The Top 10 Superheroes Who Lost Their Powers

One of the greatest things about superheroes is that they can often do things that most can only imagine. Some can fly, while others can run really fast. Some can shoot lasers from their eyes, while others are incredibly strong. And some, well, you get the point. Superpowers are as important to superheroes as the costumes they wear. They define the heroes and give them an upper edge against those who oppose them.

But what happens when they don’t have them anymore? I mean, what happens when unforeseen circumstances cause them to lose their powers? More importantly, of all the superheroes who lost their powers, who are the most important? All good questions and over time I will answer each of them. For now, however, I’ll answer who exactly the most important superheroes who lost their powers are.

10. Quicksilver

The most ironic thing about Quicksilver losing his powers is that he practically caused them to be lost. At the conclusion of the House of M storyline (which he caused), Scarlet Witch uttered the three now-famous words “No More Mutants”. Because she has the power to alter reality, No More Mutants is exactly what happened…to an extent. The mutant population plummeted from well over a million to just 198. And in the casualties stood Quicksilver. 

That’s right. Quicksilver’s powers were taken by Scarlet Witch after he had her create a reality that saw mutants reign supreme. Talk about your ultimate backfire.

9. Guy Gardner

Love him or hate him, Guy Gardner is an influential character in the Green Lantern Corps. In truth, had Hal Jordan not been closer when Abin Sur died, Guy Gardner would’ve been given the ring and become the more well-known Lantern. 

Guy and Hal are very different from one another. They’re so different that they have clashed on more than one occasion. On one such occasion, Guy challenged Hal for the title of Earth’s only Lantern. Hal accepted and easily defeated Guy. After suffering defeat, Guy lost his Power Ring and without it, became one of our superheroes who lost their powers.

8. Ms. Marvel

Different from most mutants, Rogue’s mutation allows her to temporarily absorb the powers and memories of any whom she touches. Under the instruction of her adopted mother Mystique, Rogue engages in a fierce battle with the extremely powerful Ms. Marvel. In an effort to even the odds, Rogue touches Ms. Marvel and gains her various abilities.  But that’s not all.

Rather than simply touching and temporarily absorbing her powers, Rogue holds on to Ms. Marvel. As a consequence, all of Ms. Marvel’s powers and memories and transferred to Rogue. After the event, the Ms. Marvel character would never be the same.

7. Hal Jordan

Even the mighty Hal Jordan isn’t immune to being stripped of his power. During the Final Crisis story arc, a confused Hal Jordan wakes up to a group of Alpha Lanterns hovering over him. They tell him that he has been charged with a crime he didn’t commit and as a consequence, his powers were temporarily taken away.

Of course, he would be cleared of any wrongdoing but that isn’t the point. For a time, arguably the most important Green Lantern not named Sinestro was rendered just as he was before the Power Ring found him…powerless.

6. Storm

Although Storm is arguably the greatest of all the X-Men, for a time she was anything but powerful. During a very bizarre run of X-Men comics, National Security Council member Henry Gyrich took it upon himself to ask Forge to create a weapon that would render superpowers non-existent. Gyrich planned to use the weapon on Rogue after she had broken into a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. 

Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. Rather than using it on Rogue, Forge inadvertently used it on Storm. As a consequence and for a number of issues, Storm went from feared and worshipped Weather Goddess to average nobody.

5. Thor

With thanks to the MCU, the Thor story is fairly well-known. As outlined in Journey Into Mystery #83, Thor was an arrogant brawler incapable of putting his ego aside when the time called for it. As punishment for this, Thor’s father, Odin, sent him to Earth to teach him humility and kindness. 

If you’re thinking that sending him to Earth as Thor wouldn’t teach him anything, you’re right. Instead of sending him as a God, Odin stripped his son of his power and sent him as the amnesiac, Donald Blake. It wasn’t until he found a mysterious cane, learned what it meant to be humble and kind, and bashed the cane into the ground that things changed. With all three in place, he regained his lost power and returned to his Thor form. 

4. Batgirl 

I know what you’re thinking. As far as powers go, Batgirl really doesn’t have any in the traditional sense. This, however, doesn’t mean that she shouldn’t be here. Let me explain. During one of the most revered, yet hated, Batman stories in history, The Killing Joke, The Joker mercilessly shoots Barbara Gordon in the pelvis. Due to the placement of the bullet, Barbara is made a paraplegic and no longer able to fight crime as Batgirl. 

Luckily, where some writers saw a roadblock, Kim Yale and John Ostrander saw an opportunity. Rather than having Barbara wallow in her own pity, the two turned her into the character, Oracle. As Oracle, Barbara becomes the eyes of every superhero in DC all the while giving hope that anybody, no matter their disability, can be a superhero.

3. Wonder Woman 

A depowered Wonder Woman is exactly what happens when good intentions meet terrible ideas. The 1970s saw a much-needed push toward feminism and woman’s rights. In an effort to capitalize on the feminist movement, writers Mike Sekowsky and Denny O’Neil changed Wonder Woman. And how?

Simple. They removed her power and had her run around as Diana Prince…special agent supreme. What should’ve been an ok story turned out to be a mitigated disaster. The story and idea was so poorly received that DC scrambled as quickly as they could to revert Diana back into Wonder Woman.

2. Superman

In Alan Moore’s (in)famous story “Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?”, Superman is forced to fight the near entirety of his rogues gallery. After pummelling his way through each of them he learns that the entire thing was the doing of Mr. Mxyzptlk. Frustrated, Superman kills him. 

Feeling the guilt that murder brings, Superman enters his Fortress of Solitude. More specifically, he enters the room that harbors various colors of Kryptonite, Gold Kryptonite included. If you don’t know, if exposed to Gold Kryptonite, Superman is rendered powerless. With his Gold Kryptonite, Superman removes his own powers and begins his life as a normal person.

1. Captain America

Let’s face it, without the Super Soldier Serum, Steve Rogers is nothing more than an elderly man on the verge of death. And the writers agree with me. In fact, this thought has been explored countless times throughout his history. Of all the stories that have explored it, however, none have affected Steve quite like when Ran Shen drained the entirety of the serum from his body.

And here’s why. Not only does Ran Shen drain the serum, but because the serum is also responsible for keeping Steve young, he’s aged to over 90. With Steve now powerless, Sam Wilson is forced to take up the mantle of Captain America.