History Main / SuperHeroSpeciation

** Though Marine Scientist, Dr. Vegapunk found a way to copy a portion of light based devil-fruit powers of one of the admirals, and give them to the government's MechaMooks.

* And In ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', this is simultaneously averted powerwise, as both teams have doubles on powers (Iron Man and Warmachine, Cap and Bucky), and played straight role wise, with each team consisting of the leader, their BlackBestFriend who is better armed, a morally ambiguous superhuman dressed all in black, a former [=SHIELD=] agent, a wild card with fantastic superpowers, and [[AnimalThemedSuperbeing a bug themed late comer]] who spends the battle [[AscendedFanboy fanboying]].

* In ''Literature/AndreaVernonAndTheCorporationForUltraHumanProtection'', the Bronx CUP heroes consist of King Tiger (human-tiger mutant with SuperStrength and razor-sharp claws), Señora Fuego (WreathedInFlames), The Big Axe (8-foot tall guy with a big axe that can cut anything), Rabbi Diamond (a diamond-skinned alien with MindOverMattter powers who refuses to work on Shabbat) Lightning Hwang (can turn into lightning and owns Hwang's Hardware Store), and Kitchen Sink (an ordinary woman in PoweredArmor). They also get a supervillain named Permafrost (AnIcePerson from Russia) from jail to help out. Later on they add Teleporter Joe (can teleport but only to the northern tip of Roosevelt Island and only when aroused) and Headstart (SuperSpeed). Actually, CUP employs dozens of superheroes all over the country, but has to get many of them to the Bronx to fight a global threat.

* In ''Literature/AndreaVernonAndTheCorporationForUltraHumanProtection'', the Bronx CUP heroes consist of King Tiger (human-tiger mutant with SuperStrength and razor-sharp claws), Señora Fuego (WreathedInFlames), The Big Axe (8-foot tall guy with a big axe that can cut anything), Rabbi Diamond (a diamond-skinned alien with MindOverMattter powers who refuses to work on Shabbat) Lightning Wong (can turn into lightning and owns Wong's Hardware Store), and Kitchen Sink (an ordinary woman in PoweredArmor). They also get a supervillain named Permafrost (AnIcePerson from Russia) from jail to help out. Later on they add Teleporter Joe (can teleport but only to the northern tip of Roosevelt Island and only when aroused) and Headstart (SuperSpeed). Actually, CUP employs dozens of superheroes all over the country, but has to get many of them to the Bronx to fight a global threat.

* In ''Literature/AndreaVernonAndTheCorporationForUltraHumanProtection'', the Bronx CUP heroes consist of King Tiger (human-tiger mutant with SuperStrength and razor-sharp claws), Señora Fuego (WreathedInFlames), The Big Axe (8-foot tall guy with a big axe that can cut anything), Lightning Wong (can turn into lightning and owns Wong's Hardware Store), and Kitchen Sink (an ordinary woman in PoweredArmor). They also get a supervillain named Permafrost (AnIcePerson from Russia) from jail to help out. Later on they add Teleporter Joe (can teleport but only to the northern tip of Roosevelt Island and only when aroused) and Headstart (SuperSpeed). Actually, CUP employs dozens of superheroes all over the country, but has to get many of them to the Bronx to fight a global threat.

* In ''Literature/AndreaVernonAndTheCorporationForUltraHumanProtection'', the Bronx CUP heroes consist of King Tiger (human-tiger mutant with SuperStrength and razor-sharp claws), Señora Fuego (WreathedInFlames), The Big Axe (8-foot tall guy with a big axe that can cut anything), Lightning Wong (can turn into lightning and owns Wong's Hardware Store), and Kitchen Sink (an ordinary woman in PoweredArmor). Later on they add Teleporter Joe (can teleport but only to the northern tip of Roosevelt Island and only when aroused) and Headstart (SuperSpeed). Actually, CUP employs dozens of superheroes all over the country, but has to get many of them to the Bronx to fight a global threat.

