History Main / EmpoweredBadassNormal

** The most famous example is Characters/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.)

** As a race, the Nords are the resident {{Badass Normal}}s of Tamriel. They are a {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}} of HornyVikings who epitomize the idea of HumansAreWarriors, but they are least magically inclined race (and have a [[DoesNotLikeMagic strong dislike of magic and distrust of magic-users]] to boot). Despite this, their ancestors were able to carve out a foothold in Skyrim by nearly driving the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Falmer (Snow Elves)]], who it is said were nearly as naturally magically inclined as the modern Altmer (High Elves), to [[FinalSolution extinction]]. The "empowerment" comes in when the Nords, facing the threat of the Dragons and their [[ReligionOfEvil Dragon Cults]], prayed for aid from the Divines and were granted it. They were taught how to use the [[MakeMeWannaShout Thu'um]], the LanguageOfMagic of the Dragons which allows users to "shout" [[RealityWarper elements into existence]] as well as some other [[UtilityMagic utilitarian]] effects. Led by the Tongues, masters of the Thu'um, the ancient Nord armies vanquished the Dragons and their Cults, then forged an Empire that covered nearly all of north Tamriel. A succession crisis would eventually tear it apart, and then the use of the Thu'um as a weapon of war dropped dramatically after their defeat at the Battle of Red Mountain, following which one of those Tongues (Jurgen Windcaller) founded the "Way of the Voice" to use the Thu'um only [[HeelFaithTurn honor the gods]].

* ''Fanfic/{{Spider-Ninja}}'': Petra was taken in by Master Splinter when she was four, and was a skilled martial artist by the time she was fourteen, as well as a TeenGenius who (alongside [[BrotherSisterTeam Donatello]]) was capable of building any machine or device the family needed. This was all ''before'' she took a fateful trip to [=OsCorp=] and became her dimension's version of Spider-Man.

** Happened subtly, mostly the "TouchedByVorlons" variety. Jack O'Neill was already badass before the reveal that he has the gene necessary to use the technology of the Ancients. Same for Sam Carter and being used as a host by a Tok'ra. Daniel Jackson was an ActionSurvivor until he [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended to a higher plane of existence]] (twice). The difference between before and after is relatively minor in some cases, but it's definitely there.

* Depending on player choices, ''Franchise/MassEffect'''s Commander Shepard can be this by the second game. A non-biotic Shepard is a BadassNormal in the first game (or not, given genetic upgrades are standard issue), but Cerberus adds upgrades in the second. Regardless of class selection, Shepard is given a reinforced skeleton, enhanced senses, tougher skin, increased strength and stamina and virtual immunity to toxins. If you choose a new class with an imported save, it's justified by saying Cerberus' tinkering gave Shepard new abilities. Even if you don't change classes from a non-biotic class, the game lets you unlock loyalty powers, which include a few biotic abilities.

* Partway through ''Fanfic/Ben10Unlimited'', Ship decides to help Batman during a fight. He does so by covering him and turning his costume into a mechanical [[JustForPun Bat-tle suit]] (complete with Bat ears!) Batman has no complaints.

* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'': The Glatorian are already combat veterans with millenia of experience, so Mata Nui [[SuperEmpowering giving them elemental powers]] to fight the Skrall is firmly in this category.
** This applies to the Toa Inika as well; before becoming warriors with ElementalPowers, Jaller and Kongu were each TheCaptain of their villages' defense forces, Nuparu was a [[GadgeteerGenius master engineer]] whose creations gave the Matoran a fighting chance against the Bohrok swarm, Hewkii was a champion athlete and Hahli had already had a huge island-spanning adventure. The only possible exception is Matoro (though he was still SecretKeeper to Turaga Nuju and thus developed significant mental fortitude), which was the major contributing factor to his view of himself as TheLoad.

* In ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', as in the comics, [[Characters/{{Deathstroke}} 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.

* [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] 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.
* Tigra of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' 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 ComicBook/{{Hellcat}}. She later developed some vaguely defined psychic abilities, placing her squarely in this trope.

** This is at least partially true for the normal [[Characters/SHIELDDirectors Nick Fury]], who is badass and... virtually immortal, thanks to an anti-aging formula he took so he wouldn't age out of useful service. That near-immortality applies only to natural causes of death, though; Nick's survival in combat is purely a result of his badassitude. [[spoiler: Though it turns out that it's a lie. Nick Fury is actually pretty old, but still a badass [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] with robotic duplicates as revealed in ''ComicBook/OriginalSin''.]]
* The various men who have gone by the title of [[ComicBook/BlackKnightMarvelComics Black Knight]] have tended to be skilled swordsmen and equestrians in their own right even before taking up the Ebony Blade. The sword (sometimes cursed, sometimes just evil) gives the Black Knight various powers, including a HealingFactor, a bit of resurrective immortality, flight, magic armor, things like that.

* ''Fanfic/{{Spider-Ninja}}'': Petra was taken in by Master Splinter at four, and was a skilled martial artist by the time she was fourteen, as well as a TeenGenius who (alongside [[BrotherSisterTeam Donatello]]) was capable of building any machine or device the family needed. This was all ''before'' she took a fateful trip to [=OsCorp=] and became her dimension's version of Spider-Man.

