10 Superpowers you wish you had.

Admit it. At some point in your life you've run around the house in a cape, or at least thought about doing it. Don't worry. No judgment here. I know I have.
It's fun to imagine how different life would be if we developed superpowers of our own.
These are in no particular order.

10. Invisibility

With the power of invisibility you could vanish in the blink of an eye. You could sneak out of the house whenever you felt like it, sneak into movies, play pranks on your friends without them ever knowing it was you, and spy on them to find out exactly what they think of you. Of course, if you're the type to spy, you should probably brace for the worst.

9. Superhuman Strength

Impossible tasks would become simple. Stuck in traffic? Just get out of the car and carry it home. Bending pipes, throwing cars, and smashing through brick walls would be a great way to relieve stress. The movie "127 Hours" also wouldn't have been that interesting if the guy had superhuman strength.
"Oh my arms stuck under a boulder. I'll just move this out of the way."

8. Regenerative Healing

Whenever you would become injured your body would just heal itself within minutes. No broken bones. You would never get sick. Shotgun blows to the chest would become a thing of the past. You could even use your favorite bacon recipe at every meal.

7. Superhuman Speed

You'd be able to run from Cairo to Cape Town in less time than it took Kim Kardashian to divorce Kris Humphries. You could run circles around supervillains; making them too tired or frustrated to even bother with you. On the downside, there could be a slight increase in RUIs (Running Under the Influence).

6. Wall Crawling

Who didn't want to climb walls like Spiderman when they were small? No-one. Or no-one that I know. The proof? Climbing between doorposts and walls. With the ability to wall crawl you'd be able to cling to solid surfaces such as walls and ceilings.
 
5. X-Ray Vision

Not just being able to see peoples bones, but being able to see through different surfaces. As long as you'd be able to switch it on and off. There's nothing worse than seeing certain people you see on a regular basis, without their clothes on. You don't want to scratch your retinas out.

4. Flight

There's no need to introduce this superpower. It's the power every little kid dreams of having from the moment they first watch Wendy and her siblings take off into the night sky with Peter Pan. Imagine a world without traffic jams. Where you could travel anywhere on a whim, and see the world from a birds eye view. It's a bird. It's a plane. No; it's me, flying to the shop for bread and milk.

3. Mind Control

With the power of mind control, you could persuade your boss to give you a raise, demand an A from your professor (cough, Wendy, cough), and brainwash your parents into letting you quit school and go backpacking through Europe. You could pretty much do anything you wanted.

2. Time Manipulation

Ever wanted to turn back the clock? With the power of time manipulation, you could. The good times wouldn't race by like they'd never happened, and the bad times wouldn't crawl along at a snails pace.

1. Immortality

The only reason this is here, is so this list can cover all bases.
Immortality is a tricky superpower to have. Yes, you would live forever. But can you imagine being ten thousand years old? You would be bed ridden for the most of your life. So you'd probably need the power of youth as well. But then your knowledge and wisdom would be immense.

THOKK! Right in the Superheroes.

I hate superheroes. I never used too. I thought they were great. Superhumans fighting crime, and saving the world. But after 9 posts (I know it doesn't sound like much, but that's 9 weeks, and about 500 words per post. That's 4500 words about superheroes) I'm just so sick of it.

There's only so many synonyms for the word supervillian. And I'm sure I've used most of them, if not all. And the villian is always some guy that was either good and turned evil because of some girl that wouldn't fall in love with him, or he was thrown into a vat of acid - or something to that affect.

All superheroes have similar attributes. They're all experts in their professional fields, and have mastered some sort of martial arts. And their powers always include super strength, and a willing urge to save the world from any danger.

People seem to have this mind set, that if they can make the world a better place, they should. Fair enough, if they didn't it would seem a bit selfish, but does this justify putting ones self in harms way. Why not try recycling? Or something that doesn't try to kill you.

The other problem is that the Marvel and DC universes are so vast and so complicated, that if your target audience doesn't have an already working knowledge of superheroes and the worlds they live in, it becomes extremely difficult to try and explain every aspect of it without boring them into an early grave. There's also only a set amount of superheroes that the normal person knows about. After you've exhausted them, you then have to try and explain heroes that they've never seen or even heard about.
By the end of it all they hate your blog. You hate your blog. And the world is probably a better place without it.

I now have a huge respect for Stan Lee, and other comic book writers. They really have to be dedicated to continue to do what they do, like any profession, and still enjoy it.

