History Main / EmpoweredBadassNormal

* [[Characters/Avengers80sMembers Tigra]] of Creator/MarvelComics fame started as The Cat, a lab assistant who used a super suit to make her comparable to Captain America, and give her finger claw grapples. Said suit also played a part into turning teen humor character ComicBook/PatsyWalker into BadassNormal superhero [[Characters/PatsyWalkerAKAHellcat Hellcat]]. She later developed some vaguely defined psychic abilities, placing her squarely in this trope.

* Most of Exile's party in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' are this -- they're already war veterans, trained fighters, spies, bounty hunters, etc. But most of them turn out to be Force Sensitive as well, allowing the Exile to train them as Jedi (or Sith). It's also a common fan theory that Carth Onasi from [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic the first game]] is an untrained Force Sensitive as well.
** The FanGame ''Knights of the Old Republic III: VideoGame/TheJediMasters'' continues the trend, as the PlayerCharacter has five Force-sensitive potential companions they can choose to train as Jedi/Sith in the second act but can only select two. Your options include [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy the son of Mandalore]], a [[LizardFolk Trandoshan]] warrior whose EstablishingCharacterMoment is killing a group of thugs in a bar, and a Devaronian spacer.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': Kyle Katarn from the ''VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga'' games spent the entire [[VideoGame/DarkForces first game]] and first 3 levels of the [[VideoGame/JediKnightDarkForcesII second]] as just a BadassNormal (during which he bests Boba Fett and takes out at least one Kell Dragon with just his fists). He then learns about his Force Sensitivity and gets a lightsaber.

* Kyle Katarn from the ''VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga'' games spent the entire first game and first 3 levels of the second as just a BadassNormal (during which he bests Boba Fett and takes out at least one Kell Dragon with just his fists). He then learns about his Force Sensitivity and gets a lightsaber.

** Jack started out as a badass who spent his whole life training with other great warriors to prepare himself for Aku. He is so skilled that Aku has to resort to opening a time portal to the future in the pilot. The season 5 pilot reveals that one of the side effects of the time travel is that Jack [[TheAgeless no longer ages]]. Fifty years after being sent to the future, he is ''still'' in his physical youthful prime. With that said, he is not immortal, as he still needs to eat and can be injured and killed in combat like any mortal man would.

* ''Anime/YuGiOh'':
** There are a few times when Yugi himself duels or plays games without the assistance of the Pharaoh, and he proves to be a skilled player each time.
** Jonouchi was about five seconds away from beating the BigBad of Season 2, with no magical artifacts or one-of-a-kind super cards. Then in Season 4 he gets The Claw of Hermos, a plot device card that lets him face the threat of Orichalcos alongside [[TheHero Yugi]] and [[TheRival Kaiba]].

** For most of the series, Rua was basically a TagalongKid who mainly supported his sister Ruka, who was one of TheChosenMany. Rua does a fair bit of dueling in his sister's stead or sometimes alongside her, and he's proven to be able to hold his own despite not having a Signer Dragon. [[spoiler:Rua's sheer tenacity in the 3-v-1 duel against Aporia earns him his own Signer Dragon and he becomes a literal SixthRanger to the crew.]]

** Likewise, Jonouchi from the original ''Anime/YuGiOh''. He was about five seconds away from beating the BigBad of Season 2, with no magical artifacts or one-of-a-kind super cards. Then in Season 4 he gets The Claw of Hermos, letting him turn his monsters into equip spells with basically any effect he wants.

* ''Webcomic/SweetHome'': Hyun, as an infected who has resisted his transformation, is much stronger than the average person and has a HealingFactor. While both of these pale in comparison to the actual monsters, it gives him a noticeable edge when fighting them.

He may find some new AppliedPhlebotinum, or discover a new power [[EleventhHourSuperpower lurking within himself]]. Perhaps a sudden revelation reveals some [[ChangelingFantasy otherworldly origin]] in his background, or he has [[TouchedByVorlons an encounter with mysterious beings that leaves him forever changed]] (or [[SuperpowersForADay just for one day]]). Or perhaps his badassness just escalates [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower beyond the limits of normal humanity]]. Either way, an upgrade of this type may be required just so the BadassNormal won't [[CantCatchUp become completely irrelevant]] compared to his superpowered comrades. If the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil leaves him too far behind, and his role seems to be reduced to [[TheWorfEffect getting his ass handed to him]], he may otherwise have to be PutOnABus so he doesn't [[TheLoad get in the way]].

* How to create T'challa, the ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'': start with an African prince, raised since his earliest days to be an all-round expert athlete, brilliant mind, skilled warrior and natural leader. Then have him eat a mystical plant and have all of his physical capabilities boosted to explicitly superhuman levels. Season with all of the miraculous gadgets that a super-advanced MarySuetopia can cook up as personnel-grade gear. ''Then'' let the local Panther deity grant him its blessings.

