History Main / UnstablePoweredWoman

** ''ComicBook/Spellbound1988'' followed the adventures of Erica Fortune, who discovered she was an extremely powerful telekinetic who could even reshape matter but was warned that she inevitably would become mad over time. After defeating the evil Zxaxz and the even more powerful being called the Other by exiling herself to another dimesion, a follow-up series in ''ComicBook/MarvelComicsPresents'' had Erica fully succumb to her power's effects and become a tyrant in a short amount of time. It ended in her being imprisoned in a crystal while her brother Roy took over the mantle of Spellbinder Supreme and destroyed the rings, putting an end to the Spellbinders' threat.

** ''ComicBook/{{Spellbound}}'' followed the adventures of Erica Fortune, who discovered she was an extremely powerful telekinetic who could even reshape matter but was warned that she inevitably would become mad over time. After defeating the evil Zxaxz and the even more powerful being called the Other, a follow-up series in ''ComicBook/MarvelComicsPresents'' had Erica succumb to her power's effects and become a tyrant in a short amount of time, ending in her being imprisoned in a crystal while her brother Roy took over the mantle of Spellbinder Supreme presumably without issue.

** ''ComicBook/{{Spellbound}}'' followed the adventures of Erica Fortune, who discovered she was an extremely powerful telekinetic who could even reshape matter. After defeating the evil Zxaxz and the even more powerful being called the Other, a follow-up series in ''ComicBook/MarvelComicsPresents'' had Erica succumb to her power's effects and become a tyrant, ending in her being imprisoned in a crystal while her brother Roy took over the mantle of Spellbinder Supreme presumably without issue.

* In Elfen Lied (both the manga and the anime adaptation) the diclonii are a OneGenderRace who develop monstrously powerful abilities that are generally both accidentally and purposefully deadly to pretty much everyone around them. While the story primarily features diclonii that have been horrifically abused and thus pushed to the brink of of sanity via trauma, it also leans into the idea that they are AlwaysChaoticEvil, and there is something innately built into their DNA that will always push them to violence.
* In Puella Magi Madoka Magica, the magical girls [[spoiler: always turn into the monstrous, mindless witches that they become magical girls to fight. One of which becomes so powerful it can level a town, and another that is a danger to the earth itself.]] And it's always girls; there are no magical boys in this universe.

* In Elfen Lied (both the manga and the anime adaptation) the diclonii are a One-GenderRace who develop monstrously powerful abilities that are generally both accidentally and purposefully deadly to pretty much everyone around them. While the story primarily features diclonii that have been horrifically abused and thus pushed to the brink of of sanity via trauma, it also leans into the idea that they are AlwaysChaoticEvil, and there is something innately built into their DNA that will always push them to violence.

** ''ComicBook/TheFlash'':In one 1970s story, Barry Allen's lab partner, Patty Spivot, was nearly struck by similar chemicals that gave him his powers. Barry immediately hypothesized a scenario where the unstable chemicals she was bathed in meant "Ms. Flash" caused more problems than she solved, and therefore moved her out of the way before they struck. Note that his reaction when the same thing happened to a teenaged boy had been to immediately recruit the kid as a partner. This was something of a RecycledScript from an earlier story involving an extradimensional female speedster whose lack of control was only in our dimension, and a ComicBook/JohnnyQuick story in which his secretary accidentally duplicated his formula to become Joanie Swift, until he eventually convinced her she didn't want to be a superhero by using her [[EekAMouse fear of mice]].

*** ComicBook/{{Polaris}} was in Genosha the day that Cassandra Nova launched a genocidal attack that killed nearly every mutant in the nation. This was the original start of her personality becoming unhinged. Later, when her long-time LoveInterest Havok decided to leave her at the wedding altar to be with a woman whom he just met, she went completely off the deep end, adopted a costume similar to her father ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, and attempted to murder everyone there.

** In the Season 3 episode "Primrose Empath", Prue is tricked into absorbing magical empathy a demon had been cursed with. It overwhelms her within a day, as she wasn't meant to receive said power, and the stress of feeling everyone else's emotions causes her telekinesis to go haywire. The empath who cursed the demon however gives her advice on how to channel it, and she's able to do so to fight the demon, and vanquish him by making him feel all the emotions again. The vanquish does get rid of the empathy however, so she's fine again. This is averted when Phoebe receives magical empathy three seasons later however as, although she struggles with PowerIncontinence, she gets a handle on it because she was meant to.