* In ''Literature/AndreaVernonAndTheCorporationForUltraHumanProtection'', the Bronx CUP heroes consist of King Tiger (human-tiger mutant with SuperStrength and razor-sharp claws), Señora Fuego (WreathedInFlames), The Big Axe (8-foot tall guy with a big axe that can cut anything), Lightning Wong (can turn into lightning and owns Wong's Hardware), and Kitchen Sink (an ordinary woman in PoweredArmor). Later on they add Teleporter Joe (can teleport but only to the northern tip of Roosevelt Island and only when aroused) and Headstart (SuperSpeed). Actually, CUP employs dozens of superheroes all over the country, but has to get many of them to the Bronx to fight a global threat.

* In ''Literature/AndreaVernonAndTheCorporationForUltraHumanProtection'', the Bronx CUP heroes consist of King Tiger (human-tiger mutant with SuperStrength and razor-sharp claws), Señora Fuego (WreathedInFlames), The Big Axe (8-foot tall guy with a big axe that can cut anything), Lightning Wong (can turn into lightning), and Kitchen Sink (an ordinary woman in PoweredArmor). Later on they add Teleporter Joe (can teleport but only to the northern tip of Roosevelt Island and only when aroused) and Headstart (SuperSpeed). Actually, CUP employs dozens of superheroes all over the country, but has to get many of them to the Bronx to fight a global threat.

* In ''Literature/AndreaVernonAndTheCorporationForUltraHumanProtection'', the Bronx CUP heroes consist of King Tiger (human-tiger mutant with SuperStrength and razor-sharp claws), Señora Fuego (WreathedInFlames), The Big Axe (8-foot tall guy with a big axe that can cut anything), Lightning Wong (can turn into lightning), and Kitchen Sink (an ordinary woman in PoweredArmor). Later on they add Teleporter Joe (can teleport but only to the northern tip of Roosevelt Island and only when aroused) and Headstart (SuperSpeed).

In a FiveManBand, PowerTrio or other ensemble, the characters have to complement each other. One side effect of this is that, in any group of superheroes, no two of them will have the same power.

An unfortunate side effect is that if the ensemble is big enough, one of the heroes is going to get shafted, because WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway Another unfortunate side effect is that if you have to replace someone with a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute, unlikely as it may seem, he may have to have the exact same powers as the character he replaces. An extreme case is OnePersonOnePower, where each super will have exactly one power, different from others (although some of those may be versatile in practice).

This might go no farther than each hero having a unique "special attack" or melee weapon. We aren't meant to worry about the fact that this is a kind of inefficient way to arm your heroes, or about the guy whose weapon sucks. Not many writers can come up with a set of five melee weapons which are all really different from each other, and which are all useful against an equal range of adversaries, after all.

-->-- '''Green Lantern''' to '''Elongated Man''', ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''

* A variant in Franchise/TheDCU is Franchise/WonderWoman in terms of operating methods; while Franchise/{{Superman}} will not kill on general principle and Franchise/{{Batman}} is too worried about JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope if he does, Diana is a classically trained Greek warrior who does not feel bound by ThouShaltNotKill if the situation demands it.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia''--[[FieryRedhead Kirishima]] and [[ChromeChampion Tetsutetsu]] have pretty much the same power--InstantArmor, the former by making his body as hard as rock, the latter by literally turning to metal. [[TooMuchAlike They can't stand each other]] because each feels like the other is stealing his thunder. (Kirishima perhaps more so, because Tetsutetsu also has the benefit of a power that ''looks'' cooler.) That said, the pair are in [[AlwaysInClassOne different classes]], so this trope is kind of maintained.

** For that matter, this show's version of the Justice League includes Hawkman ''and'' Hawkwoman, plus two {{Green Lantern}}s (Hal and John)! Guy Gardner also joins in the second season. They also have ''four'' {{Flying Brick}}s (Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and Icon - five if you count Martian Manhunter, whose shapeshifting and telepathic abilities are emphasized over strength as in ''Justice League'').

* In some teams, the whole point is that every member has exactly the same power (e.g., the GreenLantern [[TheChosenMany Corps]] in Franchise/TheDCU). Power speciation obviously doesn't apply in such cases; the focus is instead on personality differences. (Although this can still result in power speciation of kind, as different personality types apply the same powers differently.)

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueCrisisOnTwoEarths'' has Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, GreenLantern Hal Jordan, and Flash Wally West face their [[EvilTwin Crime Syndicate counterparts]]. ComicBook/MartianManhunter, thinking President Wilson's daughter, Rose, would be targeted, follows her, and foils an attempt on her life. In a light [[MindlinkMates mind-meld]] we see Rose's mom had in flashback been killed by Ultraman's heat vision. So he fills the need for two heroes (Superman for his FlyingBrick role, Batman for his Detective role).

