History Main / DifferentlyPoweredIndividual

* The term Esper (from ESP User) was once used fairly frequently in science fiction to denote someone with PsychicPowers. Such authors as Alfred Bester, Creator/IsaacAsimov, Creator/RobertAHeinlein and Christopher Stasheff have used it in this context. Not to mention those cheerful children in ''Manga/{{Akira}}''.

* The second pilot of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' used the term "Esper" a few times, referring to those whose ESP ratings were higher than average, normal Human or not. No doubt borrowed the term from Asimov.

* In the ''Shapeshifter'' series by Ali Sparkes, superpowered people are dubbed [=COLAs=] or Children Of Limitless Ability due to them all being under the age of fifteen.

* The superpowered humans in ''VideoGame/{{inFAMOUS}}'' are referred to as "Conduits." The gene that marks a human as a Conduit allows one to channel, or be a ''conduit'' for, Ray Field Energy and gain superpowers through exposure to it. [[spoiler:The Good ending of the second game has Cole destroy all conduits ([[HeroicSacrifice including himself]]) in order to save the {{Muggles}} of the world while the Evil ending has the reverse happening]]... At least until ''VideoGame/InFamousSecondSon'', which reveals that Conduits survived and are now treated as "[[FantasticSlurs Bio-Terrorists]]" by the [[MutantDraftBoard Department of Unified Protection]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' uses "parautilitarians" to describe people who bonded various [[AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome Objects of Power]], granting them supernatural abilities.
* In the ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvoltSeries'', superpowers are called "Septima", and the superpowered people are called "Adepts". [[DubNameChange The terms are different in the Japanese version]]; both the powers and the people are called "Seventh". In the Japanese version of ''VideoGame/LuminousAvengerIX'', the powers are called "Septima", but the people are called "Septima Holders".

* ''Comicbook/{{Empowered}}'' uses "posthuman", even though many superheroes are [[BadassNormal perfectly human]] there. Empowered also uses "capes" as a general superhuman term (Black Capes and White Capes for villains and heroes, respectively) "superchicas" for female superheroes and "supervill" for supervillains. "Superhero" and "supervillain" are still sometimes used, however.

* At least one version of the ''Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' distinguishes between "planetary adapted" (people who have a "superpower" that everyone on their planet can do, like ComicBook/CosmicBoy, Saturn Girl and [[ComicBook/{{Valor}} Mon-El]]) and "uniques" (people who have acquired powers somehow, like Lightning Lad, Ultra Boy and Chemical King).

** Ironically, many superhumans are still mistaken for Mutants, with ComicBook/SpiderMan at the top of the list. This actually is a minor plot point in the event ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', where Spidey is a popular entertainer in an AlternateUniverse where [[EveryoneIsASuper Mutants are the majority of the population]], because he lied and claimed that he is also a mutant, even though his non-mutant origin is still the same.
** Mutants can further be broken down into Alpha, Beta, and Omega, in reference to how well they can control their power: Alphas are able to turn theirs on or off at will, like ComicBook/{{Jubilee|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/KittyPryde, or ComicBook/{{Colossus}}; while Betas' powers are always active, like ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, [[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]], or ComicBook/{{Rogue}}. Omegas are rare (by which we mean 90% of the main cast are listed as such at one point or another) and are basically some of the most powerful beings in the universe -- the prime example of an Omega is [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean/Phoenix]]. There are also lower Gamma/Delta levels for mutants who just got screwed, like the one whose sole power was a ten-foot neck, and those who didn't get (or lost) the RequiredSecondaryPowers they needed.

*** In the ''New Comicbook/{{Excalibur}}'' series, Pete Wisdom would similarly disparage superhero-types by referring to them "skin-tights".
** In early issues of ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'', the title character is referred to as a "costumed adventurer". Of course, the public did not know of Daredevil's blindness, and thus his metahuman senses, so they had no reason not to presume him a "costumed hero" (term used by Max Allan Collins in ''Amazing Heroes'' #119) similar to the early Night Raven, the pulp Shadow (who could not "cloud men's minds"), the Spider, the Green Hornet, the Phantom (of Phantom Detective Magazine), etc.

