History Main / NewSuperPower

* A constant plot element used in ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''. By the end of the show, he has the powerful [[MakeMeWannaShout ghostly wail]], [[AnIcePerson ice powers]], and even managed to [[MesACrowd split into four]] (a power he's been trying to harness for months), among others.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'', "Big Tick": Ben, to his surprise, discovers that the Omnitrix can turn him into more than ten aliens, and becomes Cannonbolt. Cannonbolt doesn't breathe fire or shoot freeze rays from his eyes, and is likewise devoid of magnetic blasts. In addition, he has problems balancing. The form can, however, curl up into an armored ball and roll, alternately ricocheting off of things or smashing through them. When all of Ben's other forms fail to stop the immense, world-destroying MonsterOfTheWeek, Ben must, despite his initial misgivings, use this form to save the world. Cannonbolt is actually useful again a few episodes later against a recurring antagonist who had, in an earlier episode, absorbed the powers of Ben's original ten forms, and goes on to become one of Ben's more frequently-used alien forms.

* In the ''ComicBook/WildCards'' series, Creator/RogerZelazny's character "The Sleeper" gets his name because every time he wakes up he has a different set of superpowers. He stays awake for a few weeks (stretching it out with meth), then sleeps for a few months, and does it again. After several years of this, he develops a routine upon waking. It goes something like, "I couldn't pick up my bed with one hand, so I knew it wasn't super-strength this time, and I cut myself shaving, so it couldn't be invulnerability. Exercising my throat only made it rasp, so I didn't have the subsonic vocalizations I had that one time either..."
* ComicBook/{{Superboy}}, the clone of Superman, started out with tactile telekinesis which allowed him to simulate Superman's basic FlyingBrick powers and stayed this way for over a decade (real life time), but starting shortly before he joined the ComicBook/TeenTitans, he started picking up Superman's abilities in earnest. As of the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' series, Superboy now has all of Superman's powers having manifested freeze breath just in time to start a black lantern ring. The reason for the shift was the retconning of his origin to make him a true hybrid clone of Franchise/{{Superman}} and ComicBook/LexLuthor.
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'': Tying in with the live-action film series, he was granted organic webshooters. After the events in "The Other", he developed night-vision and stingers within his body. Since ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'', however, these abilities have been RetConned away, and eventually passed onto [[ComicBook/ScarletSpider his clone Kaine]].
* Years ago, several [[ComicBook/XMen mutants]] developed secondary powers well after their initial abilities had become apparent. For example, Emma Frost can turn into diamond, though it inhibits her psionic talents. In recent times, Psylocke has developed telekinesis on top of her (apparently temperamental) telepathy.
* In [[ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight]], the titular character is apparently killed in the penultimate climactic battle, only to wake up several hours later and discover that she is now a FlyingBrick. By the end of the season, she is [[ResetButton back to normal]].
* In the first appearance of the ''Comicbook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' MirrorUniverse counterparts, the Crime Syndicate, it's explained that Ultraman gains a new power every time he's exposed to Kryptonite. In this case, it's dimensional vision, letting him see Earth-One and kicking off the plot. While the idea that he's powered by Kryptonite remains, the "new powers every time" aspect gets downplayed in later appearances.

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* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' features this trope in spades. When the series starts Clark only had the speed, invulnerability, and strength of latter-day Superman, all at a relatively reduced level owing to his being a teen. Over the series each of his abilities (X-Ray vision, heat vision, super-hearing, telescopic/microscopic vision) has developed, some spontaneously, some as a result of a condition (i.e. hearing when he became blinded). Flight is hinted at, but it's unknown if it'll appear in the series due to the creator's "No Tights, No Flights" rule, until the finale finally showed it.
** ''Smallville'' had sexual tension linked to Clark's heat vision, temporary blindness leading to super-hearing, and super-breath manifesting in a sneeze.
** Honorable note, Clark's heat vision problems happen again when he [[EasyAmnesia loses his memory]]. Thus lost control of all his powers and had to relearn them. The same happened with his X-Ray Vision, Super Strength, and Super Speed-- which all happen in a matter of hours, as opposed to the three seasons it took the first time.
** Other people, such as Lionel Luthor, have run into the heat vision problem when possessing Clark's body and/or powers.

