The comic book industry has been defined through the superhero genre above all else, most notably using a vast array of superpowers to elevate their characters. Marvel and DC Comics have emerged as the leaders of the industry, but there's a wide range of heroes across the industry who share some common abilities. Ranging from elemental control to mind-reading, many of these are well-known and loved and often subject to debate among fans.
Superheroes and their powers have led to some of the greatest stories in modern fiction, taking readers on journeys of self-discovery and epic cosmic sagas. These stories wouldn't be what they are without a good look at how heroes channel their unique powers. Of course, some of these superpowers are far more common among heroes, and readers love to see how different creators and characters use these abilities in new and compelling ways.
10 Telepathy
Telepathy is a sign of incredible power levels in comics, as it allows heroes to not only read the minds of characters but also manipulate their thinking or even destroy their minds. This can come in handy when in desperate need of vital information, but it also tests the ethics of a superhero due to the risk.
Characters like Professor X, Jean Grey, Martian Manhunter, and Saturn Girl are all capable of telepathic communication and mind-reading. For some, this has pushed them to their breaking point, and it's one of the most feared abilities in comics, in no small part due to the ramifications if abused.
9 Electricity
Electricity is one of the unsung powers of comics, both for heroes and villains. Given the fact all life comes down to electrical impulses, mastery over this energy can make a character immensely powerful, with the ability to give and take life. For heroes, they're considerably more responsible with this power.
Electricity is the forte of characters like Static Shock, Black Lightning, Thor, Storm, and Spectrum, all of whom use and channel it in unique ways. Electricity has a wide range of applications, from the generation of electromagnetic fields to simulate flight to the incapacitation of some major villains.
8 Elemental Powers
Power over the four elements (water, fire, earth, and air) is a recurring theme throughout comics, with some excellent heroes having varying degrees of power over these forces. One of the best-known of these is Swamp Thing, who is literally the living avatar of the Green, a protector of nature itself.
The powers of fire and ice are particularly common, with DC's Ice and Fire representing a great contrasting team-up. Other heroes who possess manipulation over these forces include Iceman, the Human Torch, Storm, and Geo-Force, all of whom have played vital roles in major stories.
7 Animal Powers
Animal-based abilities are common throughout comics, whether it's the power to channel the abilities of creatures or to outright become them. This can come from magic, mutations, unexplained forces, or powerful artifacts that establish a link between heroes and the animals of nature.
Characters like B'Wana Beast, Animal Man, Nature Girl, Vixen, and Beast Boy are all great examples of heroes who are connected to the animal kingdom. Ranging from the power to physically transform into an animal or simply communicate with them, these heroes have some of the most enjoyable abilities there are.
6 Super Speed
First introduced to comics through speedsters like Flash and, later, Quicksilver, the power of super speed is a fixture of superhero comics. The power is common in both Marvel and DC, as well as in worlds like The Boys and Invincible. The ramifications of the ability can include multiversal travel and time travel, and it takes a toll on users.
An entire family of speedsters is in the DCU, as well as heroes who can access speed through other abilities, like Superman, Shazam, and Silver Surfer. For some, these speeds are tapped into by magical forces, while others use technology or enhanced physiology to do so.
5 Flight
Very few abilities are as closely associated with the superhero genre as the power of flight. Caped heroes like Superman, Shazam, Thor, and Doctor Strange all have their own ways of flying around their cities; some are even able to fly into space, with Green Lanterns capable of intergalactic flight.
Flight can come as a result of magical enhancements, technological upgrades, or simply a feature a character naturally has, and it is particularly common for more cosmic heroes. Flight is the ultimate divider between a street-level hero and the more powerful beings, though characters like Iron Man are capable of duplicating it.
4 Super Senses
Whether it's Spider-Man's spider-sense or Superman's X-ray vision and super hearing, enhanced senses are a common theme throughout superhero comics. Generally, the more powerful a hero is, the more honed and sensitive their senses are, especially for alien or mutated heroes.
Super senses can be as mild as Matt Murdoch's focus from being blind or as incredible as Superman's ability to see things at a molecular level. This can give heroes an incredible advantage over their enemies, letting them detect incoming threats or cluing them in on hidden traps.
3 Magic
Since the earliest superhero comics, magic has played an integral role in the medium. Dating all the way back to the likes of Mandrake the Magician and Doctor Fate, magic is responsible for some of comics' most powerful beings. This is especially common in occult detective comics like Hellboy, Blade, and Justice League Dark.
Magic can take ordinary men and women and elevate them to some of the most powerful beings in the universe. Characters like Ghost Rider, Spectre, and Shazam are vastly powerful, and some are mystically empowered to dispense cosmic justice. Magic also happens to be a vulnerability for major heroes and villains like Zod, so mastering it gives heroes an edge.
2 Enhanced Healing/Regeneration
Mostly introduced to comics to explain how heroes recover from fights so quickly, the power of enhanced healing has crept in as incredibly common among heroes. Even heroes who have never been explicitly stated to have enhanced healing obviously do and make quick recoveries from their worst fights.
Having an enhanced healing factor, going as far as Deadpool's ability to regrow lost limbs, allows for a plausible way for writers to see heroes get beaten to a pulp only to come back. The best-known healing factor in comics is Wolverine, who's practically immortal thanks to how fast his body recovers from injury.
1 Super Strength
Super strength is perhaps the only power that the majority of superheroes share. Even heroes not commonly associated with strength do have enhanced muscle, such as Spider-Man and Flash — not to mention all the classic strong heroes, like Superman, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America. This has been used to do anything from save damaged buildings from collapse to the literal movement of planets.
Super strength is almost the quintessential superpower of any hero, and there are few protagonists who don't have enhanced strength. Considering all the dangerous fights, debris, and explosions heroes have to survive, it would be considerably harder for them to survive without a great deal of strength.