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Of the three most popular superheroes, Superman was born with powers, Batman created his powers, and Spiderman had powers thrust upon him
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FreshParsnip lemmy.ca FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2025-07-02
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InfiniteGlitch lemmy.dbzer0.com ModernRisk@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2023-06-30
#2 · Quote Reply

Batman created his powers

If I remember well, Batman does not have superpowers. He’s a guy who’s rich, trains a lot, is smart and due to being rich is able to get great equipment to use.

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AbouBenAdhem lemmy.world AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-13
#3 · Quote Reply

And Iron Man built his in a cave! With a box of scraps!

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FreshParsnip lemmy.ca FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2025-07-02
#4 · Quote Reply

Batman created his powers If I remember well, Batman does not have superpowers. He’s a guy who’s rich, trains a lot, is smart and due to being rich is able to get great equipment to use.

Iron Man is a better example of a superhero who created powers for himself, but he isn't one of the three most popular

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MalReynolds slrpnk.net MalReynolds@slrpnk.net
Joined: 2023-06-25
#5 · Quote Reply

Wolverine is at least born and thrust upon. Any examples of all three?

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Magiilaro feddit.org DarkMetatron@feddit.org
Joined: 2024-06-24
#6 · Quote Reply

Batman created his powers If I remember well, Batman does not have superpowers. He’s a guy who’s rich, trains a lot, is smart and due to being rich is able to get great equipment to use.

One could argue that his genius level intellect and his master detective skills (best detective in the world) are borderline superhuman.

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Jessica lemmy.blahaj.zone SayJess@lemmy.blahaj.zone
Joined: 2023-07-05
#7 · Quote Reply

Wolverine is at least born and thrust upon. Any examples of all three?

I am a lay person when it comes to comics, so feel free to tear me apart here. Could Bruce Banner potentially be all 3? His DNA was able to absorb the gamma radiation (born with it), he then had the radiation thrust upon him, and then he did whatever he did to make himself the smart hulk?

A bit of a reach, I know.

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MalReynolds slrpnk.net MalReynolds@slrpnk.net
Joined: 2023-06-25
#8 · Quote Reply

I am a lay person when it comes to comics, so feel free to tear me apart here. Could Bruce Banner potentially be all 3? His DNA was able to absorb the gamma radiation (born with it), he then had the radiation thrust upon him, and then he did whatever he did to make himself the smart hulk? A bit of a reach, I know.

Yeah, that'd play. I was thinking maybe Dr. Strange, but Banner is better.

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nieceandtows programming.dev nieceandtows@programming.dev
Joined: 2023-06-20
#9 · Quote Reply

One could argue that his genius level intellect and his master detective skills (best detective in the world) are borderline superhuman.

Then it could be argued that he was born with his powers

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Jessica lemmy.blahaj.zone SayJess@lemmy.blahaj.zone
Joined: 2023-07-05
#10 · Quote Reply

Yeah, that'd play. I was thinking maybe Dr. Strange, but Banner is better.

Dr. Strange is a really good one too! Drawing energy from other realms and all.

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psx_crab lemmy.zip psx_crab@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2025-01-11
#11 · Quote Reply

Wolverine is at least born and thrust upon. Any examples of all three?

Naruto i guess? He's a child of a very powerful ninja(born), had a powerful creature sealed inside him at birth(thrust upon), and have to learn how to actually unlease and control that power(create).

Otherwise i can't seems to remember anyone that does have the 3.

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rockerface🇺🇦 lemmy.cafe rockerface@lemmy.cafe
Joined: 2025-06-29
#12 · Quote Reply

Then it could be argued that he was born with his powers

Same if you consider his power being money

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gon [he] lemmy.dbzer0.com gon@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2025-06-04
#13 · Quote Reply

Naruto i guess? He's a child of a very powerful ninja(born), had a powerful creature sealed inside him at birth(thrust upon), and have to learn how to actually unlease and control that power(create). Otherwise i can't seems to remember anyone that does have the 3.

I like this one, but I'm not sure I'd call Naruto a superhero.

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toynbee piefed.social toynbee@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-09-12
#14 · Quote Reply

One could argue that his genius level intellect and his master detective skills (best detective in the world) are borderline superhuman.

A long time ago, I read that his superpower was, or was theorized to be, luck. No idea if that's canon anywhere.

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valkyre09 lemmy.world valkyre09@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-09
#15 · Quote Reply

A long time ago, I read that his superpower was, or was theorized to be, luck. No idea if that's canon anywhere.

