15 Superpowers You Didn’t Know Arrowverse Heroes Had

Even with the abundance of superhero entertainment, the Arrowverse is a feat onto itself. The connected universe, which includes heroes of every gender, color, orientation, and power level is a world teeming with life and possibilities.

Throughout its six-year existence, the Arrowverse has done things that would’ve seemed impossible in another era. The fact that all of these superheroes exist and that they’re believable on a TV budget is extraordinary.

Yet the Arrowverse isn’t the most perfect representation of the characters. There are certain powers and feats that the heroes of the Arrowverse are capable of doing in the comics but have been left out of the series.

The reasons why these powers have been absent do vary. Some of them might be too expensive, while others just may not fit the medium of television or the story being told. The fact that some of these powers work in the comics, may not be mean that they’ll work on TV or should even be considered.

Even if these powers never do show up, the heroes of the Arrowverse are capable of them. Therefore, it’s conceivable that one day the barrier will go down and they’ll make to the small screen.

For now, though, here are 15 Superpowers You Didn’t Know Arrowverse Heroes Had.

15 Superhman Aim – Green Arrow

One of Oliver’s defining features in the Arrowverse is that he has no powers. Oliver is nowhere near as strong as Supergirl or as fast as The Flash. This is certainly true. It has been suspected, however, that Oliver isn’t completely powerless.

It’s been theorized in the comics that Oliver is a latent metahuman.

Oliver’s aim with a bow and arrow is so good and so precise that it can’t possibly be the product of just dedicated training and natural skill.

Certain characters, including the world’s greatest detective Batman, have tried to prove that Oliver has the skill of superpowered aim. He’s not a powerful meta but a meta all the same.

However, it’s never been proven one way or the other. It’s near impossible to definitely show that someone has a superpower when it’s so specific and narrow as being very accurate. Yet there’s a chance that Oliver, despite protestations, is a metahuman.

14 Solar Bomb – Supergirl

Even Kara could destroy an entire building with a punch, so it doesn’t feel as if there are no stakes or consequences on Supergirl. The series plays down Kara’s powers. Therefore, it does make sense that one of Kara’s most impressive and most recent powers, the Solar Bomb, has been left out of the show.

Supergirl gets her powers from the sun and her cells are soaked with radiation. The radiation fuels her flights, heat vision, strength, freeze breath, and hundreds of other powers. There is a possibility than Kara can become too charged with energy and explode outwards in a “solar bomb.”

Interestingly, the use of the bomb will then make Kara weak for a long time afterward, as she has to recharge. This renders Kara effectively human. A human Kara was a brief storyline in Supergirl season 1 but it occurred because of an excess of heat vision, not because of a solar bomb.

13 Heat Absorption – Killer Frost

Killer Frost is one of the more unique characters in the Arrowverse. Caitlin Snow’s powers function differently from pretty much every other metahuman, in the sense that her powers create a whole new personality.

This isn’t where Killer Frost’s uniqueness ends. She’s has also been through one of the quickest and most lasting redemption arcs going from crazed killer to grudging ally.

Killer Frost’s powers have been equally big assest and obstacle to Team Flash. One power has yet to appear.

Killer Frost, especially recently, has been known to absorb heat.

In recent comic stories, this has basically translated to a vampiric quality. Frost needs to take people’s body heat to survive. Unless The Flash wants to get very dark (again), this probably won’t happen.

However, if a fire or some heat-centric meta shows up, Killer Frost might be able to stop them in their tracks.

12 Enhanced Brain Activity – Deathstroke

It might be a bit of stretch to call Deathstroke a hero. Slade Wilson was a ruthless villain in Arrow season 2 and still tried to kill Oliver and his sister years after that arc had concluded. However, Arrow has mostly waved away Slade’s villainous actions as a side effect of Mirakuru, the serum that gave him his powers in the show.

Mirakuru is an Arrowverse invention but it gave Slade Wilson most of his famous powers from the comics. However, one was left out. Slade Wilson is supposed to be incredibly intelligent, so much so that it’s considered a superpower.

Slade Wilson can think faster, plan longer, and plot more scenarios than the average man because he has more access to his brain power than the average man.

Arrow’s Slade did enact a year long plan that nearly destroyed Oliver Queen. However, he was just a bit too crazy under Mirakuru to be called a super genius.

