Superpowers are a commonly used concept in Comics, manga and anime, particularly in the shonen genre.

They come from sources such as magic, technology, or the character's own physiological nature (being an alien, a supernatural being, or a mutant). In fiction and fantasy, superpowers are often given scientific, technological, pseudoscientific, or supernatural explanations. Similarly, characters with superhuman abilities derived from artificial, external sources, like Green Lantern's power ring and Tony Stark's Iron Man armor may be described as superpowers, but the wearer is not necessarily superhuman. Generally speaking, superheroes like Batman and Iron Man may be classified as superheroes even though they have no actual superhuman abilities beyond their exceptional talent and advanced technology. However, it can also describe natural abilities that reach the peak of human potential, such as advanced intelligence or weapon proficiency. There is no rigid definition of a 'superpower.' In popular culture, it is often associated with unusual abilities such as flight, superhuman strength and speed, invulnerability or psionics. The concept originated in American comic books and pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s, and has gradually worked its way into other genres and media. Superpowers are typically displayed in science fiction and fantasy comic books, television programs, video games, and films as the key attribute of a superhero. Art by Alex Ross.Ī superpower is a special or extraordinary superhuman ability that is greater than what is considered normal. Comic book superhero Shazam has superhuman abilities derived from magic, which he uses to apprehend criminals (left) and fly over pedestrians (right) in Shazam: Power of Hope (November 2000).

Superpowered wiki