There are countless superpowers in comics, but some have gotten so dangerous that they are now considered “broken” superpowers. These refer to powers in comic books that create broken characters, such as heroes like Scarlet Witch or Jean Grey. This is either because they are too overpowered, because creative teams can do anything with them, or because they are so misdefined that they can be nerfed or buffed to almost unlimited levels. These powers might have seemed cool when created, but fans of Marvel Comics and DC Comics know certain powers seem almost ridiculous when a hero gets them.
Videos by ComicBook.com
While it might seem ridiculous that Batman can beat anyone with preparation, the broken superpowers are all actual superhuman in aspects, with them ranging from mutant powers to cosmic abilities.
7) Rogue’s Absorption Powers
Rogue’s superpowers have been defined as broken in more than one way over her existence in Marvel Comics. First, they were broken for her personally because she couldn’t touch anyone without possibly killing them. She learned this when her powers manifested when she kissed her boyfriend and left him in a coma. Luckily, she has since gained control over turning them on and off.
However, they are also hard to control. When she took away Carol Danvers’ powers, it almost drove Rogue to madness because she also absorbed all Carol’s memories and pain. They have also become broken because there are minimal limits to how many powers she can absorb at once, making her almost unbeatable at times.
6) Telepathy
Easily, one of the most broken superpowers in comic books is telepathy. Whether it is someone as overpowered as Professor X or Martian Manhunter, or those who have used it for evil, like old-school Emma Frost, this seems like the most overpowered ability, which is surprising since so many different characters possess this power.
There is no reason why Professor X or Jean Grey can’t just shut down someone’s mind and end a battle on the spot, or read anyone’s mind to know what is coming before it happens. Comic books have to create mental blocks for certain characters to keep a level playing field. However, a powerful psychic should be able to win almost any battle without any limitations.
5) Super Speed
Super speed is another superpower that has been pushed to such an extreme level that it is considered broken. This is especially true in DC Comics with the Speed Force. While Marvel has characters like Northstar and Quicksilver, who possess super speed, they have some limitations to their speed. However, Flash, and especially Wally West, is fast enough to do anything, including travel through time.
Barry Allen reset the universe with his speed time travel skills in Flashpoint. The various Flash heroes are fast enough to end a fight before anyone even knows they moved, making them realistically unbeatable unless the creative teams come up with gimmicks to slow them down or keep them from reaching their full potential. There is no reason Flash doesn’t win every fight he is in before it even gets started.
4) Magic
With so many mystical characters in Marvel and DC Comics, magic is an overarching superpower that is as broken a power as can be. Doctor Strange is so powerful that he often has to stay out of battles to keep things fair. Doctor Fate is the DC version, and he can do just about anything the creative teams want him to do.
Magic can be almost anything, and it is so easy for any writer to throw something out there to allow the magic-user to solve any problem, with the only explanation being that it’s magic. A perfect example is when Scarlet Witch was destroying the Avengers in Avengers Disassembled. Doctor Strange showed up and just shut her down with magic. It is a lazy power for writing teams to use to accomplish anything.
3) Omnipresence
If there is one character in comics who is as broken as they come, it is Doctor Manhattan. When he was in Watchmen, Alan Moore was smart in keeping him mainly in the background, but once Moore had to do something big, he just had Manhattan do it because no one could stop him.
When Doctor Manhattan showed up in DC Comics, he was even more powerful, and no one could do anything to stop him thanks to his omnipresent powers. This means he can be everywhere and anywhere at the same time, which makes him unbeatable and unstoppable. Anyone with godlike powers will never remain interesting in anything but small doses.
2) Healing Factor
The healing factor is a power that can be broken down depending on the hero and the speed of the healing. Deadpool and Wolverine are among the most famous Marvel Comics characters with healing powers, a power that allows them to recover from almost anything. In some cases, it is not something that happens instantly.
However, there are also characters like Hulk who heal quickly while still fighting, making him almost unbeatable in any battle. When a healing factor makes a character invincible, it is a broken power, and this is mostly the case with characters like the Hulk, which is why writers have had to add limitations to other characters, such as Wolverine.
1) Reality Altering Powers
Easily, the most broken power in all comics is reality-altering powers. This can be attributed to mutant powers, such as Legion’s immense power set, or chaos magic, as shown by Scarlet Witch’s abilities. This superpower is so broken that creative teams can utilize it to transform the entire world for any storyline purpose. Scarlet Witch created the House of M storyline with her reality-altering powers.
Legion created the Age of Apocalypse with his powers. Mr. Mxyzptlk is a DC character with these powers, although he is a trickster and usually doesn’t make universe-shaking changes. However, with so many characters possessing these powers, there is no way to stop or beat them, and that makes it the most broken superpower in all comics.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Virgin Films -
Image Courtesy of Netflix
