30 Uncommon Superpowers That Would Be Awesome In Real Life

Summary

• Unconventional superpowers may not receive as much praise, but they have shown their value throughout history.
• Powers like chi manipulation, density control, and dimensional storage offer unique abilities that can enhance a hero’s capabilities.
• From self-healing and superhuman strength to accessing an unlimited storage space, these weird superpowers have their own advantages in different situations.

Everyone would love to have a superpower, but, given the choice, most would likely opt for more conventional abilities such as super strength or super speed. The more daring might select an overpowered superhero ability like omniscience or immortality, but very few would opt for anything as weird as liquid transmutation or technomancy.

Yet, the broad pantheon of superhero lore more often than not features individuals with less-than-conventional powers. From the ability to speak with the dead, to the ability to control the weather, most heroes wield abilities that are only situationally useful.

These weird superpowers may not get as much praise, but history has shown their value. Whether they’re capable of eliminating many day-to-day tasks… or just really awesome to show off to friends, they definitely beat not having any powers at all.

30 Infinite Money Would Solve A Lot Of Problems

As seen in: Batman

If there’s one lesson to learn from comic books, it’s that superheroes have infinite money. Lots of characters owe their ability to fight crime entirely to their absurd wealth, such as Batman, Iron Man, and Green Arrow. While the comics try to give some half-hearted explanation, stating that Bruce, Tony, and Ollie are owners of their own multi-billion dollar companies, it’s still absurd how much money they must actually be spending and making.

In several continuities, it’s stated that Batman is the one who paid for the Justice League Watchtower in space. The construction of a multi-story fully livable satellite must’ve cost trillions, as the real-life International Space Station, which is a fraction of the size of the Watchtower, cost 150 billion. The amount of money comic book billionaires toss around is seemingly unlimited, which would be an extremely useful power to have in real life.

29 Chi Manipulation Brings Out Iron Fist’s Potential

As seen in: Immortal Iron Fist

In times of great duress, the fortification of the mind can bring immeasurable serenity. The power of chi gained recognition in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the introduction of Doctor Strange. It also gained some notoriety when Iron Fist appeared in a Netflix series, but what secrets lie in the life forces of these characters that allow them to manipulate the flow of metaphysical chi energy in their bodies?

Reaching into the inner self to harness the spiritual properties of the mind, body, and soul can allow one to not only tap into a plane beyond mere human existence, but it can also enhance bodily functions beyond normal capabilities. Self-healing, superhuman strength, and pain resistance are just some of the bodily changes that may occur. In addition, some users have been known to project their inner energy outwards in a lethal blow or create optical illusions and tricks of the mind by accessing the spiritual plane.

28 Omnilingualism

As seen in: Shazam

The world is a large and extremely diverse place with 7139 known languages in the world. It’s unusual for someone to know more than two at a time. Most people are only monolingual and very rarely learn another one. This can be a major problem for things like traveling abroad, but the power of Omnilingualism instantly solves it. This power is used by characters like Thor, who refers to it as “All-speak” or characters like Shazam.

With this power, someone can instantly and perfectly understand and speak any language after hearing it a single time. There’s no doubt that when it comes to practicality and simply living in the world, this is one of the most powerful abilities that anyone could have. With translators always being in high demand, being a master of every language would easily come in handy.

27 Density Control Helps Vision Defy Any Limits

As seen in: The Avengers

Density control isn’t an often talked about ability, but significant characters have used it over the years to change the concentration of an object. Notable names include the likes of Vision, who can use his powers to manipulate mass and become intangible, phasing through objects and eliminating the need for entryways of any kind.

Changing the density of an object has obvious offensive and defensive properties. If someone picks a fight, a hero may choose to increase their weight to become a concrete force, or perhaps they can become so light that incoming attacks go straight through them. Then there’s the ability to eliminate the burden of heavy objects, making something as large as a planet as easy to move as a pillow.

26 Crazy Jane is a Superhero Team Unto Herself

As see in: Doom Patrol

Everyone wants superpowers, but sometimes it’s hard to pick just one. Heroes like Doom Patrol‘s Crazy Jane, however, have several dozen thanks an encounter with a gene bomb that gave each one of her alternate personas a metahuman ability. No matter what situation one could find themselves in, they’d have a power just waiting in the wings able to help them out.

Instant transportation? Super-speed? Berserker-like strength? Why settle for one measly power when Crazy Jane’s vast gallery of special abilities could help survive and defeat any danger someone is likely to ever face?