A tip to anyone thinking about starting a blog - don't do a specific topic you like. Because by the end you're going to hate it, and are going to want to stab that topic over and over again. It's like over-listening to a song you like. It gets burned into your brain.
Then you start hating that part of your brain, and you try to figure out ways to kill it.

Green Lantern.

"In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light!" - Hal Jordan

Green Lantern is no one superhero. The Green Lantern Corps are the intergalactic peacekeepers of the universe. Hal Jordan has only been the second human to become a Green Lantern. Their power comes from a ring powered by the energy of will.  Billions of years ago a race of immortals harnessed this emerald energy of willpower. These immortals, the Guardians of the Universe, built a world from where they could watch over all of existence: The planet Oa. They divided the universe into 3600 sectors. And a ring was sent to every sector to select a recruit. In order to be chosen by the ring, it's said that one must be without fear. Together, these 3600 recruits formed the intergalactic peacekeepers known as the Green Lantern Corps.

Oa has been the Green Lanterns home for countless millennium. It was created for them by the Guardians. The Guardians are immortals, among the most ancient of races. They are responsible for what the Green Lanterns are and all that they do. Since the beginning of time, the Green Lantern Corps has served as the

keepers of peace, order and justice throughout the universe. To be chosen to join its ranks is the highest of honours and the greatest of responsibilities.


Supervillians.

Of all the threats the Corps ever faced, the gravest was an entity of fear known as Parallax. Only the legendary Green Lantern Abin Sur was capable of capturing and imprisoning this beast, which he did on the lost planet of Ryut.

Will has always been the sole weapon of the Guardians, and the Green Lantern Corps, against the forces of darkness in the universe. But as that power began to seem insufficient a great debate arose among the Guardians. Should they exploit another source of power, one they had long since sworn never to be used? Fear. (Pause for dramatic effect.) But the power of fear was too unpredictable. The chance of corruption too great. And so they decided against it. All of them, that is, except one. Alone, this Guardian entered the forbidden chamber. He wanted to prove the light of fear could be mastered. His intentions were pure but his hopes were naive. Consumed by the yellow power of fear the Guardian became the very evil he had wished to destroy. He became Parallax. For the universe's safety and his own Abin Sur was charged with imprisoning Parallax in the Lost Sector. But he escaped. Feeding on the fear of others, he grew larger and more powerful. Parallax began to feed on entire planets and their fear, and he would eventually make his way to Earth.

It's said the Hal Jordan managed to destroy Parallax by throwing him into a sun.


Flaws and Attributes.

Hal is an expert pilot and has mastered the Green Lantern ring and it's powers. He is able to create anything he can think of out of pure energy, using his ring, as long as he has a strong enough will to do so. The strength of what he creates also depends on the strength of his will.

As for his flaws, the ring can run out of energy. If that happens, he's able to power it by touching it to his lantern. See where he gets his name from? The lantern is powered by the will of every living thing in the universe. If he were to lose contact with his ring, or if it were to run out of power he would be helpless. Luckily, if this were to happen he does have the other 3599 Green Lanterns to help him if need be. But they are in different solar systems to him.


Fun Facts.

- Hal's design was originally going to be a standard looking, straight-laced, handsome white guy with brown hair.

- They stuck with that design.

- Jack Black nearly played the role of Green Lantern, instead of Ryan Reynolds, in the new film.


Possibility of Green Lantern Existing.

The possibility of Green Lantern existing is pretty much the same as having Superman exist. If there is an infinite universe, there is a possibility that there are multiple planets with life forms on them. The only difference is that Hal Jordan is human, and Superman wasn't. 

As for the ring and harnessing pure energy just by using the power of will, that's a little less likely. But then again, if there is a life force with a much higher intellect than our own, it could be very possible.

I'll give Green Lantern a good old: "Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know! Why are superheroes so complicated?!

Captain America.

Americas one and only. The super soldier wrapped in the stars and stripes. That one man Nazi killing machine. He is, Captain America.

He is one of the highest selling superheroes of all time, and is as patriotic as a superhero can be.
His debut, at the same time as his county's entry into World War 2, made him an icon for children and young adults to look up to.

Once the creators, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, had their hero, they just needed a villain. The obvious choice? (Almost) Everyone's enemy during World War 2? Hitler of course. This idea was re-enforced by the cover of Captain America #1, which showed the new hero, dressed in red, white and blue, punching Adolf Hitler in the face.

When the war ended, Captain America seemed to lose his purpose. Within a few years he was retired, and a short lived superhero had finally become irrelevant. 
This all changed when the superhero group, The Avengers, started up. Captain America had a purpose again.