** ''Comicbook/{{Runaways}}'' once featured an arc where they ended up in 1907, while there they ran across multiple gangs of super-powered teenagers called "wonders". While some of these kids were obviously using magical or mechanically-based powers, a good number were undoubtedly mutants or mutates.

* Creator/AlanMoore's ''Comicbook/{{Miracleman}}'' used "Parahuman".

** The sequel series ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'' adds Ferrings (one Feruchemical power), Twinborn (one Allomantic and one Feruchemical power), and Compounders (a Twinborn who's Allomantic and Feruchemical powers use the same metal). Metalborn is the blanket term for all of the above, although the powers have gotten weaker across generations, such that full powered Mistborn and Feruchemists are extremely rare to the point of being basically nonexistent.

* On the TV version of ''Series/PainkillerJane'', all those with powers except for the title character are called Neuros, short for Neurological Aberration. That's because Neuros are only the [[spoiler:failed stage 1 experiments. Jane is stage 2]].
* ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'' uses the term "abnormals" for humans with strange qualities. They also use the term to refer to non-human cryptids, such as merpeople and sasquatch. It is not clear whether the term also applies to the non-sentient cryptids -- no one has yet used the term directly when talking about a specific non-sentient animal, but Magnus does refer to the Sanctuary's residents collectively as "abnormals".

** The ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' setting generally uses "metahuman", however this is [[SeparatedByACommonLanguage only in American English]]. In British English, they're called "powers", hence the UK's GovernmentAgencyOfFiction being the Ministry of Powers.

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' {{invert|edTrope}}s this trope. 80% of the world's population has some sort of superpower (referred InUniverse as "Quirks"), [[EveryoneIsASuper meaning that superpowered individuals are actually the norm]]. However, not every superpowered individual becomes a superhero, with most of them living ordinary lives. The remaining 20% of the population who have no powers are referred to as being Quirkless.
** An interesting fact that was revealed in the Meta Liberation Arc, is that Quirks originally had a different name. In the past when superpowers first appeared, they were called Meta Abilities. The name, Quirk, wasn't used until much later in history when society began to more openly accept superpowers as the percentage of people with powers started to outnumber the people without powers. The Meta Liberation Army, a longtime group of villains attempting to overthrow the government, are the only ones who still refer to them as Meta Abilities.

* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'': There are three types of these, all descendants from {{Transhuman}} body modifications from the {{Precursors}} known as The Old World whose civilization the work is set AfterTheEnd of.
** Those born with an organic wireless BrainComputerInterface with the Old World internet amongst other powers [[labelnote:Note]]{{Telepathy}} with others of their kind, and an InvertedTrope version of {{TheEmpath}} abilities (broadcasting feelings into others) [[/labelnote]] are Old World Domain Connectors.
** A second type, are those with SuperStrength unassisted by equipment or cybernetics. These are known as Superhumans (Chōjin).
** There’s a third type with SensorCharacter levels of [[GutFeeling intuition]], but it doesn’t seem to be given a specific designation.

* ''[[Creator/JohnRidley Those Who Walk in Darkness]]'' and ''[[Creator/JohnRidley What Fire Cannot Burn]]'' by John Ridley call them metanormals.
* In ''[[Literature/{{Touch 2017}} Touch]],'' superpowers are revealed to be magical in origin. While terms like "mage" seem to be preferred by those who have a lineage of special abilities, official government records refer to them as "deviations" and the process of getting them as "deviance."

* ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'' refers to the 4,400 people with superpowers as "returnees", due to the way they were abducted from the past and then returned all at once with powers added. Those who acquire their powers in the present day using the SuperSerum Promicin are unnamed.
** The term "p-positive" has been used, short for "promicin-positive" with the plural being simply "p-positives".

* The ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' uses "metahumans", just like the comics. The name originated in ''Series/TheFlash2014'' and has since expanded to other shows in the franchise. It was also used by ''Series/BlackLightning2018'' before that show was officially incorporated into the Arrowverse during the ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'' event. It is a rather broad term that is used for any kind of superpowered human, regardless of how they gained their powers.
* ''Series/{{Grimm}}'' uses the term "Wesen" (German for "creature" and pronounced with a "v" sound) for humans with a super natural side. Each kind of Wesen has a specific name, usually in faux-German (the original Grimms were German, after all), although a few of the names are in French (e.g. Mauvais Dentes), Russian (e.g. Koschie), Spanish (e.g. El Cucuy), Eastern Maninkakan (e.g. Jinnamuru Xunte), etc.

