Having special powers is the best thing that could ever happen to a person. At least that’s what most comic book stories would like the audiences and readers to believe. It doesn’t always work that way, though.
Some TV characters hate their powers and would gladly cast them aside if they got the chance. In some cases, they even managed to do just that. It turns out that it doesn’t matter how powerful they are or how rare their powers are. If the powers make their lives more difficult, even the truly powerful TV characters would give a lot to be like non-powered people.
5 Annalise In The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself
Canceled after just one season, the Netflix show focuses on a world where wizards belong either among the "good" White Witches or the "bad" Black Witches. Annalise is the daughter of one of the most prominent representatives of the White Witches, and she's eagerly awaiting the awakening of her powers that happens after celebrating her 17th birthday. Much to her dismay, she discovers that her power is violent and would fit in with the ranks of the people her whole family calls evil, the Black Witches. Annalise has the power to pull people apart and let their bodies explode.
While she uses the talent to help her (boy)friend Nathan who's being persecuted, Annalise doesn't like having this power and wants to figure out a way how to get rid of it. Unfortunately for her, nothing is ever as easy in the world of The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself. In showing the darker side of life in a magical society, the show feels more realistic than many other stories of this genre, and Annalise's power is a good example of such an approach.
4 Aidan In Being Human
Based on a British series of the same name, Being Human follows the complicated life of three flatmates - a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost. While the TV is full of vampires who don't like their powers, and more, what they represent, Aidan is one of the best examples of that. On one fact, Aidan likes being still alive since if he was human, he would have died a long time ago.
On the other hand, Aidan hates his addiction to blood and how easy it would be for him to fall off the wagon again. His is a good example that nothing comes for free. So even though Aidan has powers such as (near) immortality or super strength, at the same time, he doesn't like what he has to do - to drink blood - in order to possess these powers. The title of the show reflects how Aidan is torn between succumbing to his urges and being human.
3 Kimiko In The Boys
The Boys is full of not-so-heroic superheroes who use their powers for twisted, nefarious purposes. Yet Kimiko is one of the good guys, no matter how much she might think the opposite. Kimiko has the power to regenerate her body, making her as close to immortal as they come. She's also strong and fast. She works with the Boys, takes on multiple enemies, and comes out victorious.
Yet Kimiko dreams about a better, more peaceful life, as she struggles with whether her actions don't make her as evil as the people she fights against. So when she loses her powers, Kimiko is overjoyed and ready to turn over a new leaf. That makes the subsequent turn of events that much more devastating for the young heroine.
2 George In Dead Like Me
Some powerful TV characters choose their powers, usually by undergoing experiments that would bring the powers to them. But others are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's the case of the young and rather cynical girl George who dies during a freak accident. Instead of finding out whether there's life after death, George becomes a Grim Reaper and is forced to collect the souls of people moments before they perish.
Throughout multiple episodes, George struggles with the newfound duties that she had never asked for in the first place. Not only is she angry about dying so young, but she also doesn't like having to collect souls from children and other people who have done nothing wrong. In the end, George manages to come to terms with her new life, more or less, but the depths of her character make her one of the most interesting fantasy TV heroes.
1 Alisha In Misfits
Just like The Boys, the British sci-fi seriesMisfits turn the superhero genre conventions upside down. Its heroes are a group of young offenders who have no interest in being superheroes even after they gain special powers during an unusual storm. Alisha is one of the members of the group who struggles the most with her powers.
A popular and attractive girl, Alisha is used to men falling to her feet, so the fact that they can no longer touch her without going mindless with desire and wanting to take advantage of her makes her feel isolated and lonely. It also has a negative impact on her relationship with her boyfriend Curtis. And even though Alisha eventually finds somebody who can touch her freely, she only loses him later on, adding yet another tragedy to her already difficult life.