Follow TV Tropes

Following

Flying Firepower

Go To

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/FirestormNukesACity_6698.jpg
Long range and flying really fast come in handy if your powers include nuking a city.
"Its wings can carry this Pokémon close to an altitude of 4,600 feet. It blows out fire at very high temperatures."
— PokéDex entry of Charizard from Pokémon FireRed

A stock variant of Combo Platter Powers, where the powers are flight and the ability to fling fireballs, energy beams, or some other kind of ranged attacknote  While a character is likely to have some elements of the Flying Brick and Required Secondary Powers, their primary combat style is built around flying around their opponents and shooting stuff at them.

When fighting in a team, these characters tend to act as both a scout and transport, thanks to flight, and the guy who circles and takes shots at people. They rarely engage in slug fights if they can avoid it, but chances go up if they've got some basic Flying Brick capabilities.

This does not include having the power of flight and carrying a gun. Unless it's built in.

Abilities besides flight may include:

See Flight, Strength, Heart, Flying Brick, and Combo Platter Powers for related tropes.


Examples:

Specifically Flying and Playing with Fire:

    open/close all folders 

    Comic Books 
  • Marvel Universe
    • The original Human Torch: one of the first characters to feature this powerset. Johnny Storm would later adopt the moniker, despite not being a robot.
    • Toro: A young mutant adopted by Jim Hammond the original Human Torch, had this as his powerset.
    • Tara: A female robot based on the original Torch, who was a member of the New Invaders. Was secretly built by the Red Skull for the purpose of infiltrating the New Invaders and destroying them when she self destructed. Jim Hammond sacrificed himself to save her and the Invaders.
    • X-Men:
      • Sunfire: Sun-related array of powers, and flight.
      • Sunpyre: Sunfire's younger sister possesses the same powerset.
      • Alternate, female version of Sunfire from Exiles
      • Sunspot from New Mutants, often described as a "living solar battery." He turns solar energy into Flying Brick powers with energy blasts.
      • Jean Grey with the power of The Phoenix Force.
    • Fantastic Four:
      • Johnny Storm has flight and Playing with Fire, with a side order of Wreathed in Flames.
      • The android Dragon Man can fly and breathe fire.
      • Nova (not that one; Johnny's girlfriend, Frankie Raye. Though Richie does qualify for this trope as well) also had this power set, before becoming a Herald of Galactus.
    • The Avengers: Firebird (reserve Avenger, briefly an active member of the West Coast Avengers) uses her pyrokinesis to fly.
    • New Warriors: Unlike her original cartoon version, Firestar controlled microwave energy instead of fire, but the uses and effects were largely the same.
  • The DCU
  • W.I.T.C.H.: Taranee had the power of creating and controlling fire since the beginning, but became an example of Flying Firepower in the New Power saga, when all the Guardians (and not just Hay Lin) acquired the ability to fly. An early foe, Ember the Pain, was this since she was created.

    Fanfic 

    Films — Live-Action 
  • Fantastic Four (2005): Johnny Storm, see comic book entry. Susan also does it the sequel briefly, when she switches powers with him, but can't control it and just floats into the air spinning.

    Video Games 
  • Touhou Project has Fujiwara no Mokou, a phoenix-themed immortal whose spellcards give her Hot Wings. But she's hardly unique in that regard since pretty much everyone in Gensokyo can fly and produce ridiculous amounts of projectiles, she's just the only one to use fire.

    Myths & Religion 
  • Western dragons are commonly depicted as fire-breathing and flight-capable.

    Tabletop Games 
  • In Heroes Unlimited, Characters with the major superpowers Alter Physical Structure: Fire or Alter Physical Structure: Plasma (basically variations of the Human Torch's abilities) automatically have flight and shooting flaming projectiles as part of the power's package.

