History Main / IBelieveICanFly

* A good number of heroes in ''VideoGame/FreedomForce'' can fly or, at least, levitate (which is somewhere in-between running and flying, speed-wise; only [[PsychicPowers Mentor]] has this ability). This helps some heroes who are normally too slow to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time (e.g. Man-Bot). However, the fastest hero, Bullet, is a [[SuperSpeed speedster]] who can run faster than any other character can fly (and that's ''without'' using his special abilities to FlashStep). The original game includes [[DashingHispanic El Diablo]], Man O' War, Sea Urchin, [[SouthernBelle Alchemiss]], [[PoweredArmor Man-Bot]], and [[ClassyCatBurglar Blackbird]]. The sequel adds [[JetPack Sky King]], [[MayIncaTec Quetzalcoatl]], and [[OurGeniesAreDifferent Green Genie]]. A number of enemies can fly as well, including [[MyBrainIsBig Lord Dominion]], [[DirtyCommunists Red Oktober]], [[MakeMeWannaShout Fortissimo]], and Entropy ([[spoiler:Alchemiss after her FaceHeelTurn]]).

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': When [[Characters/MarvelComicsAngel Angel]] was introduced as a member of the X-Men, it was alongside the very flightless [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsBeast Beast]], while [[Characters/MarvelComicsIceman Iceman]]'s ice slides didn't offer the same level of maneuverability and ComicBook/JeanGrey couldn't levitate herself very far. But as the roster has expanded with characters who have flight as a side effect of their powers - [[Characters/MarvelComicsStorm Storm]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsRogue Rogue]] (after absorbing the right abilities), [[Characters/MarvelComicsMystique Mystique]], Cannonball, [[Characters/MarvelComicsApocalypse Apocalypse]], and so on - being stuck with huge feathered wings as a mutation must be annoying. In response, Angel has gained (and sometimes lost) a lot of other powers over the years, such as vision on par with a hawk's, being ''physically'' capable of flight i.e. being both lighter and stronger than normal humans, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic and recently universal donor blood with regenerative properties]] that, for ''some,'' can heal otherwise-doomed characters from fatal damage. And even when his power of flight was more exclusive, he always made it look like a lot of ''fun'', like every childhood daydream you've had but better.

* Amongst the big names of Franchise/TheDCU, you pretty much only have Franchise/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, and Franchise/TheFlash ([[{{WesternAnimation/Superfriends}} usually]]) incapable of flight, along with certain versions of Wonder Woman. Which makes ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} and Hawkgirl pretty lame, considering it's their featured ability. To give them more of a reason to be around, focus has started to shift to their skill at bashing villains with AntiMagic [[CarryABigStick maces]].

* Some incarnations of ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} have had NotQuiteFlight abilities as part of the RequiredSecondaryPowers that make him [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower a much higher-tier hero than he initially appears]].

* ''Franchise/XMen'': When Angel was introduced as a member of the X-Men, it was alongside the very flightless ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} and Beast, while Iceman's ice slides didn't offer the same level of maneuverability and Comicbook/JeanGrey couldn't levitate herself very far. But as the roster has expanded with characters who have flight as a side effect of their powers - ComicBook/{{Storm}}, ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, Rogue (after absorbing the right abilities), Mystique, Cannonball, ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}}, and so on - being stuck with huge feathered wings as a mutation must be annoying. In response, Angel has gained (and sometimes lost) a lot of other powers over the years, such as vision on par with a hawk's, being ''physically'' capable of flight i.e. being both lighter and stronger than normal humans, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic and recently universal donor blood with regenerative properties]] that, for ''some,'' can heal otherwise-doomed characters from fatal damage. And even when his power of flight was more exclusive, he always made it look like a lot of ''fun'', like every childhood daydream you've had but better.
* In the ''ComicBook/{{WITCH}}'' comic book, only Hay Lin, the Air Guardian, could fly outside of Kandrakar (where ''anyone'' can fly), in spite of [[PowerGivesYouWings all of them having wings]]. However, all of them could in the cartoon. This was compensated for in the second season when Hay Lin was the only to gain invisibility (which all of guardians could do in the comics).

