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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Vegeta:''' Wait a damn minute, something's wrong here.
'''Gohan:''' Huh?
'''Vegeta:''' Back on your planet, the Namek couldn't even stand up to [[Starter Villain|Nappa]]. Yet here he is, now, taking on [[Big Bad|Freeza]]. [[One-Winged Angel|In his second form!]]
'''Gohan:''' What do you think happened?
'''Vegeta:''' Well, either Freeza hit me so hard I'm in a delusional coma, or...
'''Gohan:''' Or...?
'''Vegeta:''' [[Power Levels]] ARE BULL$#!%!
|''[[Dragonball Z Abridged]]''}}
Every so often, the villain is just too powerful. They're going to [[The End of the World
Then, suddenly, the hero will decide that [[Let's Get Dangerous|he's serious]]. This time is for reals. He'll [[Ass Pull|whip out some until now unforeseen strength]], and promptly [[Status Quo Is God|show the villain what for]], usually demolishing the bad guy so completely that it prevents them from ever pulling that world threatening crap again, or at least until the writers want them back.
This trope isn't merely [[The Power of Friendship]], nor [[The Power of Love]]. It isn't just a [[Forgotten Superweapon]], and only rarely is it related to [[Training
If any explanation is given at all, this is usually [[Hand Wave|handwaved]] as the character having simply [[Holding Back the Phlebotinum|held everything back]] up until this point, never mind all the dangerous, possibly near-death encounters they've most likely been through up until this point that [[You Never Asked|could've really used something like this]].
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This trope does not always need to involve powers relating directly to beating the tar out of things, of course. If any hero is suddenly able to call upon powers they've never shown or hinted at before, with no explanation given by him or any other character, chances are they're Strong As They Need To Be.
It goes the other way too. Characters can often be found struggling to defeat a particular foe, when considering their skill and compared to the baddies they faced in the past, it should be a piece of cake. Used to pad out time length with elongated fight sequences as well as to prevent the protagonists from defeating a villain that the writers need for later. This conspicuous decrease in power invariably is a staple of [[Shounen]] filler arcs.
Often a result of the writers letting the [[Rule of Cool]] take over. Compare with [[I Am Not Left-Handed]] and [[New Powers
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Asuka, in the ''[[End of Evangelion]]'', manages to kill (sorta)
* In ''[[
** Goku, although he mostly relies on [[Training
** No, literally. Goku directly invoked this trope in the Buu Saga, using up the rest of his time on Earth to force himself to a ridiculously high [[Power Level]] and [[You Shall Not Pass|hold off the villain long enough for Trunks to escape]].<ref>Notable in that this is the closest a dead guy can come to a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]</ref>
* ''[[Bleach]]'
* ''[[Pokémon (
** His Pikachu too, for that matter. At one point, it manages to [[One-Hit Kill|One Turn Kill]] a newly rested Regice with Volt Tackle (only the second time in the series that a [[Olympus Mons|Legendary Pokémon]] lost a one-on-one fight with a non-Legendary, and the previous time was a long, drawn-out fight in which the non-Legendary had a [[Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors|Type advantage]]). A few episodes later, it's having trouble fighting an Elekid.
** By now he's started intentionally handicapping himself by starting with a totally new team for every league save Pikachu. That doesn't explain why Pikachu's performance is spotty at best. All in all, it's actually gotten weaker as the series goes along, perhaps a reaction to the writers realizing Pikachu winning every battle would be boring. On the other hand, it'd be nice if they ''justified'' it in some way at least.
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* ''[[Soul Eater]]'', such as with the ending of the anime giving the main groups a couple of [[Eleventh-Hour Superpower|late superpowers]]. While the 'courage punch' had ''some'' precedent (the important of courage having been used numerous times, but never ''quite'' so explicitly), things like {{spoiler|Maka's Weapon form and Kid's Sanzu Lines}} had no such setup whatsoever.
** While {{spoiler|Maka's weapon form}} was certainly an example, {{spoiler|Kid's Sanzu Lines}} were nothing new if you read the manga-the alternate ending is to blame, here.
* This is an explicit power of Kuwabara from ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]'' - his [[Ki Attacks|spirit energy]] literally increases when fighting a stronger foe. It's also evident and completely ignored in most of the rest of the cast.
* ''[[D
** Somewhat averted with level 4 akumas, who are still crazy tough and require you being general strength just to beat one. The first one actually had a lot more punishment than the rest of them as it had all the generals, the protagonist and a recently re-empowered [[Action Girl]] against it.