After being frozen for 50 years, the Captain was awakened by the group S.H.I.E.L.D who were in charge of getting the required members of The Avengers together. The included superheroes were, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Eagle Eye, Black Widow, and finally Captain America.

Supervillains.

The Red Skull; Captain Americas arch-enemy. Also an agent for Nazi Germany. You can't just have Hitler being the main enemy, he's not evil enough. You need a super evil, supervillian... with no skin or muscle on his face... and his skull's red... That'll make him evil enough.

The Red Skull debuted with Captain America in Captain America #1. Like many arch-enemies, he's always been there, fighting our hero.

The Red Skull, also known as Johann Schmidt, doesn't have any specific super powers but he is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, a strategic genius, political mastermind, and an expert marksman.
It is said that Joe Simon, while considering an appropriate villain for Captain America, saw a hot
fudge sundae melting and noticed how it was resembling a human figure in the process. Although Simon initially considered calling this character Hot Fudge, the cherry on top seemed to appear as an exposed skull and decided that the name, Red Skull, was slightly more appropriate for a supervillain.
This proves that inspiration can really come from anywhere, or that Simon was on drugs at the time. The fact that he was on drugs sounds like a more likely scenario.


Flaws and Attributes.

Captain America's a super soldier. That means that he's got all the usual abilities. Super strength, agility, and he's able to punch through walls. But out of his weapons, his shield is definatly comic book readers favourite.

It was originally designed to be triangular, but soon after it was made round instead. It was meant to represent both defense and a target, and when thrown like a discus, it also functions as a surprisingly effective weapon. A safeguard that draws fire and then fights back. It became the perfect emblem for Captain America.

As for his flaws, he was born in the early 1900s, and was later transformed into a super soldier to help America fight against Germany. That's all good and well, but when he's frozen for 50 - 60 years and awakened in the early 21st century he's not accustomed to the times of a modern America.
Can you imagine going to sleep in 2013 and waking up the next day in 2060. That's pretty much what he went through. But that seems to be his only flaw. His lack of knowledge about technology...and modern society.



Fun Facts.

- Captain America #1 is one of the world’s most valuable comics, with a near-mint condition copy valued at around $115,000 by comics price guide.

- Just like any self-respecting superhero, Captain America has a sidekick, James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes. He appeared alongside the Captain in the very first issue. At one point he even appeared in the Captain America costume in the Captains absence.

- Captain America's "secret" identity is Steve Rogers, a scrawny kid from New York deemed unfit for military service. After repeated attempts to join the Army just at the start of World War II, he volunteered for the "super soldier program", which transformed him into the pinnacle of human potential.





Possibility of Captain America Existing.

The super soldier serum that was developed by Weapons Plus, and used on Steve Rogers to turn him into a super soldier, enhances strength, speed, and stamina.

It is, essentially, steroids that you would give an elephant. But there's no need to continually inject yourself. The only problem is that the serum would somehow have to stay in Captain Americas body, even after he was frozen.

He would also have to be flash frozen(having the temperature around you drop at an extremely quick rate, allowing you to, hopefully, stay alive while also being frozen.)

These seem to be the only two problems in his creation.

Possibility of Captain America existing? A big fat 7 out of 10.

Superman.

Superman. Not my favourite of superheroes, but he still has to be done.

But why Duncan, why don't you like this Kryptonian superhuman?

I'm glad you asked. Well, little ones, this so called superhero has every superpower, short of shooting money from his armpits, you could possibly think of. X-Ray vision, superhuman strength, the ability to fly, and he's even bullet proof.

But that's not the only reason I don't like him. He's just so over-rated. You say to any person whose read a comic book, "I don't like Superman. I reckon he's over-rated, and is, honestly, a bit of a douche."
And they'll drag you into a 3 hour debate about how Superman's the best hero ever known. I feel odd saying that, as I've done it countless times, but with other superheroes.

Even his name! To be fair, comic book writers aren't the most imaginative(at times) when it comes to their superheroes names. But I'm sure they could've done better than Superman. I can imagine the conversation the writers would've had.


"What do you think we should call him?"
"Hmm.... Well he's a superhero..."
"Yes, we've established that."
"And he's a man..."
"OK if you're not gonna help, just say so."
"How about... SUPERMAN!"
"Really?? How could you ever have thought of that?"


Supervillains.

Superman's most iconic supervillain is Lex Luthor. He was originally depicted as a mad scientist, but later became a more industrialist business man, with vast amounts of money. This super genius has always wanted to kill Superman. He's always wanted too, but has never been able to achieve such a feat.