* ''Webcomic/ScarletLady'': [[spoiler:Marinnette]] is a BadassNormal trained in martial arts who, in this fic's version of the episode, "Reflekta", [[spoiler:temporarily gets the Black Cat Miraculous to become Lady Noir]]. [[spoiler:Eventually, she becomes a permanent Miraculous holder when Master Fu givers her Pollen, becoming the hero Marigold]].

** All of the [[SuperSoldier Spartan-IIs]] are this, with it being noted that Dr. Catherine Halsey chose through her screenings ChildProdigy candidates who would have grown into exceptional human beings even if they never became Spartans. This is borne out in their training, where even before they received their BioAugumentation these prepubscent trainees were capable of fighting, overpowering, and even ''killing'' their adult trainers in one-one engagements.

* In ''Series/WandaVision'', this happens to [[spoiler:[[Characters/MarvelComicsMarvels Monica Rambeau]] after she re-enters [[EldritchLocation the Hex]], turning her into an {{Energy Being|s}}]]. After [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction S.W.O.R.D.]] learns that [[Characters/ScarletWitch Wanda's]] RealityWarper powers are rewriting the DNA of the inhabitants of Westview, [[spoiler:Monica]] is advised not to go back, as she's already been in and out once and nobody knows what going through it again would do to her.

Compare TookALevelInBadass, where a character who was legitimately weak gets a power boost. PowerLossMakesYouStrong and BoxingLessonsForSuperman are inversions. Contrast with SuperheroPackingHeat, where someone who already has powers decides to pick up a gun (or other prosaic weapon).

** Similarly Harley Quinn in mainstream ComicBook/PostCrisis DC comics continuity, although it isn't often stated -- after the first time [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] tried to kill her, [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] took her in and gave her a herbal SuperSerum that permanently gave her mildly superhuman strength, agility, and resilience, explaining why a [[WaifFu skinny young woman]] can beat up massive combat-trained guys when before she was just "merely" an Olympic level gymnast. This may or may not still be canon in the New 52 and Rebirth continuities.

* This used to come and go for ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, with him gaining and losing superhuman levels of strength depending on the writers, before it was finally decided that his iconic status in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse was partly founded on him being a [[SuperStrength slightly-above-pinnacle of human physical ability]] (being the [[CaptainPatriotic Living Symbol of America]] didn't hurt either). SuperSerum wasn't too super, though given what Steve Rogers was [[GeekPhysique before then]] it's still damn impressive. Steve Rogers' power was eventually set at a hair above normal (non-mutant) human maximum. This is not the case for the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel version, however, who was clearly superhuman from the get go.

** The most famous example is ComicBook/BlackCanary. Before joining the Justice League, Black Canary had no superpowers, but one issue immediately after joining the Justice League, Black Canary suddenly acquired the [[MakeMeWannaShout Canary Cry]], a sonic projection weapon emitted from her mouth. This conflicted so much with her traditional BadassNormal nature, that her solo series and the smaller scale ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'' constantly use KryptoniteIsEverywhere to force her to solve problems without using superpowers. Oh, it gets better. The Canary Cry is sometimes described as being ''so insanely powerful'' that any time she uses it, she's basically holding back so as not to ''completely and utterly eff up'' everything within earshot. It's put a hurt on characters who are considered to be ''much'' heavier hitters. Of course, this ironically lets the writers who are so inclined hold this back and [[FightsLikeANormal let her use her 'fu as her primary weapon]]: The Canary Cry really ''is'' that powerful, and you use the conventional weapons before you NukeEm. Gangs of {{Mooks}} and non-ComicBook/{{Superman}}-class superpowered thugs can easily be defeated by her martial prowess. The Canary Cry serves as her trump card against much stronger and or unconventional opponents or as an urgent contingency if she needs to end matters quickly (in DC Showcase: Green Arrow, she saves the Green Arrow and the princess from being stabbed by Count Vertigo with the Cry, likely since his vertigo-inducing powers would mess with her fighting.)

** Stars and Stripes -- Star Spangled Kid got ComicBook/{{Starman}}'s cosmic rod and technology, while Stripesy built a mech for himself. Their successor, [[Characters/StarsAndSTRIPE Stargirl]] continues to use Starman's technology.

** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': In a 1968 issue [[Characters/WonderWomanAllies Steve Trevor]] took a temporary SuperSerum in the form of pills which gave him FlyingBrick powers, and he took the name of "Patriot". Although the story ended with a hint of possible future adventures, "Patriot" never appeared again, likely due to the all-new mod ComicBook/WonderWoman just being around the corner.

