View source for Badass Abnormal

{{trope}}
[[File:badeassnormal.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Star Wars|Sith]] [[Batman]]. [[Sentient Cosmic Force|The Force]] is weak in you, you superstitious and cowardly lot.]]

Your average [[Badass Normal]] can take on monsters, supervillains, and [[Eldritch Abomination|cosmic horrors]] with nothing but [[Training from Hell|intense training]] and [[Determinator|sheer determination]]. But that other guy can ''[[Stuff Blowing Up|blow things up]] [[Psychic Powers|with his mind]]''. And so can the villains. How could that [[Puny Earthlings|puny human]] possibly [[What Measure Is a Non Super|compete with that]]? In short, despite his amazing capabilities, the [[Badass Normal]] just doesn't seem to be [[Badass]] enough. Time for a convenient [[Power-Up|power upgrade]].

He may find some new [[Applied Phlebotinum]], or discover a new power [[Eleventh-Hour Superpower|lurking within himself]]. Perhaps a sudden revelation reveals some [[Changeling Fantasy|otherworldly origin]] in his background, or he has [[Touched by Vorlons|an encounter with mysterious beings that leaves him forever changed]]. Or perhaps his badassness just escalates [[Charles Atlas Superpower|beyond the limits of normal humanity]]. Either way, an upgrade of this type may be required just so the [[Badass Normal]] won't [[Can't Catch Up|become completely irrelevant]] compared to his superpowered comrades. If the [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil]] leaves him too far behind, and his role seems to be reduced to [[The Worf Effect|getting his ass handed to him]], he may otherwise have to be [[Put on a Bus]] so he doesn't [[The Load|get in the way]].

Keep in mind that to qualify as a '''Badass Abnormal''', a character must spend a significant amount of screen time as a [[Badass Normal]] before gaining his upgrade. For example, Hal Jordan of the ''[[Green Lantern]]'' series starts off as a [[Badass Normal]] (he's an Air Force pilot) but gets his powers so early in the story that he cannot be considered a Badass Abnormal. Likewise, fellow Green Lantern John Stewart used to be a member of [[Semper Fi|another Corps]], but that wasn't even brought up until decades after his introduction. If the power upgrade is a part of the character's origin story, then he doesn't count as a Badass Abnormal. If the character only uses his powers in extreme circumstances, he probably [[Fights Like a Normal]].

Compare [[Took a Level in Badass]], where a character who was legitimately weak gets a power boost. [[Power Loss Makes You Strong]] and [[Boxing Lessons for Superman]] are inversions.

'''Important Note:''' Badass Abnormal is a trope that specifically deals with a [[Badass Normal]] who gains superpowers. It does ''not'' mean "[[Badass]] with superpowers." There are plenty of other [[Badass]]-related tropes to deal with those. Please help us fight this [[Trope Decay]].

