Everyone wants the best and shiniest powers in the universe, but not every hero (or villain) is that lucky. The truth is that the best tales have a balance of powers, creating an interesting and immersive blend of useful and concerning abilities. DC Comics proves this again and again, as for every amazing superhero with unbelievable powers, there are several who make do with what they have. The entire existence of the Legion of Substitute Heroes proves this. That said, there’s no denying that some characters got the short end of the stick, getting the worst superpowers of the lot.
There’s a silver lining, as even the worst superpowers can still be useful to a creative mind. People who put their minds to it can do a lot with very little. For example, Arm-Fall-Off-Boy figured out how to make his regenerating limbs work for him, turning his spare arms into makeshift weapons as needed. Is it gross? Yeah, but it’s also pretty handy in a pinch – and he’s just one of many characters finding creative solutions to everyday problems heroes and villains face.
1) Tapping Into the Emotional Spectrum
Dori Aandraison is one of many heroes who found their way into the Legion of Substitute Heroes. This team is an offshoot organization connected to the Legion of Super-Heroes. Their members consist largely of heroes rejected from the Legion of Super-Heroes, usually because their powers are too weak, uncontrolled, or dangerous. Dori, aka Rainbow Girl, likely falls into the second category. Rainbow Girl has the unique ability to tap into the Emotional Spectrum, enabling her to create corresponding energy constructs. That in itself should be a powerful ability, but it comes with a hefty weakness. Rainbow Girl suffers from uncontrollable mood swings, as she is heavily affected by the Emotional Spectrum each time she taps into it. If she had more guidance on controlling these outbursts, Rainbow Girl could have taken the world by storm.
2) Turning Into Water
The Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, are a well-known duo in DC Comics. The two infamously can gain access to their powers when they fist bump (really) and say “Wonder Twins powers, activate!” It’s an impressive transformation, though there’s no denying that one twin got the better end of the deal. Jayna can transform into any animal, while Zan can turn into water. Originally, that was the limitation of Zan’s abilities. He would later be able to form that water into ice, giving him a bit of a power boost. But it always seemed like Zan lived in Jayna’s shadow. The good news is that the Wonder Twins have appeared all over DC Comics content, including live-action shows (Smallville), animated series (Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls), and more.
3) Amazing Strength on a Timeline – for a Price
Rex Tyler, aka Hourman, worked hard to build a positive reputation for himself. He joined the Justice Society, saved the day on numerous occasions, and overall is considered to be a classic hero. There’s just one problem – Hourman doesn’t have any innate abilities. Instead, all of his abilities come from the Miraclo pill. Each pill buys Hourman an hour of superpower, hence the name. This builds in a certain amount of vulnerability for the hero, as losing access to his pills could prove fatal, especially in mid-fight. Likewise, he developed a bit of dependency on the pills, which doesn’t set the best example. Or maybe it does, providing a lesson about the prices heroes pay.
[RELATED: 10 Weakest DC Characters, Ranked]
4) Turning Into an Immobile Stone
Deg Wentim, aka Stone Boy, may be one of the best-known characters on this list. Stone Boy has appeared in both comics and animated series, so his story has had a bit more sticking power than some others. An alien from the planet Zwen, he headed straight to Earth with the hopes of becoming a superhero. As his superhero name probably gave away, Stone Boy can turn into stone. It’s a great defensive mechanism, but of course, there’s a catch. Stone Boy is completely immobile when he’s made of stone, which actually shouldn’t be all that shocking. On the bright side, time and practice enabled Stone Boy to turn only part of his body into stone, giving him more options when fighting crime. Stone Boy was accepted into the Legion of Substitute Heroes, and it’s safe to say he’s found a unique way of leaving his mark on the world.
5) Becoming a Human Beach Ball
Chuck Taine, aka Bouncing Boy, is a hero who has been around for decades. He may not have the most impressive superpower around, but his dedication is inspirational. As his name probably implies, Chuck can turn himself into a giant ball. There are good and bad sides to this ability. First, he’s invulnerable when in ball form, which comes in handy when he’s facing a dangerous attack. Better yet, he can still attack while in ball form, letting him bash enemies mid-attack. Unfortunately, he can’t control how he bounces around the area. So the first hit might strike true, but after that, he’s just as likely to hit an ally.
6) Living as a Sentient Street
It may be hard for some readers to believe this one, but there really is a sentient street in DC. Named Danny the Street, this character has been around since the ’90s. One might think that a sentient street wouldn’t be able to do much, but Danny can pop around to any location in the world, which is pretty handy. Danny the Street can’t do much to help in a superhero battle, so he finds other ways to save the day. For example, he often moves to new cities, infiltrating the streets (literally), working hard to make them a bit happier and safer. It may not sound like much, but the citizens affected would argue otherwise. Unsurprisingly, Danny the Street’s story doesn’t come up all that often, and it’s likely he’ll eventually disappear into DC Comics’ history.
[RELATED: 5 DC Characters With Controversial Origin Stories]
7) Eating Any Matter Possible – To No Great Benefit
Tenzil Kem’s superhero name is a bit on the nose, as he goes by the name of Matter-Eater-Lad. As his superhero name implies, he can ingest just about anything, regardless of how dense or toxic it may be. While that’s pretty impressive, it doesn’t innately offer him any benefits. Consuming raw mass doesn’t have the helpful side effect of healing or a power boost. However, it did open the door to creative solutions to very strange problems. Despite having what many would deem a useless power, Matter-Eater-lad successfully joined the Legion of Super-Heroes, putting him in a position to save the day. He once saved the universe by eating an indestructible machine. Odd, but effective.
8) Changing the Color of Objects
Ulu Vakk hails from the planet Lupra, and his origin feels shockingly familiar to many scientists on Earth. He was experimenting alongside another scientist when he was struck by a beam of light. This beam had given him the ability to change the colors of any object or living being. A shard of Ulu probably always wanted to be a hero, and thus, he packed up and moved to Earth, where he took on the mantle of Color Kid. As Color Kid, he applied to join the Legion of Super-Heroes. He was rejected from the main roster but allowed to join the Legion of Substitute Heroes. While there’s no denying that color manipulation abilities would be useful, it’s hard to see how they would help a superhero. On the bright side, an artist would kill for such a power.
9) Becoming a Walking Biohazard (aka Disease Spreading)
At a glance, Drura Sepht’s ability sounds like it would be pretty useful, if perhaps a bit unethical to wield. Her whole race serves as a colony for different microorganisms. As such, she and her people are essentially walking biohazards, capable of infecting others with all sorts of diseases. In other words, they could be a powerful tool used for good or ill, but there’s one major problem. Drura Sepht, aka Infections Lass, cannot control who she does and doesn’t infect. Friends and foes are equally at risk, and the Legion of Super-Heroes felt she was too dangerous to include on the team.
10) Mucus Powers
We can all agree that anybody with superpowered mucus is probably going to be gross, and certainly, they won’t be the most popular entity in their universe. Enter Flemgem, a member of Section 8. His real name is unknown, and that may be for the best. Flemgem does try to make his gross ability work to his advantage, helping to protect the overlooked parts of Gotham. Thus, he runs around using his powerful sneezes and dangerous loogies to help save the day. It gets worse, as his phlegm can blind people. That would not be a fun way to get taken down in a fight, but hey, Flemgen proved that even gross powers can help save a life.
The post 10 Worst Superpowers in DC (& Some Are Just Gross) appeared first on ComicBook.com.