* A frequent occurance in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicEquestriaGirls'' when girls in the human world get access to Equestrian Magic they weren't granted like the protagonists.

*** ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}} once went to negotiate with/distract ComicBook/DoctorDoom while the rest of the X-Men launched a rescue mission. Unfortunately for them, Doom was already onto their game and captures most of the team in sadistic deathtraps. For Storm herself, he encases her entire body in chrome, which has the effect of [[TraumaButton triggering]] her intense {{claustrophobia}}. As she panics, she unconsciously triggers a massive tropical storm that threatens to destroy the east coast. When the X-Men finally force Doom to release her, Storm has regressed into a savage, uncontrolled state that is called "Rogue Storm" -- a character that both [[https://comicvine1.cbsistatic.com/uploads/scale_large/8/84205/3676155-%24_57.jpg the cover]] and the story parallels to Dark Phoenix. In fact, ComicBook/{{Colossus}} [[CallBack uses their past experience with Dark Phoenix]] to calm Storm down enough that she turns back to normal and dismisses the storm.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': After her husband King Robert's death, Cersei Lannister rules Westeros as Queen Regent for her son. While never the best person, she is at first kept in check by her father Tywin and brother Tyrion, who are both noted for their intelligence and strategic skill, as much as she resents it. After [[spoiler:Tywin dies and Tyrion goes on the run]], Cersei is left unrestrained and quickly goes downhill -- she starts stress-drinking and becomes more overtly paranoid, cruel, and incompetent in her determination to keep the crown.

* For most of ''Series/GameOfThrones'', Daenerys shows that while she's not a perfect leader, she knows the horrors of the downtrod and is willing to listen and compromise with her advisers. Come season 8, when the Iron Throne is within her grasp, she [[spoiler:snaps and razes King's Landing after the deaths of two of her beloved dragons, causing the deaths of thousands of innocents and forcing Tyrion and Jon to kill her.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' Season 7 reveals that Princess Celestia, who is basically a PhysicalGod with the power to raise the sun and moon, fears becoming this. She's WillfullyWeak, out of fear that losing control of her magic will turn her into an evil alter ego called Daybreaker - who appears in a nightmare she gets trapped in.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': In addition to Raven's powers being derived from her father Trigon being brought over to this series as well, this ends up being part of Terra's AdaptationalHeroism, wanting to do good, but her inability to control her powers resulting in causing multiple natural disasters and her becoming a runaway in order to avoid hurting others, eventually turning to Slade when he promises to be able to give the control she so desperately wants.

** In ''ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis'', ComicBook/MaryMarvel loses the powers originally bestowed upon her by Shazam, but a dying ComicBook/BlackAdam grants her his own powers, which leads to Mary taking on much greater power with a new [[DarkIsEvil darker costume to go along with it]]. The villain Eclipso (herself once the wife of superhero The Atom) uses this to rapidly seduce Mary to evil, only for Mary to turn against her once she realizes she's gone too far. Almost immediately afterward, though, Mary receives a visit in her home from none other than ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} himself, who correctly guesses that despite her temporary reluctance, Mary is still [[EvilFeelsGood addicted to the evil power]] and tempts her into receiving it once again.
** ComicBook/{{Raven}} is infamous [[OnceDoneNeverForgotten in-universe]] for the number of times she has manifested a SuperpoweredEvilSide and betrayed the ComicBook/TeenTitans, often at the bidding of her father, [[SatanicArchetype Trigon]]. There have even been instances in the comics where people have regarded her as akin to a ticking time bomb, who is always at risk of being corrupted, controlled, or seduced into betraying her friends.
** In one 1970s ''Franchise/TheFlash'' story, Barry Allen's lab partner, Patty Spivot, was nearly struck by similar chemicals that gave him his powers. Barry immediately hypothesized a scenario where the unstable chemicals she was bathed in meant "Ms. Flash" caused more problems than she solved, and therefore moved her out of the way before they struck. Note that his reaction when the same thing happened to a teenaged boy had been to immediately recruit the kid as a partner. This was something of a RecycledScript from an earlier story involving an extradimensional female speedster whose lack of control was only in our dimension, and a ComicBook/JohnnyQuick story in which his secretary accidentally duplicated his formula to become Joanie Swift, until he eventually convinced her she didn't want to be a superhero by using her [[EekAMouse fear of mice]].
** The ComicBook/DoomPatrol villainess Madame Rouge, who had RubberMan powers, also had an evil split personality after an automobile accident. She grew increasingly unstable as the run went on to the point of almost literally tearing herself in two as her good and evil sides fought for control. Eventually she recovered, only for Captain Zahl to reawaken her dormant evil as a lead-in to the final story, which had her kill her old Brotherhood allies and join him in killing the heroes.

