Superpowers Marvel Heroes Have But Won’t Use

Marvel’s history goes all the way back to 1939, and over the years, its iconic characters have evolved significantly. Many different writers and artists have contributed to these characters, constantly reimagining and updating their stories. Sometimes these updates involve completely new origins or backstories, while other times they build upon existing foundations.

Lots of Marvel superheroes have abilities that are rarely used in new movies, comics, or video games. This is because these powers can disrupt the fairness of gameplay, quickly resolve story problems, or simply make conflicts too easy – none of which make for a compelling narrative. Here’s a look at some Marvel characters and powers you likely won’t see them use.

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Wolverine

His Healing And Claws Often Take The Spotlight

Wolverine is a fascinating character, despite not having overly flashy powers. He’s famous for his nearly indestructible Adamantium claws and incredible ability to heal, but his appeal goes beyond that. With a long and detailed past, there’s always another story to explore, and his strong connection to the X-Men solidifies his place as a comic book legend.

Logan’s powers haven’t always been what they are now. He used to have a broader range of abilities, including heightened senses similar to an animal’s. This meant he could see exceptionally well in both bright and dark conditions, and even track people using their scent. He was also incredibly resilient to the elements, easily tolerating freezing cold.

The new Wolverine game from Insomniac Games might also tone down his famous healing ability. Making a game balanced could be tricky if Wolverine is virtually unkillable.

Hulk’s

Hulk Communicates With The Dead Doesn’t Have The Same Ring To It…

Everyone knows the Hulk for his incredible transformations into a massive, angry creature. However, he’s a surprisingly complex character, and complicated movie rights deals have unfortunately kept him from fully showcasing his abilities and depth in recent films.

The Hulk’s abilities go beyond just physical strength; they’re actually quite mystical. He’s demonstrated the power to communicate with spirits and has even seen Doctor Strange’s astral projection. Interestingly, he also possesses super breath and can breathe underwater, similar to Superman, though these powers aren’t often showcased in his adventures.

Thor

An Ability That Has (Rightly) Been Forgotten

Okay, let’s talk Thor. He’s seriously one of Marvel’s heavy hitters – a god from Asgard, so you’d expect a pretty impressive skillset, and he delivers. We all know him with his hammer, Mjolnir, and a lot of the focus is on his electric powers. But if you go back to some of the older comics, you’ll find Thor was capable of way more than just lightning. It’s fascinating to see how his powers have evolved over time, and honestly, those earlier versions felt even more powerful and versatile.

Most people are familiar with Thor’s ability to fly by spinning his hammer, Mjolnir, and essentially ‘throwing’ it to propel himself forward. He once could even use this method for time travel. However, because this power was incredibly strong – effectively guaranteeing victory for the heroes – it was removed from his skillset after a confrontation with Lord Immortus and hasn’t been seen since.

Magneto

Magnetic Fields Impact More Than Just Metal

Magneto’s name gives you a good idea of his abilities – he controls metal. But it’s actually more accurate to say he controls electromagnetic fields. Marvel’s writers have consistently come up with inventive ways to showcase this power, leading to abilities you might not expect.

Magneto, similar to several other characters, once had the ability to project his mind outside of his body. He could also read and communicate with others’ thoughts, but he hasn’t used these powers in many years. Even with Ian McKellen reprising his role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, it’s doubtful we’ll see these older abilities return.

Hawkeye

A Mind To Rival Mr. Fantastic

Hawkeye is often shown as simply a highly skilled archer, but his accuracy goes beyond what normal training can achieve – he’s at the peak of human ability. While usually explained as pure skill, consistently hitting impossible targets suggests something more. To accomplish his incredible feats, Hawkeye likely possesses a hidden power.

Hawkeye’s incredible accuracy would require him to make extremely fast and complicated calculations with every shot. While some versions of the character explain his skill as a superhuman ability—like the extra rod cells in his eyes in one universe—most stories simply portray him as a highly skilled archer. It’s easier for audiences to accept that explanation, so it’s unlikely we’ll see his marksmanship explained by special powers in future adaptations.

Mr. Fantastic

A Novel Use Of Mr. Fantastic’s Stretchiness

Mr. Fantastic’s only superpower is his ability to stretch, which surprisingly offers a lot of possibilities. Writers often use this power to showcase Reed Richards’ intelligence. Over the years, his stretchiness has even allowed him to completely alter his appearance, similar to a shapeshifter.

In a recent comic book storyline, Reed Richards used his stretching powers to change his appearance and live a normal life with Sue Storm and their son, Franklin. However, this storyline meant less screen time with actor Pedro Pascal, and less opportunity to see the classic Reed Richards character in the comics, making it unlikely to be revisited.

Doorman

This Character Already Had His Heyday

G.L.A. Vol 1 3 – Marvel Comics

Following his appearance in the Marvel show Wonder Man, it doesn’t seem like Doorman, or DeMarr Davis, will be returning to our screens in the near future. His storyline highlights the rule prohibiting people with superpowers from working in Hollywood – a rule put in place after the unfortunate disappearance of Josh Gad, who fell into Davis’s portal and was never seen again.

Since this character’s sole purpose is to highlight the challenges faced by Wonder Man (Simon Williams), it’s doubtful we’ll see them appear in the show anytime soon. Similarly, while DeMarr Davis has impressive powers like super-speed and control over dark energy in the comics, it’s unlikely he’ll get to use them before potentially joining the West Coast Avengers again.

Mantis

Magical Abilities Often Left Unexplored

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mantis, played by Pom Klementieff, is usually shown using her powers of telepathy and empathy. While some comic book versions of Mantis have additional abilities, it’s unlikely those will appear in the movies soon. However, a unique version of the character in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy features one of her less common powers.

Like Magneto, she’s able to project her consciousness outside of her body, and similar to Groot, she can manipulate plants. She also controls fire and can see the future. In contrast, the character Mantis, both in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the new game Marvel Rivals, has had her abilities simplified to a smaller set of core powers.

Spider-Man

You Don’t Often See Spider-Man Chatting With Spiders

Spider-Man is one of the most famous superheroes ever created, but it’s easy to forget that his abilities haven’t always been consistent. Because so many different writers have worked on the character over the years, the powers Spider-Man has possessed have varied quite a bit.

Over the years, different versions of Spider-Man have been explored. Sometimes, Peter Parker has natural webbing like in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies, and other times he can communicate with spiders. In a story arc from 2005-2006, Peter transformed into a cocoon and gained new abilities, though those powers were later taken away. There’s speculation that the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day might incorporate elements of these stories, potentially including Peter using the web-cocoon form.

Killgrave

The Purple Man Would Be Too Strong With This Power

David Tennant played Zebediah Killgrave in the ‘Jessica Jones’ series, effectively showing how terrifying it is to have your mind controlled. The show often left out some of Killgrave’s more powerful abilities from the comics, likely because a character with that level of control could be a major threat, even to the Avengers.

The comic book version of Killgrave is significantly tougher than the one depicted in the show, and notably, the actor who played him is famous for his role as a time-traveling character who can heal. While we don’t see this healing ability in the show, fans hope the Killgrave in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might possess it, meaning he could potentially return in the future.

2026-02-16 15:38