14 Weirdest Comic Book Weaknesses
Some of DC and Marvel's most iconic heroes suffer from some seriously wacky weaknesses.
Even though comic book characters have extraordinary powers and skills, that doesn't mean they are invulnerable. But that's not a bad thing in terms of storytelling. Giving a superhero or supervillain an Achilles' Heel is a great way to make them more conflicted and relatable.
If Superman was impervious to all harm, his stories would be boring. Watching Bruce Banner try and not lose his temper can be more interesting than having his green-skinned alter-ego smashing an alien in the face or wailing on a city. On top of that, a weakness can help humanise a character, especially if they are vulnerable to something psychological like an addiction or a phobia.
But there are some characters that can be defeated in the dumbest ways possible. There is an X-Man that can be immobilised by chickens, one of the founding members of the Justice League is vulnerable to chocolate, and would you believe there is a comic book character whose greatest weakness is the Earth itself?
Some readers may like to poke fun at Kryptonite, but most of the heroes and villains on this list would all beg for a weakness that was half as good.
14. Two-Face - Choice
A person's weakness isn't always something tangible or physical. Sometimes, it's mental.
Harvey Dent was a respected District Attorney until a gangster threw acid at him, leaving one side of his face horrifically scarred. The incident destabilised his mind so badly, he developed an alternate personalty and became the supervillain, Two-Face. Since his two identities have equal footing in his mind, Dent is incapable of making a choice and so, governs all his decisions with the flip of a coin.
Dent isn't just obsessed with his coin; he can't function without it. In the 1989 comic, Arkham Asylum, psychiatrists tried to cure him of his compulsion by replacing his coin with a dice. This would allow him to have six choices instead of two. This dice was eventually replaced with a tarot deck, giving him far more choices in his everyday life. The doctors assumed this treatment would curb his obsession with coins and impulse for violence.
Unfortunately, it left Dent incapable of making the most basic of choices - including going to the bathroom.