So you want to create a Super Hero/Villain do you but you don't know to go about it? Well, hopefully, I can help you with that.
It can be difficult trying to come up with a new Super Power for a Super hero or Villain because there are so many out there already. You can always have a Super Hero with Super Strength, nothing wrong with that, but it is a bit overdone.
These next few steps should help you think of a relatively new/unique Super Power, or at least a new take on an already existing one. Let's face it, we are all inspired by by the things we see and if you like certain comic book characters it is only natural you would like to use their Super Power for your own things. Sadly though we can't all create a character with pop-out claws, no... that's Wolverine's thing, we can't all shoot webbing from our wrists... that's Spidey's thing. We can't even create a bat related character because Batman's gone ahead and taken that one.
So what does that leave us? Goat-man? Terrapin Boy? Space Snail?
Not all is lost and with a bit of imagination you can get some pretty cool powers.
The things you need to consider when thinking of a Super Power are:
- Do they really have a power/ability or are they like normal humans (like Batman)?
- What type of power is it? Is it elemental (earth, wind, fire, water), physical (super strength, speed, agility),super natural (teleportation, long-life, fast healing), magical (curses, hexes,charms,spells,incantations)?
- How do they use their power? Is it controlled mentally? Does it manifest automatically? Does it work by touching someone? Looking at someone? Is it shot from the hands, eyes, chest or other other body part? Or is it summoned through a strange artefact?
- Does it have a colour? Some powers defy normal colour codes i.e. blue or purple flames.
- Does anything happen to them when their power is used? Human torch sets on fire, Storm's eyes turn white, Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk and so on.
Those are the main points to consider when thinking of powers. Now let's look at some of them more in-depth.
Look at the first point, 'is it really a power?' not all Super Heroes have abilities beyond the capabilities of an ordinary human like the example above, Batman. Other heroes without powers are the Punisher, Daredevil (technically, because he only has the power to see using echo location like bats and some people who have trained to hear how sounds echoes off of walls), Elektra (just a trained assassin) and Iron man (man in a robot suit).
Point two 'type of super power', as mentioned some powers are the control of elements, such as fire, others are more physical, like super strength. What I mean by the type of power is simply 'Is it the control of something or is it a physical attribute?'. You could quite easily have a character who combines two of these things and has flaming punches but that's it. They cannot control flames nor are they super strong.
The next point relates to the previous one. Heroes/Villains need some way to use their power for most it is an inborn ability and so they can use it whenever they want to again using super strength as an example. For some they have no control over their power (Cyclops for example who cannot control his optic beam or Darwin whose body adapts quickly to ensure survival in different situations) others require certain conditions to be able to use their power. Nightcrawler must be able to see where he is going to be able to use his power and Rogue must touch a person's skin to use her mutant power.
Colour you might think is a strange one but if your character has already gone beyond human abilities why not go further. Flames do not always have to red/orange they could be blue, purple, green or black. A good colour choice sets the power apart from reality and makes it more comic book like.
The last point is a small detail that can add to character. If something happens to them every time they use their power it makes them a bit more interesting. Storm's eyes always turn white which adds to her Super Hero look when in costume and fighting people. Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk, this is a radical transformation and Bruce doesn't have any control over the Hulk's actions. Human Torch sets on fire which really makes him stand out. It would be hard to miss a giant blaze of fire soaring past in the sky.
As you can see there are several factors to consider when thinking of a power. It is important to remember that you can use the same ideas as other people regrading powers like Super Strengh but you need to put your own twist on it to make it stand out from the others.
You can see some of my own ideas here at Chris' Comic Book Creations. Some are quite interesting and I believe unique ideas others may not be as unique but my own twists and stories behind them make them different.
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