{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'': Hibari Kyouya is already a very badass fighter with power level waay above the rest of the characters. He is still getting every single [[Shounen Upgrade]] along with everybody else, staying ahead of the curve.
* Kino Makoto from ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' was already an experienced brawler before she even entered the story, and marked her debut episode by punching out [[Quirky Miniboss Squad|Zoicite]]. ''Then'' she got her Senshi powers...
** Minako too. In the anime it's not really visible, even if her moments as a [[Plucky Girl]] hint to that. In the manga, she can [[One Hit KO]] Makoto (done when Makoto had been brainwashed by the Dark Kingdom). In the live action, she provoked a collective [[Oh Crap]] in a group of youma by kicking one in a column so hard to break concrete, ''without transforming!!''
* Akane Tendo from ''[[Ranma ½]]'' has gotten this on occasion:
** The legendary [[Power-Up Food|Super Strength Soba noodles]] confer herculean strength; after Akane mistakenly ate Happosai's, she was able to lift, toss, juggle, and ''split in half'' multi-ton, two-stories-tall iron bells. Unfortunately, they had the side-effect of sprouting whiskers on her face until she took the antidote.
** The [[Powered Armor|Battle Dougi]] from the late manga, a sentient suit that [[Time to Unlock More True Potential|unlocks the wearer's ultimate fighting potential]]. She was able to [[Curb Stomp Battle|run rings around Ranma]] while wearing it.
** A magical swimsuit made from a jellyfish-like substance, which allows the user to swim like a dolphin—not only negating Akane's [[Super Drowning Skills]], but also giving her a speed and coordination that left Ranma wallowing in her wake.
* Mwu La Flaga of ''[[Gundam Seed]]'', a rare Natural ace pilot on a battlefield dominated by [[Designer Babies]], is eventually revealed to have "enhanced spatial awareness". Which clearly is the [[Alternate Universe|"Cosmic Era"]] equivalent to [[Psychic Powers|Newtypes]].
* ''[[Darker than Black]]'' stars one. He was known as "[[Badass Nickname|The Black]] [[Shinigami|Reaper]]" even ''before'' he became a Contractor, and in one flashback he completely owned a Contractor in a straight-up fight using only a choke wire, throwing knives, and sheer [[Badass]] ninja skills. He still has the aforementioned skills, but now he can also [[Shock and Awe|zap the crap out of people]].
** Gets taken [[Up to Eleven]] when it transpires that these same powers  {{spoiler|make him a full-blown [[Reality Warper]] in the right circumstances}}.
* [[Mahou Sensei Negima]] does this for Ku Fei, who goes from "[[Badass Normal|Martial Artist]]" to "Martial Artist that can shoot beams out of her hand and has a magic staff" as she gains the ability to use ki around the time the second major arc begins. This is actually noted in-universe by the [[Meta Guy]] as being more impressive to watch than the stronger full-on magic users, as she's "closer to being human" and thus you can understand exactly how good she is. It's hard to compare to someone who can blow up mountains, after all.
* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'':  {{spoiler|Ling Yao}} is originally a [[Badass Normal]] who can take on homunculi but {{spoiler|then he fused with the homunculus Greed and gets his [[Super Strength]] and [[Instant Armor]] power.}}
* Creed Diskenth, [[The Big Bad]] of ''[[Black Cat (manga)|Black Cat]]'' was already a [[Charles Atlas Superpower]] abusing [[Axe Crazy|lunatic]] back when he was just an assassin. As the series progresses he upgrades himself with Tao abilities that grant him a [[Cool Sword]], and then  {{spoiler|nanomachines}} that grant him a  {{spoiler|[[Healing Factor]] and make him to all intents and purposes [[Immortal]]}}.
* [[Akagi|Shigeru Akagi]] in his DEBUT survived a game of chicken before he entered the world of Mahjong and when given the very minimum of the basic rules of the game, it is just the beginning of the reign of the '''Genius who descended into the darkness'''.
* Li Ho from ''[[The Law of Ueki]]'' was considered one of the strongest competitors, and had taken out a large number of opponents despite refusing to use his ability.
* In ''[[One Piece]]'', CP9 members Kaku and Kalifa were already amongst the world's top assassins and extremely skilled spies. Then they get Devil Fruit powers, which escalate their badass levels to an... unusually awesome degree. [[Possession Implies Mastery|Immediately after consumption, no less]].
* Brandon Heat of [[Gungrave]] was a great Mafia sweeper who was a skilled hand to hand fighter and a great marksmen. Then, he was killed and become Necrolized. He became much stronger and could take a lot of damage.
* [[Medaka Box]]: Male Lead Zenkichi was already a [[Crazy Prepared]] martial artist who could handle even abnormals in combat. After the battle with Kumagawa, he gained the  {{spoiler|Parasite Seeing ability which allows him to see things from other people's perspective.}} Literally.
* Miyamoto Haiji from ''[[Rosario + Vampire]]'', president of the school's karate club. Like almost all of the school's residents, he's some variety of monster, but he doesn't even bother using any monstrous abilities when he first makes a combat appearance. He just wipes the floor with other monsters using his martial arts; he still hasn't revealed what variety of monster he is.
** Tsukune is probably a straighter example. In the beginning he wasn't that impressive at a glance, but he was courageous enough to [[Taking the Bullet|shield his]] [[Our Monsters Are Different|stronger friends]] from attacks so often you have to wonder [[Made of Iron|what he's made of]] [[Determinator|to keep getting up like that]]. Then he gets his [[Emergency Transformation]] [[Shonen Upgrade]], and this trope breaks loose.
* ''[[Monster Rancher (anime)|Monster Rancher]]'' Genki may seem to be [[Badass Normal]] at first but is often seen focusing energy in order to attack, as well as transferring it to others and putting it into his attacks. Later on it is shown he can {{spoiler|launch Spirit Bombs}} and, in the last two episodes {{spoiler|focus the energy of everyone they know, combining the bodies of several of his friends and reviving the Phoenix}}.
* [[Code Geass|Suzaku Kururugi]] may count. Already a [[Badass Normal]] (he was a skilled Knightmare Frame Pilot and martial arts prodigy) for most of the first season, he slips into this near the end of the first season and into R2. His most obvious upgrade was having the "Live!" geass cast upon him by Lelouch, allowing him to survive situations that would normally have killed him and allowing him to become much stronger and faster than a normal human being in order to do so. However, it had been hinted throughout the series that Suzaku had some as-of-yet unidentified connection to geass... [[They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot|that was never explained or elaborated upon]].
* ''[[High School DxD]]'' has Hyoudou Issei the protagonist is a human who got reincarnated into a devil, who happens to possess a more powerful version of a Sacred Gear called Boosted Gear that [[Magikarp Power|doubles his power every 10 seconds.]] Then, he attains [[Powered Armor|Balance Breaker]] and is capable of fighting stronger beings and [[Curb Stomp Battle|curb stomp]] weaker enemies. And then he attains the Illegal Triana (Cardinal Crimson Queen being the strongest form) to the point that Ddraig, the dragon sealed inside Boosted Gear, states that he's now at Ddraig's full power.  {{spoiler|And ''then'' he becomes even more powerful after having [[Our Hero Is Dead|his old body dying]] at the hands of Samael, the dragon-eater, and both Opfis and Great Red, ''two of the strongest beings of the series'', create a body for Issei ''while still having Boosted Gear''.}} If anybody took this trope [[Up to Eleven]], it's him.