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

* ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'' gave each girl both an elemental-themed attack and a special power attached to an emotion that could be used in civilian form (Ichigo could turn into a catgirl, Bu-ling could create giant boulders...), as well as the common power of speaking to their animal.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia''--[[FieryRedhead Kirishima]] and [[ChromeChampion Tetsutetsu]] have pretty much the same power--InstantArmor, the former by making his body as hard as rock, the latter by literally turning to metal. [[TooMuchAlike They can't stand each other]] because each feels like the other is stealing his thunder. (Kirishima perhaps more so, because Tetsutetsu also has the benefit of a power that ''looks'' cooler.) That said, the pair are in [[AlwaysInClassOne different classes]], so this trope is kind of maintained.

* ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'': The Marvel Family (Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr.) are an example of a team whose members have the [[FlyingBrick exact same set of powers]]. They sometimes join other teams individually, however, usually fitting into this trope when they do. The problem with teaming them up with, say, Superman and not feeling redundant is addressed by emphasizing the magical, god-based nature of their powers. For instance, Superman is vulnerable to magic based attacks and is impressed how Captain Marvel is far more resistant.
* Back in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}, the ComicBook/MartianManhunter's powers were very similar to Superman's, except that he had a much easier KryptoniteFactor (fire). ComicBook/PostCrisis, they made him stand out more by stressing his once-rarely-seen shape-shifting and psychic abilities.
* Established as an official rule of the original ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}}, which required all members to have an intrinsic and unique superpower. The speciation is not always enforced by the team - see particularly the cases of Lightning Lad and his twin sister Lightning Lass - but duplications do tend to result in the duplicate's powers getting either removed or changed to something else, as when Lightning Lass's electrical powers were changed to mass-reduction powers, turning her into Light Lass.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'' originally suffered whenever Angel/Archangel was a member, because since his only power was flight, there couldn't be anyone in the team that could fly as well. It quickly went by the wayside as too limiting; Marvel Girl discovered she could levitate, and several of the "All-New All-Different" team could also fly: Polaris, Banshee, Sunfire, and Storm.

* Jarringly averted in the Wildstorm comic ''TheMonarchy''. In the early issues it seemed that every character on the team had the power to fly and shoot energy blasts.
* In ''ComicBook/AllFallDown'', the Pantheon enjoyed having a well-rounded team of heroes before they lost their powers. So did their nemeses, the Order of Despots.

* For a time there was an actual ''rule'' that the Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica could not admit members with overlapping/similar powers. They abolished this when they finally allowed ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}'s partner Hawkgirl to join.
* Somewhat {{Deconstructed}} in ''ComicBook/PS238''--{{Flying Brick}}s are the most common type of superhero, and as a result, they're seen as generic and unimportant despite how obviously useful they are. Most teams have one, but the "extra" ones wind up scrambling for less impressive jobs. More recently, however, [[spoiler:Julie accidentally inspired a bunch of them to form their own superhero team with her as the leader]].

* In ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'', the four have very different magic with only occasional overlap, but that's because [[spoiler:they were (mostly) empowered by Jeft, who made sure they'd be a good mix]].

* Invoked in ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy''. The ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes need a Kryptonian powerset in the team but they can't bring Superboy in so they summon his cousin instead.
* In ''Fanfic/MyHuntsmanAcademia'', this is played mostly straight. Semblances are expressions of the power of one's soul and tend to be unique from individual to individual. Some Semblances, like Enji Todoroki's and the Schnee's, can be inherited. One For All is another exception to the rule, as it's passed down from wielder to wielder and can even grant [[UnSorcerer a Broken Soul]] an Aura.
* Crossover fanfiction ''Fanfic/TheVampireOfSteel'' has Buffy -an accomplished fighter with enhanced physical prowess and expertise at demon-fighting- team up with Supergirl -a FlyingBrick with basic fighting skills and vulnerability to magical creatures-.

* Both played straight AND averted in ''Film/SkyHigh2005''. Averted in that there are known types of power categories. Many are mentioned as they try to figure out what the main character's power will be. Played straight in that all of the important characters have different powers.

