# Help me think of "support characters" in comics. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 1, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992 "2015-07-01T21:15:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/1 "2015-07-01T21:15:26Z")
I’m putting together an idea for a story about a person who has a superpower, but it’s not a “front-line” or obviously combat-oriented gift, but instead one that could be pretty much anything that doesn’t involve directly attacking stuff, or at least, not doing damage so much as pulling attention. In other words, a support character. I’m beating my brains out trying to think of a good example for inspiration besides a healer. I hate writer’s block. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/2 "2015-07-01T21:29:45Z")
In _New Mutants_, Doug “Cypher” Ramsey’s mutant power was the ability to understand any form of communication. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/3 "2015-07-01T21:30:22Z")
Look for the IT people. For instance, Felicity Smoak from the Arrow TV show basically has computer superpowers, and she’s no fighter. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/4 "2015-07-01T21:33:54Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > In _New Mutants_, Doug “Cypher” Ramsey’s mutant power was the ability to understand any form of communication. True. Of course, now it’s much “sexier” in that he can read body language as well. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/5 "2015-07-01T21:46:43Z")
In X-Men, there was also Gateway, an almost-silent Australian native who could open up teleportation gates by swinging his bullroarer. He was a grand plot contrivance. “We need to get to Moscow, immediately!” Okay: “Whirrr…” They’re in Moscow. When Batgirl was paralyzed from the waist down and became Oracle, she was a wonderful complex of support character _and_ main character! I loved that whole story arc. (Plus the really beautiful story where she, Wonder Woman, and Zatanna went out for a night of partying, because the other two knew that _something_ was about to happen to Batgirl, but not exactly what.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/6 "2015-07-01T21:49:43Z")
Saturn Girl and Matter-Eater Lad of the Legion of Super-Heroes were never really front-line fighters. Come to think of it, a lot of the Legion were better as support troops. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/7 "2015-07-01T21:50:31Z")
Speaking of which: seeing into the future. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/8 "2015-07-01T22:04:22Z")
Both the Avengers and the Justice League had their own teenage non-powered “mascots” back in the Silver Age: “Snapper” Carr and Rick Jones. And their own butlers, Alfred sometimes followed Batman in his JL adventures, and Jarvis loyally served the Avengers. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/9 "2015-07-01T22:05:52Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Both the Avengers and the Justice League had their own teenage non-powered “mascots” back in the Silver Age: “Snapper” Carr and Rick Jones. The OP is specifically looking for support characters _with_ powers. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/10 "2015-07-01T22:12:38Z")
How about the power to _grant powers?_ Alone in an alley with a mugger, you’re a regular guy; with an ally in range, you can make _him_ bulletproof and superstrong… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/11 "2015-07-01T22:14:41Z")
There was a character in the WildStorm universe who had the ability to awaken or enhance the latent super abilities in other people. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/12 "2015-07-01T22:17:08Z")
[And then there’s this poor bastard.](http://www.superstupor.com/sust11262007.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/13 "2015-07-01T22:57:25Z")
Since the fight would otherwise be over, a lot of X-MEN stories involve opponents that Professor X can’t telepathically shut down; he just coordinates his students, maybe gets the civilians to not stampede each other on their way out, mindwipes an inconvenient memory afterward – everything except, y’know, a direct attack. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/14 "2015-07-01T23:00:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Saturn Girl and Matter-Eater Lad of the Legion of Super-Heroes were never really front-line fighters. Come to think of it, a lot of the Legion were better as support troops. True, especially the female Legionnaires: Phantom Girl (phases through solid objects), Shadow Lass (creates darkness), Duo Damsel (splits into two identical bodies), Light Lass (makes things lightweight), Dream Girl (sees the future), Dawnstar (tracking ability), Invisible Kid (umm, turns invisible), Brainiac 5 (super-intelligent), Star Boy (makes things heavy). ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/15 "2015-07-01T23:08:08Z")
You’ve got Madame Web in the spiderman books. Originally she was confined to a life support machine, but was a precog & telepath who helped out spidey a few times. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/16 "2015-07-01T23:14:40Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > True. Of course, now it’s much “sexier” in that he can read body language as well. :smack: Wait! Cypher is alive again? Grab a couple of 90’s and onward X titles. You’ll find fifteen useless powered mutants. What was Shard’s power? Beak, Angel, Skin. Hell, M’s power was being awesome they all sucked. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/17 "2015-07-01T23:35:49Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > Star Boy (makes things heavy). That seems pretty front-liner. Didn’t he get kicked out of the LSH for killing a guy after what would’ve been a direct incapacitation-by-heaviness attack, and the case for the prosecution was that he totally could’ve followed up with a nonlethal attack instead? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/18 "2015-07-02T00:54:54Z")
I suggest you watch a few episodes of [Misfits](http://www.hulu.com/misfits). There are quite a few powers that really are only good in support. Being able to steal someone’s penis would certainly qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/19 "2015-07-02T02:52:33Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > How about the power to _grant powers?_ Alone in an alley with a mugger, you’re a regular guy; with an ally in range, you can make _him_ bulletproof and superstrong… A friend of mine wrote a story like that. Trouble was, he could give it to any living thing by touch (except himself), and had no control over it or what power he gave them. End results were mostly horrible. For example, a squirrel that ran over his foot gained heat vision, and his girlfriend’s sweat became acidic…and she was not immune to it. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992/20 "2015-07-02T07:08:59Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > The OP is specifically looking for support characters _with_ powers. Oh. Right. How about [Beak](http://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel//universe3zx/images/thumb/4/41/Beak.jpg/406px-Beak.jpg)? An X-Man from the Morrison run whose only- completely useless -power was… well… looking like a chicken. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-think-of-support-characters-in-comics/723992.md?page=2)