* In ''[[Sailor Moon]]'', Mars and Jupiter seem to have natural abilities that may or may not carry over in their transformed states. Mars uses hers often; Jupiter's implied ridiculous amount of strength, alas, does not really jibe with how fights are choreographed and is much rarer than it should be compared to [[Pretty Cure|some other shows]]. She also tends to [[Worf Effect|get her ass handed to her]] if she ''does'' get to use it.
* [[Kekkaishi|Yoshimori Sumimura]] works two ways: either everyone's praising him for being way stronger than he should be because he took out a tough opponent; or he's getting lambasted for letting a weak opponent walk all over him. The way he fights tends to be ludicrously inefficient against weaker opponents, though, which provides a legitimate flaw for somebody who's [[Weak but Skilled]] to exploit.
* At least in the manga, [[Samurai Deeper Kyo]] was this trope. Period. There are even one or two techniques used by the heroes that they ''had never tried, just imagined'', and after [[New Powers
* ''[[One Piece]]'': This tends to be played for laughs; Luffy defeats Arlong in the previous arc, whose was the most powerful pirate in the East Blue. Yet he's easily restrained by Buggy and his mooks for his "execution" despite showing displays of super-strength and persistence.
* A rare villainous version: In ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'', the {{spoiler|Anti Spiral King}} is shown to only use as much power as the Dai Gurren Brigade uses. This is to specifically invoke [[Hope Spot]] after [[Hope Spot]]
** The [[Deconstruction]] is also mentioned: The end result of being "As strong as you need to be" in a universe where everyone else can do the same thing is the "Spiral Nemesis"
* Fiamma of the Right from ''[[
* ''[[Inazuma Eleven]] [[The Movie|the Orge]]'' take this trope which has already been used regularly [[Up to Eleven|up to]] [[Incredibly Lame Pun|eleven.]] First season Raimon has to fight the third season's [[Bonus Boss]], who can easily defeat Zeus, the first season's [[Big Bad]] that the heroes needed to struggle so much to win in the TV anime. What do they need to win within 30 minutes? A [[Kid From the Future]], four new players, and some ''four-tier above'' abilities the heroes learn because they're getting really serious.
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**** And then Darkseid got up, pressed a button on his wrist, and Superman went from "I'm not holding back and could kill you" to writhing on the floor helpless.
**** Does that mean we should ignore the fact that in the Superman cartoon Darkseid was undeniably stronger than Superman? Look at their fight in ''Legacy''; all Superman's punches did to Darkseid was make him angry that Superman would hit him.
**** But that could be because Superman was still weak after being exposed to red sunlight for several days.
**** Don't forget, however, that Superman ''did,'' in [[Superman:
** Even with the post-Crisis Superman, some writers (Mark Waid is a good example) like to write him as a being of godlike power, capable of surviving things like {{spoiler|the super-nuke}} in ''[[Kingdom Come]]'' that would kill literally anyone else. [[Websnark|Eric Burns]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20160809014059/http://www.websnark.com/archives/2006/01/wouldnt_the_bla.html describes this] as Superman having his "no one can kick my ass because I'm Superman" bit set that day.
*** In the defense of [[Kingdom Come]], there ARE hints earlier in the book that this Superman is much more powerful than others. Luthor himself mentions that Supes is so soaked up on sunlight, he's now immune to Kryptonite.
*** Also, what was stated was that the bomb would have killed Superman if it had hit him point blank. [[Captain Marvel]] was presented as exactly as powerful after all, and {{spoiler|it took his sacrifice to save Superman and the others powerful enough to take it}}. (Doctor Fate & Green Lantern, who protected about half of the fighters)
** And on [[Smallville]], his powers actually ''do'' fluctuate, based on solar coronal activity, the fact that they're still developing, and the fact that he lives in a freakin' [[Kryptonite Is Everywhere|town full of Kryptonite]].
*** Some stories suggest that, like Hulk, Supes' power level is affected by his mood. In [[For the Man Who Has Everything]], he was so mad at Mongul that he actually wanted to kill him, and he went absolutely apeshit on him. Mongul is normally stronger that Supes.<ref>
** One of Superman's mainstay abilities is his [[Eye Beam]], traditionally his only true ranged-attack. Rarely limited by an official explanation (save it perhaps decharges him more quickly if he's acting as a solar-powered battery), Supes generally only uses it against opponents when he's completely restrained or when it wouldn't result in the censors bearing down on him for using it.
