will do to people in the real world. Magic is the power to manipulate the natural world through word or deed, and the most powerful magic users are some of the most potent beings imaginable. It’s basically a cheat code for reality, and people love to use cheat codes to get what they want whenever possible. Magic in the real world would be a terrible thing, creating numerous monsters almost immediately.
3) Super Strength
Super strength is one of the most standard powers in superhero stories. It makes sense, obviously; anyone who’s going to be fighting other people with superpowers could make good use of it. In the real world, it would be extremely corrupting. Most of the time, the reason why people don’t do things is fear. Being super strong would take away that fear. If a bunch of people just started getting superhuman strength out of nowhere, we’d see a rise in violent crime, as people lost the fear of being hurt by other humans. Invulnerability would probably be worst; imagine people who couldn’t be killed and what they’d get up to.
2) Invisibility
We live, unfortunately, in a world of creeps and invisibility would make it worse. The power to turn invisible would turn anyone into a villain. It’s the kind of power that basically takes away all accountability. An invisible person can go anywhere. They can take anything. Even if the power doesn’t allow you to use invisible energy, like Invisible Woman can, it’s still a power that would be very useful for crime in the real world. Even the most moral person would find themselves doing things they never would have because they can get away with it.
1) Telepathy
Marvel’s home to the most powerful telepaths in comics, and we’ve seen the power misused even by the most moral people. The power to read and control minds is the kind of power that would corrupt nearly anyone. Imagine knowing that you could change anyone’s mind with a little push. Humans aren’t inherently bad, but they will definitely push the boundaries of what they can get away with. Telepathy would allow you to get away with basically anything. Also, just imagine if you could see all of the things that go on in the minds around you; you’d lose faith in humanity rather quickly and that would lead you to using your powers for some terrible things.
What superpowers do you think would turn people into villains? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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