At first I thought, not very lucky to have your parents gunned down in front of you. Now I’m thinking how lucky he was to also not be shot. Damn…

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Lodespawn aussie.zone Lodespawn@aussie.zone
Joined: 2023-10-18
#16 · Quote Reply

And wolverine is all three

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Lodespawn aussie.zone Lodespawn@aussie.zone
Joined: 2023-10-18
#17 · Quote Reply

Wolverine is at least born and thrust upon. Any examples of all three?

Wolverine was born with healing factor, trained in his fighting skills and then had his admantium skeleton thrust upon him

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FluidBeef quokk.au FluidBeef@quokk.au
Joined: 2025-08-12
#18 · Quote Reply

Batman created his powers If I remember well, Batman does not have superpowers. He’s a guy who’s rich, trains a lot, is smart and due to being rich is able to get great equipment to use.

His superpower is plot armour.

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MalReynolds slrpnk.net MalReynolds@slrpnk.net
Joined: 2023-06-25
#19 · Quote Reply

Wolverine was born with healing factor, trained in his fighting skills and then had his admantium skeleton thrust upon him

Yeah, I was thinking that but wasn't convinced. Similarly Batman was born rich, trained hard and had bereavement thrust upon, which likely created the persona. Perhaps we're all a bit nature, nurture, and luck.

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toynbee piefed.social toynbee@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-09-12
#20 · Quote Reply

At first I thought, not very lucky to have your parents gunned down in front of you. Now I’m thinking how lucky he was to also not be shot. Damn…

Possibly the hypothetical power hadn't manifested, or maybe had done so only in part, at that point.

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Ivan Overdrive lemmy.dbzer0.com EtAl@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2024-06-02
#21 · Quote Reply

Batman created his powers If I remember well, Batman does not have superpowers. He’s a guy who’s rich, trains a lot, is smart and due to being rich is able to get great equipment to use.

His superpower is being rich enough to be called eccentric instead of just crazy. You know, crazy, like the label used on all the villains he fights.

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anakin78z lemmy.world anakin78z@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-01
#22 · Quote Reply

I'm pretty sure Superman wasn't born with them. He got his powers from his flyby of earth's yellow sun in the escape pod from Krypton.

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OhStopYellingAtMe lemmy.world OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-15
#23 · Quote Reply

I'm pretty sure Superman wasn't born with them. He got his powers from his flyby of earth's yellow sun in the escape pod from Krypton.

I thought he had powers because he was born on Krypton under a red sun, and all Kryptonians gain superhuman powers when exposed to a yellow sun.

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OhStopYellingAtMe lemmy.world OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-15
#24 · (edited) Quote Reply

A long time ago, I read that his superpower was, or was theorized to be, luck. No idea if that's canon anywhere.

I’ve always theorized that his power is “superhuman willpower.”
He has the massive will to obsessively train, study, and do all the things he does. Becoming one of the strongest, smartest, and most effectual people alive. I doubt any human has a higher willpower than Bruce Wayne.
He has even out-willpowered Wonder Woman’s lasso-of-truth.

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anakin78z lemmy.world anakin78z@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-01
#25 · Quote Reply

I thought he had powers because he was born on Krypton under a red sun, and all Kryptonians gain superhuman powers when exposed to a yellow sun.

But if he had stayed on Krypton, he wouldn't have any powers, so it took an event to activate it, which isn't any different than the other scenarios.
Batman was born rich, so he already had the potential to be batman, but it took the murder of his parents to set him on his path.
Really Spiderman is the odd one out.

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OhStopYellingAtMe lemmy.world OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-15
#26 · Quote Reply

But if he had stayed on Krypton, he wouldn't have any powers, so it took an event to activate it, which isn't any different than the other scenarios. Batman was born rich, so he already had the potential to be batman, but it took the murder of his parents to set him on his path. Really Spiderman is the odd one out.

Spidey’s parents and his uncle who helped raise him are all dead/murdered. All three are orphans, so that all cancels out. :-).

Peter Parker only became spider-man once his uncle was killed, that set him on the path to use his “great power” with “great responsibility.”

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anakin78z lemmy.world anakin78z@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-01
#27 · Quote Reply

Spidey’s parents and his uncle who helped raise him are all dead/murdered. All three are orphans, so that all cancels out. :-). Peter Parker only became spider-man once his uncle was killed, that set him on the path to use his “great power” with “great responsibility.”

True, true. I guess I was thinking of the spider bite, not the trauma.