*** His invulnerability fluctuates this way too. In some comics, you can put him in a room with a little red sun lamp and kick his ass. In others, he can fly through a red star, then smack into a planet and get up and fight (albeit depowered) as happened in the definitely canon [[Infinite Crisis]].
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** Thor has said that even against superhuman foes on Earth, he doesn't dare use his full strength for fear of killing them. There's clearly some ego involved in this, of course, since Earth has some superhumans who are every bit as strong and durable as Thor, if not moreso (see: Hulk, Juggernaut, Hercules, Sentry, etc).
* For another DC example, what powers the [[Martian Manhunter]] has, and to what degree, varies enormously with who's writing him and the needs of the current story. He seems to have all and only the abilities he needs to put the story where the writer wants it. Sometimes he's like a combination of Superman and Plastic Man (except weaker), and other times he is the most powerful being on Earth (as in a storyline where he turned evil and everyone was terrified of fighting him).
** For that matter, his [[Kryptonite Factor]] toward fire is alternately treated as a [[Weaksauce Weakness]] that keeps him from being too overpowered, or a [[Your Mind Makes It Real|psychosomatic]] weakness that can be overcome with willpower; the two inconsistencies go hand in hand.
** In ''[[Blackest Night]]'', a [[Our Zombies Are Different|zombie]] MM points out "I'm as powerful as Superman. Why does everyone FORGET that?" before kicking some ass.
* The ''[[Infinite Crisis]]'' [[OMAC
** The fact that the Infinite Crisis Brother Eye was made by Batman would explain a lot.
* [[The Hulk]]'s level of physical might and durability varies tremendously. This one, however, has a built-in explanation: Hulk's physical
** Similarly to Darwin below, in one story Hulk developed the ability to breathe in space by getting angry enough.
* [http://www.marvel.com/universe/Darwin Darwin, the Evolving Boy] from the ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]'' comics literally has this trope as his superpower. Whenever placed in a situation he is unsuited for, he will gain a new power capable of dealing with it. Place him in total darkness and he gets the power to see in the dark. Stick him in a burning building and he becomes immune to fire. Trap him underwater and he grows gills.
** However, he only gains a power that will let him ''survive'', which doesn't necessarily mean winning. Stick him in a fight with [[The Hulk]], for example, and he gains the ability to teleport into the next state or [[Nigh Invulnerability]] that would let him weather The Hulk's fury (but nothing that would let him actually fight back).
* The Amazons from ''Amazons Attack!'', when [[Wonder Woman
** Stygian Killer Hornets, thank you... Bees. My God.
* [[Spider
** The ultimate expression of this was when he was attacked by Firelord. Panicking, dodging, and running for his life, he sees the Herald of Galactus survive everything he can throw at him unharmed, up to and including an exploding gas station. But when two kids nearly get killed by his uncaring foe, Spidey loses his cool - and proceeds to pound Firelord into the pavement, punctuating every barrage of fists with statements on the order of "Hey, you don't attack kids!" It takes the arrival of Captain America and the Avengers to snap him out, by which time Firelord is flat on his back, eyes crossed, and dazed for quite a while. Just to elaborate, this is a being on a power level roughly equal to Thor or the Silver Surfer, and leagues above the power level of Spidey or any of his usual foes.
*** Subverted when [[Spider
* [[Fantastic Four|The Thing]] is another character whose strength has actual limits and there are some foes that he simply cannot overpower. Although we pretty much have to be ''told'' this for this to be true, at one point he was even asked point blank how strong he was and his answer was "STRONG ENOUGH!"
* Peter David pretty much stated this trope when responding to comments of his writing of [[She
* ''[[Legion of Super-Heroes (
* Sentry has this problem, one time being able to fight with Hulk as equal, having his ass handed to him by [[She Hulk]] or [[Incredible Hercules|Hercules]] another and then going into a level where he can {{spoiler|[[Dark Reign (
* Gladiator from the Shi-Ar Imperial Guard and his [[Evil Counterpart|evil]] [[Distaff Counterpart|female version]] Stronian have powers depending on their confidence, so if they fell even smaller fear, doubt or regret, they're getting weaker.
* This is actually part of [[Venom (Comic Book)|Venom]] (Mac Gargan)'s powers; when injured or threatened, the symbiote can increase in mass and strength to meet whatever threat it is fighting with equal force.