    Webcomics 

    Western Animation 
  • In Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, the most high level Firebenders are able to fly with bursts of fire from their hands or feet as an extension of Recoil Boost. It's used the most often and to the best effect in in the original show's series finale while they're under the effects of Sozin's Comet.
  • Ben 10: Ben is able to do this when he transforms into Heatblast. Though propelling himself with his fire alone is doable, Ben prefers to shape it into a Hover Board, essentially surfing on his flames. In Alien Force, he teaches this ability to Alan Albright, to help the kid get over his fear of flying.
  • Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes: Johnny Storm, see comicbook entry.
  • Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends: Firestar was basically a Distaff Counterpart to Johnny Storm.
  • W.I.T.C.H.: Unlike in the comic, all Guardians could fly from the beginning, so Taranee was an example to start with. Halinor too in Guardian form, and Nerissa after absorbing her in the Seal of Nerissa. And, of course, Ember the Pain.

Not fire, but still flinging death from their hands:

    Anime & Manga 
  • Pretty much every one of the recurring characters capable of fighting in Dragon Ball Z can both fly and fire devastating ki blasts. Not a few of them are also Flying Bricks, since they often engage in hand-to-hand combat with their enemies as well.
  • Aerial mages in Lyrical Nanoha, especially those who use the Mid-Childa style, which specialize at firing beams and other energy projectiles.
  • Ryoko in most iterations of the Tenchi Muyo! franchise can both fling some kind of energy blast and fly, among her other powers.