11 Power Replication – Vixen

Vixen has the entire power of the animal kingdom at her finger tips. Thanks to her totem, Mari McCabe (or Amaya Jiwa) can tap into the abilities of nearly any animal.

The only limit is that she must interact with them face-to-face. However, since Amaya is a time-traveler, she has been able to expand her repertoire to a T-Rex in the Arrowverse.

Vixen has an incredibly useful power that hasn’t even really been hinted at in the Arrowverse. Vixen can’t only replicate any animal’s powers, she can also mimic the powers of other superheroes.

After all, humans– and even metahumans– are technically animals as well.

Whether this manifests in the Arrowverse or not is anyone’s guess. However, Vixen could become a one-woman wrecking crew for the Legends if it does happen.

10 Super Dancing – Vibe

Cisco Ramon is The Flash’s obvious comic relief character. While every character on the show has cracked jokes, Cisco is the biggest source of amusement and levity on Team Flash.

Yet even though Cisco is funny, his character and his powers have never become much of a joke. The same can’t be said of his comic counterpart.

Vibe is more of the more ridiculous characters in DC canon. He does have most of the inter-dimensional hopping pops and multiverse sensitives as Cisco. Yet there’s really just one thing that sets Vibe apart in the comics– he’s a literal super dancer.

Vibe’s real hook was that he was a break-dancer turned superhero. This means that he used his powers to enhance his dancing skills. So much so that he became weirdly respected and admired for his dancing. Cisco has never shown anything more the goofy of dance moves but he could, presumably, vibe on the dance floor.

9 Transmute Matter – Firestorm

Since his first appearance in season 1 of The Flash, Firestorm has been recognized as one of the strongest heroes in the Arrowverse. The first iteration of Firestorm even joined with Oliver Queen and Barry Allen to take down the Reverse Flash.

However, for the most part, Firestorm’s powers have been translated as flying and hurling fireballs. Firestorm can do much, much more.

As the molecular bonding of two people, Firestorm has a command over almost all of the elements. This means that while he can hurl fireballs and looks like flying comet in the air, he can also transmute matter.

Firestorm has the ability to take any material and transform it, on a molecular level, to something else entirely.

It has been hinted in the Arrowverse that this could be done. Jax’s Firestorm powers did help him become a better mechanic. Yet, mostly Firestorm’s powers were translated to easiest and most fire-hurling route.

8 Dimensional Travel – The Atom

One of the incredibly fun things about the Arrowverse is that it’s not just a single world. It’s an interconnected multiverse, spanning multiple dimensions and realities.

The ability to hop between these worlds has been limited to Vibe (and heroes with similar powers like Gypsy). However, they’re not the only ones who can hop between realities. The Atom also has the capability.

On Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, Ray Palmer’s expensive super suit has boiled down to two basic functions. It can help Ray grow and shrink in size and it also allows him to fly.

Yet The Atom has also been known to shrink so much that he’s entered a whole new universe, the microverse. It’s a plane of existence that exists outside anything view-able by humans.

In addition, The Atom suit has also been modified to allow him to travel impossible distances, like between telephones wires and into new Earths.

7 Super Kiss – Superman

Throughout his long history, Superman has exhibited a number of bizarre powers. This is especially true in the early days of the character.

The only limits on what Superman could or couldn’t do in the Golden and Silver Age of comics was dependant on what the writers could dream up.

One of Superman’s most insane powers, though, is his ability to perform a Super Kiss.

The most infamous use of his power was in the movie Superman II where Superman kissed Lois Lane to make her forget his identity. Yet that’s not the only time that Superman’s lips have come with a bit of an extra punch. Back in Action Comics #306, Clark Kent kissed Lois under a mistletoe and it was so intense it nearly knocked Lois out cold.

Plenty of characters on Supergirl salivate over Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman but they evidently might want to reconsider getting too close.

6 Super-Strength and Durability – Martian Manhunter

Kara Danvers is always going to be the most impressive hero on Supergirl. It’s only right as the series is, after all, her show. Yet the show often seems to forget that Martian Manhunter is also incredibly powerful.

For his ability to phase through material and launch telepathic attacks, J’onn should be considered strong but few fans probably realize how impressive J’onn is in reality.

