7 Times Marvel Heroes Lost Their Powers

In the current run of Thor (Vol. 7), Thor has lost his powers, and this isn’t the first time in Marvel Comics that a major hero lost their powers and had to figure out what was next. Marvel Comics has created several storylines with heroes either losing their powers or having them altered to a level where it changes everything about them. This is a comic book world, so the changes never usually last, or the powers are taken away, so that Marvel can morph the heroes into something different for future storylines. In very few cases do the heroes never get their powers back.

Here are seven times that Marvel has stripped its biggest heroes of their powers in comics.

7) Thor

In the pages of The Immortal Thor, All-Father Thor fell when Loki killed him, and this caused all Earthlings to forget Asgardians ever existed, which left a resurrected Thor as a powerless human named Sigurd Jarlson. The new series, Thor Vol. 7, has a depowered Thor facing a resurrected and very powerful Donald Blake (his former alter ego) while Loki and Odin have made it clear the former God of Thunder has to get through this on his own.

This offered up a nice chance to reset Thor, putting him back on Earth and stripping him of the role of Asgard’s king, which allows him to find his way to becoming a hero once again. This twist of Thor losing his powers is still playing out, but there is hope that the plot will help freshen up Thor’s story somewhat and lead to his next generation of stories.

6) Professor X

The Onslaught mutant crossover event almost destroyed the entire Marvel Universe because of Professor X’s actions. This all started when Professor X shut down Magneto’s brain after he realized his old friend would never stop trying to destroy the world. However, this went against everything Professor X believed in, and it almost destroyed him, and eventually left him powerless.

When Xavier shut down Magneto’s brain, it created a new being that had Xavier’s frustration, and Magneto’s hatred and fear, called Onslaught. When Onslaught was born, it usurped Xavier’s psionic powers. Xavier was helpless as he watched this creature kill the Fantastic Four and Avengers before finally seemingly perishing itself.

5) Wolverine

The same event that saw Professor X accidentally spawn Onslaught also saw another X-Men mutant lose his powers. What finally led Professor X to shut down Magneto’s mind was after the Master of Magnetism went way too far in his battle with the X-Men and used his powers to rip out Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton. This was a traumatic event, and it almost killed Logan.

Jean Grey went into action, and she was able to keep Wolverine alive until they could help him recover. However, the trauma from the experience overloaded his healing factor. Without his adamantium skeleton and healing factor, Wolverine was completely mortal for the first time in a very long time, causing him to leave the X-Men before he eventually began to lose control and end up going feral for a time.

4) Storm

For anyone who doesn’t know how tough Storm really is, she had a moment early in her career with the X-Men where she lost her powers, but still won the rights to lead the team in battle. Storm is an Omega-level mutant with the power to control the weather, but she is also a goddess, and that makes her even more powerful. This happened in the Lifedeath storyline.

Henry Gyurch accidentally neutralized Storm’s powers, leaving her powerless. This led to her living with Forge, where he helped her recover. She eventually left the X-Men and returned to Africa. This was a long-lasting change, which went on for two years. When she returned, she challenged Cyclops for leadership of the X-Men, and despite being powerless, she beat him. Storm became the new team leader, and Cyclops quit the team.

3) Carol Danvers

Carol Danvers started as a side character to Captain Mar-Vell, and when he died, she became the Avenger known as Ms. Marvel. However, during a battle with Mystique, Destiny, and Rogue, something traumatic happened to change her life. Rogue, still a villain at the time, used her powers on Carol, but held on for too long, taking all her essence and powers, and leaving her almost dead.

Luckily, Spider-Woman saved Carol, and she ended up taking her to the X-Men for their help. Since Rogue stole her memories, Spider-Woman believed that Professor X could help, and she was correct. Xavier helped her regain her memories, but not the emotional bonds connected to them. Even more important, she was now powerless. This lasted a year before she was repowered as Binary.

2) Captain America

During a battle with a villain known as the Iron Nail, the villain neutralized the Super Soldier serum from Cap’s body, which caused Steve Rogers to age rapidly to match his age of over 90. However, he wasn’t out of commission, despite his rapid aging. He was still in good shape, especially for a man of his age, and he continued to work to protect the world.

This was when Cap gave his blessing for Sam Wilson to become the new Captain America and replace him as the country’s leading hero. This would last all the way until the Incursions destroyed the Earth, and even as a 90-year-old man, he fought Iron Man as the Earth was destroyed, leading to Secret Wars. When that event ended, Cap was returned to the new Earth-616, repowered again.

1) Franklin Richards

Franklin Richards is the most overpowered character in Marvel Comics. He has created entire new worlds with his powers and brand-new civilizations that see him as their God. He is so overpowered that his own father, Reed Richards, blasted him with a ray gun, putting him in a coma until he could control the powers. Marvel has no choice but to strip him of his powers all the time.

When Marvel Comics creators need Frankin to be powered, they give him his powers back, and then when those stories end, he usually loses his powers again. Most recently, Franklin wanted to be a mutant so much that he made it so, including in his own mind. However, Franklin then had to use the “last bit” of his powers to save the world, and Professor X realized the truth, that Franklin was never a mutant, but a cosmic-powered hero instead. For now, Franklin remains depowered, but it is only a matter of time before he gets his powers back again.

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