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Superpower (ability)
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Superpowers (also super powers or simply powers) is another term for superhuman abilities, that is, any abilities that a human does not possess in real life. The term is mainly used in superhero comic books but also in other media such as cartoons. The term includes normal human abilities but at a level greater than any normal human has ever displayed, such as superhuman strength. It also includes abilities that might not be very impressive or useful, such as the ability to change the color of an object at will, as long as it is an act that humans cannot perform except perhaps with special equipment.
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Superpowers (also super powers or simply powers) is another term for superhuman abilities, that is, any abilities that a human does not possess in real life. The term is mainly used in superhero comic books but also in other media such as cartoons. The term includes normal human abilities but at a level greater than any normal human has ever displayed, such as superhuman strength. It also includes abilities that might not be very impressive or useful, such as the ability to change the color of an object at will, as long as it is an act that humans cannot perform except perhaps with special equipment. By that same token, a character that derives his powers from equipment (such as Batman's utility belt, Green Lantern’s power ring or Iron Man's Armor Suit) is not actually considered to be superhuman.
Overview
"Superpowers" are typically considered fictional (or science-fictional); however, some powers are grouped by themes based on existing forces, such as the abilities of animals, the capacities of machine, or the forces of nature. Others are completely imaginary. Certain types of superhuman abilities, such as psychic powers, are believed by some people to be real. The scientific study of the paranormal investigates the possibility of their existence, though no conclusive proof has ever come to light. Some scientists (and some science fiction stories) posit that humans may someday have superior powers through the use of bionics or genetic manipulation.
Originally, superpowers were poorly described. Superhuman characters simply were able to achieve whatever the narrator or writer of a story needed him or her to do to fulfill its part in the story. This was also true in the early years of superhero comic books. As the years passed and more characters were created, however, a greater variety of abilities was invented, in an effort to be distinctive. An example of this can be seen in the way Superman’s powers developed over the years. Certain comic book series were created specifically to explore the possible varieties of superpowers. Examples of this include DC Comics’ Legion of Superheroes (which included the concept of would-be members being required to pass tests to determine if their powers were useful) and Marvel Comics’ X-Men series, where a school for training mutants to use their powers was a central concept. Characters with multiple powers, often copied or stolen from others, such as the Composite Superman or the Super-Skrull also started to appear.
In the 1970’s, role playing games began to develop, and soon superhero-based ones were developed as well. The game designers were faced with the dilemma of how to catalogue superpowers for their use in the games. At first the designers simply borrowed names and effects from the comics; however they soon realized that there was a redundancy of abilities as some characters' powers differed from others only in minor details like name or visible effects. The Champions roleplaying game took a radical departure in describing powers by their effects rather than their causes; for example a laser and a lightning bolt were both considered to be versions of the same power, named Ranged Attack. Another fact they realized is that some powers were simply more useful than others in game terms; to represent this, each power was given a “value” in a point system, with the more powerful abilities costing more to “buy.” In addition, players were given options to modify their powers so each character’s abilities would be unique. This system has since then influenced many other similar games.
In an attempt at greater realism, the causes and effects of superpowers have been considered more carefully by writers. The possible origins for powers include natural mutations, genetic manipulation, bionics, natural forces unique to a particular universe (such as DC Comics' Speed Force or Marvel Comics' Power Cosmic and even magic). In the 1980’s, Marvel Comics began publishing their Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe series, in which the powers of their characters were explained in great detail, often using scientific and pseudoscientific terms.
Eventually, the powers themselves became a focus of the stories. Inspired by social science fiction, these stories went beyond the simple acceptance and use of superpowers in the roles of superheroes and supervillains and explored their effects in society at large. An example of this is the persecution of mutants in the X-Men series. An important difference is that science fiction usually posits superpowered minorities as having mainly the same kind of powers (for example, the telepaths in A.E. Van Vogt’s Slan) while in comics each superhuman is usually unique. Media outside comics has also begun to explore the concept of superpowers seriously, as seen for example in the TV Drama Heroes.
See also
- List of superhuman features and abilities in fiction
- Category:Superhero role-playing games
External links
- - an online Wired Magazine article on how certain superpowers might work
- , by James Kakalios- a book examining how the powers of several comic book characters would work if they were real.
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