25 Dimensional Storage is Ramona Flowers’ Handiest Power

As seen in: Scott Pilgrim

Dimensional storage is a trope in both television and comic books that sees characters pull objects from a space where they wouldn’t typically fit. Such spaces are the result of spatial manipulation. This kind of magic offers an unlimited bag of tricks—quite literally—but, unlike Mary Poppins, heroes don’t actually have to rummage through their purses to find the needed item. When called upon, the item will appear, removing the hassle of spending half an hour to find it.

These pocketed dimensions are not limited to any physical location and can be applied almost anywhere. Whether it’s a portable bag, a pants pocket, or a closet, a hero can hoard anything so long as it fits through the entry point. There’s no need to worry about the weight of the objects in storage, either, as it’s floating in an unlimited space, eliminating the strain that comes with carrying it. It’s a trick that redefines the concept of packing light.

24 Multiple Lives Are Much Better Than Immortality

As seen in: JSA

One of the most often sought-after powers is immortality. Almost everyone is scared of death and immortality ensures that someone will never leave behind their family or miss out on life. But the actual idea of immortality is pretty horrifying. There have been plenty of stories over the decades of immortal characters trying to find ways to die.

Wildcat’s abilities offer the perfect medium here. Instead of being immortal and living forever, Wildcat has 9 lives, which allows him to resurrect 9 times after being killed. Once those lives are used up, he dies for good. This would grant people the freedom to live for as long as they want and to explore the world without having to worry about being the last thing in existence after the heat death of the universe. The ability to live forever while choosing when to stop is far more desirable than being trapped in life forever.

23 Probability Manipulation Ensures A Winning Streak

As seen in: Spider-Man

One of the best abilities to have in life would be probability manipulation. A lot of people feel like they don’t get what they deserve in life simply because of bad luck, but with probability manipulation, that wouldn’t be a problem. Using this ability, one could turn any situation in their favor, no matter how seemingly improbable. They’d be able to make every red light turn green the moment they reached it, or they’d be able to win every lottery they entered.

While seemingly a small power, the ability to control luck is actually absurdly strong. Black Cat, the main user of this ability, has managed to defeat Spider-Man in the past by using it. This ability has the potential to be one of the most powerful things a person could have. It could either make someone find a hundred-dollar bill on the street or allow them to survive a catastrophic disaster completely unscathed.

22 Empath is a Master of Emotions

As seen in: New Mutants

Empaths may seem like they’re just really good mind readers, but there’s more to their powers than just honing in on someone’s emotions. They have the ability to not only detect how someone is feeling, but also wield the power to replicate those feelings to know that person on a personal basis. It may not be the superpower known as telepathy, per se, but heroes with this ability can control how others are feeling, which would be a powerful tactic during interrogations.

On the flip side, there’s apathy, or the power to switch off all emotions. Its users can put on a stone face unlike any other, capable of throwing off anyone who might interpret their actions as a sign to worry. Not only could a person with this ability become the ultimate poker player, but, once again, they would be utterly unbreakable during interrogation.

21 Flex Mentallo’s Muscle Mystery Can Rewrite Reality

As seen in: Doom Patrol

Pretty much every superhero is blessed with muscles, but what if those bis and tris concealed a godlike power? For Flex Mentallo, that’s literally the case as this specimen was given the power to make changes to the world around him with every intentional flex of his muscles. From tiny, unnoticeable changes to huge adjustments, one could do some serious good to the world simply by flexing. Granted, this kind of power requires a commitment to developing a body, but the reward is undoubtedly worth it.

20 Indestructible Digestion Helps Matter-Eater Lad Consume Anything

As seen in: Legion of Super-Heroes

At first, the ability to eat anything with very few constraints or limitations sounds like it could only earn a hero a notable place in the annals of hotdog eating contest history. However, while it doesn’t necessarily offer any major combat advantages when it comes to breaking into or out of things such as safes or prisons, it could be shockingly helpful.

It may be slightly disgusting, but this unique power is more useful than it may seem. No cell could ever hold he or she who consumes all, and no walled fortress could ever remain completely secure.

19 Swarm is Literally Made of Bees

As seen in: The Spectacular Spider-Man

In the grand scheme of superhero-dom, the ability to control a swarm of bees, while unique, doesn’t seem to be all that useful. Bees are, more often than not, little more than a nuisance, and, unless a hero comes up against someone who happens to have an allergy, all they could really do is serve as an aggravating distraction.

However, Marvel villain Swarm took things a step further. An experiment gone wrong allowed him to transfer his consciousness into a swarm of bees, granting him the many advantages of an incorporeal form.

