History Main / PowerLossDepression

This trope is when a character who gets {{DePower}}ed becomes utterly miserable following the loss of their incredible abilities. Whether the character is TheCutie or a {{Jerkass}}, the point is that losing cool powers sucks. If the character was [[{{Mutants}} born with their abilities]], the powers could be seen as comparable to their [[AnArmAndALeg limbs]] or [[SenseLossSadness senses]], hence why the loss hits them so hard.

-->'''Clark''': What am I without those powers? Nothing! You said so yourself! Didn't you?

** Averted with Rogue whose powers were one of the worst examples of BlessedWithSuck in the X-Men universe. She willingly took the Cure and is happy that she can touch Bobby without killing him.

** ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Issue #25 of Dan Slott's run has [[spoiler: Franklin lose his powers after a fight with an enemy called the Cormorant. Desperate to restore his powers, he tries to enter Krakoa using a special gateway only to find it doesn't work for him. Xavier contacts him and reveals that Franklin was never really a mutant but someone who altered himself to have an X-gene in order to fulfill his subconscious desire to be special. This revelation utterly devastates Franklin who was already moping about being a "normal" person.]]
** ''Franchise/XMen'':
*** Characters/MarvelComicsStorm had her powers accidentally removed by Henry Gyrich with a gun invented by the mutant machinist Forge. It took some time for her to overcome her depression over this, especially since she was in a relationship with Forge before learning he created the weapon that de-powered her. Her journey of self-discovery across Africa in ''Uncanny X-Men #198'' explores how psychologically shattered she feels before coming to terms with her new (temporary) status quo.
*** ComicBook/WarrenWorthingtonIII had his wings amputated after they were mutilated by Harpoon, one of Mr. Sinister's Marauders, costing him his power of flight. ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}} takes advantage of Warren's emotional turmoil over the loss of his wings by offering to give him new wings in exchange for becoming one of his [[TheFourHorsemenOfTheApocalypse Four Horsemen]].
*** ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen'': Wing, a student with the power of {{Flight}} and one of Armor's friends, commits suicide after Ord injects him with the Mutant Cure.
*** ComicBook/{{Magneto}} is left a shell-shocked and broken man at the end of ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' after the ComicBook/ScarletWitch strips him and the majority of Mutants of their powers.
*** ComicBook/{{Polaris}} is among the Mutants who lost their powers during M-Day. Issue #177 of X-Men Volume 2 opens with her lamenting how empty and lifeless she feels without her powers. For a time, she tries to keep her depowerment a secret before revealing what happened to her and leaving the team.
*** ''ComicBook/XFactor2006'': The first issue opens with Rictor about to commit suicide due to losing his powers following [[ComicBook/HouseOfM M-Day]]. He is talked out of it but still has his moments of sadness and volatility over it. He regains them via [[ComicBook/TheInhumans Terrigen Crystals]] provided by ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} only to lose them again and become even more depressed leading to him having SexForSolace with Rahne. He almost quits the team because he feels useless as the only one without powers.
*** ''ComicBook/XMenDeadlyGenesis'': Downplayed with ComicBook/ProfessorX. Scarlet Witch restores the world to normal with Xavier once again possessing the ability to walk but he loses his telepathic powers. Xavier likens it to being deaf or still being a cripple but he handles it considerably better than most of the other examples on this page, especially his fellow X-Men.

* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Issue #25 of Dan Slott's run has [[spoiler: Franklin lose his powers after a fight with an enemy called the Cormorant. Desperate to restore his powers, he tries to enter Krakoa using a special gateway only to find it doesn't work for him. Xavier contacts him and reveals that Franklin was never really a mutant but someone who altered himself to have an X-gene in order to fulfill his subconscious desire to be special. This revelation utterly devastates Franklin who was already moping about being a "normal" person.]]
* ''ComicBook/JLAActOfGod'': The story has every single superpowered hero becoming complete wrecks after losing their powers. Particularly sad cases are Superman who becomes drunk and homeless after his relationship with Lois ends; Wonder Woman who [[DrivenToSuicide nearly commits suicide]]; and Kyle Rayner who obsessed with Sonar, a villain Kyle failed to stop when his ring was deactivated.
* ''ComicBook/PoisonIvy2022'': Ivy loses most of her [[GreenThumb Green powers]] due to merging with Queen Ivy back in ''Fear State''. The flashbacks in issues #1 and #2 show that she is deeply saddened by this, though the news that she is dying may also be a factor.
* ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'': Enchantress joined the team with the promise of having her problematic magic brought to heel or removed entirely. However, after a catastrophic mission in which the entity empowering her was destroyed, she took a large revolver and tried to force Nightshade to return her magic. One of Belle Reve's psychiatrists made it clear there's a big difference between voluntarily relinquishing the power and having it unwillingly taken away.
* ''Franchise/XMen'':
** ComicBook/{{Storm}} had her powers accidentally removed by Henry Gyrich with a gun invented by the mutant machinist Forge. It took some time for her to overcome her depression over this, especially since she was in a relationship with Forge before learning he created the weapon that de-powered her. Her journey of self-discovery across Africa in ''Uncanny X-Men #198'' explores how shattered she feels before coming to terms with what happened to her.
** ComicBook/WarrenWorthingtonIII had his wings amputated after they were mutilated by Harpoon, one of Mr. Sinister's Marauders, costing him his power of flight. ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}} takes advantage of Warren's emotional turmoil over the loss of his wings by offering to give him new wings in exchange for becoming one of his [[TheFourHorsemenOfTheApocalypse Four Horsemen]].
** ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen'': Wing, a student with the power of {{Flight}} and one of Armor's friends, commits suicide after Ord injects him with the Mutant Cure.
** ComicBook/{{Magneto}} is left a shell-shocked and broken man at the end of ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' after the ComicBook/ScarletWitch strips him and the majority of Mutants of their powers.
** ComicBook/{{Polaris}} is among the Mutants who lost their powers during M-Day. Issue #177 of X-Men Volume 2 opens with her lamenting how empty and lifeless she feels without her powers. For a time, she tries to keep her depowerment a secret before revealing what happened to her and leaving the team.
** ''ComicBook/XFactor2006'': The first issue opens with Rictor about to commit suicide due to losing his powers following [[ComicBook/HouseOfM M-Day]]. He is talked out of it but still has his moments of sadness and volatility over it. He regains them via [[ComicBook/TheInhumans Terrigen Crystals]] provided by ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} only to lose them again and become even more depressed leading to him having SexForSolace with Rahne. He almost quits the team because he feels useless as the only one without powers.
** ''ComicBook/XMenDeadlyGenesis'': Downplayed with ComicBook/ProfessorX. Scarlet Witch restores the world to normal with Xavier once again possessing the ability to walk but he loses his telepathic powers. Xavier likens it to being deaf or still being a cripple but he handles it considerably better than most of the other examples on this page, especially his fellow X-Men.

* ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'': In the ''Burial at Sea 2'' expansion, Elizabeth dies and is revived by Luteces but loses her power to access alternate timelines. This results in her feeling very distraught.
* ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndThePiratesCurse'': Shantae is shown to be very upset about [[spoiler: the loss of her magic at the end of the prior game]] and openly wonders if she's nothing without it.

This trope is when a character who gets {{De Power}}ed becomes utterly miserable following the loss of their incredible abilities. Whether the character is TheCutie or a {{Jerkass}}, the point is that losing cool powers sucks. If the character was [[{{Mutants}} born with their abilities]], the powers could be seen as comparable to their [[AnArmAndALeg limbs]] or [[SenseLossSadness senses]], hence why the loss hits them so hard.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': After being exposed to two-dimensional alien beings in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E10TheLoss The Loss]]", Counselor Deanna Troi suffers brain damage that causes her to lose her ability to [[TheEmpath read the emotions of other beings]]. She takes this very badly, becoming frightened, depressed and angry. She even decides to resign as Ship's Counselor because she feels she can no longer perform her duties.

* PlayedWith in ''Fanfic/TheKarmaOfLies'': Out of everyone, Alix takes the revelation that she's no longer going to be a Miraculous hero the hardest, despite the fact that she technically hadn't ''become'' Bunnyx yet, but had [[MyFutureSelfAndMe met her time-traveling adult self]]. Part of the reason she's so shaken by this is the implication that, in order to [[TrickedOutTime maintain the timeline]], [[spoiler:the Bunnyx she met may have been an imposter all along]].

** In "Power Outage", Barry's powers drained by a metahuman named Blackout who can [[ShockAndAwe control and absorb electricity]]. This greatly upsets Barry who had come to see his speed as being a part of him.

** ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'': The MilestoneCelebration episode, "Once A Ranger", has the Overdrive team reveling in the fun of being Power Rangers [[TemptingFate before being de-powered]]. Feeling they have nothing to contribute as Rangers, they decide to leave saving the world to the returning Veteran Rangers. However, they find their lives without being Rangers unsatisfactory and they return to action.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E10TheLoss The Loss]]" provides an example. After being exposed to two-dimensional alien beings, Counselor Deanna Troi suffers brain damage that causes her to lose her ability to [[TheEmpath read the emotions of other beings]]. She takes this very badly, becoming frightened, depressed and angry. She even decides to resign as Ship's Counselor because she feels she can no longer perform her duties.

** When [[SmugSuper Tahno]] the leader of the [[FictionalSport pro bending]] Wolfbats team first appears, he is an arrogant and sexist creep who mocks Korra's chances against him. Tahno is shown to be even more despicable when he and his team use blatantly illegal moves against the Fire Ferrets such as freezing and filling up water blasts with rocks, [[EasilyDistractedReferee all of which is ignored by the referee.]] Normally, Amon taking away Tahno's bending would put someone like him in the AssholeVictim category, but Tahno looks so miserable and small afterwards that one cannot help but feel sorry for him instead of reveling in his misfortune. It helps that Tahno [[TookALevelInKindness does show a nicer side]] after what happened to him.

Sometimes, PowerLossMakesYouStrong. Other times, it breaks you down.

** Downplayed with ComicBook/ProfessorX. Scarlet Witch restores the world to normal with Xavier once again possessing the ability to walk but he loses his telepathic powers. Xavier likens it to being deaf or still being a cripple but he handles it considerably better than most of the other examples on this list.

-->-- '''Storm''' laments the loss of her [[WeatherManipulation powers] in ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen'' #198

->''"I was attuned to the planet, man. We were two... but one... Like she was my mother and I was the baby in her belly. I felt the rain seeping through her dirt... the shifts in her tectonic plates... the life force in her, from every ant to every growing seed...I just ... and now... It's like someone threw a bag over my head. Stuffed my ears and nose with cotton.''
-->-- '''Rictor''', ''ComicBook/XFactor2006 #01''

-->'''Storm''': Once I would have ridden the wind. Now it drives me. The elements I shaped to my will have me at their mercy... And always, the wind - my friend, my servant, taunts me with its fury. It howls, it laughs, it mocks my very being. Without me, Ororo, it cries, you are nothing.
** ComicBook/WarrenWorthingtonIII had his wings amputated after they were mutilated by Harpoon, one of Mr Sinister's Marauders, costing him his power of flight. ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}} takes advantage of Warren's emotional turmoil over the loss of his wings by offering to give him new wings in exchange for becoming one of his [[TheFourHorsemenOfTheApocalypse Four Horsemen]].