* It is apparently public policy in the real world to refer to the {{mutants}} on ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' as, well, "Heroes". This ignores the ones that are apathetic to the cause of Justice[[TradeSnark ™]], have their own neutral agendas, are incidental to the plot, or, let's face it, are just plain evil.

*** Volume 4 seems to have Danko's CapeBusters team refer to them mainly as "individuals with abilities".

* The [[WebOriginal/AcademyOfSuperheroes ASH universe]] refers to the most powerful as Supernaturals and the lesser lights as Supernormals.

** Ironically, many superhumans are still mistaken for Mutants, with Franchise/SpiderMan at the top of the list. This actually is a minor plot point in the event ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', where Spidey is a popular entertainer in an AlternateUniverse where [[EveryoneIsASuper Mutants are the majority of the population]], because he lied and claimed that he is also a mutant, even though his non-mutant origin is still the same.

*** As of ''House of X'', "Omega-level mutant" has been further refined to mean that the mutant has no upper limit in their specific power, and that very few forces in the universe can best them at it. Iceman is omega-level in temperature manipulation, Storm is omega-level in weather manipulation, Magneto is omega-level in magnetism, Jean Grey is omega-level in telepathy, and so forth.

* The superhero RPG ''Brave New World'' uses the term "deltas" to refer to heroes, as delta represents the process of change in scientific formulae. Particularly powerful "[[EvolutionaryLevels evolved]]" delta heroes are called "alphas".

* The TabletopRPG ''Godlike'' and its sequel, ''TabletopGame/WildTalents'', use "talents".

* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', people with powers in general are known as "parahumans," while those who put on a costume and try to become a villain or hero are referred to as "capes." Parahumans who use their power exclusively for business or personal reasons, or choose not to use them at all (e.g. Parian, who takes paying jobs [[{{Golem}} animating cloth mascots]] as promotional stunts) are referred to as "rogues." The term originated when it was assumed that the majority of parahumans would be heroes, thus the negative connotation, but as the total number of parahumans has increased, governments are generally encouraging more parahumans to become rogues and live more or less normal lives. In fact, using one's powers for profit is perfectly legal, and rogues who choose to register themselves may even be provided government assistance in a few different ways.
** There are also a number of classifications like "Mover" or "Blaster", usually followed by a number ranging from roughly 1-10 (there's technically no upper limit, with more powerful abilities being above 10), which are used as a shorthand to explain roughly what type of power a person has and how powerful it is. For example someone who can fly might be a Mover 3, while a teleportation ability might be a Mover 5 or more, depending on it's restrictions. Considering the enormous range of powers that exist in the setting, many parahumans will have ratings in two or more categories, as well as those that don't really fit neatly in any category.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' used the shortened form "Super" for all people with powers. Probably apt, since having powers doesn't necessarily mean you are (or were) a hero. The sequel does use the word "superhero", however.

* In the ''[[Creator/ChoiceOfGames Heroes Rise]]'' trilogy, they are called Powered.
* The superpowered humans in ''VideoGame/InFamous'' are referred to as "Conduits." The gene that marks a human as a Conduit allows one to channel, or be a ''conduit'' for, Ray Field Energy and gain superpowers through exposure to it. [[spoiler:The Good ending of the second game has Cole destroy all conduits ([[HeroicSacrifice including himself]]) in order to save the {{Muggles}} of the world while the Evil ending has the reverse happening]]... At least until ''Videogame/InfamousSecondSon'', which reveals that Conduits survived and are now treated as "[[FantasticSlurs Bio-Terrorists]]" by the [[MutantDraftBoard Department of Unified Protection]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' used the shortened form "Super" for all people with powers. Probably apt, since having powers doesn't necessarily mean you are (or were) a hero. The sequel does use the word "superhero", however.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' also uses ''nōryokusha'' (literally "Ability User") to describe beings who gain supernatural powers by scientific means. The term ''nōryokusha'' is commonly translated in the fandom as "Esper"[[note]]Though this is technically incorrect for many of the characters as it implies the acquisition of ESP[[/note]], and proved to be so popular that [=SevenSeas=] eventually switched their official translations from the original "Psychic" to "Esper" after lobbying by fans.
* ''[[LightNovel/BoogiepopSeries Boogiepop ]]'' uses the term "MPLS" to refer to humans have suddenly gained special abilities. It's not known what MPLS actually means, just that the [[NebulousEvilOrganisation Towa Organization]] uses the term for those kinds of individuals.