* In the ''Literature/WearingTheCape'' books, the Sentinels' power-sets are extremely diverse, and it is implied that most other Crisis Aid and Intervention teams are as well. The openly stated rationale is that superhuman combat is paper-scissors-rock, so you'd better have a mix on your team to cover any weaknesses. Also, power-duplication doesn't always play well in the media...

* In ''[[Literature/VillainsCode Forging Hephaestus]]'', the villain apprentices consist of a WreathedInFlames [[SuperIntelligence super-genius]] (Hephaestus), a girl who [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifts]] into various dragons (Bahamut), a PestController ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Pest Control]]), and a GeometricMagic master (Glyph). The heroic recruits consist of a videogame [[SummonMagic summoner]] (Cyber Geek), a HybridMonster (Medley), AnIcePerson (Cold Shoulder), and a [[MagiciansAreWizards magical magician]] (Top Hat).
* Played with in ''Literature/{{Genome}}'', since the protagonist is selecting a crew for his new ship, so specific skills, suitable for the position, are a must. His employers specify the need for two Master Pilots (enhanced durability, enhanced spatial orientation), so he has to hire a co-pilot. He also needs a Fighter-spesh (SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, extra joints), a doctor (she's actually specialized as an alien torturer/executioner), a navigator (this one is a Natural, actually, which is incredibly rare for this job), and an engineer (radiation-resistant skin and hair, retractable genitals, enhanced vision). Said Fighter-spesh actually turns out to be a Secret Agent-spesh, combining the skills of a Fighter-spesh and that of a [[HighClassCallGirl Hetaera]]-spesh.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/MutantX'': There were several broad categories of mutant power, and the team never consisted of more than one member in each category.
** Lexa and Brennan, both elementals, were briefly on the team at the same time, but most of the time, the trope held true. Their powers were also different enough to maintain the trope in spirit.
** One of the {{Big Bad}}s was a SuperPrototype with powers from all four categories (feral, elemental, molecular, [[PsychicPowers psionic]]).

* ''Series/TeamKnightRider'': We're eventually told that the team was ''intentionally'' composed of complementary abilities, as an earlier attempt to just make one car with all the relevant abilities had ended badly.
* Possibly more reasonable when dealing with skills rather than powers, though it seems like over time, everyone on the team should get at least a ''little'' familiar with their teammates' skills. Visible in ''Series/TheATeam'', ''Series/MissionImpossible'', etc.

** During the first season, several characters in other media adaptations had powers the same or similar to primary characters, although no two characters were shown to have the same power yet in the television series. Except for Peter Petrelli, whose power is that he can manifest other's powers that he comes into contact with (which is virtually the entire cast), and Sylar, who has to [[strike:remove]] examine their brains to do it. In the second season, however, West has the same power as Nathan (flight) and [[spoiler: Kensei/ Adam Monroe has the same power as Claire (HealingFactor).]]

* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' and ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' are odd about this, in that they Zig Zag the trope, both averting and playing it straight (Not counting the LawOfChromaticSuperiority that gives the Red Ranger bonus gears). Often, all the rangers have the same powers, but with variations. So the red ranger might have a fire attack, blue a water attack, yellow and lightning, etc... But this difference rarely if ever comes into play - there almost never is a MonsterOfTheWeek more vulnerable to a specific ranger's powers. Some seasons skip this entirely and the only difference is in the ranger's color.

* Marvel Netflix's ''Series/TheDefenders2017'' is a superhero team with two members exhibiting super strength while the remaining two members are martial-artists (although the martial-artists at least have additional powers that set them apart a bit more).
* ''Series/TheFlash2014'': Team Flash keeps fluctuating, starting with just a [[SuperSpeed speedster]] and occasionally adding allies, including other speedsters. Season 4 seems to have the highest number of metahumans on the team, including said speedster (Flash), [[PsychicPowers psychic]]/[[ThinkingUpPortals portal master]] (Vibe), AnIcePerson (Killer Frost), and a RubberMan (Elongated Man).

* In ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man X}}7'', after X has a TenMinuteRetirement, Axl [[ReplacementScrappy takes his place]]; however, after the right requirements are met, the former can be unlocked for play again. All skills that Axl [[PowerCopying learns from the Boss]] are exactly the same set as that of X's, and, seeing as the latter was a complete {{gamebreaker}} in that installment, it makes Axl rather useless. ''X8'' rectifies this by having Axl have a different PowerCopying skillset from X, some of which are even more useful than X's equivalents (for example, Bound Blaster over Crystal Wall, respectively).