* Franchise/SpiderMan love interest the Characters/{{Black Cat|MarvelComics}} started out as a skilled thief, acrobat and martial artist. Feeling like she was a liability to Peter because of her lack of powers, she underwent a procedure that granted her the ability to [[WindsOfDestinyChange affect probability]]. Unfortunately, these powers also affected Spider-Man negatively (not surprising as it was a scheme by [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheKingpin The Kingpin]] to screw with Spider-Man). ComicBook/DoctorStrange was able to remove these abilities from her and she was left enhanced strength, speed, agility, reflexes, [[WolverineClaws retractable claws]] and night vision. She later lost those abilities too thanks to a device created by the Chameleon and ComicBook/BrandNewDay saw her probability manipulating powers restored.
* ComicBook/{{Tigra}} of Creator/MarvelComics fame started as The Cat, a lab assistant who used a super suit to make her comparable to Captain America, and give her finger claw grapples. Said suit also played a part into turning teen humor character ComicBook/PatsyWalker into BadassNormal superhero [[Characters/PatsyWalkerAKAHellcat Hellcat]]. She later developed some vaguely defined psychic abilities, placing her squarely in this trope.

* ''Fanfic/FairyMayCry'': As an experiment, [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening Arkham]] implants a [[Manga/FairyTail lacrima]] into [[TheGunslinger Lady]]. [[spoiler:It's not until the Tenrou Island Arc that it takes effect, giving her [[ExtraOredinary Steel Devil Slayer Magic]], on top of her extensive arsenal of firearms and explosives]].

* In ''Fanfic/ToHellAndBackArrowverse'', [[Characters/TheFlashBarryAllen Barry]] was the fastest in the League of Assassins when it came to drawing and using a weapon. He was so fast that his League name was Al Sa'iqa or "The Lightning"; he got his League name five years before gaining SuperSpeed. [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]] was also a superb fighter years before her powers surfaced.

* ''Fanfic/VoyagesOfTheWildSeaHorse:'' Shampoo, a [[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Chinese Amazon]] who is already strong enough to [[ThereWasADoor smash through walls with her bare hands]], eats a [[PowerUpFood Devil Fruit]] after being trapped in the world of ''Manga/OnePiece''. Zigzagged in that the precise fruit is the "Rabbit-Rabbit Fruit", a [[{{Animorphism}} Zoan]] that grants its user all the powers of a rabbit -- something that [[LampshadeHanging those around her]] bluntly admit [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway doesn't sound very impressive]]. The kicker is that those powers [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower are actually pretty badass]]. For starters, just from Shampoo's perspective, the [[MagicAIsMagicA unexpected fusion of Jusenkyo curse and Zoan Devil Fruit]] strips her of her InvoluntaryTransformation curse, meaning she no longer is forced to turn into a small cat when splashed by cold water, and turns her into a [[MixAndMatchCritters cabbit]], meaning she no longer triggers her beloved Ranma's [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes ailurophobia]]. Then there's the standard physical boosts common to all Zoans, which in Shampoo's case consists of currently unspecified levels of SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, SuperReflexes, [[InASingleBound Super Jumping]] and SuperSenses (predominantly SuperHearing, but her sense of smell is noted to have improved too). Then there's the other, more esoteric powers that Shampoo either hasn't figured out yet or is only starting to explore, such as her [[WolverineClaws retractile talons]] and [[TunnelKing ability to dig through almost anything]], or her potential for learning/mastering leg-based martial arts tricks, such as [[FlashStep Shave]], [[NotQuiteFlight Moon Walk]] and [[RazorWind Tempest Kick]].

* Vlad Dracula in ''Film/DraculaUntold'' is introduced as a skilled warrior with such a fearsome reputation that it made his foes cower and retreat with the mere mention of his name. His very first feat upon rising as a vampire is [[OneManArmy to put down an army of a thousand Turks]] [[Awesome/DraculaUntold by himself]].

* At the end of ''Film/JennifersBody'', during the final battle between the FinalGirl Needy and her [[DemonicPossession demon-possessed]] [[FormerFriendOfAlphaBitch former best friend]] Jennifer, [[spoiler:Needy gets bitten by Jennifer and later learns that she gained some of Jennifer's demonic powers, including [[PowerFloats hovering]] and SuperStrength. She uses these powers to break out of the psychiatric hospital where she's locked up and go after Low Shoulder, the [[RockMeAsmodeus Satanic emo band]] responsible for Jennifer's possession and the events of the film.]] As she puts it, she finally got lucky for once in her miserable life.

* In ''Series/MoonKnight2022'', Marc was a badass long before he became Khonsu's Moon Knight, and even afterwards he still manages to win fights without the armor during the day time. [[spoiler:In the final episode, Layla also briefly gets empowered when she becomes Tawaret's Avatar]].

** Before that, in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'', the Boss briefly got superpowers in the final part of the DLC campaign "The Trouble with Clones", curtesy of an irradiated energy drink.

