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I know of many examples of super powers that can nullify other powers or even steal them, but I can't think of any that give powers to others. Are there any superheroes whose main power is giving super powers to others?

  • The granted powers must be a permanent thing, so once you've been granted a power, you just have it from that point on (unlike Rogue)
  • Powers must be given to someone that is not the hero in question (unlike Rogue or Kirby)
  • Granted powers are not simply an "awakening" or a sort of knowledge gain (like learning magic or "going super saiyan")
  • Process is not just a transferring the power from someone/thing else (i.e. Green Lantern ring)

I'm not looking for any sort of list, just an example of this kind of power. I've been thinking through DC and Marvel heroes, but none are coming to mind.

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closed as too broad by Valorum, TheLethalCarrot, RDFozz, Skooba, Jenayah Jan 7 at 17:47

Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer. Avoid asking multiple distinct questions at once. See the How to Ask page for help clarifying this question. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.

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    You're going to need to limit this to a particular publisher, line of comics, media, etc. Otherwise, one could list all of the Greek Gods who bestowed power, Yahweh, Merlin, The Prof from the Reckoners trilogy, etc. – FuzzyBoots Aug 29 '17 at 19:50
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    Zordon, any Lion Turtle, Shazam, The Guardians (Green Lantern), etc... – onewho Aug 29 '17 at 19:54
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    Come on guys, you haven't given him a chance to respond to the criticism. – Slacklord the Terrible Aug 29 '17 at 19:57
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    @FuzzyBoots an even better example from the Reckoner's would be Larcener. – Zoredache Aug 29 '17 at 20:31
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    Galactus gave Silver Surfer the power cosmic... – Kevin Workman Aug 29 '17 at 22:24
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While I still feel this question is too broad, a Marvel example is Leon Nunez, whose power is to give people tattoos that give them powers. This is his only superpower.

Leon can grant superhuman powers to others through drawing iconic symbols. This is usually done through tattooing images onto others. These tattoos then give whatever power Leon believes them to bestow. However, each tattoo drains a little bit of Leon's will as each tattoo and corresponding power is an extension of his will. The upper limits of Leon's powers are not defined. He was able to give multiple powers to nearly one hundred individuals, and empower a reasonable facsimile or approximation of the Phoenix Force before falling into a coma.

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    For a longer list, consult examples at powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Power_Bestowal – FuzzyBoots Aug 29 '17 at 22:16
  • This is closer since it is his main power, but it still seems like it's the tattoo that is giving the power. – David Starkey Aug 30 '17 at 12:56
  • He gives him the tattoo that gives them the power. The tattoo would not give them the power if he did not give it to them. :) Or are you looking for something where the donor has to consciously sustain the power in others? – FuzzyBoots Aug 30 '17 at 12:57
  • I'm unfamiliar with the character, but from the link you gave it's pretty close. Assuming the same tattoo drawn by someone else didn't give powers (like a magic rune kinda thing), I'd say this is what I was looking for. – David Starkey Aug 30 '17 at 13:01
  • Indeed. As far as I can tell, they don't elaborate on how exactly it works, but the magic, so to speak, is in him, not the drawing, although he seems to require the drawing, perhaps as a way of focusing and/or anchoring the power. – FuzzyBoots Aug 30 '17 at 13:04
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Hawk Moth, the main villain of Miraculous has this power. He uses his ‘evilized’ butterflies(akumas) to give power to people who possess strong negative emotions.

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    Question was asking heroes (not villains), but interesting nonetheless! – Jenayah Jan 7 at 6:30
  • @Jenayah: To be fair, the source of Hawk Moth's powers are granted by a paired device+organism. Historically, heroic characters wielded this power (this is touched on extremely briefly in an episode), but it was lost for a long time... until it was found by what appears to be a very wealthy individual who craves more power. Anyway, good answer. When I saw this question pop up into the active questions, I immediately planned on adding this answer if it didn't already exist. – Ellesedil Jan 7 at 17:32
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Felix from Super Sales on SuperHeroes has the ability to "fix" things he owns. Later he finds that he can also upgrade them, including people so long as he owns them (slavery is legal in this setting). This includes adding super powers to them.

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Othala from Worm has this power.

To quote the wikia:

Othala had the ability to grant any one of several temporary superpowers to people she touches. However, she cannot grant any of these powers to herself, and she could only grant one power at a time.

Among the powers she is known to be able to grant are pyrokinesis, invincibility, regeneration, flight, super-speed, and augmented strength. The invincibility she granted allowed the target to stand unmoved in the face of a punch from Leviathan [which really says something]. The regeneration required conscious effort from the user to activate, and it was slower on some body parts than others.

Othala's power was limited to one person at a time. The duration it lasted after she let go depended on the power, ranging from ~30 seconds to 2 minutes, with powers that "bend reality more" tending to "burn out" faster, in terms of duration.

Teacher, from the same series, can bestow Thinker-type (enhanced intelligence, perception, or other information-gathering abilities) and Tinker-type (tech-creation) powers to others at the cost of the recipient's other faculties and free will.

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  • This is a good example, except the question is asking for a superhero who can give others permanent superpowers. – Bellatrix Apr 18 '18 at 5:26
  • @Bellatrix Oh. I have no idea how I did not notice that. Still, maybe Teacher counts? His powers can last indefinitely, but only if he doesn't take them away; which he rarely does, because he gets free slaves/minions. (We don't know--yet--what would happen if he were to die.) – Demetre Saghliani Apr 18 '18 at 15:47
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In the TV series Heroes, Hiro's sidekick, Ando, developps a superpower of his own near the end of the third season. However, his power is useless alone, because he essentially is a battery for other's powers: "At the end of the third volume, "Villains," he acquires the ability to massively amplify the power of any posthuman he touches".

Later, in the fourth volume, "Fugitives," Ando has learned to channel this energy into concussive blasts, projecting the energy outward to knock back any targets.

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