== [[Comic Books]] ==
* An awful lot of [[Fan Fiction]] tends to give [[Batman]] powers, typically so he can "stand up" to [[Superman]]. Some comics do this, too, usually as a one-issue gag or an [[Elseworld]]. One Elseworld gave him a ''[[Green Lantern Ring]]''—leading to this [[Motivational Poster|Demotivator]] titled [[media:green-lantern-batman.jpg|"Overpowered"]]
** Ironically, Batman canonically carries kryptonite with him at all times, ''[[Crazy Prepared|just in case Superman were to go evil]]''.
** Also, ironically, in a different medium, Batman has been offered the ring, or at least comparable to it ''twice'' See below in [[Western Animation]]).
** He was also offered a Sinestro ring in canon (well, canon Green Lantern Corps), which admittedly fits him remarkably well. However, previous contact with a Green Lantern ring let him be rejected.
** The [[Amalgam Universe]] sees your Green Lantern Batman and raises you [[wikipedia:Dark Claw|Wolverine Batman]]
** Of course, he pretty much ''always'' [[Reset Button|loses such powers at the end of the story]] or has them [[Canon Discontinuity|ruled non-canonical]]. The writers know that Batman is known and loved as a [[Badass Normal]], and neither wants nor needs superpowers. That and it gives them an excuse to experiment.
*** There's one story where Batman gained [[Superman]]'s powers, and Superman was [[Brought Down to Normal]]. The ramifications were explored- Batman began to go a little bit crazy from [[Knight Templar|righting every possible wrong he could]], and ends up getting weakened- turns out fighting at night all the time doesn't suit a solar-powered hero.
** Don't forget Vampire Batman. The trilogy of stories ended with everybody dead, including Batman himself.
* [[Iron Man]] gave himself technology based super powers with the 'extremis' virus after deciding he wasn't fast enough to keep up. In addition to speeding up his ability to control his suits by mental link it also allowed him to mentally link with other pieces of technology as well, often leading to 'I hacked it while standing here talking to you' asspulls.
** The new Bleeding Edge suit can do a lot of what the Extremis suit could do and a lot of what it ''can't''.
* This used to come and go for [[Captain America (comics)]], with him gaining and losing superhuman levels of strength depending on the writers, before it was finally decided that his iconic status in the [[Marvel Universe]] was partly founded on him being a [[Badass Normal|slightly-above-pinnacle of human physical ability]] (being the [[The Messiah|Living Symbol of America]] didn't hurt either). I guess that that [[Super Serum]] wasn't all ''that'' super, though given what Steve Rogers was [[Hollywood Nerd|before then]] it's still damn impressive. Steve Rogers' power was eventually set at a hair above normal (non-mutant) human maximum.
** This is not the case for the [[Ultimate Marvel]] version, however, who was clearly superhuman from the get go.
** While he was a [[Badass Normal]] when he was still serving as Cap's sidekick, [[Bucky Barnes]] now sports an [[Artificial Limbs|artificial arm]] that grants him various nifty abilities such as an [[EMP]] and an electric shock.
* ''[[Ultimate Marvel|Ultimate Origins]] #1'' reveals that, apparently, {{spoiler|Nick Fury's incredible badass-ness comes from having been a successful test subject of the Super Soldier Serum. On the one hand, you'd think just being [[Samuel L. Jackson]] would be enough; on the other, this kinda makes it easier to swallow things like dodging automatic weapons fire in close quarters, or holding his own against ''Wolverine'' until Captain America dropped the mutant with a taunt and a grenade. And most of his awesome is [[The Chessmaster|in his badass planning, anyway]].}}
** This is at least partially true for the normal [[Nick Fury]], who is [[Badass]] and... virtually immortal. That near-immortality applies only to natural causes of death, though; Nick's survival in combat is purely a result of his badassitude.
* This happened to a huge number of [[DC Universe]]'s [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] superheroes, either the characters themselves or their [[Legacy Character|legacy successors]]. Originally, non-powered mystery men were a popular character type back in 40s and all of DC's characters were supposed to be in self-contained continuities. As time passed, these characters were put into a [[Shared Universe]] with super powered characters and non-powered characters just didn't seem that impressive in comparison. Since a lot of these characters are fairly obscure, most people didn't really care much if they were reworked. [[All-Star Squadron]] was particularly guilty of this.
** The most famous example is [[Black Canary]]. Before joining the [[Justice League of America|Justice League]], Black Canary had no superpowers, but one issue immediately after joining the Justice League, Black Canary suddenly acquired the [[Make Me Wanna Shout|Canary Cry]], a sonic projection weapon emitted from her mouth. This conflicted so much with her traditional [[Badass Normal]] nature, that her solo series and the smaller scale ''[[Birds of Prey]]'' constantly use [[Kryptonite Is Everywhere]] to force her to solve problems without using superpowers.
