Some of the most interesting superhero powers are what I call “variable powers”
or “x powers”. These are powers that are not easily defined by their effect,
but instead rely on a particular situation to determine what is actually
happening. So instead of “shoots lasers from their eyes” which has a certain
amount of damage-dealing potential, you get heroes with “is as strong as he
needs to be” (Incredible Hulk), “once he’s gained momentum, he cannot be
forcibly stopped by any means” (Juggernaut), or “is as strong and invulnerable
as he believes himself to be” (Gladiator). Hulk has lifted Thor’s hammer which
is supposed to be impossible to lift if the wielder is not pure of heart.
Juggernaut has smashed himself through cement building, and even Cyclops’
unfiltered eye lasers.
These characters are extra interesting in the comic
books because it often requires that they are defeated through some pretty
creative means. Instead of just attacking them over and over, situations need
to be crafted to nullify the effectiveness of their abilities. In the above
examples, Juggernaut is rendered significantly less threatening if he can be
prevented from building any sort of running momentum, or if you can stick him
in a desert, where running really hard is not actually going to hurt anything.
Gladiator is stripped of his power if his foe can find a way to make him doubt
his own ability, and convince him that he’s not actually as strong as he
thinks. Hulk is kind of a different situation, since he is actually a major
superhero.
Typically the only way Hulk has been stopped has been by letting him cool down
on his own, or removing him from an aggressive situation. Hulk is one of the
few characters whose only weakness seems to be his stupidity; he cannot really
be harmed, contained, or prevented from destroying whatever he wants. In a
future Superhero Factoid, I’ll be talking about some of the most impressive
things Hulk has ever smashed/lifted/thrown.
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