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Infrapink thebrainbin.org Infrapink@thebrainbin.org
Joined: 2025-02-15
#28 · Quote Reply

I'm pretty sure Superman wasn't born with them. He got his powers from his flyby of earth's yellow sun in the escape pod from Krypton.

Also, Batman was born with his power. (His power is money).

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toynbee piefed.social toynbee@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-09-12
#29 · Quote Reply

I’ve always theorized that his power is “superhuman willpower.” He has the massive will to obsessively train, study, and do all the things he does. Becoming one of the strongest, smartest, and most effectual people alive. I doubt any human has a higher willpower than Bruce Wayne. He has even out-willpowered Wonder Woman’s lasso-of-truth.

True, but wasn't he also the only human (or otherwise, I think) to dodge Darkseid's eyebeams? Admittedly it would take willpower to get to the point of being physically able to do so, but from what I understand of the eyebeams, also quite a bit of luck.

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OhStopYellingAtMe lemmy.world OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-15
#30 · (edited) Quote Reply

True, but wasn't he also the only human (or otherwise, I think) to dodge Darkseid's eyebeams? Admittedly it would take willpower to get to the point of being physically able to do so, but from what I understand of the eyebeams, also quite a bit of luck.

Wait, I thought he did get hit by the beams and they sent him back in time, and through what could only be described as an exceptional demonstration of determination and willpower, he worked his way back up through time- through ages & ages, to confront Darkseid again. Maybe we’re thinking of different storylines?

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cornshark lemmy.world cornshark@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-01-13
#31 · Quote Reply

Also, Batman was born with his power. (His power is money).

You can't use money to fight crime, lol. Otherwise USA's police departments would be doing it.

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cenzorrll piefed.ca cenzorrll@piefed.ca
Joined: 2025-07-10
#32 · Quote Reply

I’ve always theorized that his power is “superhuman willpower.” He has the massive will to obsessively train, study, and do all the things he does. Becoming one of the strongest, smartest, and most effectual people alive. I doubt any human has a higher willpower than Bruce Wayne. He has even out-willpowered Wonder Woman’s lasso-of-truth.

He's an orc. He's batshit crazy and believes whatever wild scenario that keeps him alive or out of a situation will happen so strongly that the world bends to his will.

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cenzorrll piefed.ca cenzorrll@piefed.ca
Joined: 2025-07-10
#33 · Quote Reply

You can't use money to fight crime, lol. Otherwise USA's police departments would be doing it.

Investing in children reduces crime. So yes, you can fight crime with money.

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AwesomeLowlander sh.itjust.works AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2024-07-12
#34 · Quote Reply

And Iron Man built his in a cave! With a box of scraps!

Well I'm sorry, you're not iron man

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aaaa piefed.world aaaa@piefed.world
Joined: 2025-07-09
#35 · (edited) Quote Reply

You can't use money to fight crime, lol. Otherwise USA's police departments would be doing it.

You can. They just don't.

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someguy3 lemmy.world someguy3@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-04
#36 · Quote Reply

Batman created his powers If I remember well, Batman does not have superpowers. He’s a guy who’s rich, trains a lot, is smart and due to being rich is able to get great equipment to use.

So, steroids?

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Vandals_handle lemmy.world Vandals_handle@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-14
#37 · Quote Reply

You can't use money to fight crime, lol. Otherwise USA's police departments would be doing it.

Study after study shows money spent on food, housing and education does more to prevent crime than policing and incarceration.

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Frettchen lemmy.world Frettchen@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-07-30
#38 · Quote Reply

You can't use money to fight crime, lol. Otherwise USA's police departments would be doing it.

Superheroes does not exist

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JohnnyEnzyme piefed.social JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-06-11
#39 · Quote Reply

And wolverine is all three

I get the inborn super-healing, and I get the addition of the adamantine (sp?) skeleton, but what powers did he create on his own?

Martial arts ability?

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DomeGuy lemmy.world DomeGuy@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-09-15
#40 · Quote Reply

Spidey’s parents and his uncle who helped raise him are all dead/murdered. All three are orphans, so that all cancels out. :-). Peter Parker only became spider-man once his uncle was killed, that set him on the path to use his “great power” with “great responsibility.”

Spider-man literally started as a pro wrestler who used his powers and a costume to make money

He was costumed and super-powered first, but heroic only after his uncle was killed. (By a thief whom Spidey let get away, since the victim was the wrestling promoter who cheated him out of his first earnings.)

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Why is Lemmy so Racist? lemmy.world Abyssian@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-02-13
#41 · (edited) Quote Reply

I'm pretty sure Superman wasn't born with them. He got his powers from his flyby of earth's yellow sun in the escape pod from Krypton.