*** Oh, it gets better. The Canary Cry is sometimes described as being ''so insanely powerful'' that any time she uses it, she's basically holding back so as not to ''completely and utterly eff up'' everything within earshot. It's put a hurt on characters who are considered to be ''much'' heavier hitters. Of course, this ironically lets the writers who are so inclined hold this back and let her use her 'fu as her primary weapon: The Canary Cry really ''is'' that powerful, and you use the conventional weapons before you [[Nuke'Em]]. Gangs of [[Mooks]] and non-[[Superman]]-class superpowered thugs just don't rate using it.
** Happened to [[Green Arrow]] II, Connor Hawke, as of ''Green Arrow and Black Canary #14'', when the genetics manipulation of [[Mad Scientist|Dr. Sivana]] granted him with a [[Healing Factor]].
** The Atom - Gained ability to increase strength with radiation. Later successors could change size.
** Stars and Stripes - Star Spangled Kid got Starman's cosmic rod and technology, while Stripesy built a mech for himself. Their successor, Stargirl continues to use Starman's technology.
** Wildcat - Got nine lives, legacy successors got cat related powers and could turn into a [[Were Cat|werecat]].
** Firebrand - Legacy successors got fire manipulation powers.
** Liberty Belle - Acquired ability to project sonic vibrations from her hands.
** Phantom Lady - Legacy successor could become invisible.
** The Sandman - Legacy successors had all sorts of super powers.
** Congo Bill - Gained the power to turn into a gorilla.
** Crimson Avenger - Legacy successor is a spirit of vengeance with magic guns.
** [[Red Tornado]] - Legacy successors could manipulate wind in the form of tornados.
** [[Blue Beetle]] - Inverted this and then played it straight. The first Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett) had super powers from a magic scarab, the second (Ted Kord) couldn't make it work, but the third (Jaime Reyes) goes back to using the scarab.
*** Actually the ''original'' original [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] Fox Features Blue Beetle [https://web.archive.org/web/20160220162955/http://pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Beetle], before being revived by [[Charlton Comics]] and thence moving to [[The DCU]], started as a [[Badass Normal]] then got a bulletproof costume and [[Super Serum]] from a scientist ally. The scarab didn't pop up until the [[Silver Age]] at Charlton.
** Rex the Wonder Dog drank from the Fountain of Youth, gaining the ability to talk and unspecified magical abilities. Overkill, considering that he was already a successful newspaper photographer ''before'' getting the ability to talk.
* In the early years of his published existence, [[Jimmy Olsen]] was a [[Tagalong Kid|sidekick]] who's only ability was a watch that let him call [[Superman]] for help. Then, in the pages of Jimmy's own title, the writers decided to have him [[Take a Level In Badass]] by giving him superpowers of his own. Trouble was, the power-ups never seemed to take, and they seemed to become [[Motive Decay|wackier with each attempt]]. Over the years, Jimmy went through spats of being a [[Super Speed|speedster]], a [[Telepathy|telepath]], a [[Rubber Man]], a [[Our Werewolves Are Different|werewolf]], a [[Spikes of Doom|human porcupine]], a [[Kaiju|giant turtle]], and a [[Bourgeois Bohemian|hippy]], [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink|just to name a few]]. By the time the title was cancelled, they had abused the Badass Abnormal trope so throughly, the title itself had come to feel like an extremely meta subversion.
* Averted in ''[[PS238]]'' with resident student [[Badass Normal]] Tyler Marlocke.  {{spoiler|When his clone Toby gains incredible [[Reality Warper|cosmic powers]] his lack of control coupled with no longer relying on ingenuity and determination to survive lowers his badass quotient to almost negligible levels, While Tyler's unpowered alter ego Moonshadow continues to aspire to even greater feats of badassery.}}
* Near the end of ''[[Blackest Night]]'', Ganthet triggers an emergency mechanism in the rings of the highest-profile member from each Corps, prompting them to create a temporary duplicate ring and 'deputise' the nearest suitable individual. Most of the resulting Lanterns already had powers (Star Sapphire [[Wonder Woman]], Indigo Tribe Atom, Blue Lantern [[The Flash]]), but we also get Orange Lantern [[Lex Luthor]] and Sinestro Corps [[Batman|Scarecrow]]. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for the Orange Ring to drive Lex mad(der) with greed, and the first ring he steals is Scarecrow's.
* Joshua Carver of ''[[No Hero]]'' did patrols at night without any super powers. Then, he gets FX7 and he becomes very powerful.  {{spoiler|In fact, he was raised by the FBI as a monster fighter and an FBI agent commented that she's very scared of Joshua since he has superpowers.}}
* In ''[[52]]'' Natasha Irons, after a fallout with [[Steel|her uncle]], enlists in the [[Lex Luthor]] Everyman Project and gains actual superpowers, going from a human in [[Power Armor]] to a human capable of ''crushing'' [[Power Armor]]. John Henry is infected with a metagene against his will and transforms into a being composed of stainless steel, capable of deflecting bullets and hurling blobs of molten metal.
* Tigra of [[Marvel Comics]] fame started at The Cat, a lab assistant who used a super suit to make her comparable to Captain America, and give her finger claw grapples (the Suit was later taken on by Patsy Walker, HellCat).
* The titular Metabarons in ''[[The Metabarons]]''.
* There is a variety of this in [[Irredeemable]] - while Charybdis always had the powers, they were pretty weak. So when he got boosted to Plutonian's level, he has an advantage, because he actually knew how to fight.

