When I Ruled the World

I have read far more comics than I am willing to admit. Therefore, the idea of gaining some sort of superpower has always been on my mind. I have carefully weighed my options and have even thought of my favorite comic book characters and how they have used their powers.

Would I be like Storm from the X-Men and wield power over the elements? She was a force to be reckoned with, summoning gales of wind and lightening from the sky to smite her enemies like Zeus. However, she was also very limited when it came to using her powers as they could be quite dangerous when used in close quarters.

I then thought about super speed and immediately my mind went to The Flash. Called the fastest man alive, he could even give Superman a run for his money. The Flash was able to zip through at such high speeds he could theoretically jump dimensions and basically break all of the laws of physics. However, like Storm, he also had his shortcomings. If his feet were not firmly planted on the ground, his power was rendered somewhat useless and his legs would flap about rather pathetically.

Every single superpower I thought of always had a weakness, something for an enemy to exploit. And then it hit me. Why have one superpower when I could have them all? The answer was simple. I had completely looked over my absolute favorite comic book character and her ability: power absorption.

Power absorption would be the ultimate power because I would be able to basically leech off any other power and use it to my liking. The character Rogue, also a member of the X-Men, had this ability but hers came at a hefty price. She had absolutely no control over this power and any skin-to-skin contact would involve her immediately absorbing not only her fellow mutants’ superpowers, but their psyche as well. As you can imagine, this slowly drove her insane. Therefore, I would like the ability of controlled power absorption without the nasty side effect of knowing my victims’ mind and thoughts.

Think about it. With this ability I would be able to leap buildings in a single bound like Superman or control fire like Pyro and take on the forms of animals like Beast Boy. It would be the ultimate power and I would be unstoppable.

This power could be used for the ultimate good and I could heal people on the brink of death or even stop polar icecaps from melting. I would be like some omnipotent being with the power to save or destroy.

Realistically, I know that I would pose a huge threat to many and this would paint a target on my back. I also know that with this type of power I would probably abuse it. I know myself and I am not a good little Samaritan like Peter Parker. I would most likely try to take over the world and make everyone worship me like the Goddess I am. Luckily, this entire scenario is hypothetical so there is no need for anyone to worry about my world domination and enslavement of mankind.

Evalyn

Vocabulary

smite (v) ? to strike down and/or kill
shortcoming (n) ? a weakness found in someone or something
exploit (v) ? to use someone or something for personal gain
leech (v) ? to absorb or drain
omnipotent (adj.) ? to have unlimited power
Samaritan (n) ? someone who is compassionate and helps others in distress