Martian Manhunter has a strength that rivals and sometimes even surpasses the abilities of Kryptonians. Martin Manhunter has towed the moon behind him, pushed the Earth into proper orbit and lifted tankers out of the oceans for large distances.

J’onn is also basically immortal. His unique Martian physiology makes him very malleable and his only real weakness is fire.

5 Speed Speak – Kid Flash

In the Arrowverse, Kid Flash has gotten the short shrift. On The Flash, Wally was just a clone of Barry, but disposable and almost completely unnecessary. It’s fitting then that Wally is moving to Legends of Tomorrow, the home of ignored heroes.

There’s a lot of powers in a speedster’s résumé that could make Wally a good character on Legends.

This includes Speed Speak. In the Arrowverse, speedsters have been shown to use their powers to speed read, travel back in time, and cross dimensions.

However, the ability to talk so fast that those without enhanced cognitive powers or other speedsters can’t understand them has been ignored, but it’ is possible.

Wally getting stuck in speed talking, or being forced into that mode, sounds like the perfect set up for a Legends of Tomorrow episode.

4 Teleportation – Black Lightning

Black Lightning isn’t technically confirmed to be a part of the Arrowverse. However, Jefferson Pierce may never interact with Green Arrow or The Flash. Therefore it’s safe to assume that Black Lightning takes place in the same multiverse as the rest of the shows, as it shares obvious thematic similarities.

Although Black Lightning is exploring an older hero getting back in the game, new powers are being explored so this one might pop in the show eventually. However, Jefferson has been shown to do something very similar to teleportation in the comics.

Jefferson can’t just shoot out electric bolts from his fingertips, but he can literally become that bolt. Black Lightning can transform into electricity in its purest form and cross great distances in a blink of an eye. For a stealthy hero fighting crime in the shadows, that’s definitely a helpful skill.

3 “Flight” – Black Canary

The Arrowverse has been through its share of Black Canaries and it’s a been a rough ride for all of them. Whether they’ve died tragically or been poorly mishandled by weird plotting or writing decisions, Black Canary isn’t nearly as respected as she should be in the Arrowverse.

However, Arrow (and The Flash) have found interesting ways to deal with Canary’s power and her famous sonic scream.

As many utilities as the Canary Cry has had on the show, there are some hidden depths. Black Canary has been known to use her Cry to effectively fly or at least hover over long distances.

Black Canary has trained her cry to be so forceful that it can support her weight.

By crying loud enough, Black Canary can fall from great distances, using her Cry to prevent her from breaking every bone in her body and cross otherwise impossible distances.

2 Speed Vortexes – The Flash

Barry Allen has often run so fast on The Flash that he’s created his own whirlwind. Using his speed, Barry has neutralized toxic gas, stopped deadly tidal waves, and banished deadly radiation.

So it might sound as if the Speed Vortex is a power that has been used many times on The Flash. However, the truth is that the Speed Vortex is unique and incredibly useful.

Barry (or any Flash) can move his limbs at such a high velocity that he can create vortexes out of them. These vortexes are so powerful that they can be used to propel The Flash through the air, or help him fall from impossible heights with no ill effects.

The vortex can also be used as controlled and direct projectiles. They can sweep an enemy up in the grasp and take them far away, minimizing damage or ceasing a fight altogether.

1 Enhanced Senses – Hawkgirl and Hawkman

There’s nothing simple about DC’s Hawk-people. Hawkman and Hawkgirl have been through several different reimaginings, power levels and backstories in the comics. Only the smallest sliver of that history made into the Arrowverse with Legends of Tomorrow’s underwhelming portrayal of Kendra and Carter.

While Kendra and Carter weren’t the most interesting, the Arrowverse did give show them using most of their powers. However, a rather notable and useful one was left out.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl both have been shown to have very enhanced senses. 

This means that they can see and hear better than the average human and are also much stronger and durable.

The strength and durability certainly factored into Legends of Tomorrow. Kendra was one of the team’s early heavy hitters. Yet the fact that she (or Carter) had the vision and hearing of a literal hawk, never manifested.

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What other powers do you think the Arrowverse has been ignoring? Were you aware of these powers? Which would you like to see show up? Sound off in the comments!

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