These 10 Heroes Refuse to Use Their Full Strength

Superhero tales are often wonderful or fantastic adventures, full of daring rescues and high stakes. Thanks to publishers like Marvel and DC Comics, there are numerous heroes to read about, each offering distinct villains, perspectives, and approaches to problem-solving. These are a few of the reasons why we love superheroes. However, there is a seemingly ever-growing list of heroes who refuse, for one reason or another, to use their full strength. Most of these heroes hold back for fear of causing more harm, landing fatal blows, or otherwise doing something they can’t take back. We love these heroes more for their willingness to hold back while wondering what their full potential looks like.

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These self-imposed limits regarding power keep some of the best heroes from coming off as overly strong. Let’s be real, while we love their stories, it would get pretty dry to see a hero come in, land one hit, and walk away. One Punch Man certainly hates how he is stuck in that loop, and we wouldn’t wish our favorite heroes that same fate.

1) Superman

It should be fairly obvious to most readers that Superman consistently holds back his own potential. He may be faster than a speeding bullet, but think about what that means for his punches. If Superman were to go at a human villain with that speed and power, he’d kill them before the fight even began. Superman is strong enough that he could easily cause damage, simply by existing, if he weren’t always aware of his strength. Just think about it, a man strong enough to lift entire buildings probably has to be careful when holding a coffee cup or hugging his loved ones.

It isn’t hard to think of all the ways in which Superman has to hold back on a daily basis. A look at how Injustice: Gods Among Us goes can be quite enlightening here, given the death tolls across the board. It may not give the full spectrum of what Superman off the leash looks like, but it’s close.

2) Jean Grey

Jean Grey is a complicated character in Marvel Comics. She has immense potential, with or without the Phoenix Force, yet she’s often seen shying away from this potential. Jean Grey is considered to be an Omega-level mutant and telepath, but that description barely scratches the surface. When Jean first hit the scene, her potential was limited by a mental block. Over time, her powers grew, but she still seemed to hesitate when using her full strength.

Fans have a lot of opinions about what Jean is or isn’t capable of, but her latest series, Phoenix (2024), helps to show us what Jean looks like when she’s embraced this potential. In this series, Jean faced off against named and iconic villains, and it’s shocking how few of them actually posed a threat to her. It’s still unclear how much Jean was holding back during these fights, if at all.

3) Batman

Batman is one of the most iconic heroes of DC Comics, and one of the things he’s better known for is his unwillingness to kill his enemies. There’s no denying that this makes his job harder. He must be careful not to land accidentally lethal blows during battle, which is a lot harder than it sounds. Humans are surprisingly fragile and inconsistent; a blow that could wind one enemy could be lethal for another. Plus, we all know what happens when the fight is over: the villains get arrested, head to jail or Arkham, escape their bonds, and finally cause more mayhem. So he’s just making more work for himself in the long run.

Despite this, Bruce Wayne has consistently held to his morals. Even when the likes of Joker push him to the very edge, targeting the people Bruce loves and cares for, he’ll refuse to cross that line. This refusal to kill enemies is a symptom of how much Bruce has to hold back during each fight, and we can see his full strength shine through when he battles stronger enemies.

4) Scarlet Witch

Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, is one of the most powerful sorceresses of her time. Her magical abilities stem from different sources, which only enhances her potential. Her access to chaos magic can make her unpredictable, and readers have seen what damage that can bring, especially when Wanda is targeted during her most unstable times (House of M should be a good example of this).

The Scarlet Witch can warp reality itself. The fact that she doesn’t resort to this during each battle speaks volumes, as she understands the danger. She knows that she must keep a lid on the more dangerous sides of her magic, and while that keeps her from accessing her full strength, it does make things safer for everyone.

5) Cyclops

Many readers look at Cyclops and see the natural leader of the X-Men, often forgetting that he carries massive amounts of power. There’s a reason he’s always wearing the visor, and it isn’t just to look cool. Scott Summers spent years believing his powers couldn’t be controlled or moderated. So he became reliant on the visor to help him hold back his full potential, knowing the damage he’d cause otherwise.

