History Main / PowerLossMakesYouStrong

* In the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica ''{{Elseworlds}}'' series ''[[JLAActOfGod JLA: Act of God]]'', a [[DiabolusExMachina mysterious event]] wipes out all superpowers. {{Supergirl}}, Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}, the MartianManhunter and TheFlash re-train themselves to become {{Badass Normal}}s like {{Batman}}.

* In the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica ''{{Elseworlds}}'' series ''JLA: Act of God'', a [[DiabolusExMachina mysterious event]] wipes out all superpowers. {{Supergirl}}, Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}, the MartianManhunter and TheFlash re-train themselves to become {{Badass Normal}}s like {{Batman}}.

Compare HandicappedBadAss, which is the loss not of a superpower, but of a normal human ability, and DisabilitySuperPower, when the handicap itself ushers a superpower. Contrast WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity. Inversion of BadassAbnormal.

* In the third season of AvatarTheLastAirbender Zuko experiences a hefty power loss once he begins to train Aang and figures out that his letting go of his anger and WellDoneSonGuy tendencies (and the frustration that brought him) has prevented him from using the TheDarkSide version of Firebending the Fire Nation believes. After a "life-changing field trip" with Aang he learns the "pure" form of Firebending and gets a dramatic enough increase in his ability=ies to successfully fight Azula one on one in the finale. Until she cheats, anyway.

* An episode of ''BatmanBeyond'' featured Terry not only losing his technologically advanced batsuit, but having to face off ''against'' it when it's taken over by a [[AIIsACrapshoot rogue A.I.]]

* Parodied, played with, subverted, and played STRAIGHT to Hell and back with CaptainAtom in BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold.

* Storm, back in the 80's ''[[XMen X-Men]]'' comics. She lost her powers at the hands of Forge and ends up with a mohawk living with the Morlocks, even beating Callisto in hand to hand combat.
** Literally, for Polaris when she lost her magnetic powers and gained super-strength for no obvious reason.

* In the "Day of Black Sun" arc of ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'', the firebenders lost all their powers. Princess Azula, being a very nimble individual, was still very effective. And having those Dai-Lee Earthbenders helped.

* Disney's version of {{Hercules}}. He killed a Cyclops without his SuperStrength.

** In the episode ''Savior'', Clark is threatened by a woman with a katana while he is powerless, ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome and he kicks her ass]]''.

* In the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica ''{{Elseworlds}}'' series ''JLA: Act of God'', a [[DiabolusExMachina mysterious event]] wipes out all superpowers. {{Supergirl}}, {{Aquaman}}, the MartianManhunter and TheFlash re-train themselves to become {{Badass Normal}}s like {{Batman}}.

* Accelerator in {{To Aru Majutsu no Index}}, [[spoiler: after being shot in the head while saving Last Order,]] has his power limited to needing the calculations done externally and have them put into his brain via a choker looking contraption that only lasts 15 minutes. it gets upgraded, but the people who upgraded it installed a remote switch to turn off his power, so when he decides to save someone they want to kill, he just uses a pistol and wits to take out a group of hired delinquents (with Touma there helping out too, even if they both didn't know the other was there)

** In the episode ''Mortal'', he takes out ''three'' baddies who had superpowers, abeit with the help of a flashbang and a sledgehammer.

* Accelerator in {{To Aru Majutsu no Index}} has his power limited to needing the calculations done externally and have them [[spoiler: after being shot in the head while saving Last Order]]put into his brain via a choker looking contraption that only lasts 15 minutes. it gets upgraded, but the people who upgraded it installed a remote switch to turn off his power, so when he decides to save someone they want to kill, he just uses a pistol and wits to take out a group of hired delinquents (with Touma there helping out too, even if they both didn't know the other was there)

* Ginormica in ''MonstersVsAliens'' afted Gallaxhar strips her (no, [[DoubleEntendre not that]]) of her AppliedPhlebotinum.

** FridgeLogic: How in the world does Aquaman lose the ability to breathe underwater if he's a native Atlantian? Do ''all'' Atlantians lose the power to breathe underwater? Superman and Martian Manhunter are ''aliens'' - are they genetically rendered human, even though they don't have anything resembling human genes in their [=DNA=]? The Green Lantern power rings are technological in origin - why do they stop working when other technological superheroes like Steel are unaffected?
** AWizardDidIt
** Which is to say that Act of God was a massive IdiotPlot constructed for the sole purpose of making Batman look good, since the writer's only ability is writing Batman and [[MoonKnight Batman's lower-rent Marvel equivalent]].
*** And if you read Batman: Crimson Mist, [[CharacterDerailment you'd question even that...]]
** Re: the Atlanteans--that's what Aquaman desperately wanted to know, and apparently never found out.
*** [[AuthorsSavingThrow Aquaman is a half human, half Atlantean in most continuities, so the human side of him won out when the powers went down.]]

* After DannyPhantom willingly gets rid of his powers [[IJustWantToBeNormal to have a normal life again]] [[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime just when a giant asteroid threatens to smash the planet]], he manages to come up with a way to save the world as well as comes up with a means to do it. Aside from that, he shows just how badass he can be without his powers, right before he gets them back.

* Blue Devil in the final arc of ''{{Shadowpact}}'' ... almost. He defeats a powerful demon without his own demon powers, but he ''does'' still have his original PoweredArmor.

* Disney's version of {{Hercules}}. He killed a [[PhysicalGod Titan]] without his SuperStrength? I'd say that's pretty badass.

[[quoteright:350:[[JusticeLeague http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/GLandEasyCompany.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: BadassNormal, GreenLantern, [[{{Comicbook/SgtRock}} Sgt. Rock]], another BadassNormal who [[DefeatMeansFriendship got his ass handed to him by GL.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: BadassNormal, GreenLantern, SergeantRock, another BadassNormal who [[DefeatMeansFriendship got his ass handed to him by GL.]]]]

** which is to say that Act of God was a massive IdiotPlot constructed for the sole purpose of making Batman look good, since the writer's only ability is writing Batman and [[MoonKnight Batman's lower-rent Marvel equivalent]].

** which is to say that Act of God was a massive idiot plot constructed for the sole purpose of making Batman look good, since the writer's only ability is writing Batman and [[MoonKnight Batman's lower-rent Marvel equivalent]].