I Got What Power?

I can think of any number of M.C.F.A.T. questions that have dealt with being a superhero or living with special abilities. The topic certainly isn't limited to those posts though, and I touch on it often. Still, when Janet posed the question, ”If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?”, for this week's ”Tell it to Me Tuesday”, I couldn't resist delving into my favorite realm of escapism.

Of course, these things always go the same way. I go through various powers from the mainstream comics I read predominantly in high school and college, consider flying but, like Rey, realize I'd have a problem with heights, and ultimately settle on super speed because it would mean getting to work on time and, more importantly, leaving work on time. I don't feel as overwhelmed and crushed as I did at my last job, but I do feel like there aren't enough hours in the day. I have my regular job, my weekend musical jobs, things to work on around the house, and thousands of movies and television shows to catch up on. I've even fallen behind in my reading. I have a blog to maintain, photos to take and someday I'll have to, you know, add a life to the mix. Getting married, buying a house, raising kids, helping them with homework, meeting with teachers, seeing them through college, babysitting my grandchildren, and all that other stuff would require more time and money, so things like movies would have to fall to the wayside since quitting a few bands or working less hours during the week would never be an option. Super-speed would be super-handy.

Since this is a topic I've already covered in depth, I'm going to take a different approach to the question. Since Janet was inspired by the Heroes season premiere, I'm going to look at some of the characters and abilities on that show, and determine how such abilities would make my life better or worse.

(•) Mohinder Suresh
While he doesn't possess any superhuman abilities, Mohinder does have the natural ability to be really smart, and yet at times be a complete moron. If I had that power...oh, wait, I already do.

(•) Matt Parkman
I never know what people are thinking. I speculate, and whether positive or negative, I always seem to be wrong. It's rare that I confirm this, when I do, sometimes years later, it catches me off guard. It would be great to read people's minds, wouldn't it? What problems could I anticipate at work by knowing what people want from me? Which girls should I pursue and which should I avoid? How can I avoid fights with my parents? Ultimately, knowledge comes with a responsibility to act, and I'd have to live with the guilt even if others had no idea I knew what was expected of me. Worse, what if all the negative opinions I read in people's eyes were confirmed? I'd rather live with the possibility that people genuinely like me than confirm that they don't. Mind reading? No thanks.

(•) D.L. Sanders
I don't know if I'd have much use for the ability to pass through solid objects. I'm not often locked in or locked out of things, and while typing such a statement guarantees leaving my car keys locked in the car within the next 24 hours, I still see more cons than pros. What if I lost the power in mid-phasing and solidified within a solid object? What if I couldn't turn it off and was unable to eat or touch another human being? What if I fell through the ground and kept falling? How do characters with this power keep from sinking or floating off into the atmosphere? I'll keep my mass just the state it's in.

(•) Niki Sanders
Oddly enough, I'm still not fully clear on her powers even after a whole season, but I've probably read too much into the show. While she struggled with a split personality, we eventually saw that she had the same super strength as her mirror counterpart. So assuming she was just crazy and the strength was her main ability, I'd say that would have come in handy, especially growing up when I needed to be able to take punches. Maybe I could have dished some out. Maybe someone would have gotten seriously hurt. Maybe super strength isn't so great...

(•) Micah Sanders
Niki and D.L.'s son is a technopath, able to talk to machines and fix anything. It's a passive ability, but it would probably come in handy. I spend a lot of time talking to computers and troubleshooting problems as they arise, and it would be great to keep my car running without troubling my dad or any of his mechanic friends.

(•) Nathan Petrelli
Unless I had super strength, invulnerability, or healing powers in addition to flying, I don't think it's an ability I would embrace alone. I sometimes pretend I'm flying when I'm trying to fall asleep at night, but while my mind soars my body is definitely meant to stay in contact with the ground at all times.

(•) The Haitian
While there are plenty of things in my past I'd like to forget, and even a few that I've forgotten or put on the back shelves, it would be really great if I could make other people forget my past. Yes, I do appreciate the irony of such a statement on a blog in which I upload every detail of my existence except for my real name and appearance. Still, “Remember the time...?” and “Aren't you that guy who...?” are two conversation-starters I don't always enjoy hearing at parties.

(•) Peter Petrelli
From a superhero standpoint, mimicking anyone else's ability just by observing them makes for a super advantage. Do I risk an overload? Could I be too powerful? And would I end up with powers in the mix that I don't want? As a Hero, Peter has the best ability. As an average guy, I'm not sure I could handle it.

(•) Sylar
Sylar's original passive ability was to see how stuff works. He employed it against other people with powers, isolating the parts of their brain responsible, removing those parts, and somehow making them a part of himself. Sylar can gain other powers like Peter can, but he needs to cut out brains to do so. I'll pass.

(•) Claire Bennet
Claire can rapidly regenerate tissue and heal any injury. For someone as accident prone as I am, this would definitely come in handy. It would be nice to face the world without my scars. Of course, even though she can heal, she still feels pain. In some ways, scars serve to remind us of pain and prevent us from making the same mistakes.

(•) Hiro Nakamura
Time manipulation may be a better asset than superspeed. I wouldn't have to go fast if I could slow everything else down. Then I could move along at my own pace. Manipulation of space as well as time could also improve my life. I could be anywhere I needed to be, at any time. Traveling to the past or the future and changing events would be a little messier, and I'd probably avoid creating too many divergent alternate realities. If I had enough time to do things right, I wouldn't have to do them over. This power would be my first choice.