Seems a bit daft of the Kryptonian folk to stay there even if they didn't believe their planet was doomed.

"Move to another planet to be a nearly indestructible God who can fly and shoot lasers and stuff? No thank you. I just got my cabinets arranged how I like them and I am not going through that again."

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Wolf314159 startrek.website Wolf314159@startrek.website
Joined: 2024-07-03
#42 · Quote Reply

I get the inborn super-healing, and I get the addition of the adamantine (sp?) skeleton, but what powers did he create on his own? Martial arts ability?

Yes

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toynbee piefed.social toynbee@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-09-12
#43 · Quote Reply

Wait, I thought he did get hit by the beams and they sent him back in time, and through what could only be described as an exceptional demonstration of determination and willpower, he worked his way back up through time- through ages & ages, to confront Darkseid again. Maybe we’re thinking of different storylines?

It's very possible. I've never read more than a handful of Batman comics. A while ago I was big into TVTropes and Wikipedia regarding some superheroes; I'm pretty sure I read there that he was the only one to have dodged them.

That's why I keep providing caveats and prefacing my statements with things like "I read ... " My claims are by no means authoritative and I don't mean to represent them as such.

Actually, the further I type this comment, the more I think my source was the Death Battle research team. I did not follow up with primary sources.

That said, a quick search suggests that maybe whatever I read or watched was referencing the cartoons, rather than the comics. DB, as entertaining as they can be, generally sources whatever favors their desired outcome. If it was TVTropes or Wikipedia, they might not have referenced the source or I might have forgotten.

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agamemnonymous sh.itjust.works agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-06-15
#44 · Quote Reply

Batman created his powers If I remember well, Batman does not have superpowers. He’s a guy who’s rich, trains a lot, is smart and due to being rich is able to get great equipment to use.

due to being rich is able to get great equipment to use.

That's the power: gadgets. And also being a genius detective, but largely the gadgets.

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JohnnyEnzyme piefed.social JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-06-11
#45 · Quote Reply

Yes

Practically a prerequisite for the superhero club. That and body-building, I guess.

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ApollosArrow lemmy.world ApollosArrow@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-19
#46 · Quote Reply

I’ve always theorized that his power is “superhuman willpower.” He has the massive will to obsessively train, study, and do all the things he does. Becoming one of the strongest, smartest, and most effectual people alive. I doubt any human has a higher willpower than Bruce Wayne. He has even out-willpowered Wonder Woman’s lasso-of-truth.

I don’t really think that would carry over canonically, or else it would but heads with Green Lantern lore. There are multiple people that seem to have more willpower than Bruce Wayne. I think the only argument to Bruce not being a Green Lantern could be that be likes to instill fear, which us a big no no for the GLs.

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🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 pawb.social Kolanaki@pawb.social
Joined: 2024-10-06
#47 · (edited) Quote Reply

Spider-Man is half'n'half. He got super strength and agility as well as his "spider senses" from the spider bite.

His webshooters, suits, and other tools he made himself. The Raimi films always bugged me that they made his web shooting stuff a mutation from the bite and not showing off his intelligence and engineering skills. Cuz he also didn't have money like Batman or Ironman.

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Lodespawn aussie.zone Lodespawn@aussie.zone
Joined: 2023-10-18
#48 · Quote Reply

I get the inborn super-healing, and I get the addition of the adamantine (sp?) skeleton, but what powers did he create on his own? Martial arts ability?

Learned to fight through surviving multiple wars?

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JohnnyEnzyme piefed.social JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-06-11
#49 · Quote Reply

Learned to fight through surviving multiple wars?

I mean...

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stretch2m infosec.pub stretch2m@infosec.pub
Joined: 2025-06-04
#50 · Quote Reply

Spider-Man is half'n'half. He got super strength and agility as well as his "spider senses" from the spider bite. His webshooters, suits, and other tools he made himself. The Raimi films always bugged me that they made his web shooting stuff a mutation from the bite and not showing off his intelligence and engineering skills. Cuz he also didn't have money like Batman or Ironman.

The biological webbing coming from his wrists was stupid. If it was a spider mutation, he should have had spinnerettes growing from his rear end. The handmade web shooters were way more logical.

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Leviathan lemmy.world Leviathan@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-10
#51 · Quote Reply

Study after study shows money spent on food, housing and education does more to prevent crime than policing and incarceration.

All research and successful drug policy shows that treatment should be increased, and law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences.

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