In Dragon Ball Z, our heroes are constantly training to surpass their power levels, continuing
a goal towards being ever more OP than they were before.
Yet in the world of comics the world of comics where every hero is presented possibly being
the powerful, we consistently see heroes being forced to hold back.
Why is this?
Well I mean we all want to feel like our hero is the strongest, the most epic, the undetectable
one but in order to be that their power levels have to read as off the charts.
And if you are dealing with a moral compass, like most of our heroes are that can create
quite the conundrum.
In fact there are many reasons why some heroes are forced to hold back and in this list we
are going to look at some of those heroes that do and the motives behind their decisions.
This list is part 4, that’s right part 4, of the a little list series we like to call
superheroes who hold back their superpowers.
Let’s get counting.
10 Beast
The blue bouncing Beast is more known for his super intellect than his super strength.
Although really super strength is his real power.
His brute strength, durability and super dexterity are the powers that he was granted by his
mutation.
So why do we know him more for his intellect?
Beast prefers to stay out of fighting, when it can be avoided, and is often recognized
as an academic and pacifist.
Part of the reason he holds back when he is fighting probably comes back to those beliefs
as well as his fear of his more animal nature.
The times that he has held back when it comes to fighting probably has to do with a few
events following his transformation into his Beast-like form.
As you’ll recall, he didn’t always look as he does, he used to look like an almost
completely normal human.
Save for his larger stature and big hands and feet.
Soon after he was transformed he was drugged and hunted by Kraven, causing him to resort
to a feral like state.
He almost killed Kraven near the end of that story.
And later in the comics was manipulated into believing he’d killed Iron Man.
Both events were like living a nightmare for mostly peaceful Hank.
9 Deku
When Deku from My Hero Academia receives his All For One quirk from All Might, he is forced
to hold back his powers as using them at full strength would destroy his him.
The power of All For One basically allows him to store up energy and then release it
in one superhuman and often explosive blast.
He must train and use the power carefully or risk damaging his entire body.
Therefore he carefully channels the power and controls the percentage of output to avoid
injury to himself.
And even with reducing it as much as he does, his use of his powers still causes his hand
and fingers which he channels the power into to become disfigured.
8 Cyclops
The proof is in the pudding with Cyclops’ powers who is forced to hold back his powers
simply because he cannot really fully control them.
His lazer eyes--sorry, friends.
Just kidding, his optic blasts need to be kept in check or he would just be blowing
stuff up, left right and center.
Scott actually has two seperate ruby quartz visors, one that helps him to control his
optic blasts and one that he wears when sleeping that completely contains these blasts.
If you don’t believe that his power needs to be held back, just look at the evidence.
Anytime he loses his visor in the comics or any other media with Scott involving the loss
of his visor, usually results him in having to close his eyes to protect people.
Unless Emma Frost is around to help him have control over this ability of course.
7 Sunspot
Being able to convert solar energy into strength may not seem like it is something that is
insanely powerful but there was a time in the comics that Sunspot almost killed himself
while doing this.
After losing control of his powers as the result of an injury, Roberto was forced to
use a regulator headband to help him gain control of his abilities.
He was often depicted wearing the headband in comics to help him limit the risk of losing
control.
And when he chose to ditch his regulator band in an attempt to access the full potential
of his powers, he was warned that this would likely kill him.
Fortunately he managed to survive but the risk was still very much there.
At his full strength, Sunspot was even referred to as the strongest Avenger.
Granted this was Roberto himself talking, who is known for being kind of full of himself.
6 Wonder Woman
An insanely powerful superhero, Wonder Woman’s abilities appear almost limitless.
She has super breath, is insanely strong, is somewhat telepathic, can fly and even sometimes
can breathe underwater.
Does anyone remember when the comics told us she had gills?
Granted these abilities are surprisingly not her own really as they are gifts from the
Gods but still one cannot deny that Wonder Woman is pretty much unstoppable.
So what is she holding back?
Apparently the FULL strength of her powers as demigoddess.
