Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and became Spider-Man. Bruce Wayne's parents were killed, and that led him on a path to becoming Batman. The Green Lantern Ring found Hal Jordan and had him join the Green Lantern Corps. Each of these heroes shares a common thread: they unwillingly became superheroes. If some of the most famous comic characters became superheroes by accident, then gaining superpowers on purpose shouldn't be that difficult.

Over the years, readers of Marvel, DC Comics, and more have seen heroes and villain alike gain superpowers in many ways. From accidents of fate to intentional scientific experiments, the number of ways that someone can become super are manifold. Sometimes, it's relatively painless and other times it comes at a terrible cost, but the effects are undeniable.

Updated on May 13th, 2024 by David Harth: Superpowers are a very important part of the whole superhero landscape. There are so many ways to gain powers out there, with different heroes and villains all getting their powers in unique ways. Becoming a superhuman isn't always easy, but it isn't exactly hard either.

20 Tapping Into The Forces Of Nature Can Create Powerful Heroes And Villains

Oftentimes, in comic book universes, there are mystical forces behind the scenes that empower things like nature. The best example of this comes from the DC Multiverse, where forces like the Green, the Red, and the Rot exist. The Green is the energy of plant life, the Red is its animal equivalent, and the Rot is their opposite. Characters like Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Vixen, Floronic Man, and Poison Ivy have all been able to forge connections to these powers to become powerful beings.

There are a multitude of ways for this to happen. Alec Holland became the Swamp Thing after being doused with chemicals and falling into the swamp while on fire. Animal Man's body was recreated by aliens to become a conduit for the Red. Vixen was given an artifact that was imbued with the Red's power, and Floronic Man and Poison Ivy were able to forge their own connections to the Green. These forces bring great power - Swamp Thing has beaten Superman - and have created many superpowered characters.

19 The Martial Arts Are Often A Road To Superpowers

Martial arts in comic book universes can take anyone who studies them and basically make them superhuman. A big part of this is the belief in ancient magic associated with these arts. Iron Fist is a perfect example. The citizens of the city of K'un L'un have mastered chi - an energy that all humans have access to - to allow practitioners of their martial arts to manifest the Iron Fist. However, Iron Fist is far from the only example of this.

Shang-Chi's martial arts mastery has basically given him superhuman physical abilities, allowing him to fight against the strongest heroes and villains out there. Elektra trained with Stick of the Chaste and the Hand, and has shown that she has access to a number of abilities - from mental powers to magical skills. Even martial artists without any of those magical skills - like Karate Kid, Batman, or Daredevil - have shown that they can beat superhumans in a fight because of their martial arts skill.

18 Governments Have Given Out A Lot Of Superpowers

Superhumans would definitely be weaponized by the governments if they existed. Over the years, many government programs have been created to make humans into superhumans. Over at Marvel, the Weapon Plus programs began as a way to create anti-mutant weapons, masterminded by the bacteriological consciousness known as Sublime, but there have also been plenty of other ones, using everything from genetic engineering, supersoldier formulas, technology, and sometimes even mystical forces.

The best examples of this are Deadpool and Black Widow. Deadpool was given a healing factor, as well as superhuman physical enhancements, in order to become a superhuman soldier. Black Widow was taken in by the Red Room, dosed with the Infinity Formula, and trained in the killing arts. Over at DC, the Chinese government has created their own Justice League based on the world's greatest heroes, using science to make their own group of superheroes.

17 Alien Entities Give Out Superpowers All The Time

Alien beings are basically a daily part of life in superhero universes. There are alien visitors of all kinds, from invaders to more benevolent ones, and sometimes they like to grab a human and experiment on them. Other times, there are beings that are basically gods, like Galactus or the Celestials, who are known for taking beings without superpowers and giving them to them. Galactus has his Heralds, beings he empowers with the Power Cosmic that travel the universe trying to find planets for him to devour. The Celestials came to Earth a million years ago and created the Eternals in order to protect the Earth after the Celestials decided to use it as a perti dish.