Lex has no specific superpowers other than his intelligence, and his money. But he did at one point create an exoskeleton type suit, that would help him battle Superman, one-on-one.

The only advantage Lex has over Superman is Kryptonite. If Lex made a suit out of Kryptonite, BAM no-more Superman.


Flaws and Attributes.

For those of you that don't know, Superman came from a planet called Krypton. Unfortunately, it was attacked by some other alien race. But luckily for Superman, his parents sent him to planet Earth before Krypton exploded.

Now Superman's only weakness is kryptonite, the substance that his home planet was made of. Now there's one problem when your hero only has one weakness. Every fight scene is always going to have the same formula.

Fight bad guy. Start beating bad guy. Bad guy shoves kryptonite in Superman's face. Superman starts to get weak. It looks like bad guy's going to beat Superman. But don't worry boys and girls, Superman is SUPER! And somehow Superman manages to beat bad guy, even when he's against the odds.

Ever wondered how Superman got his powers? Of course you haven't, no-one ever questions a Superheroes superpowers.

Well I'm here to tell you anyway.

Kryptonians don't normally have superpowers. When they're on Earth the atmosphere, apparently, has an odd effect on them so they start becoming superhuman, in a sense. So Superman's powers are all thanks to a combination of Carbon Dioxide, and Oxygen, with a little Nitrogen thrown into the mix.

So maybe, just maybe, other planets would have the same, or similar effect, on us....
I'm booking my flight to Mars right now.


Fun Facts.

- Superman has a supervillain called Ultra-man.

- When Superman first appeared in 1938, the comic said that he was incredibly strong, could withstand anything less than a bursting shell from a tank, and was able to leap 1/8th of a mile. But he wasn't able to fly.

- One of the all-time greatest good-guy superheroes actually began life as a big, bad, bald guy bent on world domination. Comic creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster first drew him as a villain in a January 1933 story called "The Reign of the Super-Man." It bombed, so they re-imagined him as a superhero; with hair.


Possibility of Superman existing.

If you subscribe to the theory that the universe is a giant dark place with billions of planets, and if life was possible on ours there is a chance that there's life on others; then there is a very big possibility that Superman could exist. Just waiting, on a planet called Krypton, for it to blow up so he can be sent here to gain superpowers and fight crime.

Maybe the Superman comics are a look into a possible future... Maybe there is in fact a time when a good guy, with greased back hair, frost breath, and an ability to melt metal with his eyes, will come to Earth and fight for the greater good...

Can you imagine how many cities he'll destroy...

Possibility of Superman existing: 8 out of 10.

Wolverine.

Wolverine is awesome, and I don't say that about many superheroes...except Batman. Wolverine and Batman are both awesome.

Wolverine has taken out helicopters with his bare hands. I suppose it is necessary to state that those hands do have 6 (3 in each), one foot long, blades that he can pop out at anytime.

He was originally born with bone claws, but his skeleton was later laced with adamantium - the strongest metal known to mankind - in the program known as Weapon X.

Weapon X was aimed at making, like any evil government program, super soldiers. Wolverine was chosen, particularly, for his ability to regenerate his health. Any injury he sustains is healed at a much quicker rate than normal. How quick he heals also depends on the severity of his injuries. A broken finger can fix itself in, about, 30 seconds. A rocket to the face could take a bit longer than that. The adamantium transfusion would have killed any normal human being.

Wolverine is also a mutant. The difference between mutants and normal superheroes is that mutants are born with their abilities. Instead of getting them from rolling around in radioactive waste or super power inducing gamma rays.


Supervillains.

Sabretooth, like Wolverine, is also a mutant. He has elongated canines, and claws that protrude from the tips of his fingers - like very sharp finger nails. Like Wolverine, he's also extremely hairy.
It is said, in the deep, dark corners of the internet, that Sabretooth is in fact Wolverines father. Whoa! Mind-blown! 

There are a few facts that make this a very likely possibility. Wolverine has never defeated Sabretooth in a knock-down, drag-out, kill-or-be-killed berserker fight. On that same note, every year on Wolverines birthday, Sabretooth has always managed to find him, no matter where he is, or what he was doing, and come within an inch of killing him. For no other reason than to remind him that he could.

Sabretooth has very similar attributes to Wolverine, such as regenerative healing, being generally over aggressive, and a reduced pain factor.
 

Flaws and Attributes.