* [[Deadpool]], whose healing powers are literally taken from Wolverine, has his own healing ability fluctuate wildly depending on how powerful they need to be for the plot. This is explained away as a result of the constant battle between his cancer and his healing powers, as sometimes the cancer gains ground and sometimes the healthy cells gain ground. It even becomes a major plot point when his healing factor stays in a weakened state and he seeks medical attention to try and improve it. He is literally immortal though, since after meeting Death herself when he was having near death experiences he fell in love with her, Thanos became jealous of Deadpool and prevents his soul from passing on so they can never be together.
* [[Jack Kirby]]'s Celestials, through it's more visible at alternate realities - in [[Earth X]] they as a whole cannot match Galactus, in other worlds they are capable of effortlessly killing three wielders of [[The Infinity Gauntlet]] and in one [[What If]] story they can take [[Dr. Doom]], possessing the Infinity Gauntlet
* Deconstructed with Plutonian in ''[[Irredeemable]]'' - {{spoiler|he doesn't really have super strength - he is a reality warper and breaks laws of physics without thinking about it, so he can
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* Jaune Arc in ''[[The Games We Play (RWBY fanfic)|The Games We Play]]'' has an unfortunate habit of entering fights underpowered compared to his opposition, but as he's ''always'' grinding his stats and skills and applying earned experience to get [[Limit Break]]s and even ''more'' skills, he almost always pulls some new ability out of his hat that lets him prevail.
== [[Film]] ==
* [[Wolverine]] pulls this off in ''[[X-Men (
* In ''[[Push]]'', Nick starts out unable even to fix a roll of the dice, and ends up {{spoiler|kicking Victor's well-trained and highly experienced ass, even though Victor was shown earlier literally mopping the floor with Nick... and the ceiling, too. Similarly, during the fight he lost, Nick is shown deflecting a bullet, a trick he had not practiced or even seen until just moments before.}} All this with no training, and with very little practice, apparently only because It Was Time For Him To Win.
** Also, {{spoiler|during the final confrontation, Agent Carver clearly pushes Nick mentally ("WHERE WERE WE?!")... but instead of jumping, as he was presumably pushed to do, Nick turns around and tele-punches Carver.}} How did he do this? No one, before or after that moment, was ever shown as able to {{spoiler|resist a push}}.
* [[Godzilla]]'s power varies from film to film. Sometimes, he's able to defeat enemies with a single breath of his atomic breath, while others, he struggles in a tooth-N-claw battle against his enemies.
** Godzilla almost always suffers a total [[Curb Stomp Battle]], and then inexplicably bounces back more powerful than before. During his "second wind" he will be immune to attacks that caused him severe injury the first time. No explanation is ever given for this.
== [[Literature]] ==
* This happens on both sides of the fence in the ''[[Warhammer
** Orcs get this treatment a lot too. Sometimes they are almost a joke and a minor threat to guardsmen unless they have a huge numbers advantage, and sometimes the same kind will be a difficult fight to Space Marines one-on-one. Same applies to Tyranids.
*** Orcs are a special case. A feral Ork army is almost laughable in terms of strength, while a carefully constructed WAAAGH! is almost unstoppable. Often, you'll see something in between the two. The strength of the Orks depends on the strength of the local WAAAGH! It's a species that runs on [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe]], thus
*** This is not strictly correct. The strength of Orks actually depends on the strength of ''their opponent''. Orks are a survivor race, and much like the Darwin Boy example in the Comics section, Orks are actually a ''very'' straight example of this trope. Orks who face a more powerful and able opponent will be just as tough, whereas if the opponent is incompetent they wont be any worse, but they'll not be any better than they would normally be. So it isn't about the whole [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe]], which is not just
** Possibly justifiable in cases where the story is about different chapters/regiments/hives/etc. as experience plays a big part in war.
* This is an explicit rule in Diane Duane's ''[[Young Wizards]]'' series. The [[Powers That Be]] ensure that every wizard has enough power to deal with whatever the current crisis is. Luckily, drama is preserved by making failure a real option; just because you're ''strong'' enough to solve the problem doesn't mean you'll figure out the solution, or want to pay the price.
** This is also why older wizards tend to be weaker than their younger counterparts. Their skill with magic is such that they don't ''need'' as much power.
* Not technically super-heroes, but in
* In the ''[[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]'', Luke gets new Force powers as needed. So does Jacen.
