Ridiculously powerful superpowers

In superhero fiction, you often see characters with powers that are applied only in select ways which logically should make the character virtually invincible if followed to their logical extreme.

For example, Zatanna, the character who inspired this post; she (and most magicians in a superhero context) have huge, in some ways limitless power; her magic can basically do whatever the plot requires (one poster once described her power as "goofy omnipotence").

My personal favourite, though, it The Rumor from Umbrella Academy, whose superpower is the ability to lie and have it come true (ie, "I heard a rumour that the Musee D'Orsay is giving away many of its finest paintings" or "I heard a rumour that you've wanted to kiss me since you were eight years old"). Her lies literally warp reality (such as producing a duplicate version of her studying at the library when she was lying about sneaking out to see her boyfriend). Even the author seemed to realize the implications of this at the end of the miniseries, where her vocal cords were blown out.

 

Superman's combined powers

 

Doctor Manhattan is pretty powerful.

 

(points to Dragonball Z)

 

^ Yeah, but that was the entire point of Dr. Manhattan.

This issue is one reason why I don't care for the current trend of team ups. That and they just make the fictional universe too chock full of superpowered beings while the stories still act like the geopolitical structure of our world would essentially be unaffected by everybody and their mother having powers.

 

"Current trend"? There have been team-ups since the industry started.

 

True, but the super-powerful heroes like Superman, Martian Manhunter, etc. must eventually have some weakness or vulnerability, like fire for J'onn J'onzz, or Kryptonite and magic for Kal-El. It's not true for all other heroes, but vulnerability somehow gives them a sense of humanity. Otherwise, they're virtually omnipotent.

 

Q's powers and (essentially) the powers of the Phoenix in X-Men.

 

Storm's control of the weather should make her the most powerful of all the X-Men. She could defeat all her enemies from afar.

Peter and Matt on Heroes.

 

Magneto. look at the "Fatal Attractions" story from the 1990s, he basically caused a planet-wide EMP...

 

THE Zantanna comment reminded me of the debut of her father, Zatara, from Action Comics number 1. He also has magic that does whatever is required of him.

In the issue his nemesis is the Tigress. At one point she gets the jump on him, they fight phyisically on the top of a moving train "and with a powerful lunge" she shoves him off the train. He uses his magic to "float" and land safely.

Yeah right. I can't imagine that people in the 30's would buy that.

What I find interesting is that even though the Tigress is a criminal mastermind wtih a nasty personality, she has no powers, and is an average woman of stunning beauty. In the story, though, she always gets the upper hand on on the hero, and each time is able to beat him up physically, and she would have killed him more than once if his magic hadn't saved him

 

Molecule Man.

 

Hyperion from Squadron Supreme (the new one, that JMS writes)

 

The Sandman. He has power over all ideas.

 

Ultimate Thor kicked his ass, though it was a hell of a fight.

 

Thor (the power of being a God), Wanda or the Scarlett Witch (chaos magic) but here's an interesting one:

Iceman

He has the power over...well water. That potentially is a very dangerous power and even Emma (the White Queen) commented that Iceman could be so much more.

 

^IIRC, Bobby has never been described as an Omega-Level mutant but he probably should be now. It has always been a matter of mental blocks for him.

The Wikipedia entry suggests that Jean Grey, Rachel Summers, Vulcan and Franklin Richards (currently depowered) should be considered Omega-level mutants and that Storm and possibly Chamber could be too. In addition, despite the comedic nature of his character, Mr. Immortal could very well be considered as such - he can't die, ever.

Now, he has a weakness (the Void is a living weakness) but otherwise the Sentry is extremely powerful. He decided that Lindy shouldn't be dead and thus she wasn't. It has been said that he could have ended the Civil War on his own and the Skrulls admit that there is nothing they can do to stop him should he choose to end their invasion. They had to use his one weakness to get him out of the fight.

 

The Silver Surfer's got to be pretty high up the list.

 

Yes, there have been but I'm talking about their relative frequency. At least DC tends to swing between mostly individual stories and periods in which it's much more about team ups, such as the early 80s period, and today. You can barely pick up a single hero's title these days that someone else isn't showing up as part of the story.