* Just about every character in the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' series has a special ability, almost universally summarized in their Character Profiles as "Manipulation of X", yet out of all the games ([[ContinuityReboot since the move to Windows, at least]]), the value of X has yet to repeat.
** Although the original wording is simply "capable of", so sometimes it's unclear whether the "ability" is their own unique superpower, a species-wide power, or just something that they can do and not a superpower at all. Made even worse in ''[[UniverseCompendium Symposium of Post-Mysticism]]'', where it's revealed that abilities are self-reported by the characters, so they might not be accurate at all. This is evident with several characters, like Mokou, whose stated ability is {{immortality}}, but can use [[PlayingWithFire fire-based attacks]], or Seiga, whose power is "passing through walls", which actually is the power of her hairpin, not herself.
** Also, ''groups'' occasionally have the same ability. And all of the magicians have the same ability (use of magic), differing only in specialty. Then there's the matter of some abilities being functionally the same...
* Averted in ''VideoGame/FreedomForce'' due to the sheer number of heroes (and the fact that you can design your own and use them in the game). It starts out this way, though. At first, we only have Minuteman (a ComicBook/CaptainAmerica {{Expy}}), a GeniusBruiser (he is a nuclear physicist). He is joined by a [[PsychicAliens psychic alien]] Mentor. Then a fiery Latino named El Diablo joins them with flying and flame-throwing powers. Rounding out the original core team is Man-Bot who is a slow brick. By the end of the game, a good number of heroes can (or can learn to) fly or, at least, hover. Nearly all can do ranged damage of various types. Many have SuperStrength, allowing them to pick up and [[CarFu throw heavy objects]]. The sequel only increases the number of heroes.
** It should be noted that Freedom Force also creates speciation by having different damage types. Man-O-War and Microwave both have ranged attacks, but Man-O-War's is an electrical one that has greater effect on electrically-vulnerable foes like robots, while Microwave's radiation beam is most effective on ordinary people. And some characters are resistant to fire or cold damage, etc. It is prohibitively expensive to create a character who is resistant to everything. And there are different types of ranged attack - projectile (what range? propelled straight like an arrow or thrown like a grenade? homing or not? how fast does it move?) and defence (needs to be activated and maintained like a forcefield or always on?). In practice all the supplied Freedom Force characters bring '''something''' unique to the table, and it's pretty difficult to design a character who doesn't.
* Can be subverted if you so choose in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'', where the JobSystem allows you to keep spells across classes. Meaning that having every character going through the Priest class makes the game a lot easier since you now have four healers instead of one, Martial Artist gives them multi-target spells that cost 0 MP, etc.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Team Kimba, in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse. They're a pack of high schoolers, rather than an established super-team, but they fit this model. Like the Franchise/{{Justice League|of America}}, they also have a wide range of power levels, ranging from Tennyo (so powerful there's a school rule against attacking her) down to Generator (can animate stuff, and now has regeneration too) and Bladedancer (BadassNormal with magic sword). The team has blasters, a PK superboy, a powerful mage, a [[Comicbook/TheAvengers Vision-like]] density-changer, healers, martial artists, and a fake deviser. And there's only seven of them.
** While Team Kimba has a fairly diverse lineup more or less by "chance," most of the teams in the Whateleyverse--both the school training teams and the professional super teams--are constructed this way intentionally. The philosophy seems to be that you want enough members to have a wide range of powers, but not so many that the group can't be fairly close-knit. Team Kimba is actually the biggest team in Team Tactics, with eight members counting Shroud. Whateleyverse policy on team lineup seems to be at least a brick, a blaster, and a gadgeteer or devisor, with maybe a speedster and a PDP to round things out, plus a couple more. And the more [[{{Flight}} flyers]], the better, of course.
[[/folder]]

* Ben from ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' is a one-man example of this, with each of his alien forms having a different power (Fourarms is strong, [=XLR8=] is fast and so on).
** ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' follows this in that even which aliens he has change around and some have the same abilities, they are never on the same set.