== [[Film]] ==
* ''[[King Kong]] vs. [[Godzilla]]'' gives the gorilla a size upgrade and [[Elemental Powers|electrical abilities]] so that he can stand up to the atomic dinosaur.
** This is a side-effect from the fact that King Kong was originally supposed to be [[Frankenstein]], which would have still fit into this category for making Franky 30 stories tall.
*** ...say whatever you will about [[Executive Meddling]], but [[King Kong]] VS [[Godzilla]] makes a hell of a more sense.
**** [[Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny|But still,]] [http://www.kaijuphile.com/fannest/fiction/godzillavsfrankenstein.shtml Godzilla vs. Frankenstein]...
* In ''[[Tangled]],'' [[My Beloved Smother|Gothel]] kind of fulfills this trope. She seems to be a normal woman, except for the fact that she can maintain her youth forever using her adopted daughter's [[It Makes Sense in Context|magic hair]]. Her only other weapons are a cunning mind and a knife. (Which sort of makes her an [[Inversion]]—the original stories describe her as a witch.)

== [[Literature]] ==
* This is hinted at being the possible future path of <s>Lieutenant</s> Sergeant [[Badass Normal|Karrin Murphy]] in ''[[The Dresden Files]]'', if she chooses {{spoiler|to accept the offer from [[God|Big G]] and become a [[Church Militant|Knight of the Cross]].}}
** Both the Knights of the Cross and Nicodemus's Denarians tend to be dangerous in their own right even without holy swords or [[Artifact of Doom|evil coins]], respectively.
* In Talyn by Holly Lisle, the main character of the same name begins with limited use of something called the Hagedwar, a tool which grants the user power restrained only by how well they know how to use said tool. However, as the heat gets turned up, Talyn conveniently learns how to do such extraordinary things with the Hagedwar that she essentially becomes a demigoddess.
* Tavi of the ''[[Codex Alera]]'' is the [[The Call Put Me on Hold|one and only]] [[Muggle]] in a world where absolutely everything [[Magitek|runs on]] [[Elemental Powers]]. He can't even turn the lights on and off by himself. He is, however, so [[Badass]] that he easily outmatches more than a few people who have [[Super Strength]] or can throw waves of fire around, and often saves the day through sheer [[Badass Normal]] [[Crazy Enough to Work|awesomeness]]. But he also becomes less and less normal with time; his [[Bond Creatures|bond]] with Kitai increasingly sharpens his senses and improves his stamina, and at the end of ''Cursor's Fury'', {{spoiler|he finally starts to get over his mother stunting his magic and develops some rudimentary furycrafting ability. But since he's short about 15 years of practice, he's unable to utilize it properly until he gets some [[Training from Hell]] in ''First Lord's Fury''.}}
* Igor Dolinsky in [[Night Watcher]] is a half-vampire at most (well, [[Our Vampires Are Different|it's rather more complicated than that]], but as far as his power vis-a-vis that of the regular vampires he fights is concerned this usually holds), but being [[Weak but Skilled]] and something of a [[Determinator]], he definitely meets this trope, effectively being a [[Magic Knight]]. Also, his mind powers may not be innately as strong as those of normal vampires, but he has trained them better and uses them much more efficiently than they usually seem to do.
* In ''[[In Fury Born]]'' Alicia Devries is a highly decorated [[Semper Fi|ex-marine]], [[Space Marine|ex-cadre]] genius of literally superior genetic stock. After spending the first half of the book establishing her as a [[Badass Normal]], she then becomes possessed by a demi-goddess of vengeance and shortly after bonds with the AI of an experimental warship. It is good.
* Kaladin of [[The Stormlight Archive]] starts off solidly [[Badass Normal]], managing to kill a Shardbearer, a feat considered nearly impossible for those without Shards of their own. Then  {{spoiler|he starts developing Surgebinding abilities}}.
* In ''[[Snuff]]'' it's revealed that due to the events of ''[[Thud!]]'' {{spoiler|Sam Vimes can see in the dark, understand the language of goblins, and can ask the Summoning Dark to tell him anything that happened in darkness.}}

== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
* Happened subtly in ''[[Stargate SG-1]],'' mostly the "[[Touched by Vorlons]]" variety. Jack O'Neill was already [[Badass]] before the reveal that he had the gene necessary to use the technology of the Ancients. Same for Sam Carter and being used as a host by a Tok'ra. Daniel Jackson was an [[Action Survivor]] until he [[Ascended to A Higher Plane of Existence]] (twice). The difference between before and after is relatively minor in some cases, but it's definitely there.
** Used less subtly in the episode "Upgrades", when the three of them all wear [[Imported Alien Phlebotinum|Atanik armbands]], granting them enhanced strength, plus [[Super Speed]] on a level even [[The Flash]] would find respectable. Unfortunately for them but fortunately for the continued drama of the series, the armbands impart their superpowers by injecting a virus...that the human body eventually develops an immunity to. This turns out to be why the Atanik civilization is extinct: they relied on the armbands exclusively for their defense, and once the entire population was immune, they were helpless.
* Xander Harris on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' definitely should be this. Before leaving high school, he's been possessed by a soldier and a hyena spirit, and been given a treatment which, had it been completed, would have turned him into a fishman. He more or less stops getting weirdness shoved into his brain after graduation. There are indications that all three events permanently (though subtly) changed him, and all made him more powerful.

== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* This is quite often how Exaltation works in ''[[Exalted]]'', but mostly for Solars and Lunars. To explicate: Solars are typically Exalted after performing an act of bravery or a great accomplishment. Lunars are typically Exalted after surviving in the face of overwhelming odds.
** Even with this, there's a special prize for the Nameless Solar, who has his own folk mythology and handles problems with [[Guns Akimbo|two plasma tongue repeaters]] (basically giant flame revolvers).
* ''[[New World of Darkness|World of Darkness]]: Mirrors'' has the "Dark Hero" template, which (on top of a few inherent abilities such as a power stat and [[Made of Iron|greater durability]] and [[Healing Factor|healing]]) allows one to utilise "Skill Masteries", specialized powers based in mundane Skills. The weakest of these constitute [[Charles Atlas Superpower]]s, while the greatest are positively superhuman.
* Quite a few ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! (Tabletop Game)]]!'' cards underwent this. As the [[Lensman Arms Race]] of [[Game Breaker]] superpowers continued, a variety of iconic Normal Monsters became [[So Last Season]] [[Com Mons]] for many players. As a result, a large number of those Monsters were rereleased as Effect Monsters. For example, [[A Load of Bull|Battle Ox]] became [[Armor-Piercing Attack|Enraged Battle Ox]], [[Knight in Shining Armor|Gaia the Fierce Knight]] became [[Desperation Attack|Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight]], [[Jeanne D'Archetype|St. Joan]] became [[Beethoven Was an Alien Spy|Guardian Angel Joan]], and [[Gradius|Victory Viper]][[I Am Not Shazam|/Gradius]] went from a random [[Shout-Out]] to another game to an entire archetype of similarly-statted references. But perhaps the largest of them all was Chaos Soldier[[Dub Name Change|/Black Luster Soldier]], which went from a subpar and outdated Ritual Monster, to [[Game Breaker|one of the founders of the banlist.]]
* The Sisters of Battle of ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' are for all intents and purposes normal humans, albeit [[Training from Hell|trained to elite levels]], and equipped with [[Power Armor]], and a [[BFG|Boltgun]]. Their faith in the God-Emperor though is ''so'' strong that it gives them incredible powers on par with psionics (only explicitly ''not'' warp derived, therefore without possibility of invoking Perils of the Warp). In fact, they're good enough to where many players prefer to design their army ''specifically'' around Acts of Faith to make a competitive list, something of a necessity given that the codex is two editions out of date.
** Especially fun when the Canoness walks ([[Jet Pack|or flies as is more often the case]]) alone straight at an enemy line [[Beam Spam|covered in Lascannons]] and invokes ''Spirit of the Martyr'. Yeah. Have fun emptying your entire shooting phase into a 2+ Invulnerable Save. (Hint: Take the Mantle of Ophelia so even if you do roll a 1 you can avoid Instant Death!)

== [[Video Games]] ==
* This happens to Link in various ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' games. Usually he starts the game as a regular sword-wielding kid, but by the end of the game he's acquired various spells and other magical powers, his energy level has been magically doubled, etc.
* When you disregard his [[Evil Hand|Evil]] [[Red Right Hand|Red]] [[Power Fist]], which he does not use for swinging his sword or firing his [[Hand Cannon]] anyway, Nero from ''[[Devil May Cry]] 4'' looks like a "mere" [[Charles Atlas Superpower]] user... until [[The Reveal]] that {{spoiler|he is a descendant of the series' [[Defector From Decadence]] super-devil Sparda}}.
* Kratos from ''[[God of War (series)|God of War]]'', {{spoiler|when he opens Pandora's Box and becomes a god in order to slay Ares.}}
** Although the revelation that he was a born demigod may mean he was Badass Abnormal all along.
* Albert Wesker from the ''[[Resident Evil]]'' series was already one ''hell'' of a [[Magnificent Bastard]], but after successfully pulling off his massive [[Gambit Roulette]] in the first game and coming [[Back from the Dead]] in ''[[Resident Evil Code: Veronica|Code: Veronica]]'', he gains superhuman strength and speed thanks to a specific form of [[The Virus]].
** ''[[Resident Evil 5]]'' reveals that Wesker {{spoiler|along with the other Wesker children, though he supposedly was the only survivor,}} was a subject of Project W, the first and greatest of Umbrella's experiments. He was indoctrinated with Oswell Spencer's beliefs and treated with the Progenitor Virus since early childhood. He was a Badass Abnormal all along.
* Would you believe it, but {{spoiler|Sergeant Johnson}} of ''[[Halo]]'', who [[Word of God|was revealed]] to be a [[Super Soldier|SPARTAN-I]].
* ''[[Final Fantasy V]]'': Crystals let heroes change jobs and gain new abilties. Pretty nice as you start of the game with a group of people who can't do much more than "Attack" an enemy.
** ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'': Espers, granting magic and stat boost for party members, and almost everyone includes a brawler, <s> thief</s> treasure hunter, and moogle can uses them.
** ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'': Materia lets characters use abilities and gain special stats, but they can't used when unequipped. Even without them, the heroes can kick people's butts using [[Limit Break]].
** Even moreso in ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'', the party do kick asses, but they also heavily depend on [[Summon Magic]], which boost their abilities even more. Most especially there's Laguna Loire, a Galbadian soldier who relies entirely on a [[More Dakka|machine gun]] and the occasional grenade - except when {{spoiler|Ellone's power}} links him to Squall, allowing him to use the latter's Guardian Force junctions.
** [[Final Fantasy XIII]] has the whole party turnes into l'Cie, an esper like humans with magical power, by Anima after defeating it. [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|Anima is a sort of god like monster.]]
* In the ''[[Fallout]]'' games, you start as a plucky [[Badass Normal]] survivor relying on a [[Cool Gun|hunting]] [[Boring but Practical|rifle]], [[Crazy Prepared|your wits]] and [[Combat Pragmatist|tactics]] to take on a variety of [[Nuclear Nasty|mutated animals and insects]], [[Our Zombies Are Different|Ghouls]], [[Our Orcs Are Different|Super]]-[[Our Giants Are Bigger|Mutants]], [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|military robots]], and [[Super Soldiers]]. Over the course of the games, though, you can gain perks that grant you superhuman abilities and help level the playing field. They range from [[Cyborg|cybernetic implants]], [[Cursed with Awesome|beneficial mutations]], and quasi-supernatural abilities like [[Our Vampires Are Different|the ability to gain health from drinking blood]]. You can also acquire special equipment like [[Power Armor]], [[Invisibility Cloak|stealth devices]], and ludicrously powerful weapons that [[Kinetic Weapons Are Just Better|fire conventional solid rounds]], [[Frickin' Laser Beams|directed]] [[Ray Gun|energy]] weapons, [[Stuff Blowing Up|explosives]] and even ''[[Nuke'Em|nukes]]''.
* In the ''[[X-COM]]'' series, surviving soldiers with high psi strengh. They (mostly) start with poor stats, but will become [[Badass Normal]]. And when you unlock the Psi-Lab... [[Game Breaker|May god]] [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|have mercy on their souls...]]
* James Heller in ''[[Prototype 2]]'' is derived from the fact that he is [[Badass Normal|a normal person who can take on the infected prior to his infection]].
* The protagonists of [[The Elder Scrolls]] generally either will become abnormal, or at least can become abnormal (the exceptions are ''[[The Elder Scrolls: Arena]]'', where you remain normal, if increasingly badass, for the setting throughout the game, and ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim]]'', where your abnormality is something you were born with, even if it doesn't have much of an effect unless dragons are about).
** The Nerevarine from ''[[The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind]]'' eventually contracts Corprus during the Main Questline. Removing the negative symptoms of Corprus leaves the Nerevarine an immortal being immune to all other diseases.
** The [[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion|Champion of Cyrodiil]] starts off as a prisoner in a cell and ends up becoming the ''[[A God Am I|Madgod]]''.
** The [[The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall|Agent]] can become a werewolf, werebear or vampire.
* This trope is the origin story of every character in ''[[Rift]]'', although the means of gaining powers depend on the faction. On the Guardians faction intro, the narration specifies that you were not chosen because of your faith, but because of your strength.
* Most of Exile's party in the second [[Knights of the Old Republic]] are this - they're already war veterans, trained fighters, spies, bounty hunters, etc. But most of them turn out to be Force Sensitive as well, leading the Exile to train them as Jedi. It's also a common fan theory that Carth Onasi from the first game is an untrained Force Sentitive as well.
* Similarly, Kyle Katarn from the [[Star Wars: Dark Forces|Dark Forces Saga]] games spent the entire first game and first 3 levels of the second as just a [[Badass Normal]] (during which he bests Boba Fett and takes out at least one Kell Dragon with just his fists). He then learns about his Force Sensitivity and gets a lightsaber.
* Ashley Winchester, the protagonist of ''[[Wild ARMs 2]]'' is this when he gets his [[Second-Hour Superpower]] a few hours into the game. Comes with a [[Theme Music Power-Up]] too.