* Subverted with ComicBook/SpiderMan. During the ''Acts of Vengeance'' storyline, when he became Captain Universe, he was able to fly, and didn't like it at all. He almost got airsick when he did it, and wondered how folks like ComicBook/IronMan managed it. (Of course, had the powers lasted, he may very well have mastered them and gotten used to it.)
** He seemed to adapt better during the ''Identity Crisis'' storyline. When he was a fugitive for assaulting Norman Osborn, he briefly abandoned his Spider-Man identity, and took on four others, including the Hornet, where he flew using a jetpack. He was much better at it, but neither it nor the other three identities lasted long. (He felt they simply weren't him, and no-one could argue.)
* In ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' Rayek learns the power of levitation, which is also shared by all of the Glider elves [[spoiler:except, to her eternal chagrin, Winnowill]].
* Most superheroes in ''ComicBook/JupitersLegacy'' seem to be [[FlyingBrick Flying Bricks]], albeit much weaker than the SupermanSubstitute protagonists.
* The ''ComicBook/FutureShorts'' story ''Gifts of The Magi'' featured a planet of flying brixks that had no stairs anywhere because none of the population needed them.
* In the ''ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer: Season 8'' comics, Buffy and Willow can now both fly which they couldn't do in the [=TV=] show.
* ''ComicBook/GoGirl'' comic books feature a girl who can fly, a power inherited from her mother.
* ''Jinty'' comic books had a short series in 1975 called ''Bird-Girl Brenda'', about a girl who could fly. Despite her name, she did not need wings.

* Amongst the big names of Franchise/TheDCU, you pretty much only have Franchise/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, and Franchise/TheFlash ([[{{WesternAnimation/Superfriends}} usually]]) incapable of flight, along with certain versions of Wonder Woman. Which makes ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} and Hawkgirl pretty lame, considering it's their featured ability. To give them more of a reason to be around, focus has started to shift to their skill at bashing villains with AntiMagic [[DropTheHammer maces]].

This trope describes when there are multiple characters with a wide variety of different abilities, but [[{{Flight}} the ability to fly]] [[NotQuiteFlight is surprisingly common.]] Even if the ability to fly comes from different sources for different people (e.g. gravity-manipulation versus "[[ComicBook/{{Superman}} I'm]] [[Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} from]] [[Comicbook/KryptoTheSuperdog Krypton]]"), they all seem to be able to fly in more or less the same manner.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'', "Levitation" and "Ray Wing" are simple and common spells that ensure almost every magic-user can fly.

* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', the ALO game's most famous feature is allowing players to fly through the air as a fairy race.

* In her video for ''Mushaboom'', Canadian signer Leslie {{Feist}} jumps out of a window fully believing that she will fly, and she does.

* Characters from the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' series have abilities ranging from SuperStrength to controlling insects to "[[SwissArmySuperpower manipulating boundaries]]," but without fail every single one of them can also fly. A footnote in [[http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Perfect_Memento_in_Strict_Sense/Flandre_Scarlet an article]] from ''[[AllThereInTheManual Perfect Memento in Strict Sense]]'' could imply that ''everyone'' in Gensokyo can fly, even the "normal" humans.

* In '[VideoGame/LegoMarvelSuperHeroes'', itself based on a comic book franchise and so prone to this, after shooting lasers easily the most common character ability is flight. Some characters also have 'hover' as an ability, which only hovers about a foot of the ground but allows for things like faster movement and travel over surface hazards and water.

* In the original ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' cartoon, all Decepticons could fly in robot mode, whether they turn into jets, cement mixers, tanks or cassette players. Compared to the Autobots, where flight in robot mode is mainly seen only from the few with flying altmodes (though this was inconsistent early on), this looks really weird.

* Three of the five core ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' can fly, either by superpowers or transforming into something with wings. To compensate for [[BadassNormal Robin]] and [[HollywoodCyborg Cyborg's]] little "handicap" is the [[IfItSwimsItFlies T-ship]] and the "glider-thing". Cyborg was once outfitted with rockets ("Maybe we should call me ''flyborg!''"), but was unfortunately unable to control his flight.

* According to the DVD commentary, originally all of ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' could fly except Mr. Incredible. This was going to be a sore spot for him. Of course as they worked out the script, eventually it got so that none of them could fly ([[spoiler:except possibly [[GooGooGodlike Jack-Jack]]]]).

* In ''LightNovel/MagicalGirlRaisingProject'', while some Magical Girls can fly via their special abilities, such as Top Speed (ride a fast broomstick) or Mao Pam (control four wings), others are able to fly because it's part of their motif, such as the Peaky Angels having wings (since they're angels) or Magicaloid 44 having rocket boosters (since she's a robot).