18 Liquid Transmutation Helps Mercury Get Anywhere

As seen in: X-Men

Liquid transmutation, also commonly referred to as self-melting, may sound like the unhappy ending the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz received at the end of the movie, but it’s also a unique power that allows heroes to change their physiological makeup and travel undetected.

Various comic book characters have exhibited fluid-like traits, from Mercury of the Marvel Universe to Brainiac in DC Comics, and all have managed to remain elusive while in their liquid states. Obviously, turning into a different state of matter comes with some major flaws; heroes always run the risk of being mopped up or washed away, but, on a brighter note, they can serve as a fly on the wall—or, more accurately, a drop in the bucket—eavesdropping on the conversations of enemies.

17 Animal Man’s Mimicry Can Channel the Mightiest Beasts

As seen in: Animal Man

Animal lovers everywhere would no doubt love this kind of power. Heroes like Animal Man and Vixen can borrow the best qualities of the animal kingdom when they face a tough challenge. Whether one needs the speed of a cheetah or the flight of an eagle, the sky’s the limit on the kind of assets one could borrow from the Earth’s feathered and furry creatures. While it may not give people god-like strength, this kind of power could be useful in almost any situation.

16 John Constantine’s Mediumship Takes Him to the Other Side

As seen in: Hellblazer

Perceived by some as a curse and viewed by others as a blessing, talking to the dead can take some getting used to. That’s because, depending on the issue at hand, heroes may or may not be able to filter out the voices of the deceased. Still, with all its hardships, seeing evidence of the afterlife would be a major perk for detectives or coroners.

In fact, noted comic book characters like John Constantine have made a career out of it. Plus, those who play their cards right could probably gather enough of a reputation to summon the dead at will, gaining many allies that won’t have to fear death in dire situations.

15 Shapeshifting Would Remove All Fashion Worries

As seen in: X-Men

A lot of people worry about how they look, right down to the little things, the whiteness of their teeth, their straightness, how their skin looks, their hair color. One of the easiest ways to fix all of these would be with the powers of shapeshifting. With her abilities, Mystique is able to change her form into anything she wants. It’s an ability that just about anyone would be envious of, as it’s the ultimate form of true self-expression.

She can completely customize how she visually appears to other people. It’s one of the strongest powers that people can have. Even without considering the nefarious uses for it, such as sneaking into places, it would simply make life a lot easier by allowing someone to finally present themselves how they want, right down to the very last detail.

14 Omnifabrication is Iron Man’s Specialty

As seen in: Iron Man

In the ‘80s, MacGyver showed people how to get out of sticky situations with little more than a rubber band, a paper clip, and an old piece of chewing gum. Since then, advanced inventing skills have only gotten better, with big-screen personas like Tony Stark showing off their knack for technology.

Advanced intellect and gifted intuition may sound like a totally unique superpower, but, given the unfathomable speed at which many of its users have been able to produce almost otherworldly inventions, it certainly isn’t useless. With the ability to craft absolutely anything with very little limitation, there isn’t much a hero couldn’t do.. As was the case with Tony Stark, almost any superpower can be reproduced with some well-drawn schematics and adequate resources.

13 Perfect Recollection Helps Captain America Remember Anything

As seen in: Captain America

While some regular humans can claim to have near-flawless recollection skills, standard intellect simply doesn’t compare to superpowers. While some can remember certain things with a surprising level of detail, none could remember the exact layout of a building they’d only been in once or recall a single name from a briefly glanced-at roster of thousands.

Such a power could definitely help capture criminals and save lives. Remembering the layout of a crime scene or the specific speech patterns of a suspect could mean putting the right person behind bars. Everything that ever happened to a hero from the time they were an infant would be available for them to recall, and they would be guaranteed to never forget a face.

12 The World is Firestorm’s Playground with Transmutation Power

As seen in: The Fury of Firestorm

People tend to forget that everything in the universe is made up of atoms, so a power that can literally allow someone to change objects on an atomic level is an amazing ability. Heroes like Firestorm can take something as innocuous as water and turn it into something as deadly as hydrochloric acid. There’s virtually nothing that could harm someone who had transmutation powers. Swords, guns, even missiles could be turned into cotton candy before they even wound up hurting someone.

11 Precognition Puts X-Men’s Blindfold in Touch with the Future

As seen in: X-Men: Legacy

What if the future isn’t pre-determined and a hero could look into all possibilities and decide the best course of action? Sure, it wouldn’t necessarily help in combat, but a unique power like this could put an end to all crime and conflict if used correctly.

There are burdens that come with such responsibility; the user would likely see every decision that could lead to their own death and suffer a paranoia related to making the wrong decisions. They would have to live with the sole knowledge of countless night-unfathomable tragedies that may not be preventable.