* In ''VideoGame/VermintideII'', some the DownloadableContent packs give magical powers to the previously non-magical protagonists (except for [[TokenWizard Sienna Fuegonasus]], so far). Markus Kruber becomes a superhuman [[ThePaladin Grail Knight]], [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Bardin Gorrekson]] becomes a [[GatlingGood Gatling-wielding]] [[GadgeteerGenius Outcast Engineer]], [[OurElvesAreDifferent Kerillian]] becomes a part-plant [[GreenThumb Sister of the Thorn]], and [[TheWitchHunter Victor Saltzpyre]] beocomes a hammer-swinging [[ChurchMilitant Warrior-Priest of Sigmar.]]

* In the ''Soul'' fighting games, Hwang is a Korean swordsman and national hero who sets out into the world to find the [[ArtifactOfDoom "Sword of Salvation"]] and save his country from the Japanese. In ''VideoGame/SoulCaliburVI'''s new timeline, he is Malfested and commits suicide to prevent himself being ReforgedIntoAMinion, but he is brought back to life by a Taoist sage and taught how to use Taoist magic that makes him [[LightningBruiser even more powerful]]... but [[CastFromHitPoints at the cost of his lifeforce]].

* The Fed[[note]]Real name: [[LateArrivalSpoiler Patrick Mulcahy]][[/note]] from ''Webcomic/AGirlAndHerFed'' -- already a hulking M.I.B-type, ticks fully over to this trope once [[spoiler: [[ItMakesSenseInContext The ghost of Ben Franklin reprograms the magitech chip in his head, granting him the ability to control and interface any electronic device, see ghosts, and more]].]] These abilities are eventually conferred to most of the surving agents of the "Pocket President" program.

** {{Inverted}} with Sam the supernaturally powerful vampire being mundanely empowered by being given a gun so that he can get past someone using his vampire weaknesses against him. Who cares if they can repel you from coming close when you can [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim just shoot them]]?

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'': Gwen starts out as a 10-year old girl who knows karate. She later learns magic after getting her hands on a spellbook. ZigZagged by TheReveal in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' that she and Ben are part EnergyBeing and the spellbook was a MagicFeather.

* In ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', as in the comics, [[Characters/BatmanDeathstroke Slade Wilson]] starts out as a badass, sword-swinging secret agent before he gets injected with [[PsychoSerum Mirakuru]]. Even after he's cured, he can still fight off Oliver and Thea single handed.

* In ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', as in the comics, [[Characters/BatmanDeathstroke Slade Wilson]] starts out as a BadAss, sword-swinging secret agent before he gets injected with [[PsychoSerum Mirakuru]]. Even after he's cured, he can still fight off Oliver and Thea single handed.

* ''Fanfic/VoyagesOfTheWildSeaHorse:'' Shampoo, a [[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Chinese Amazon]] who is already strong enough to [[ThereWasADoor smash through walls with her bare hands]], eats a [[PowerUpFood Devil Fruit]] after being trapped in the world of ''Manga/OnePiece''. Zigzagged in that the precise fruit is the "Rabbit-Rabbit Fruit", a [[{{Animorphism}} Zoan]] that grants its user all the powers of a rabbit -- something that [[LampshadeHanging those around her]] bluntly admit [[[[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway doesn't sound very impressive]]. The kicker is that those powers [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower are actually pretty badass]]. For starters, just from Shampoo's perspective, the [[MagicAIsMagicA unepected fusion of Jusenkyo curse and Zoan Devil Fruit]] strips her of her InvoluntaryTransformation and turns her into a [[MixAndMatchCritters cabbit]], meaning she no longer presses her beloved Ranma's [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes ailurophobia]]. Then there's the standard physical boosts common to all Zoans, which in Shampoo's case consists of currently unspecified levels of SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, SuperReflexes, [[InASingleBound Super Jumping]] and SuperSenses (predominantly SuperHearing, but her sense of smell is noted to have improved too). Then there's the other, more esoteric powers that Shampoo either hasn't figured out yet or is only starting to explore, such as her [[WolverineClaws retractile talons]] and [[TunnelKing ability to dig through almost anything]], or her potential for learning/mastering leg-based martial arts tricks, such as [[FlashStep Shave]], [[NotQuiteFlight Moon Walk]] and [[RazorWind Tempest Kick]].

* Tedd from ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' starts out magically impaired, meaning that he can never have his own spells. His response to that can be summed up as "Screw you, I'll make my own magic", and he does just that, manufacturing various {{Magitek}} tools designed for everyday use. [[spoiler: Then an immortal gives him magic powers.]] And then we find out later that [[spoiler: he may have had an extra-normal ability all along -- the ability to physically perceive magic and intuit its workings -- and wrote it off as IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat]].