** Rogue of the X-Men has to avoid any skin-to-skin contact. If she does touch someone with bare skin, she absorbs their life force, which can cause death if she touches them for too long. If she touches a mutant or other superhuman, she also temporarily steals their powers. In either event, she also absorbs the target's memories and personality, which has led to semi-regular mental health problems due to having so many different personalities, most of them hostile to her, in her head.
** The ComicBook/InvisibleWoman was once subjected to a villain's mental manipulation and developed a dark personality called "Malice", which caused her to dress in [[SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains darker, skimpier]], [[DressedLikeADominatrix bondage-themed]] clothes and a more evil, sinister personality. Infamously, she is literally freed from the villain's control [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan by her husband Reed]] [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything slapping her across the face]].
** ComicBook/JeanGrey was a heroic member of the ComicBook/XMen up until the events of ''ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga'', where she is possessed by [[SentientCosmicForce the Phoenix Force]], one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. While she initially handles this new power well, Jean is targeted by the supervillain Mastermind, who shatters her control over them in a mental battle. This causes her to lose it and become Dark Phoenix, an intergalactic menace who casually indirectly kills billions of people by devouring a star, and by doing so paints a big target on her back. This storyline was extremely influential, and many comics storylines parallel or homage this directly.
** ComicBook/{{Polaris}} was in Genosha the day that Cassandra Nova launched a genocidal attack that killed nearly every mutant in the nation. This was the original start of her personality becoming unhinged. Later, when her long-time LoveInterest Havok decided to leave her at the wedding altar to be with a woman whom he just met, she went completely off the deep end, adopted a costume similar to her father ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, and attempted to murder everyone there.
** In the "Homeschooling" arc of ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', Klara is caught in an explosion and suffers a concussion, causing her to mistake Karolina (who had activated her glowing alien form in order to use her powers) for a fire. Since Klara is deathly afraid of fire, her GreenThumb powers suddenly turn into GaiasVengeance in order to protect her, trapping her teammates in a dense forest of vines. And then Chase, upset because his beloved pet Old Lace died in the explosion, decides to take out his rage on Klara, which naturally just makes her more scared and causes her powers to lash out even more.
** ComicBook/ScarletWitch, despite being one of Marvel's most powerful magic users, has had a variety of storylines where her fragile mental state has devastating consequences for the universe. It started when she was forced to forget a DealWithTheDevil where she and ComicBook/TheVision have their idealized NuclearFamily. Suddenly remembering them starts a psychotic break that triggers ''ComicBook/AvengersDisassembled'' and later feeds into ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', and it often falls to her father, brother, or occasionally ComicBook/DoctorStrange to keep her in check.
** ComicBook/{{Storm}} once went to negotiate with/distract ComicBook/DoctorDoom while the rest of the ComicBook/XMen launched a rescue mission. Unfortunately for them, Doom was already onto their game and captures most of the team in sadistic deathtraps. For Storm herself, he encases her entire body in chrome, which has the effect of [[TraumaButton triggering]] her intense {{claustrophobia}}. As she panics, she unconsciously triggers a massive tropical storm that threatens to destroy the east coast. When the X-Men finally force Doom to release her, Storm has regressed into a savage, uncontrolled state that is called "Rogue Storm" -- a character that both [[https://comicvine1.cbsistatic.com/uploads/scale_large/8/84205/3676155-%24_57.jpg the cover]] and the story parallels to Dark Phoenix. In fact, ComicBook/{{Colossus}} [[CallBack uses their past experience with Dark Phoenix]] to calm Storm down enough that she turns back to normal and dismisses the storm.
** In ''ComicBook/TheVision2015'', Virginia Vision is based on the Vision (which means there's some Ultron tech within her) with a facsimile of the above-mentioned powerful-but-mentally-fragile Scarlet Witch. When her children are threatened, she becomes increasingly homicidal and ruthlessly murders anyone who might pose a threat to her family. This sets off a string of events that culminates in her murdering brother-in-law [[ComicBook/{{Runaways}} Victor Mancha]], then murdering the family dog, and finally committing suicide.