* In ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'', Barry sometimes has to practice a few times in order to get the hang of a new power (or rather, a new application of his superspeed). Notably, the episode, where he learns to leap long distances show him rather spectacularly failing, with Cisco being forced to catch him with his drones. Naturally, the episode's climax has him succeeding in leaping across a broken bridge. When Ralph learns his flexibility also allows him to shapeshift into other people (including copying their voice), he initially has trouble shifting (or even turning back into himself), but is able to perfectly imitate [[spoiler:Clifford [=DeVoe=]]] by the episode's end. After Wally becomes Kid Flash, several episodes involve Barry trying to teach to him one of his tricks (such as phasing).
* In ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'', Firestorm learns [[FusionDance he/they]] can transmute object. However, it takes many tries before he/they can actually do it instead of simply melting the object. Initially, all he/they can transmute the target into is water (which appears to work on complex alien machinery as well, such as Thanagarian meteorites and Dominator bombs). However, near the end of Season 2, he/they transforms a stone obelisk into a pile of ''jelly beans''.
* ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'': Many members of the 4400 have difficulty controlling their powers when they first manifest, typically causing major problems for the people around them as well as NTAC.

* A large part of the Freelancer plot in ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' was the Freelancer Agents learning to use their armor abilities and AI.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'', "Ice Sore": Blossom develops freeze breath on the hottest day of the year. But when her use of it accidentally lets some robbers make a clean getaway (freezing the robbers' getaway car, as well as the road, actually allows it to slide to safety), she vows not to use it anymore. Right after that though, her sisters literally have to beg to get her to use her ice breath against a huge fiery meteor that's about to crash into Townsville.

* In the first appearance of the ''Comicbook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' MirrorUniverse counterparts, it's explained that Ultraman gains a new power every time he's exposed to Kryptonite. In this case, it's dimensional vision, letting him see Earth-One and kicking off the plot. While the idea that he's powered by Kryptonite remains, the "new powers every time" aspect gets downplayed in later appearances.

* A large part of the ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' series, with Harry being the main recipient (being a demigod helps in this respect, especially when [[spoiler: your mother merged with the Phoenix, you're cousins with Jean Grey, and]] Doctor Strange has been arranging matters to stack the deck in your favour), albeit fairly slowly - at first, he gets some wandless magic, which mostly consists of a degree of PlayingWithFire, which takes until chapter 50 to be of any use. He gets potentially vastly powerful PsychicPowers too... but they only start appearing consistently from chapter 55 onwards and, until chapter 70, [[PowerIncontinence are actually far more dangerous to him and those around him than they are useful.]] And then there's the intermittent SuperStrength, which again takes a while to appear, doesn't really stray above SuperSoldier levels, which is still sufficient that he's terrified he's [[PowerIncontinence accidentally going to squash]] [[{{Fingore}} someone's hand one day]]. So, yeah. As you might expect, Harry's BlessedWithSuck.

** Tennyo is probably a better example.
** Jade toes the line between this and "New Powers as the Plot Demands." Note that most of her 'limitations' are probably psychological in nature.
* The ''Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'' used the ''TabletopGame/HeroSystem'' rules regarding ExperiencePoints, thus allowing characters to [[PointBuy purchase]] new powers. Restrictions were put into place, however, that only allowed new superpowers that made sense when compared to the character's base concepts. Several storylines involved the player figuring out how to use these new powers.

** Grif wasn't quite so successful.

The discovery may be NewPowersAsThePlotDemands, if they're found at the exact moment when they'd be most useful, but that trope more often applies to powers the ''characters'' know aboutm even if the audience won't.

Ultimately it will solve his problem that week. Half the time it's never important again, but the other half of the time it becomes a major step forward for the character. NewPowersAsThePlotDemands is when this is [[AssPull Ass Pulled]] (i.e. it comes out of nowhere and there is no learning curve).

** Other people, such as Lionel Luther, have run into the heat vision problem when possessing Clark's body and/or powers.

* Franchise/Spiderman: Tying in with the live-action film series, he was granted organic webshooters. After the events in "The Other", he developed night-vision and stingers within his body. Since ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'', however, these abilities have been RetConned away, and eventually passed onto [[ComicBook/ScarletSpider his clone Kaine]].

* Attempting to deal with her newfound powers in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', caused [[spoiler:Sari to nearly kill Bumblebee as well as self-destruct]]. She reduced herself to shooting small energy blasts and using her jetpack for the rest of the series and never returned to her more superpowered state--[[MarySue thankfully.]]