When Superpowers Go Seriously Wrong

Some superheroes just shouldn’t have made it past the sketchpad. For every icon in a cape, there’s a bizarre misfire with baffling powers or laughable storylines. This list isn’t about who’s the weakest—it’s about the ones that make you ask, “Wait... are they serious?” So, let's dive into the 20 worst superheroes throughout history.

1. Arm-Fall-Off-Boy (DC Comics)

Just imagine fighting evil by popping off your own limbs. That’s exactly what Arm-Fall-Off-Boy did—his arms detached and became blunt-force weapons. Introduced in 1989, he’s more meme than menace. Not surprisingly, the character never caught on as a serious part of DC’s lineup.

2. Matter-Eater Lad (DC Comics)

From a scientific lens, the ability to digest anything—metal, stone, glass—is kind of impressive. But tactically? Eating through prison bars isn’t exactly a showstopper when your team is battling galactic warlords. His inclusion in the Legion of Super-Heroes feels like DC tried a dare... and lost.

3. Hindsight Lad (Marvel Comics)

Here’s someone you’d want after everything goes wrong. Hindsight Lad offered tactical breakdowns post-failure. No superpowers or foresight, just annoying commentary on what should’ve been done better. It’s like being lectured by a walking Reddit thread.

4. Color Kid (DC Comics)

Color Kid can change the hue of any object. Not its structure. Not its function. Just the color. A red car? Now blue. A villain’s costume? Now pastel pink. Criminals may pause to admire the palette, and that’s about it. His power might dazzle in art school but not in a crisis.

5. The Red Bee (DC Comics)

The Red Bee fought crime with a single trained bee. Seriously. That was his whole thing. Add in bright striped tights and zero powers, and you’ve got a hero nobody took seriously. He buzzed in, made no impact, and quietly vanished from the spotlight.

6. Zan (DC Comics)

Zan’s twin could become any animal. His transformation, however, is just water, as in ice cubes, puddles, or mist. Whether liquified or frozen, he often relied on being carried around in a bucket. Even Saturday morning cartoons couldn’t make it seem cool.

7. Dogwelder (DC Comics)

Few characters feel as aggressively wrong as Dogwelder. He welds dead dogs onto criminals. No, it wasn't a gritty reboot—it was a dark satire of hyper-violent antiheroes. Created for the bizarre Section 8 team, his existence was meant to shock, disturb, and ultimately mock how far comics had strayed from sense.

8. Skateman (Pacific Comics)

This one on the list is a roller-skating, ex-Vietnam vet who battles crime with martial arts and a healthy dose of patriotic flair. While Skateman was the brainchild of a legendary artist, the character just didn’t resonate with fans. It felt out of touch, strangely paced, and almost awkwardly sincere.

9. Jubilee (Marvel Comics)

Sure, she's beloved by many X-Men fans. Still, generating fireworks from your hands just doesn't hold up in mutant warfare. While others reshaped metal or bent minds, Jubilee got stuck dazzling mall cops. She eventually became a vampire, but her early years? Pure sidekick energy.

10. NFL SuperPro (Marvel Comics)

Born from a Marvel–NFL partnership, SuperPro was an ex-football player in a protective suit, tackling crime with linebacker moves. His stories felt like product placement stretched over 22 pages. He didn’t just fumble the concept; he also got sacked by fans and critics alike.

11. Maggott (Marvel Comics)

Maggott’s digestive system lives outside his body in the form of two giant slugs named Eany and Meany. They eat things; he absorbs the energy. That’s... it. Even in the wild world of the X-Men, fans were mostly puzzled or grossed out.

12. Bouncing Boy (DC Comics)

After accidentally drinking a mislabeled chemical soda, Chuck Taine gained the power to puff up and bounce around like a human beach ball. Somehow, he still made it into the Legion of Super-Heroes. While occasionally useful, his power was mostly comic relief and not the kind that aged well.

13. The Heckler (DC Comics)

The Heckler tried to fight crime using sarcastic taunts and a yellow costume that looked like a Halloween clearance rack. Supposedly, he disoriented villains with comedy. In reality, readers just didn’t laugh. His comic was canceled after six issues.

14. Dazzler (Marvel Comics)

Originally created to promote a movie that never materialized, Dazzler was a disco-themed mutant who could transform sound into light. Her debut felt more like a studio pitch than a superhero origin. Despite later redemption arcs, she started out as a flashy laser show—cool to look at, but not exactly practical.

15. The Ferret (Marvel Comics)

One of the earliest Marvel heroes, The Ferret, debuted in 1940 and quickly vanished. He solved crimes using a trained ferret. That’s it. No powers, no compelling story, just a detective and his animal sidekick. Even in the anything-goes Golden Age, this one didn’t stick around long.

16. Green Team (DC Comics)

A group of wealthy teenagers funding their own superhero adventures sounds like satire, yet DC played it straight. However, the Green Team was tone-deaf when first introduced in the 1970s and somehow got rebooted decades later with no improvement. Safe to say, both didn’t work. Being rich isn’t a superpower, and neither is bad storytelling.

17. Razorback (Marvel Comics)

Buford Hollis, aka Razorback, wore a wild boar helmet and could drive any vehicle, including spaceships. That was literally all his power. Marvel introduced him in the '70s, possibly as a joke. He briefly joined the X-Men, but even they couldn't make the hog-wearing hero a permanent fixture.

18. 3-D Man (Marvel Comics)

He’s got the power of three men—solid if you're hauling furniture, not battling villains with god-level abilities. 3-D Man didn’t make much sense, thanks to a clunky mix of alien science and dimensional weirdness. It felt like Marvel tossed ideas in a blender and hit publish.

19. Stone Boy (DC Comics)

Stone Boy could turn his body into stone and immediately become immobile. That’s right—he’d just lie there, waiting for something to happen. Although his team tried to be supportive, they struggled to justify his usefulness. It’s tough to call someone a superhero when their only move is staying still.

20. Cypher

Cypher's mutant ability? Universal translation. He speaks every language, including alien, machine, and body language. Sounds handy... until fists start flying. While the X-Men were dodging lasers, Doug was busy reading tone and syntax. He's less of a superhero and more of an intergalactic duolingo.