Genius Intellect
Many superheroes boast high, intimidating levels of intelligence among their range of super powers, and this goes hand-in-hand with the common skill-set of tactical expertise. While it sounds fairly generic, genius intellect is actually a vital element in superhero lore, as it opens up the genre to include a broader range of characters.
Without the inclusion of ‘genius,’ the position of superhero would be limited to those aliens from another world that draw power from our yellow sun (Superman, Supergirl), those humans that fall victim to terrible accidents (Daredevil), those unfortunate enough to fall foul of scientific experimentation (Captain America, Hulk, Deadpool, Dr Manhattan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Darkman), and mutants (The X-Men). While these types of characters are enjoyable to watch, they are not especially relatable.
Of course, few people are able to relate to ‘genius,’ but when ‘genius’ allows characters that technically have no organic ‘super powers’ of their own to create those abilities externally, we benefit from characters in the genre that are more ‘everyman’ and ‘everywoman’ than their naturally ‘super’ counterparts. It is ‘genius’ that gives us Batman, Iron Man, The Shadow, The Green Hornet and Rocket The Raccoon, for example.