* The use of the term "Esper" (see below) in ''[[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' is used by Haruhi in the context of "has special powers", although the original meaning of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Bester Alfred Bester]] and those he inspired is generally specific to {{telepathy}} or at least PsychicPowers in general. This is the result of an unusual translation convention. The original Japanese uses the far-more-generic "chōnōryokusha", which can be broken down literally into "super ability person".

* The ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' uses "metahumans", just like the comics. The name originated in ''[[Series/TheFlash2014 The Flash]]'', and has since expanded to other shows in the franchise. It was also used by ''Series/BlackLightning'' before that show was officially incorporated into the Arrowverse during the Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019 event. It is a rather broad term that is used for any kind of superpowered human, regardless of how they gained their powers.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* There aren't a whole lot of superheroes in the ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'', but Dr. Clef runs through the gamut of those who can [[RealityWarper shape reality:]]

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': There are three types of these, all descendants from {{Transhuman}} body modifications from the {{Precursors}} known as The Old World whose civilization the work is set AfterTheEnd of.

* ''Webcomic/StrongFemaleProtagonist'' uses "biodynamic" as the technical term for all superpowered people, as well as more specific terms like "dynamorphic" for people whose physical appearance was permanently changed by their powers. Non-powered people are "chromosomally stable" or "biostatic". There's also the {{Fantastic Slur|s}} "nef", derived from "{{nephilim}}".

* ''Webcomic/StrongFemaleProtagonist'' uses "biodynamic" as the technical term for superpowered people. There's also the {{Fantastic Slur|s}} "nef", derived from "{{nephilim}}".

* In the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'', most of them are "mutants", unless they're being called names by [[FantasticRacism someone who doesn't like them]]: "Gene filth", "gene deviant", and so on. There are also various other types of supers who are ''not'' mutants: these range from "Imbued" (empowered by a supernatural being, similar to ComicBook/{{Shazam}} or ComicBook/MoonKnight), "Dynahosts" (an external spirit being called a 'dynamorph' bonding with you), "Augmented" (someone put through a SuperSoldier process or similar empowering procedure), "Espers" (non-mutant psychics), "Exaltations" (empowerment through another super's powers, usually temporarily), "Schimmlehorn Scientists" ({{Mad Scientist}}s who have TheSparkOfGenius which warps reality to fit their theories), or "Origins" (Pretty much anything else, with the causal event sometimes called a "Batson Factor" when no one understands how it happened). There are also "mages" who are skilled in the use of magic but not because of a mutation, and ''also'' various supernatural entities such as Faerie (who may be mutants whose power is 'turn into a Fae', or else ancient hold-overs of the bygone 'Five-Fold Court' that ruled Atlantis), spirits, gods (of various flavors, including [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Olympian]], [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Egyptian]], [[Myth/JapaneseMythology Japanese]], and [[LovecraftLite Lovecraftian]]), and [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolves]]. All of that is before even getting into the elaborate jargon which experts use to categorize them by power (especially the mutants, thanks mostly to [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]] itself) or power source, with terms such as 'Warper', '[[FlyingBrick PK Brick]]', 'Manifestor', 'Energizer', and 'Avatar' getting bandied about. They all still get lumped together as 'superheroes' and 'supervillains' by most people, though.

** Ironically, many superhumans are still mistaken for Mutants, with Franchise/SpiderMan at the top of the list. This actually is a minor plot point in the event ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'', where Spidey is a popular entertainer in an AlternateReality where [[EveryoneIsASuper Mutants are the majority of the population]], because he lied and claimed that he is also a mutant, even though his non-mutant origin is still the same.

** Those who get powers through [[ILoveNuclearPower Gamma radiation]] are called "Gamma mutates".