Bare-Handed Truck Stop



You've Seen It a Million Times -- it's the classic way to handle The Reveal that a character possesses Super Strength. They stop a speeding vehicle by simply putting out their hands and halting it. Sometimes the momentum isn't entirely stopped cold, and they get pushed back a short distance, maybe even tearing up the pavement with their feet in the process.

Contrast Trainstopping, which is less a reveal and more a rite of passage.

Anime and Manga

 * In World of Narue, one of the characters reveals herself in-universe to be an android by stopping a truck that was about to hit one of the main characters.

Comic Books

 * We've Seen It a Million Times in superhero comics.

Film

 * A variation is seen in Superman II: a taxi cab hits Clark as he's crossing the street. The cab is stopped cold, with a deep indent in the front.  Clark is unmoved.
 * This happens in Twilight when a van almost crashes into Bella, so Edward jumps in front of her and stops the van with his bare hands, which leaves a massive dent in the vehicle. This results in Bella becoming suspicious that Edward is not completely normal.

Literature

 * As stated above, this happens in Twilight when Tyler's van almost crashes into Bella, and Edward stops it with his bare hands to protect her.

Live-Action TV

 * The title character doesn't even bother to raise her hands to stop a speeding 18-wheeler cold (and catapult its driver through the windshield) in the pilot episode of the CBS series Supergirl.

Web Animation

 * As seen in the page image, Penny halts a truck -- getting pushed back only a couple yards amidst shattering asphalt -- in Volume 2 Episode 3 of RWBY.