Aliens entities of all kinds apparently love to give out superpowers to people without them. It's usually because they have some kind of ulterior motive, desiring to use "lesser" beings to do their bidding. They also usually hand out amazing levels of power, with many of these creations becoming ridiculously powerful.

16 Testing New Technology Has Led To Many Superpowered Beings

Technology is a common source of superpowers. Superpowered armor, replacement limbs, nanotechnology, and all manner of implants have given people superpowers, but there's another surefire way to get superhuman powers that involves technology. Scientists testing out new technology often find themselves ending up with amazing powers.

The Fantastic Four decided to try their untested ship and its radiation shields, which exposed them to cosmic radiation and led them to becoming superhumans. Many scientists in comics have come up with amazing technology and gained powers the first time they tried to use it, becoming superpowered heroes and villains. If they would have tested their tech in other ways before using them, they often wouldn't have ended up with powers.

15 Obtaining An Alien Artifact Offers The Quickest Path To Powers

Joseph Campbell talks about the hero's journey in his writings, and often the hero is aided by some form of magical artifact. This trope has been used many times in comics. Hal Jordan found the Green Lantern Power Ring. Jaime Reyes found the Blue Beetle scarab. These characters found unique trinkets that gave them all the power they could hope for, allowing them to become more than they were.

One of the greatest perks about obtaining an alien artifact is that it's so scientifically advanced it's like magic. This means one wouldn't need to work out or do anything labor intensive to accomplish their goal. The alien tech would grant the bearer amazing powers all on its own.

14 Being Bitten By A Radioactive Creature Can Be Dangerous But Fruitful

A radioactive spider bit Peter Parker that fateful day and gave Spider-Man a slew of cool powers including super agility, spider-sense, and the ability to crawl walls. Wes Cassady was a construction foreman who was bitten by a radioactive rabbit and gained superhuman speed, superhuman leg strength, and the ability to sense when he was being watched.

Radiation was a big source of mutation in early superhero stories and, at times, is still used for that. Being bitten by a radioactive animal was pretty common for a long time, even when the powers that it gave didn't really make sense.

13 Becoming An Avatar For An Extra-Dimensional Entity Grants Incredible Power At The Cost Of Freedom

Being an avatar means becoming the representative of a powerful creature. Moon Knight is the avatar to the Egyptian God of Vengeance, Khonshu. Marc Spector died in the desert but was resurrected by Khonshu, took the superhero name Moon Knight, and now serves as Khonshu's avatar. For a brief period, X-Men member Colossus had the powers of the Juggernaut and served the other-dimensional being Cyttorak.

Sometimes, this arrangement is beneficial to the avatars, but it could also transform them into something terrible. Many of these avatars have little care for humanity, while others believe wholeheartedly in protecting mankind. Such an arrangement could also bring with it a wild amount of power.

12 Learning Magic Might Take The Most Work, But It Offers Incredible Powers

While comics often revolve around science to gain great power, it's definitely not the only way. In fact, superhero comics have taken a page from fantasy books and stories, and brought magic into the picture. In the Golden Age, characters like Zatara and Doctor Fate were powered by magic, and the Silver Age superhero revival saw many more debut.

Marvel and DC have created many powerful magic users. Learning magic isn't for everyone, but it's definitely a great way to get powers. Many of the most formidable comic characters have studied the mystic arts, becoming more than they ever would have been. These days, the problem is that magic often invites some truly horrific villains for heroes to fight.

11 Traveling To Another Planet Separates One From Their People To Grant Great Power

Superman is the first superhero, inspiring every character that came after him. Launched from his home planet of Krypton as it died, he discovered something amazing as he got older — that he was gaining superpowers. Eventually, he'd learn this was because of Earth's yellow sun's radiation interacting with his Kryptonian body.

Superman was the first character to gain powers this way, but he's far from the last. Whether it be his fellow Kryptonians, Daxamites, or a variety of other aliens, sometimes going to another planet kicks off something that gives a character powers. Interestingly enough, going to a planet with a lower gravitational constant would give humans great physical strength, making this one of the more plausible ways to gain enhanced might.

10 Being Born With Powers Can Solve Problems Or Create New Ones