4 ms·
This reminds me of how Marvel super-characters are usually immune to their own powers, or relatives' powers. Cyclops, for example, can't accidentally blast his
by TMWNN 4y ago
This reminds me of how Marvel super-characters are usually immune to their own powers, or relatives' powers. Cyclops, for example, can't accidentally blast his arm off by looking down while eye-blasting a Sentinel. He is also immune to his brothers' powers (even though quite different), and vice versa.
(Now that I think about it, I don't think this is the norm with DC. Superman can use his heat vision on Supergirl, and vice versa; each is largely resistant to it, but because Kryptonians are more or less invulnerable to anything non-magic, as opposed to some special immunity against Kryptonian powers.)
- at_a_remove 4y agoThat's referred to as a "Required Secondary Superpower." In the superhero reconstruction web serial Worm, these are practically de facto and even have their own jargon assigned to them. Some characters find the secondary aspect useful all on its own! IRL, snakes tend to be immune to their own venom because of the frequency of bites from their own species. On the other hand, for some creatures, other defenses like tail-dropping or gut-expelling are expensive moves. But the first few members of a species developing a new characteristic, well, the self-defense might not be there yet. The first bombardier beetles might have been very unhappy, even at a fraction of what that defense might grow to.