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7 Most Broken Superpowers in DC Comics
The DC Universe is one that is full of power. From heroes to villains to even the characters who fall into that gray area of not really being either, the pages of DC Comics are full of characters with incredible superpowers that allow them to do incredible things and, in the process, give readers amazing stories. However, not all superpowers are created equally. Some superpowers are greater than others, allowing those blessed (or cursed) with them to do unimaginable things and even among powers that great, there are some that are just so strong they’re broken.
What do we mean by broken? Broken superpowers that are just so massive and so powerful that they almost don’t make sense. They’re the powers that make some characters ridiculously hard to beat and sometimes leave readers wondering why anyone even tries. Worst yet, some characters have multiple powers that qualify as broken all at once, making them massive threats. With everything from super speed to reality manipulation and more, there are seven most broken superpowers in DC.
7) Malleable Physiology (Plastic Man)
It might not seem like it, but malleable physiology is a seriously broken superpower and a prime example of it in DC is Patrick O’Brian, aka Plastic Man. While most people think of this power as merely being stretchy, there’s so much more to it. Not only can someone like Plastic Man stretch his limbs and body to superhuman lengths, but he can also change his size to be larger or smaller, do feats of shapeshifting, has superhuman agility, and more. Coming along with the crazy things he can do with his body is an element of invulnerability and regeneration — after all, if you’re able to do all kinds of crazy things with your body, it has to be able to stay intact somehow. It all works together to leave any character with this overall power as someone who is incredibly hard to defeat and is themselves stronger than some of the biggest powerhouses in comics.
6) Super Hearing (Superman)
Another broken superpower to make the list is super hearing, not unlike what Superman has, but this isn’t a situation where this one necessarily makes the bearer unbeatable. Instead, this one is broken for how much a burden it has to be. While being able to hear the tiniest of sounds certainly has its uses, it must also be incredibly difficult to constantly have to hear everything. Characters with this power probably have had to deal with endless overstimulation as they’re bombarded by every possible sound of life you can imagine, which makes super hearing not only broken, but seem more like a curse than a gift.
5) Phasing/Intangibility (Martian Manhunter)
You can’t catch what you can’t physically get your hands on and that’s what makes the ability of phasing or intangibility a broken one. A notable example of this power in DC is Martian Manhunter, who can move through matter and can keep you from touching him if he really wants to. A power like that arguably makes it to where there are no real physical obstacles for its bearer and would make it extremely hard to capture and restrain them. For a hero, it’s a cool power to have and certainly makes certain tasks way easier but if you’re dealing with a villain who can just phase through things or you can’t actually touch, you’ve got much bigger problems.
4) Time Manipulation (Time Trapper)
Time is always on the side of someone with the ability to manipulate and control time and that’s just insanely broken. An example of a character with time manipulation in DC is Time Trapper, who can do things such as stop time, de-age people, create entirely different timelines, and just about anything you can imagine involving time. It’s an insane power to have and puts anyone clashing with them at a disadvantage. After all, how do you really beat someone who can stop time and use that to simply get away?
3) Super Speed (The Flash)
On the surface, super speed seems like a power that would be very cool to have and couldn’t possibly be that broken, but it’s not as straightforward as it seems. Not only does super speed come with the whole “if you can’t catch them, you can’t stop them” element of things, super speed rarely comes as a power on its own. You name it, super speed lets you do it: superhuman reflexes, stamina, agility, strength. For the Flash, it also means accelerated healing and the ability to travel between dimensions, think at an insane rate of speed, and even time travel in some cases. Super speed also allows for a measure of phasing and intangibility because, in the case of the Flash, he can vibrate his molecular structure so fast as to be able to do that. It’s just absolutely bonkers what super speed lets one doe.
2) Reality Alteration (Doctor Manhattan)
If you can actually alter reality, then you have a completely broken superpower. There’s no two ways about it. The ability to alter or manipulate reality lets you create and destroy timelines and universes, see the future and control it. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. One character who notably has this power in DC is Doctor Manhattan and he’s used it to do some pretty crazy things, like preserve the Flashpoint timeline. The craziest thing about the ability to alter and manipulate reality is that it pretty much gives you access to all the powers you can think of and that’s just too much. You can’t really face off with someone who writes the rules.
1) Wealth (Batman, Lex Luthor, and more)
Hear me out: wealth is a superpower and it’s a broken one. While we may not think about money and resources as a superpower in the same vein as the rest of the things on this list, the truth is that it’s a huge driver of things in the DC Universe. After all, what is Batman without his money? Yes, Absolute Batman exists and isn’t a billionaire, but we’re talking mainline Batman here. His biggest asset is the money and resources he’s used to finance his training, his gadgets, his crusade. On the villain side, we’ve got people like Lex Luthor who, while incredibly intelligent in his own right, uses his wealth to fund his technology and other things allowing him to go up against those with serious superpowers — like Superman. Being rich is a superpower all its own and it’s a tough one to beat.
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