* Done well, and justified, in a fight scene from ''[[Lord Darcy
*One of the criticisms of ''[[World War Z]]'' is that zombies tough enough to not be turned into [[Ludicrous Gibs]] by artillery and bombing have no business being killable by small arms and ordinary civilians' melee attacks.
== [[Live
* Pro wrestling loves this trope. The good guy will consistently get beaten and be depicted as brutalized and exhausted, until they suddenly bounce back for a victory.
* Inverted in the [[Mystery Science Theater 3000|MST-bait]] ''[[Puma Man]]'', in which the "superhero" is capable to tearing apart a car or ripping into a brick wall with his bare hands, but at the movie's climax is just ''barely'' able to overpower an elderly [[Donald Pleasence]] in a struggle.
* In the [[Buffy Verse]] as a whole the strength of vampires varies greatly, from clearly superhuman on a level that can't hope to be matched (Buffy and Angel Season 1) to being able to be beat by the [[Badass Normal]] of Angel, Charles Gunn, easily.
** When asked about the strength of [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]], [[Joss Whedon]] [[Word of God|replied]], literally "[[Shrug of God|as strong as the plot needs her to be]]".
*** Semi-averted as well, as she does get [[Took a Level
** ''[[Angel]]'' tended to do this a lot as well. Particularly notable with Connor, whose abilities seemed to correspond directly to how inconvenient it would be. When he's on their side, gets beaten up by practically everything not an ordinary vampire. When fighting against them, took out almost the entire team single handed, twice.
* In ''[[Smallville]]''{{'}}s [[Grand Finale]], Clark flies up to Apokolips, a planet with engines on it, and shoves it all the way back into space saving the day and exhibiting about a billion times the super strength he's ever demonstrated in the TV series. This is [[Silver Age]] level power for Superman and even that character was normally moving inert planets when he moved something that massive.
* In ''[[Supernatural]]'', {{spoiler|vampirized}} Hunter Gordon Walker was strong enough to rip off two vampire's heads and could even {{spoiler|kill his partner with his bare hands}}, but when fighting Sam, his strength appeared to be downgraded.
* In [[Toku]] series such as ''[[Kamen Rider]], [[Super Sentai]], [[Power Rangers]]'' and the like, this trope is in effect, with power levels depending on how pissed you are, what time of episode it is and how fast the plot needs to move past one fight, and how loud you yelled before rushing in. ''[[Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger]],'' a parody [[Super Sentai]] series, had the Rangers realize that the general leaving is like an [[Event Flag]] for the good guys to start winning; the [[Monster of the Week]] was been invincible before, but they realize what always happens soon after the general says something to the effect of "I'll leave this to you" to the monster. As suddenly they're pummeling the previously-unbeatable foe, Red triumphantly cries out that consistent power levels ''do not exist!'' Yeah, it's that kinda series.
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* In ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 4'', Snake's barely able to fight after being stabbed in the shoulder, but spends a good five minutes in a microwave corridor intended to vapourise anyone who entered immediately after suffering a heart attack, and is still just about able to kick away Scarabs.
* In ''[[Devil May Cry]] 4'', Nero's [[Red Right Hand|Devil]] [[Power Fist|Bringer]] normally can only pull Nero to a big opponent and not the other way around. However, under certain circumstances it can abruptly become much more powerful, such as being able to punch the massive fire demon Berial a long way.
* ''[[God of War (
** Maybe Kratos has extra powers when attacking statues?
** In ''God of War 2'', his insane strength might be justified that in the beginning Kratos still has all the powers a full-fledged god can brag about, he doesn't brag "Fear the new god of war" while beating the first mooks for nothing, still the trope applies for the rest of the second game and the sequel as well
** Well, he's a god of ''war''. Maybe he's strongest when he's got something to fight?
* [[The Dragon|Ser Cauthrien]] in ''[[Dragon Age: Origins]]'' is a boss example. Despite being an experienced soldier and undeniably a [[Badass Normal]], she somehow has almost as much health as a fifty
== [[Web Original]] ==
* The superheroine Tennyo in the ''[[Whateley Universe]]''. In the novel
** Chou Lee can be
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* Every single character from ''[[Bob and George]]'' (though it is sometimes justified). For example, at one point George can't even harm the villain with any of his lightning attacks. Yet later on he destroys an entire castle/base by accident. Megaman's intelligence (and thus, battle skills) also fluctuate alot, but this is explained within the story.