* Similarly, ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' has one ColdOpening that featured Plastic Man and Elongated Man going after a criminal while arguing over which one Batman prefers to work with (Elongated Man also makes the "I'm even a detective" argument here). At the end of the segment, Batman gives his opinion: "Between the two of you, I prefer to work alone."

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueCrisisOnTwoEarths'' has Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, GreenLantern Hal Jordan, and Flash Wally West face their [[EvilTwin Crime Syndicate counterparts]]. ComicBook/MartianManhunter, thinking President Wilson's daughter, Rose, would be targeted, follows her, and foils an attempt on her life. In a light [[MindlinkMates mind-meld]] we see Rose's mom had in flashback been killed by Ultraman's heat vision. So he fills the need for two heroes (Superman for his FlyingBrick role, Batman for his Detective role).
** Owlman even snarks to Batman for the final battle that Batman couldn't trust anyone else to fight it (though Batman knew how dirty and low he might have to go--and that the others might not--to beat Owlman).
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' episode "Nuthin' Special" examines and parodies this. To defeat (or rather aid) a flaming Spanish-speaking monster squirrel, Blossom uses her ice breath to extinguish the flames, and Bubbles uses her bilingual talents to communicate with it. Buttercup feels left out as she had no special power to offer in the situation. She spends most of the episode trying to find her own power but Blossom and Bubbles duplicate her time and again. Having had enough, she defiantly sticks her tongue out, curling it as she does. This throws her sisters, as they attempt to curl their tongues (as do everyone else in the city) with no success. Buttercup is overjoyed at this, in spite of everyone--even the narrator--thinking it's stupid.

** Gekko Moria and Marshall D. Teach of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Both have [[DarkIsEdgy Darkness-based]] powers but are used in different ways. Gekko Moriah controls shadows as if they are tangible things - he can steal them, eat them, stuff them into stitched up corpses to make zombies, make his own shadow get up, walk around, fight or switch places with himself at will. Blackbeard's powers are themed about a black hole - he can emit black smoke-like substance that swallows things and spews out their broken remains, he has ability to gravitically attract specific targets to himself and his touch nullifies other Devil Fruit powers.

* In ''Series/{{Charmed}}'', towards the end, several characters possessed the powers of telekinesis and teleportation.

* ''{{Naruto}}'' may be a special case. Each character has a rather unique special ability, (except [[BadassNormal Rock Lee]]) but all are trained in advanced level martial arts, and many of the lead cast (particularly Naruto and Sasuke) focus more on their martial arts powers than their special ability, so there's not much of a "only character X has the power to succeed here" issues. Also, most powers are passed down through families to make sure that the art isn't lost. In case that's not enough, it's a pretty safe bet that Kakashi (Copycat Ninja) or the Hokage knows the technique as well. Some of them are even inherited as a specific bloodline trait.\\

* The Marvel Family (The ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr.) in Franchise/TheDCU are an example of a team whose members have the [[FlyingBrick exact same set of powers]]. They sometimes join other teams individually, however, usually fitting into this trope when they do. The problem with teaming them up with, say, Superman and not feeling redundant is addressed by emphasizing the magical, god-based nature of their powers. For instance, Superman is vulnerable to magic based attacks and is impressed how Captain Marvel is far more resistant.

* During the first season of ''[[Series.{{Heroes}} Heroes]]'', several characters in other media adaptations had powers the same or similar to primary characters, although no two characters were shown to have the same power yet in the television series. Except for Peter Petrelli, whose power is that he can manifest other's powers that he comes into contact with (which is virtually the entire cast), and Sylar, who has to [[strike:remove]] examine their brains to do it. In the second season, however, West has the same power as Nathan (flight) and [[spoiler: Kensei/ Adam Monroe has the same power as Claire (HealingFactor).]]

* ''PowerRangers'' and ''SuperSentai'' are odd about this, in that they Zig Zag the trope, both averting and playing it straight (Not counting the LawOfChromaticSuperiority that gives the Red Ranger bonus gears). Often, all the rangers have the same powers, but with variations. So the red ranger might have a fire attack, blue a water attack, yellow and lightning, etc... But this difference rarely if ever comes into play - there almost never is a MonsterOfTheWeek more vulnerable to a specific ranger's powers. Some seasons skip this entirely and the only difference is in the ranger's color.