    Comic Books 
  • The DCU:
    • All-Star Squadron: Airwave has nebulously defined "radio" powers that involve energy blasts.
    • Blue Beetle: The Scarab grants the third Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) various powers, including protective armor, flight, and energy blasts.
    • Booster Gold: Booster wears a super suit from the future, which includes gadgets for flying and firing lasers.
    • Captain Atom: The titular captain is living atomic energy contained inside a nigh-indestructible metal suit. In addition to being a Flying Brick, he can fire the energy or, if his suit is ruptured, it will erupt from his body on its own, possibly causing a nuclear explosion. Come DC's 2011 reboot, he's a walking reactor, the atoms in his body in a constant cycle of fission and fusion - with no metal suit. His powers remain much the same. Breach is the Captain Atom of Earth-8, so he pretty much has the exact same powers.
    • Firestorm: Firestorm possesses the power of the atom, able to fire nuclear energy as well as transmute matter.
    • Green Lantern: The entire Green Lantern Corps can do this. A notable example is Kilowog; despite having the ability to construct objects with green energy like other Lanterns, he prefers using raw, unshaped blasts.
    • Justice League of America:
      • The third Dr. Light (Kimiyo Hoshi) has basically the same powers as the Ray, only not as many of them and not quite to the same degree.
      • Former Justice League member Faith had flight and telekinetic energy blasts, as well as some telepathic abilities.
      • Triumph and Aura both fire blasts of magnetic energy (Triumph is also a Flying Brick, and Aura occasionally simulates one by using her magnetic powers to create suits of armor). Triumph is most famous for Justice League Task Force, while Aura was a member of Superboy and the Ravers.
    • Legion of Super-Heroes:
      • Ultra Boy/Emerald Dragon (Jo Nah) has "Flash Vision" (similar to a Kryptonian's heat vision) and a Legion flight ring. He can also fly under his own power but can't use any of his other powers at the same time.
      • Valor/Mon-El/Nomad (Lar Gand) is a Daxamite, and therefore decended from Kryptonian hybrids with essentially the same powers but an added weakness to lead exposure.
      • Wildfire/ERG-1/NRG/Wildflame (Drake Burroughs) is sentient antimatter energy in a containment suit who can fly at faster-than-light speed and fire off energy blasts.
    • The Outsiders: Halo has entirely too many powers, but flight and energy blasts (what kind of energy is strictly Depending on the Writer) are always part of the package.
    • The Ray: The eponymous hero possesses flight and light-based energy powers and beams. Pre-Flashpoint, his power level had no cap; at certain points (Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! being a notable example), he'd absorbed a pretty big share of ALL THE ENERGY IN THE UNIVERSE. This, coupled with the fact that he could move (and, thanks to a writer change, react) at the speed of light, instantly heal from all damage, shrink, cast illusions, and turn invisible, is probably why most writers either didn't bother to use him or picked three or four of his powers out of a hat and limited him to those.
    • Starman:
      • Mikaal Tomas: the most recent Starman has a body which is specifically built for outer space. In addition to being able to fly and survive in a vacuum, he can project energy blasts.
      • David Knight: Starman II, uses the Gravity Rod, which grants flight and the ability to absorb and fire solar energy.
      • The Cosmic Staff, the main weapon used by Starman III (Jack Knight) and Stargirl, grants flight and the ability to project cosmic energy.
      • Ted Knight: the original Starman, used both of the aforementioned weapons.
    • Static: With a piece of metal to hover on and some good old fashioned Shock and Awe.
    • Supergirl:
      • Kara Zor-El has the full Kryptonian package: she is a Flying Brick with heat vision.
      • Post-Crisis Linda Danvers had pyrokinesis and flaming wings, too.
      • In Many Happy Returns, Kara and Linda fight Rebel, a one-time villain who is super-strong, can fly and shoot energy blasts.
    • Superman:
    • Teen Titans: Starfire is a Rubber Forehead Alien who flies and shoots energy blasts from her hands.
    • "Julia", a Daxamite deserter who becomes a revolutionary Space Pirate in Wonder Woman (1987), used to have the whole Daxamite/Kryptonian package, but when the Sangtee Empire captured and tortured her for trying to free their slaves, the first thing they did was tear out her eyes. Thus, she's down to just flight by the time she meets Diana.
  • Marvel Universe:
    • The Avengers: Wonder Man's powers are constantly being changed, but he alternates between being a Flying Brick and an Energy Being — which is also a Flying Brick.
    • Captain Universe is pretty much living cosmic energy. It possesses a random person in the universe (including Spider-Man and X-23 at different points) and grants them Class 4 Super Weight cosmic powers.
    • Doctor Strange: Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, typically wears the Cloak of Levitation, which enables him to float and fly without expending any of his personal strength. Handy whilst raining down bolts of mystic retribution. (See Video Games, below.)
    • Iron Man: Tony Stark has flight and "repulsor beams" (name varies), one of the few instances where the same capability allows for both flight and energy blasts. The loads of missiles and Energy Weapons help too. The related hero James Rhodes/War Machine has all of Tony's armaments, plus a good old fashioned minigun on the shoulder.
    • Ms. Marvel: Carol Danvers projects Ki Manipulation from her hands. However, she's got general Flying Brick powers too, so she tends to switch between energy beams and brawling.
    • New Warriors: Vance Astrovik/Justice is an extremely powerful telekinetic and primarily fights with TK blasts.
    • Nova: The basic powers of all Novas are flying really fast and hitting really hard. Also, they've got forcefields and energy blasts.
    • Quasar: All incarnations possess the Quantum Bands, which allow them to fly at light-speed and fire quantum energy.
    • Runaways: Karolina has this power set and eventually expands to force fields as well.
    • Silver Surfer: As a former herald of Galactus, Norrin Radd is nigh-omnipotent. On his own, he can fly at warp speeds and fire devastatingly powerful energy blasts. That's only the tip of the iceberg.
    • X-Man: The titular X-Man, Nate Grey, is an omega-level psychic powerhouse who flies and throws around powerful psionic bolts as easily as breathing.
    • X-Men:
      • Original team member Warren Worthington III/Angel originally could only fly but later acquired the ability to fling poisoned metal shards from his wings after being transformed by Apocalypse into Archangel.
      • Jean Grey/Marvel Girl/Phoenix has this as one of her go-to strategies with or without the Phoenix, with her younger, temporally displaced self displaying this against the Shi'ar Imperial Guard during The Trial of Jean Grey.
      • Rachel Summers/Phoenix is the daughter of Jean Grey above and also spent ten years as the host of the Phoenix. It's safe to say that she does a lot of this, against the likes of Galactus and the Beyonder (though in the former case, it's the Phoenix possessing her).
      • Magneto can throw around Shock and Awe and pretty much everything else on the electromagnetic spectrum — though he's quite happy to use a large building instead.
      • Magneto's disciple Exodus is similar to Jean and X-Man above, being a psychic flier who attacks with psionic and telekinetic energy attacks, in addition to the occasional Eye Beams.
      • Deathbird of the Shi'ar Empire is very similar to Archangel above, fighting with Feather Flechettes and favoring Death from Above-style attacks.
  • W.I.T.C.H.: Having the power of Absolute Energy, Will has always been able to fire death from her hands, and became an example of Flying Firepower when the New Power saga gave her the ability to fly.
  • Zip Kid, from Young Heroes in Love, can shrink, fly, and shoot energy blasts. The smaller she gets, the faster she is, and the more powerful her energy blasts, IIRC.