** Actually, it was explained why George couldn't use his powers against Mynd; Mynd was able to just absorb the electricity. There's also the fact he appears to have a limit on how often he can use his powers (his MP- er, Weapon Energy). And by accident? He destroyed that castle because he was pissed that he had been hung up from the ceiling for months and could have done something about it, but he couldn't because he forgot he could.
* [[Played for Laughs]] in ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' with Crystal. As Haley's personal rival, she is always the same level as Haley. [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0581.html Even if she does nothing to earn these levels.]
* [[Nodwick]]'s muscle strength is just enough to carry [https://web.archive.org/web/20100819081338/http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/gamespyarchive/index.php?date=2002-06-13 whatever load he is asked to move] but is not suggested to have super strength.
* In ''[[
* In ''[[Homestuck]]'', during the Trolls' battle against the [[Big Bad|Black King]] of their session, [[Evil Clown|Gamzee]] suddenly unleashes never before seen power against him, doing almost as much damage as Vriska, a God Tier character with manipulation of luck.
* Butch of ''[[Chopping Block]]'' is overweight and out-of-shape, and was once outrun by an old lady with a walker, but whenever his life is in danger, he becomes absurdly lethal. Chalk it up to the strip's [[Negative Continuity]].
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* In
* In ''[[Teen Titans (
** Let's not forget Cyborg's little trick of reassembling himself after Brother Blood literally took him apart in a fight. This was so ridiculous that the writers [[Lampshade Hanging|included a line of dialogue]] stating that this was a one time thing.
** Raven's strength fluctuations are legendary. In some cases she's been beaten by just having her mouth forced shut, but when the plot calls for it she's capable of soloing her [[Physical God]] father. [[Justified Trope|Justified]] because Raven's powers are fueled by her emotions; the more passionate she becomes about defeating an enemy, the stronger her powers become in order to accomplish it.
** Starfire is pretty bad about this trope. She can survive extreme environments when the plot calls for it, and be totally helpless when it doesn't. In one episode, Starfire winds up wandering around frozen tundra, apparently in danger of freezing to death. Yeah, this troper realizes that the normal mistaken response is to say "well if she can survive in space..." However, given her super speed, super strength, and flight abilities, there was nothing in that episode stopping her from flying out of the area, or back to Titans Tower to get proper equipment if things get too hairy. Then too there might be an explanation for both her (and Raven's) powers in that they're emotion based, which means that theoretically, a villain could defeat Starfire by getting her depressed enough.
** Cyborg and Starfire's [[Super Strength]] also varies greatly just compared to each other, as one can be shown at any given moment to be several magnitudes stronger than the other.
* In ''[[He
** In the 2002 version, He-Man's
** In the comic book version He-Man's special power is specifically defined as the ability to have exactly the amount of strength he needs to accomplish what he's trying to do at the moment, but no more.
* [[The Powerpuff Girls]] are notorious for this. One episode will have them <s>swatting skyscraper-sized monsters with ease (often with just one of the girls doing the dirty work)</s> proving themselves to adult heroes as the mightiest supers in their entire universe, and another will have all three girls get beaten down by a gang of ordinary thugs.
** Not to mention one time where an overweight nerd was able to trap them in toy packaging. I mean, SERIOUSLY?!
* Ladies
** The in-story description of it is "nigh-invulnerability." The Tick is always the exact right amount of invulnerable to keep the plot going. So he's much more vulnerable during slapstick scenes.
* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'': Comedic example: Mr. Burns. He's always depicted as frail and weak, but just ''how'' frail and ''how'' weak depends on [[Rule of Funny|whatever makes the joke work]].
** Also, of course, [[Flanderization|how late the season is.]]
* Mesmero from ''[[X
* As noted above, Gladiator's powers are based on his confidence, and his appearances during Phoenix Saga in ''[[X-Men (
== [[Real Life]] ==
* Adrenaline does this. People who normally wouldn't be anywhere near the strength of an Olympic weightlifter can suddenly lift cars up to get someone they care about out from under them.
* The archetypal conspiracy theory in Western popular consciousness postulates that [[The Man]] has armies of [[The Men in Black|Men in Black]], fleets of [[Black Helicopter]]s, and [[Sinister Surveillance]] capabilities more in line with a nigh-omniscient god than anything humanly possible... and yet is simultaneously weak or incompetent enough that they can't silence those revealing the secret, and a small band of plucky rebels or militia can mount a successful resistance against them.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Superhero Tropes]]
[[Category:
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