Wolverine’s typical flaw is the fact that he can get very aggressive, even towards his friends. His regenerative healing has its limits too. If he loses too much blood, a limb, or a major organ he can die. But he is still able to take a shotgun blow to the chest, and remain standing.

His adamantium claws can also only be cut through by adamantium, as seen in his new movie. Whether that's a flaw or an attribute, I'll leave to the critics.

As for his attributes, he has been trained by the Japanese in almost every martial arts form known to man, he's a skilled weapons expert, and he doesn't age - again thanks to his healing factor.


Fun Facts.

- Wolverine first battled Sabretooth in Wolverine #10 in 1989.

- His birth name is James Howlett.

- He is one of the shortest superheroes in the Marvel Universe, standing only 5ft. 3in.


Possibility of Wolverine Existing.

For these blog posts, I always like to assume that there is some possibility that the superhero in question, does exist. But I'd just be fighting a losing battle with Wolverine. First of all, how the hell would you fuse a metal substance to someone’s skeleton? The metal would have to be in liquid form, thus be as hot as the devil himself, and then you would have to inject it into their bone structure. So, unless adamantium has the same melting point as mercury, the molten metal would turn the person into a pile of human mush. As for Wolverines regenerative healing; it could be possible if his DNA was fused with a star fish. Lamest superhero EVER.


Possibility of Wolverine existing; zero. Sorry.

Hulk.

Hulk angry. Hulk smash. Hulk like his purple pants.

I'm not saying that the Hulk is Bruce Banners angry, homosexual alter ego but it is funny to notice that the Hulk's always wearing purple pants, even when Banner hasn't been. It could be that, or it's just the fact that purple compliments big and green quite well. Or that Stan Lee (Hulks creator) stated that purple was the colour of anger and rage, and that it seemed an appropriate colour for a big, angry, green monster.

The Hulk has always been a favourite among comic book readers, and superhero-movie-watchers. The fact that he's unpredictable, and can completely destroy a city, is a fun aspect that hadn't been explored before his creation. His human half, Bruce Banner, is quite the opposite. This calm mannered, socially withdrawn, and emotionally reserved physicist transforms into the Hulk whenever he gets angry or succumbs to emotional stress.

Banner has always struggled to control the Hulk, but has, on occasion, managed to stop the Hulk and calm himself down; thus returning to Bruce Banner.

Stan Lee said that the Hulk's creation was inspired by a combination of Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.


Supervillains

General Thaddeus Ross made his first appearance in the comic book Incredible Hulk #1 in 1962, as a United States military officer. He is also Bruce Banners father in-law. If it wasn't enough to have his father in-law in the military, Ross was also head of the Gamma Bomb Project that turned Banner into the Hulk. And I thought my family was awkward.

Ross, not knowing that his son in-law was a big, green monster, created an obsession with the Hulk. Pursuing him for years. He eventually finds out that Banner and the Hulk are one and the same, and begins to hunt Banner as well. In 2008, Ross appears as the Red Hulk. He had transformed himself in order to better combat his nemesis. How he was able to do this is not entirely clear. Maybe he decided to expose himself to gamma radiation too; because that's entirely reliable to turn yourself into a big, angry creature of some sought.

Why doesn't Red Hulk have a mustache too?

Flaws and Attributes

Hulks obvious flaw is his anger, and whether or not Banner can control him or not.
Banner has also had serious mental problems even before he became the Hulk. To put it crudely, Bruce Banner is Hulks major flaw. It's easy to a kill a normal human, but try killing a creature that can lift 100 tons and destroy whole cities.

The Hulk possess monster like strength, durability, and has no need for oxygen. So, yes, he can fight in space.


Fun Facts

- The Hulks hobbies include smashing things, beating people up, and fighting the military.
- Bruce Banner's cousin became She-Hulk after receiving a blood transfusion from Bruce.
- Metal-clawed bad boy, Wolverine got his first full story in The Incredible Hulk #181 as a cocky Canadian in yellow tights.


Possibility of the Hulk Existing

The level of gamma radiation Banner was exposed to at the initial blast of the Gamma Bomb, would cause severe radiation sickness and kill him. A short lived superhero indeed. If it didn't kill him, it would create a great cancer risk for Banner. And a superhero on chemotherapy would be interesting, but he still wouldn't be able to do much.

An alternative origin, is that the Hulk could have been created through biological experimentation with adrenal glands and GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein). The adrenal glands would explain the Hulks immense strength as he gets angrier or when Banner becomes emotionally stressed out. The GFP would explain his green colouring.

The two giants going at each other.

Hulk existing? Possible. But not from the origin story that Stan Lee created.