    Fan Works 
  • Last Child of Krypton: In this crossover Shinji Ikari is Superman. As you would expect he is a Flying Brick with Eye Beams.
  • Superwomen of Eva 2: Lone Heir of Krypton: In this crossover Asuka Langley Sohryu — a.k.a. Supergirl — has Kryptonian DNA. Her powers include flight and heat vision.
  • Thousand Shinji: In this Warhammer 40,000 crossover Shinji — a psyker in this setting — can use his telekinesis to fly and shoot lightning bolts.
  • In Atonement, Kid Win represents this combat archetype for the Brockton Bay Wards. His jetpack enables flight, and he's never lacking in the laser beams department.
  • Hellsister Trilogy has heroes like Supergirl, Dev-Em and other Kryptonians and Daxamites -flight and heat beams-, Ultra Boy -flight and optic blasts, although he can't use both powers at once- and Orion -flight and hand blasts-... and villains like Satan Girl.
  • Aforce Of Four has the example of Power Girl and three Kryptonian villains: Mala, Kizo and U-Ban. The four of them can fly and shoot heat beams.
  • The Last Daughter: Shortly after finding out that she can fly, Taylor discovers she can shoot heat beams while fighting Behemot.
  • In Maverick Hunter Quest, Solstrike Saetos combines his flying abilities with a swarm of attack feathers that "eat" Reploid body materials.
  • The Vampire of Steel has Supergirl and Zol-Am, a Kryptonian vampire with all associated powers.
  • Superman of 2499: The Great Confrontation: In addition to flight and invulnerability, Alan Kent, Katherine and their family have the power to shoot heat beams as well as blowing huge amounts of freezing breath.

    Films — Live-Action 
  • Godzilla movies:
  • Rebirth of Mothra and its sequels introduce a new Mothra and her son Mothra Leo, and good grief is Leo this. Three beams from his forehead (in original imago, Rainbow, Aqua and Armor forms), antenna beams (in Aqua), a beam from his chest (as Imago and Rainbow), lightning bolts from his wings (Imago and Rainbow), a different blast of energy from his wings (Rainbow), jade energy rings released when he flies upright (Imago), summons energy bolts from the ground, rains down powder in a circle before a giant beam of blistering emerald energy comes from the sky (both in Imago), and two different charged tackles (Excel Dash in original Imago, and the Transcending Fate move in Armor form, which actually pierces the foe and turns them to crystal before they explode). That's a lot of attacks. (His mother just has the antenna beams, lightning from her wings, and Flash Dash, her version of her son's Excel Dash move.)
  • Gamera vs. Gyaos: While flying, the Gyaos are able to shoot blasts of high-frequency soundwaves that can slice through steel.

    Literature 
  • In Jeramey Kraatz's The Cloak Society, Lux and Lone Star both have flight and light attack powers.
  • In Michael C. Bailey's Action Figures — Issue One: Secret Origins, this is Carrie's basic skill set.
  • In Worm, and sequel Ward Legend is the most powerful character with this combination of powers in the setting, able to fire lasers that can turn corners, split into multiple beams, pass through walls, and freeze or ignite his targets. A number of other characters have similar powersets, although usually to a significantly lesser degree.

