Marvel Comics is the home of some of the mightiest heroes in comics. Some heroes have popped up significantly lacking in the power department. This makes for variety in the stories Marvel can tell. With variety, comics can survive a shift in reader preferences. After all, imagine if half of DC’s comics were just Batman titles.
Even the weakest heroes can be interesting, especially with good creative teams. At different times, lists of rotten superheroes have included Squirrel Girl, Rocket Raccoon, Hawkeye, and the Falcon. In all these cases, characters considered weak needed talent and creative direction to reclaim their reputations.
10/10 Bailey Hoskins Is Cursed With A Power He Can’t Use Twice.
Bailey Hoskins, from an alternate reality, was an overlooked teenage boy when his parents told him he was likely a mutant. Testing at Xavier’s School revealed Bailey’s power was the ability to create a powerful explosion from his own body, but killing himself in the process. His parents were killed in a Sentinel attack, so Bailey joined Xavier’s School.
He was constantly sidelined and picked on by a fellow mutant who could turn things into gold. Bailey even believed it himself. However, a development like the Resurrection Protocols could make Bailey the perfect agent for X-Force in the primary reality.
9/10 The Irredeemable Ant-Man Wasted His Powers
Eric O’Grady was the third Ant-Man, and was, by far, the worst. Initially, he used the Ant-Man suit to steal and spy on women, most often Carol Danvers. He would later tell others these things were done by Scott Lang.
Eric would create a false identity to work for Damage Control, hiding from SHIELD. When captured and tortured using the suit, Eric would pin everything he did on his captor. At no point during his time as Ant-Man, did Eric explore the full potential of his powers, squandering them on selfish pursuits.
8/10 Cypher Has Made The Most Of His Mutant Powers.
Doug Ramsey, alias Cypher, was one of the New Mutants cursed with an almost-useless power. His mutant ability to comprehend and speak any language rarely came in useful. Its most practical application came when interacting with and programming computers.
He seemed cursed to a supporting role in mutant teams’ adventures. Then Professor X and Magneto founded the island nation of Krakoa. Only Cypher could communicate with Krakoa, making him necessary to the operations of the mutant home and giving him knowledge of secrets being kept from others.
7/10 Blonde Phantom Was A Masked Crime-Fighter In An Evening Gown
Louise Grant was a Golden Age masked crimefighter called the Blonde Phantom. She fought crime by carrying a pistol and donning a red evening gown. Her stories appeared in many titles for Marvel’s predecessor, Timely Comics. She even had a solo title for two years.
While a capable crimefighter, the Blonde Phantom primarily fought gangsters and Femme Fatales. She did face time travelers, the occasional magician or monster. If she were a modern crimefighter, she might not last long against super-powered or augmented criminals.
6/10 With A Variety Of Powers, Eye-Boy Is Very Useful, Except In A Fight.
Eye-Boy was constantly seen as one of the useless mutants while in the Jean Grey School. When he got to Krakoa, his talents became very useful to the investigative team for the mutant nation, X-Factor. His many eyes can see almost every type of energy.
He was pivotal in solving many mysteries and has been demonstrating the full extent of his abilities. He showed that he also generates solar energy blasts, giving someone a terrible sunburn. He also reads people to the point where he can discern emotions and intentions.
5/10 Howard the Duck Is Not A Funny Animal Character
Steve Gerber created Howard the Duck, and he quickly became popular due to his off-beat adventures. Coming from another dimension called Duckworld, Howard has faced super-powered foes. Despite his mastery of the martial art of Quack Fu, Howard was outmatched every time.
Howard is not without skills but repeatedly finds himself in bad situations. Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones showed that Howard can still be an entertaining character. He even can get involved with the rest of the Marvel Universe despite his faults. It’s the traits he lacks that make for engaging stories.
4/10 US Archer Is A Truck Driver With A CB Radio In His Skull
Licensed from Tyco toys, U.S. 1 featured U.S. Archer, a truck driver whose skull was replaced with a plate that picked up CB radio signals. Throughout his series, he is plagued by the mysterious Highwayman, the whip-wielding villainess Midnight, and Baron Von Blimp, who worked out of a blimp. There was also an Alien named Al, who rescued the diner Archer frequented by taking it into space.
Because the trucks were the toys, the character of U.S. Archer remains firmly in Marvel’s hands. This allowed Archer to return in Sensational She-Hulk stories from John Byrne, Al Gordon, Bob Wiacek, Glynis Oliver, and Jim Novak. He didn’t do much to prove he’d gained any skills or abilities.
3/10 H.E.R.B.I.E. The Robot Came From The 1978 Fantastic Four Animated Series
H.E.R.B.I.E. is of the few Marvel characters to first appear in animation. He heroically destroyed himself to prevent the villainous Dr. Sun from using him to attack the Fantastic Four. Reed Richards would repeatedly rebuild him primarily to watch over Franklin and Valeria Richards.
While the original H.E.R.B.I.E. did have weapon systems that Dr. Sun utilized, those systems appear to have not carried over into later models. Valeria Richards freed the current model from its programming, including language controls, so it curses like a sailor.
2/10 Frog-Man Is The Son Of The Criminal Leap-Frog
Eugene Patilio’s father was the costumed criminal Leap-Frog. To alleviate his father’s guilt and redeem the family name, Eugene took the costume and set out to be a superhero. He was only fifteen at the time, so he got himself in trouble with his inexperience.
Frog-Man tried out for various teams with no luck. He regularly interacted with Spider-Man, hoping to be the web-slinger’s sidekick. An alien doppelganger captured and replaced Frog-Man when he was in the Avengers Initiative. Currently, Eugene keeps a low profile, seldom getting out his Frog-Man suit.
1/10 Beak Is A Mutant Family Man
Beak was introduced during Grant Morrison’s time writing X-Men. He and his wife Angel soon had six children, hybrids of their two mutant traits. Over time, Beak demonstrated courage, especially when it came to defending his family.
Beak has said that his only superpower is the ability to make friends. He is, by far, the most likable mutant despite who is writing his character. Sadly, he also generally has the worst luck, being a target for anti-mutant forces and villains.
