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Most Underrated Marvel Superpowers

The most underrated Marvel superpowers are nothing to ignore.

By Bjorn BjornsonPublished 7 years ago 7 min read
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Throughout the history of mankind, there has been one question that has either divided or united those that give an answer. It is a question asked by children and adults like. What superpower is the best? Many respond with the obvious choices, the comic greats that have permeated pop culture since the golden age. Flight, strength, mind-reading, laser beams for eyes, x-ray vision, time manipulation. Undoubtedly there is a good reason for these to hold their place as the most sought after of abilities. They are possessed by the most famous of superheroes. But what of the unsung heroes? Do they not possess great power as well? I'm not talking about those weird forgotten superheroes. I'm talking about the guys that just need more time to shine. The most underrated Marvel superpowers are nothing to ignore, as you will see.

Duplication - Multiple Man

Maybe I am in the minority of people that think hanging out with 20 near identical versions of me would be a blast. Maybe then I would finally have a balanced adversary to challenge me at chess or Mortal Kombat. Kinetic duplication—the kind Multiple Man from the X-Men has—is not as simple as just making a clone of yourself from yourself. Each duplicate thinks and feels independently yet are still led by the original. Duplicates can create their own duplicates as well. A duplicate will often primarily embody a single trait from the original, and the longer the two remain separate the more extreme that trait will show. When being combined once again, the original gains selective memories made and skills improved from the duplicate.

While it is unknown what would happen to the duplicates if the original were to die, it is believed that one of the duplicates will assume the mantle of original and the others will follow him. Multiple Man has been able to have as many as 40 duplicates at a single time before being unable to produce more. The possibilities are endless for this ability. Don't want to go to class or work? Send a duplicate. Need to get take out? Send a duplicate. Maybe use the powers for more than your own benefit, if you want.

Probability Manipulation (Luck) - Longshot

Many people can claim to be lucky, but none can boast being genetically engineered to manipulate probability fields to turn events in his or her favor. Such is the power of Longshot, one of the lesser-known superheroes of the X-Men universe and someone with one of the most underrated Marvel superpowers. Longshot is from the Mojoverse, another dimension where his home land is ruled by the Spineless ones, who rely on the labor of their artificially created slaves. Longshot was one such slave who was given free will and his abilities by his creator, who believed his creation should be free. The power to manipulate luck isn't as clear-cut as it sounds. Everything doesn't just magically work in your favor. Which is a good thing. If it did, you would be far too easily corrupted.

Using the powers with malicious intent or without confidence will result in failure or even bad luck. While I do believe a large portion of life's challenges can be triumphed over by approaching them without malicious intent and with confidence, I would be remiss if I didn't say that I would rather have a supernatural power constantly tilting the odds in my favor. I think that's something everyone can agree on. Domino, another luck manipulator, will be appearing in Deadpool 2, and I couldn't be more excited.

Elasticity - Mister Fantastic

Setting aside how goofy the originalFantastic Fourmovie made it look, elasticity is one of the most versatile powers one could imagine. Reed Richard’s, or Mister Fantastic, elasticity gave him abnormally dense flesh, meaning he could absorb or direct the impacts of bullets and explosions. His elasticity also allowed him to stretch his limbs out upwards of 1500 feet. This stretchiness also allows for mild shape shifting. The everyday applications of this ability are numerous. Too short to reach the top shelf in the kitchen? Now you can reach the top shelf from the basement. I won't even get into the benefits of elasticity in the bedroom. Elasticity is the ultimate lazy man’s ability.

Immortality - Man-Thing

Easily one of the strangest characters in the Marvel universe, Man-Thing is more than just a man. After injecting a recreation of the super soldier serum Captain America was given and crashing into a magical swamp, Ted Sallis was turned into a monstrosity. With that said, it would be wrong to label Man-Thing as evil. It can live forever as it can regenerate through drawing material from swamps. His form is not solid and thus is often unharmed by incoming projectiles and weaponry. His form also changed his brain from a physical object to a series of nodes that travel throughout his head and torso.

While he cannot speak or create thought, he can sense emotion. He is drawn to it. The greater the emotion, the greater he is drawn to it. If the emotion is violent, he will become violent and attack. Man-Thing has some of the most underrated Marvel superpowers. Hopefully, we will see more of it in the years to come because this certainly isn't doing it enough justice.

Organic Steel Form - Colossus

If it weren't for Wolverine’s adamantium body and regeneration, Organic Steel would have been one of the coolest powers possessed by an X-Man. Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus, had the ability to instantaneously turn his flesh to steel. This steel could withstand the impact of bullets, missiles, speeding vehicles, as well as extreme temperatures. Even cooler, stamina and speed are not affected by any of this. The only drawback I can really see to this ability is that the armor is entirely employed, or not at all. I can't focus it to my feet alone to prevent ever stubbing my toe again. There is a real sense of security that comes with being made of extremely strong metal. The best part is, I don't really have to sacrifice anything to have these abilities. I can look normal most of the time and only use this when I have to lift heavy objects or withstand the striking force of my girlfriend's slaps.

Amphibious Physiological Adaptation - Namor

Aquatic powers are almost always associated with Aquaman. Little do most know, one of Marvels oldest super heroes, one that predates Aquaman, is also a super powered Atlantian. With that said, it is not a competition. Namor, the mutant son of a sea captain and the princess of Atlantis, possesses the power of amphibious physiological adaptation. Namor’s superpowers allow him to live indefinitely underwater, see with precision through the murky depths, move with great speeds, and, of course, communicate telepathically with marine life. The vast expanses of ocean beckon. To master it and explore it all would require the powers of Namor. Worst case scenario, you go on to win some Olympic competitions, easily making it onto the list of most underrated Marvel superpowers.

Tree Physiology - Groot

Being a member of an alien race of humanoid trees comes with quite a few perks. Any fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy will be familiar with many of the perks that come with his physiology, namely wood regeneration, wood plasticity, and durability. Groot has been decimated as many as three times only to grow back from a tiny twig. Past that, the physiology gives Groot the ability to communicate and control other plants. Not to say that these abilities are basically the cooler version of Poison Ivy’s plant control, but if I had to choose to either be green and covered in moss or made of manipulatable wood, it's really an easy choice.

Darkforce Manipulation - Cloak

The Darkforce dimension is definitely the choice for those that want to fight with terror and is most notably used by the superhero Cloak. When he embraces his link to this dimension his physical appearance changes and he gains powers. The Darkforce realm becomes controllable and offers him the ability to generate auras of darkness linked to the dark realm around him. This aura can overcome anyone caught within it with terror and teleport them to the Darkforce dimension where their life force is fed on by the wielder. The dimension can also be used as a wormhole to travel across large expanses in the earth dimension with only a few steps in the Darkforce. The Darkforce also gives the power of intangibility, so you can move unfazed by matter. This power is not for the faint of heart, and comes with hefty sacrifices, making it one of the most devastating powers to rarely ever be spoken of.

Quack Fu Mastery - Howard the Duck

I know how this makes me sound, but Quack Fu mastery may be the most powerful of all martial art techniques. Known to Howard the Duck, a sentient duck who landed on earth when an inter-dimensional cosmic shift caused by Thog the Nether-Spawn ejected him from Duckworld, Quack Fu is a mystical martial art. It was used to take down Count Macho and his entire gang. The techniques are only known to Howard, who mastered the art in less than four hours, and Master C’haaj, the Quack Fu master. My days are quite busy, so any martial art form that can be learned and mastered in no time at all and used to combat entire gangs must be supernatural. This makes it one of the most underrated Marvel superpowers.

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About the Creator

Bjorn Bjornson

impossible

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