    Live-Action TV 
  • Arrowverse has Firestorm, The Atom, and Supergirl. One Legends of Tomorrow episode also shows that, in the future, the Kasnia Conglomerate will use flying robots inspired by the Atom suit to police the populace.
  • One episode of Time Trax has Darien run into a 22nd-century scientist who is "inventing" new devices in the 20th century (most of them either his own or others' inventions). The most dangerous invention is the APTUX (Anti-gravity Personal Transport Unit, Experimental), a belt that allows a person to fly. In the climax, a bad guy gets his hands on the second prototype (a more stable version) and starts chasing Darien and the scientist while firing a submachinegun from above. Darien is able to knock him out with his MPPT, and the guy crashes to the ground, with the belt exploding.

    Tabletop Games 
  • In Champions it was very common for energy projector characters to also have flight. Early examples include Pulsar, Bluejay and Firewing.
  • In Mutants & Masterminds, one of the sample hero archetypes is called "Energy Controller," and has the basic package of Flight, Hand Blasts, and a Force Field.

    Video Games 

    Webcomics 
  • Fusion is a purple glowing energy blast user. She even leaves a trail of purple energy when flying.
  • Grrl Power: Several characters fit this mold.
    • Maxima, one of the strongest super in the setting, can fly incredibly fast and shoot powerful blasts from her hands. The most limiting factor for her destruction potential is trying to avoid collateral damage.
    • Heatwave is a pyrokinetic with flight as a secondary power. She's not a Flying Brick, however, making her more of a Glass Cannon.
    • Main character Sydney Scoville a.k.a. Halo can easily fit here too as part of her Combo Platter Powers. When using the flight orb and the "pew-pew" orb, she can obliterate an army of Mook Mobiles, and a few Kaiju-sized planet-destroyers as well. As she'd rather keep her Deflector Shield up at all time, though, this means she has to switch the flight orb and firepower orb and shortly falls while shooting. She can switch back very fast, though, mostly meaning she's flying elliptically while firing lasers.

    Web Original 
  • Whateley Universe:
    • Tennyo flies, hurls plasma blasts, and more.
    • Golden Girl flies, has a golden energy blasts, and can put up a golden energy screen.
    • Sunscreen can do the same, and seems to get energy from the sun.
  • Maidens in RWBY have flight in addition to their Elemental Powers. While some of them use flame or wind to mimic flight, others (like Fria, Raven, and Winter) don't need to and can just hover under their own power.

    Western Animation 
  • The Batman:
    • Firefly has a jetpack and a heatray.
    • In this series, Batman himself counts. He sometimes uses a jetpack, along with throwable explosives in his utility belt.
  • Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Halo, and Firestorm all show up.
  • Danny Phantom: Danny's ghost powers include flight and shooting ghostly ectoplasm beams.
  • Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Birdman can fly and shoot some kind of energy beam. Also, he's solar powered.
  • Justice League: The Ray and Dr Light make appearances, but not in speaking roles. Booster Gold has an episode. Fire is present in multiple instances. See the Comic Book section for more on them.
  • Static Shock: See comic book.
  • Teen Titans (2003): Starfire flings Energy Balls from her hand and later gains Eye Beams of the same nature. Also a Flying Brick.
  • W.I.T.C.H.: Will in the second season acquires her elemental power of Quintessence, which is manifested as devastating lightning bolts. Nerissa in her Guardian form has the same abilities and more experience (and usually power, as she doesn't divide her energy source with others).

 
Feedback

Video Example(s):

Alternative Title(s): Flying Artillery

Top

Maki vs Shinra and Arthur

Maki easily defeats Shinra and Arthur despite them being third-generation pyrokinetic due to her army training and knowing how to use her powers better.

How well does it match the trope?

5 (6 votes)

Example of:

Main / CurbStompBattle

Media sources:

Report