Years later, Cyclops learned that the block to controlling his powers wasn’t a physical problem, but a mental block. So, with time, he was actually able to gain and maintain control. Readers don’t get to see Cyclops let loose often, because the damage is real, but we have seen him take down a Sentry with little to no effort. Even then, he may have been holding back, since the area itself remained intact.

6) Spider-Man

Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, has been around for decades. As such, his character has grown and changed a bit over the years. Sometimes, these changes directly affect his power levels and strength. When Spider-Man first came out as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, he had no problem dealing with human-level threats. However, the bigger bosses proved to be more challenging for him (it made for better content, after all).

It’s safe to say that version of Spider-Man is no more, as Peter Parker has consistently gotten stronger over the years. We’ve all seen him commit amazing feats, from holding up a building while civilians flee to stopping some of the worst enemies around. Creators, such as Dan Slott, have repeatedly reminded readers that Spider-Man can square up against the Hulk (and live to tell the tale). To put it another way, Spider-Man is always holding back during his battle because he doesn’t want to kill or seriously maim his opponents; he just wants to stop them from achieving whatever evil goal they have for the week.

7) Black Canary

Dinah is the infamous Black Canary, known for her potent sonic attack, the Canary Cry. Anybody who has read her comics knows how strategic Dinah must be when using her Canary Cry, as it can’t exactly tell the difference between friend and foe. The Canary Cry is far stronger than most people realize. While Black Canary generally uses it as a last resort, typically a means of stunning her enemies, it can do a lot more damage than that.

The Canary Cry can, and has, shattered metal. Let’s add more context here, this cry can reach 300 decibels, which is enough to make a person’s ears bleed. The attack works on superhumans, too. During the events of Injustice: Gods Among Us, Black Canary unleashed her Canary Cry upon Superman himself. This attack worked on him twice, first to make his ears bleed, and a second time to take him to the ground (with speed). It’s no wonder Black Canary hesitates to use this against ordinary humans.

8) Wolverine

Logan is an iconic member of the X-Men and undeniably a fan favorite. While he’s well-known for his temper and ability to tear through a room of enemies, it’s safe to say this hero is often holding back. Yeah, that may be hard to believe, but consider what he’s capable of. Wolverine has gone head-to-head with the Hulk and lived to tell the tale (okay, the living part isn’t a surprise here, but handling the battle is still impressive).

Over the years, Wolverine has battled demons, survived a nuclear explosion, and even lived without a heart. His potential is limitless, and while Marvel Comics occasionally puts that to the test, it doesn’t happen every day. That’s probably for the best.

9) Captain Marvel

Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, is a powerful hero in her own right. So it may be strange to think about how she’s often holding back. It’s important to remember that Carol can absorb, process, and rechannel nearly every type of energy, and doing so will occasionally trigger shifts to her Binary form. Usually, Carol settles for using her famous photon blasts, but it’s safe to say this hero has untapped potential. Her power can literally restart a dying sun (at great cost, mind you).

Captain Marvel is an incredibly strong hero, but she often sticks to what she knows will work. She has experimented with new levels of attack, but usually only when needed. For example, since she can absorb all sorts of energy, she can also absorb Monica Rambeau, which happened when the two were battling a Giant Robot. It leaves us wondering what other types of energy she can absorb but hasn’t been willing to try.

10) Wonder Woman

Much like her counterparts, Wonder Woman is almost always holding back during fights. She is an Amazon, and as such is much stronger than the average human. While she doesn’t shy away from killing the same way Batman does, she still tries not to leave complete devastation in her wake. Much like other heroes on this list, Diana has consistently gotten stronger over the years. Where she at first would be easily captured and bound by enemies, she now can fight the strongest villains of DC without flinching.

Most readers agree that Diana is as strong as the average Kryptonian, if not stronger. She may not meet the same levels as Superman, but that still means she needs to hold back, scaling her strength to match her opponents. That may not be a problem with fighting Darkseid, but when facing more human enemies, it forces extra layers of caution.