Top 10 Super Powers Geeks Wish For

It’s no great secret that every comic book geek wishes he or she had a super power. Along with the love of a great story and characters, it practically fuels our comic book obsession. Whether they want these powers to help the greater good or just to help themselves is an entirely different matter; one thing’s for sure, though: Getting any kind of power is any geek’s dream.

In this article, let’s explore the top 10 super powers geeks want to have.

Super strength

What is it – The ability to lift heavy objects with relative ease. Of course that translates to being able to punch someone through a wall and throw things really, really far.

Who has it – Superman comes to mind immediately, although this is a regular super power. Almost all superheroes have it. The Hulk also has it in spades, and so does the Fantastic Four’s Thing. In the Marvel universe, they classify the strength level by the amount of weight one can overhead press — ranging from 1 ton to 100.

Practical uses – When looking for a parking slot and you see some guy occupying 1.5 slots, which makes it impossible for you to fit, wouldn’t you just love to lift that car and set it properly so that it occupies only as much space as it needs? It would also be cool if you could break the car in half so he doesn’t do it again.

Flashlike speed

What is it – The ability to move fast across vast distances, or just the ability to move limbs at superhuman speed. More often than not, this ability includes all protection against windburn, friction, nausea and anything else that would hinder you from getting from point A to point B in 0.004 seconds.

Who has it – Most notably The Flash (everyone who has held the name) but there are bunch of other characters have it, too. There’s Max Mercury, Impulse, Quicksilver, Liberty Belle, Speed and the list goes on.

Practical uses – You have a party at your friend’s house in BF Homes and you have a dinner with your work buddies at Timog. A trip to the rest room excuse can practically have you in both places at once. Plus, you’ll never be late for anything ever again.

X-ray vision

What is it – The ability to see through objects such as walls, buildings, mountains, clothes, people, gates, doors, windows — if there’s something standing behind something else, you should be able to see it.

Who has it – This is a fairly uncommon super power and I can only think of one character who has it — Superman. There’s Supergirl, too, but she’s just an offshoot of Clark Kent so it still falls on the root character.

Practical uses – Well, besides the obvious schoolboy antics one could pull off with this power, this would be great for security, as well. Want to see who’s knocking at the door, all you’d have to do is look. This would also be great for games like hide and seek and paintball.

Have you ever lost anything ever? Wish you could just do a full sweep of the house by standing in one spot, looking for it? Yeah, X-ray vision.

Mind reading

What is it – The ability to read another person’s thoughts and feelings without them suspecting a thing. You could also plant thoughts in their mind.

Who has it – A large number of characters have mind reading capabilities, but the most famous would be the X-people: Professor X, the late Jean Grey, and Emma Frost.

Practical uses – Are you kidding me? Who wouldn’t have fun with this power? Performance appraisal coming up? Read your boss’ mind. Don’t know what to get the significant other for Christmas? Read his or her mind. Trying to hit on a girl at a bar but don’t know what to say? Read her mind. The possibilities are endless.

Telekinesis

What is it – The ability to move objects with your mind, the strength of which depends on the power level or skill of user. But since this is make believe, everyone wishes they could move mountains.

Who has it – Again, the most prolific users of mind powers would be an X-Man, like Jean Grey. Others have it, too. There’s Doctor Strange but his is probably mystic in nature. Hellion, another X-character, does it too. All the Green Lantern guardians likewise have it.

Practical uses – This is a very discreet power if you want it to be, so it would be perfect for real life applications. Ever been too lazy to get up and grab a soda two feet away from you? I’m 100 percent sure you’ve tried to will the soda can to your hand with your mind.

That daunting task of putting together a cabinet or desk has never been easier. With things flying into place, you could put them together in record time. If you think in a much grander scale, you’ve probably thought about moving a whole road of traffic while passing under floating cars.

You’d be a hit as an entertainer, too.

Martial arts mastery

What is it – A superhuman knack for mastering martial arts either due to natural gifts or otherworldly elements. You know, kind of like George St. Pierre of UFC fame.

Who has it – This is a staple for characters who can’t fly or eat a tank for breakfast. The list is long and vast — Batman, Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Nightwing, Shang Chi, Karate Kid (I’m not kidding, there’s a DC character named Karate Kid), and the list goes on and on.

Practical uses – Since this is a combative skill, the only real practical use of it would be for combat. Besides, probably 95% of all comic book fans were bullied while growing up so this skill would come in handy in times when they wanted to defend themselves or to just get sweet payback.

In the military, you could be a rock star in the training circuit. When you go into action, when someone hands you a rifle, you just go “No, thanks. I’m good.” And everyone looks at you weird.

Invulnerability

What is it – Complete resistance to injury, sickness, disease, foreign substances, and death by unnatural means.

Who has it – The levels of this power vary greatly. Sentry, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Powergirl, Billly Batson Captain Marvel, and Doomsday have it. They can’t be harmed by conventional means, but it can be argued that Deadpool and Wolverine have it, too. Sure they can be shot and stabbed, but whatever injury they sustain, they heal in no time.

Practical uses – Anyone who has ever broken an ankle or torn a ligament has wished for this power, and they probably said it in their mind like this — “I wish I were Superman.” It would be cool to have this just to show off to your friends. “Look at what I can do” will be your favorite catchphrase.

Flight

What is it – The ability to fly through the air, defying gravity, under your own power.

Who has it – Since this is a highly desirable power, many a superhero has it — Superman, Thor, Ms. Marvel, Donna Troy, Namor, Captain Atom, Hawkman, Hawkgirl and the list is as long as comic book history itself.

Practical uses – There has never been a human being who has never wished or dreamt of the power of flight. It is probably the most freedom one can ever imagine to experience. Hindrances of the world such as gravity will be a non-factor, and one would feel like he or she can do absolutely anything.

Who wouldn’t want to fly? Just think of the gas or commuting fare you would save! It’d take a little longer than teleportation, but flight will be a much more enjoyable experience. If you’re the type who has no use for laws of physics, then teleportation might be for you.

High-tech equipment

What is it – For one thing, it really isn’t a power to have cool gadgets no one else has. If anything, it’s more of a money and intelligence thing, which can’t exactly be classified as powers but people wish they had a Batmobile, an Iron Man suit of armor, a Batarang, a grappling hook or a car that transforms anyway.

Who has it – Primarily just two people — Batman and Iron Man

Practical uses – An Iron Man suit is practically a Ferrari or a Porsche around your body. If that isn’t a chick magnet, I don’t know what is. If a BWM can nab a few women, I wonder what a fully functioning Iron Man suit can do. “Hey, baby, want to fly to Paris with me tonight?”

Besides it being the coolest thing ever, it can also fly, scan for stuff using the HUD and shoot beams of concussive force. You’d have a hard time trying to dent it, too. Oh, and it augments the strength of the user, so that’s almost half the list right there.

Green Lantern power ring

What is it – A ring powered by willpower that can produce anything the user’s imagination can conceive.

Who uses it – The Green Lantern Corps

Practical uses – There is nothing you cannot do with this. It provides inter-galaxy flight, protected by airborne particulates, the vacuum of space and lack of oxygen. You could literally fly to Mars in seconds and take a picture with your Green Lantern power ring then upload it to Facebook using the ring while on a Martian terrain.

The ring provides the user with a protective aura that is invulnerable to conventional firearms and weapons. You could sit on top of a warzone and come out unscathed, then you could create a giant green hand to swat all combatants away.

You can form protective bubbles for groups of people, too, in case you wanted to bring your family to Mars with you.

It does everything.

Okay, now that we’ve gone through the list. What super power do you want to have? Leave a comment and let’s talk about it!