== [[Web Comics]] ==
* Parodied in ''[[Shortpacked]]!'', in which Batman has the ability to [http://shortpacked.com/comic/book-1-brings-back-the-80s/01-just-a-toy-store/batman-can-breathe-in-space/ breathe in space], based on art in his action packaging which appears to depict him fighting Darkseid in space.
* Bun-bun was already one of the most dangerous individuals in ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]''. Having him become a godlike personification of holidays took him ''way'' over the top.
** Also the big revelation near the end of "Oceans Unmoving":  {{spoiler|Captain Blacksoul is actually Bun-bun riding inside the head of a levitating robot with [[Super Strength]].}}
** Actually, giving Bun-bun superpowerful abilities doesn't seem to change much. The biggest thing that helps him fight battles is sheer attitude regardless.
* Years into ''[[Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures]]' '' run, we find out that Dan's wings were the outward signs of his  {{spoiler|'Cubi}} heritage (his mother was apparently a powerful  {{spoiler|succubus}}, something that [[Locked Out of the Loop|apparently everyone knew except Dan]]). Now his  {{spoiler|'Cubi}} nature has fully kicked in, granting him assorted new powers ( {{spoiler|like shapeshifting}}) that he's mostly still getting the hang of. (That he refused to stay at the  {{spoiler|'Cubi academy}} and practice full-time probably doesn't help.) Dan was a very successful adventurer already before he semi retired to Lost Lake and his heritage kicked in.
* [[Only Known by Their Nickname|Sparky]] from ''[[A Girl and Her Fed]]'' - already a hulking M.I.B-type, ticks fully over to this trope once  {{spoiler|[[It Makes Sense in Context|The ghost of Ben Franklin reprograms the magitech chip in his head, granting him the ability to control and interface any electronic device, see ghosts, and more]] }}.
* Victor of ''[[Charby the Vampirate]]'' is looking more like this, he thinks of himself as human, others [https://web.archive.org/web/20120520222517/http://www.drunkduck.com/Charby_the_Vampirate/5017056/ don't]
* Everyone who plays [[Homestuck|Sburb]] is ultimately destined to become  {{spoiler|demi-gods in a new universe}}, but given that many of them were badass before playing, their powers come off as this.
* In ''[[Axe Cop]]'', new powers are really easy to come by for just about all the characters. Axe Cop himself repeatedly [[New Powers as the Plot Demands|just displays]] and also gains new powers, the latter including for example being given flight by the comic's writer, and making himself into a magical mummy. But, unlike other characters, he usually forgets about any and all of them soon and acts like a [[Badass Normal]] again, until it's time to gain yet another new power.