* [[Series/TheFlash2014 Team Flash]] keeps fluctuating, starting with just a [[SuperSpeed speedster]] and occasionally adding allies, including other speedsters. Season 4 seems to have the highest number of metahumans on the team, including said speedster (Flash), [[PsychicPowers psychic]]/[[ThinkingUpPortals portal master]] (Vibe), AnIcePerson (Killer Frost), and a RubberMan (Elongated Man).

* Played with in ''Literature/{{Genome}}'', since the protagonist is selecting a crew for his new ship, so specific skills, suitable for the position, are a must. His employers specify the need for two Master Pilots (enhanced durability, enhanced spatial orientation), so he has to hire a co-pilot. He also needs a Fighter-spesh (SuperStrength, SuperSpeed), a doctor (she's actually specialized as an alien torturer/executioner), a navigator (this one is a Natural, actually, which is incredibly rare for this job), and an engineer (radiation-resistant skin and hair, retractable genitals, enhanced vision). Said Fighter-spesh actually turns out to be a Secret Agent-spesh, combining the skills of a Fighter-spesh and that of a [[HighClassCallGirl Hetaera]]-spesh.

[[folder:Literature]]
* In the ''Literature/WearingTheCape'' books, the Sentinels' power-sets are extremely diverse, and it is implied that most other Crisis Aid and Intervention teams are as well. The openly stated rationale is that superhuman combat is paper-scissors-rock, so you'd better have a mix on your team to cover any weaknesses. Also, power-duplication doesn't always play well in the media...
* In the ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' series, demigods with the same godly parent usually have a couple standard powers among them, but the sequel series, ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'', started diversifying them. Notably, while Clarisse and Frank are both children of war god Ares/Mars, Clarisse got combat skills as her power, while Frank got tactical thinking. Nico, son of Hades/Pluto, has different death-related powers, but also had [[DishingOutDirt some control over the earth]]. In the sequel series, Nico sticks to his death-related powers because his sister, Hazel, now has power over "all the riches under the earth." This is implied to be justified because [[spoiler: Hazel and Frank are children of the ''Roman'' aspects of the gods, not the Greek]].
* In ''Literature/SuperPowereds: Year 2'', the HCP students are split into four teams for the year in order to learn how to work together. It's stated that nearly all Heroes in the world belong to a team. The five [[PowerIncontinence Powered]]-turned-Super protagonists are put together, since few other students want to work with them. For the remaining two slots, the coach asks for volunteers. A number of their friends step up, including the only [[HealingHands healer]] in the class (which surprises everyone, since she'd have her pick of teams due to her unique talent). Mary, the team's leader, uses her PsychicPowers to listen to [[TheChessmaster Nick]]'s suggestions. The first choice of the healer is a no-brainer, but she is surprised at Nick's second choice, although she goes along with it. Nick chooses Alex, who, for the most part, is a weaker version of Mary (although, unlike most other [[MindOverMatter telekinetics]], Alex is able to affect energy as well as physical objects). When Mary later questions him about it, he explains that his primary reason wasn't that their team needed another telekinetic/telepath, it's that he didn't want any other team to have a telepath of their own (there are only two in the class). Thus, this gives them an advantage of being able to listen in on the others' strategies, while denying the same possibility to them. Thus, the 7-person team includes two telekinetics/telepaths, a healer, an [[EnergyAbsorption absorber]], a [[IBelieveICanFly flyer]], a [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Shifter]] (whose SuperpoweredAlterEgo has SuperStrength and [[MadeOfIron super-endurance]]), and a [[BornLucky luck manipulator]]. Only one other team ends up balancing as well between combat-heavy (mostly involving SuperStrength) and support Supers. Of the remaining two teams, one leans heavily towards combat and the other towards "alternative" abilities.
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[[folder: Fan Works]]

** Interestingly, this can be subverted as each Archetype can take powersets that use the same power concepts, but with different effects; for instance, a [[StoneWall Tanker]], [[GlassCannon Blaster]], [[JackOfALlStats Scrapper]], and [[SquishyWizard Controller]] can all take [[PlayingWithFire fire]], [[AnIcePerson ice]], [[ShockAndAwe lightning]], etc powers, but they'll each use them in very different ways. To use fire as an example, a Tanker would cloak himself in flames, a Blaster would launch gouts of fire at enemies, a Scrapper would create a Sword out of fire, and a controller would cover the battlefield in smoke and cinders.