* Tigra of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' 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/{{Spider-Ninja}}'': Petra was taken in by Splinter at four, and was a skilled martial artist by the time she was fourteen, as well as a TeenGenius who (alongside Donatello) was capable of building any machine or device the family needed. This was all ''before'' she took a fateful trip to Oscorp and became her dimension's version of Spider-Man.

* The Sisters of Battle of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' are for all intents and purposes normal humans, albeit [[TrainingFromHell trained to elite levels]], and equipped with PoweredArmor, and a [[{{BFG}} Boltgun]]. Their faith in the God-Emperor though is ''so'' strong that it gives them incredible powers on par with psionics (only explicitly ''not'' warp derived, therefore without possibility of invoking Perils of the Warp). These used to be so good that many players preferred to design their army ''specifically'' around Acts of Faith to make a competitive list, although the sixth edition codex has kicked the entire faction down to low-tier.

** While the fluff tends to focus on the ones that were formerly Chaos Marines, Daemon Princes are this trope. Ordinary mortals who become veritable {{Physical God}}s in recognition of their sheer badassery. Like Ax'Senaea the Thrice-Possessed, an ordinary human who ''consumed'' three of Slaanesh's Greater Daemons to make herself young and hearty again, and was aiming for number four when Slaanesh made her a Daemon Princess.

* Higgs from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' is an interesting example. At first he seems normal, but it is later implied [[spoiler:(and later still confirmed) that he is actually one of the [[SuperSoldier Jägergenerals]]. For unknown reasons, he kept his human body after taking the Jägerdraught, but internally, he's 100% Jäger]].
** This is inferred to be the case for anyone who takes the [[SuperSoldierSerum the Jägerdraught]]. Those who didn't already possess some level of BadassNormal strength tended not to survive the experience.

* Higgs from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' is an interesting example. At first he seems normal, but it is later implied [[spoiler:(and later still confirmed that he is actually one of the [[SuperSoldier Jägergenerals]]. For unknown reasons, he kept his human body after taking the Jägerdraught, but internally, he's 100% Jäger]].

* Higgs from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' is an interesting example. At first he seems normal, but it is later implied that he is actually [[spoiler:one of the [[SuperSoldier Jägergenerals]]]].

* ''Fanfic/LadybugInAHalfShell'': With Hawk Moth's powers, Shredder's burns have now fully healed and is bestowed [[ShockAndAwe lighting powers]].

'''Important Note:''' Empowered Badass Normal is a trope that specifically deals with a BadassNormal who gains superpowers. It does ''not'' mean "Badass with superpowers." There are plenty of other Badass-related tropes to deal with those. Please help us fight this TropeDecay.

* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': [[spoiler: Soichirou Kuzuki]] is an extremely well-trained assassin that can weep the floor with most normal humans attackers, but is devoid of any magic talent. When Caster is Reinforcing his body, however, he can easily overpower a powerful, full-fledged mage like Rin and even ''hold is own against [[spoiler: Saber]]'', although he cannot hope to win that fight and can merely hope to survive it.

** Eventually, Shredder himself ended up as a mutant by the second half of the fourth season, as a savage beating by Splinter left him bed-ridden and demanding Baxter Stockman to inject a lot of experimental mutagen. The result? Super Shredder; has super strength, is even ''more'' nigh-undefeatable than before, and can generate bony spike blades.

* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse fic "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/40945617/ Spider-Man: Finding Home]]" sees Black Widow Yelena Belova [[spoiler:receive the White Tiger amulet from Wakanda; the amulet had been previously cursed to drive the wearers insane, but after Kraven the Hunter tried to steal it, Yelena is forced to use the amulet to help Spider-Man at a crucial moment, her actions somehow purifying the amulet and T'Challa granting her permission to keep it]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'', it is confirmed by the creators of the show that Slade has enhanced durability and a super healing factor. After being killed at the end of the second season, he's resurrected as an undead servant of [[GreaterScopeVillain Trigon]], and gets a another truckload of superpowers out of the deal: [[PlayingWithFire pyrokinetics]], {{flight}}, [[VillainTeleportation teleportation]], [[{{Intangibility}} phasing]], and NighInvulnerability. He's eventually stripped of these powers, though it doesn't slow him down much.

* ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'': [[PlayerCharacter Corvo]] was an in-universe MemeticBadass before [[HumanoidAbomination The Outsider]] gifted him with a PowerTattoo. His skills with a blade were legendary amongst the city guard, and in game they can occasionally be heard recounting times they saw him in action. Giving him supernatural powers just made him more lethal.

** The sequel, ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'' introduces the Midnight Angel-armors, two [[PowerSuit Power Suits]] created by Shuri. In the movie's FinalBattle, [[spoiler: Okoye and Aneka, two members of the Royal bodyguard group [[ActionGirl Dora Milaje]] don the suits after showing before they are pretty capable at their own.]]