== [[Web Original]] ==
* In the [[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]], the hero Achilles seems to be a non-powered martial artist in the style of [[Batman]]. He's actually a genetically engineered super-soldier cloned from the DNA of [[Evil Overlord|Lord Doom]], whose strength, speed, and ability to shrug off damage come not from his intensive athletic work-outs, but rather from simple genetics.
* Rear Admiral (retired) Sam Everheart, U.S.N., in the [[Whateley Universe]], was already a retired [[Badass Normal]] before he took out a team of criminals looting a high-tech research facility and got dosed with nanotechnology. Now Hive is strong and fast enough to deal with the mutants at Whateley Academy.
* Arguably Tex from [[Red vs. Blue]]. As a ghost {{spoiler|and AI}}, she not only has all of her physical fighting abilities from before (as well as her armor power, the cloaking device), but is also pretty much impossible to kill and can possess people.
* In [[Comic Fury Werewolf]], analytical players tend to catch Werewolves a lot. Give them a role, and...
** This includes '''''any''''' role...including being a Werewolf.
** Ranger has had this twice. Once was in Game 9, where he was the Medium Mystic and he developed a [[Game Breaker]] strategy. The other was Game 11, where he used his analytical powers  {{spoiler|as a Werewolf}}.
* In [[Darwin's Soldiers]] a certain character known only as "Trinity" is already a [[Badass Normal]]. But after she  {{spoiler|doses herself with a [[Super Serum]] her scientists were working on}} she gains [[Super Speed]], super agility and [[Super Strength]].

== [[Western Animation]] ==
* One episode of ''[[The Batman]]'' has Batman borrowing [[Green Lantern]]'s ring to fight [[Sinestro]]. It looked like Batman was going to hand Sinestro a fairly heavy beatdown, but then the ring ran out of power. He hands it back to GL, saying it isn't his style.
** People like giving Bats the Lantern ring. In ''[[Batman: The Brave And The Bold]]'' he nearly puts it on for the sake of an even playing field, to the chagrin of Guy Gardner. Sinestro (before his inevitable [[Face Heel Turn]]) half-heartedly agrees, citing regulation, but comes to a compromise by synthesizing a suit that functions as a Lantern's ring would: on willpower.
** A number of ''[[Batman: The Brave And The Bold]]'' episodes give Batman superpowers. One time, he gained bat-themed superpowers from a magical artifact. Another episode caused a mishap by a villain's laser beam to give Batman [[Plastic Man]]'s powers.
*** In yet another, he arrives on an alien planet whose atmosphere gives him Superman-like powers, to the chagrin of the local [[Badass Normal]] hero. After a while he realizes that he's making the alien Batman feel useless, the way Superman sometimes makes him feel, and in the end he has the alien Batman remove his powers to also negate his [[Kryptonite Factor|weakness to quartz]].
* [[Transformers Animated|Sari Sumdac]]. A [[Badass Normal]] in her initial  {{spoiler|mostly human}} form,  {{spoiler|once she gets an upgrade to seeming more machine than man, she gets nifty hand blasters and a processing unit boosted even beyond the Cybertronian standard! Not to mention temporary weapons generation.}}
* In one episode of ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'', NegaDuck steals [[All Your Powers Combined|the powers of his villainous "allies"]]. This doesn't actually make him detectably tougher, since by that time there's not much time left in the episode to defeat him in.
* After seven seasons as a regular, yet freakishly strong, human, regular ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003|Ninja Turtles]]'' antagonist Hun becomes one of these after  {{spoiler|he accidentally gets doused in mutagen}} in ''[[Turtles Forever]]''.
* [[Anti-Villain|Macbeth]] from ''[[Gargoyles]]'' is a Badass Abnormal twice over. During his initial lifetime, he was a highly skilled swordsman and all-around warrior, but had [[Badass Normal|no superhuman abilities]]. Following a bargain with the Weird Sisters and Demona, he gained virtual immortality, and then at some point between his medieval backstory and first appearance in the present storyline, he also learned sorcery, becoming a [[Magic Knight]].
** Owen could probably count, although more from the viewer's standpoint—he was {{spoiler|actually [[The Fair Folk|Puck]]}} for the whole series, but came off as a [[Badass Normal]] [[Battle Butler]] until revealing himself near the end of season two.
* On ''[[South Park]],'' Mysterion/{{spoiler|Kenny}} actually had powers from his first appearance, but his ability to {{spoiler|[[They Killed Kenny|come back from the dead]]}} wasn't revealed until the third of his four episode appearances as a superhero.
* In ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'', Kraven and the Enforcers started out as [[Badass Normal]]s who, while not actually ''winning'' against Spider-Man, could put up a decent fight. To level the playing field, they got themselves powers: Kraven became a [[Petting Zoo Person]] and the Enforcers got [[Powered Armor]].
* In ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'', while Slade serves as the [[Big Bad]] for the first two seasons, he has no superpowers beyond being a [[Badass Normal]] and a good [[The Chessmaster|chessmaster]]. After being killed at the end of the second season, he's resurrected as an undead servant of [[Bigger Bad|Trigon]], and gets a truckload of superpowers out of the deal: [[Playing with Fire|pyrokinetics]], [[flight]], [[Transporters and Teleporters|teleportation]], [[Intangible Man|phasing]], and [[Nigh Invulnerable|nigh-invulnerability]]. He's eventually stripped of these powers, though it doesn't slow him down much.
* Agent Bishop in ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003]]''.{{context}}

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