Yup, the Wonder Woman we see in the comics isn’t even all she could be.
It has constantly been established that her Bracelets of Submission are used to keep her
powers in check and prevent her from becoming too OP.
5 Jean Grey
Another strong woman who has been classified as one of the strongest telepaths in the world,
an Omega level mutant, who also telekinetic abilities.
You might be thinking that I'm going to go down one of my favourite paths here with Jean
and talk about Phoenix and Dark Phoenix and self-control in regards to those entities
that Jean becomes.
But you’d be wrong.
In fact, Jean had to have the full potential locked away from her from a young age.
When she first came to Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, Professor Xavier
actually put up psychic shields in her mind, recognizing she was not yet prepared to handle
the full potential of her power as it could put her and others at risk.
4 Quicksilver
What happens when you go even faster than the fastest man on earth?
That is something Quicksilver should never venture to answer and after the events of
No Surrender, I’m sure he learned just that.
Quicksilver is an arrogant hero, who sometimes plays villain who normally indulges very much
in his powers.
The rate at which he can travel allows him to dash across oceans, walking on water; dodge
bullets and even time travel.
However during the Avengers No Surrender event, he travelled too fast even for himself and
seemed to find out why restraining one’s powers can be a good thing.
In his own series following the comic book event called Quicksilver No Surrender he seems
to get stuck somewhere between time and space, in some kind of limbo.
The series itself is beautiful and you should read it by the way as it also involves a lot
of self reflection on Quicksilver’s part but besides that it also serves to show us
why Quicksilver holding back from travelling beyond the fastest he can is a good idea.
3 Rogue
You asked for more Rogue from me and you got her.
Coming in at our number 3 spot, Rogue is a hero who has always wanted to hold back.
In fact, she is often portrayed as not even wanting to have her powers at all, even sometimes
attempting to seek out a cure.
The traumatizing experience of her first kiss with Cody Robbins resulting in him ending
up in a coma, has always caused her to wish she was different.
She does her best to control, limit and hold back her powers.
Being careful not to make physical contact with loved ones and even when fighting to
limit the physical contact she does make.
2 Adam Warlock
A cosmic superhero, Adam Warlock has been presented as one of the few people in the
Marvel Universe strong enough to wield the Infinity Gauntlet.
While he was persuaded to dismantle it after being convinced that it was too much power
for any one person to control, the fact remains that his time on earth and in space has allowed
him to go on adventures which have ended up with being granted an off-the-charts level
of power in the comics.
Still he does not often use all of his power.
Why?
After using all his power to combine two timelines to close a Fault created by one the Inhumans’
T-Bomb explosions, he accidentally brings back a reality where became Magus.
As a result there is a darkness that dwells within Warlock and whenever he uses too much
of his power, he risks releasing it.
So in an attempt to keep Magus at bay, he is often forced to hold back or risk turning
evil.
1 Dr Manhattan
A hero who has referred to as a God in DC, Doctor Manhattan’s powers grant him omnipotence.
Because he carries so much power and also a knowledge of all things, past, present and
possible futures, he often does not take action.
In fact in the events of the Doomsday Clock he even refers to himself as a man of inaction.
He quarantined himself to Mars and typically does not use his powers to their full power.
If you don’t believe me just look at the New 52, which exists because of Doctor Manhattan’s
interference in the Flashpoint event.
If Doctor Manhattan did not hold back his superpowers as often as he does, we’d probably
be seeing DC reboots a lot more often than we do.
Thanks for watching, fellow nerds.
I hope you enjoyed reflecting with my on some of these heroes and why they hold their superpowers
back every now and again.
After as a fellow superhero who also often holds back might remind us with great power
comes great responsibility.
If there was anyone we have still missed, even after this part 4, spark a debate and
be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Maybe you’ll see them in part 5.
And as always remember to share, sub and ring that bell.
This has been Top 10 Nerd and my name is Amanda McKnight, reminding you as always to stay
nerdy, YouTube.