Why is mega intelligence not considered a super power?

Why is it that we only seem to consider physical attributes as super powers.

Reed/Pym/Stark/Wayne are way beyond any normal human intelligence but are considered to not have a "power"
If their intelligence were equivalent to say strength they would be considered super powered

Penn

Deleted User wrote: »

Why is it that we only seem to consider physical attributes as super powers.

Reed/Pym/Stark/Wayne are way beyond any normal human intelligence but are considered to not have a "power"
If their intelligence were equivalent to say strength they would be considered super powered

Well Reed does have a superpower, it's just not intelligence.

But overall the reason intelligence isn't considered a superpower is because it's not. They're at pretty much the absolute limit of what human intelligence is capable of, but it's entirely through natural intelligence. It's not enhanced by non-natural means. Captain America exceeds what a human is capable of in terms of strength, strategy, stamina, fighting skill, aim etc, but that all comes from the super-soldier serum, not his own natural ability.

The likes of Pym, Reed, Stark etc, their intelligence is natural, and for the most part, it's their intelligence which led to them becoming heroes whether through science or technology. But their actual intelligence isn't a superpower.

Isn't cap considered to be improved to the peak of human ability though? Yet still gets referred to as having super powers

Penn

Deleted User wrote: »

Isn't cap considered to be improved to the peak of human ability though? Yet still gets referred to as having super powers

Yes because his abilities aren't "natural". The X-Men all have superpowers because of their mutated genes. Thor has powers because he's an Asgardian. Doctor Strange has powers because of his ability to use magic forces. Cap has powers because of the super-soldier serum.

But genius-level intellect isn't a power by itself because Reed/Pym/Stark have their intelligence through natural means. They're just pure geniuses.

It's tough to know where to draw the line. For example, do you think Hawkeye's perfect aim would be considered a superpower, or is he just naturally (and enhanced through training) talented?

Penn

Penn wrote: »

Yes because his abilities aren't "natural". The X-Men all have superpowers because of their mutated genes. Thor has powers because he's an Asgardian. Doctor Strange has powers because of his ability to use magic forces. Cap has powers because of the super-soldier serum.

But genius-level intellect isn't a power by itself because Reed/Pym/Stark have their intelligence through natural means. They're just pure geniuses.

It's tough to know where to draw the line. For example, do you think Hawkeye's perfect aim would be considered a superpower, or is he just naturally (and enhanced through training) talented?

So if they get intelligence through artificial means??

Kev W

Deleted User wrote: »

So if they get intelligence through artificial means??

Then it would qualify as a superpower, presumably. The Leader, for example.

Kev W

Kev W wrote: »

Then it would qualify as a superpower, presumably. The Leader, for example.

The Leader is who is in mind. He's not as smart as the others but he has a super power and the others don't?

I'd argue that the x-men are naturally occurring also

Penn

Deleted User wrote: »

The Leader is who is in mind. He's not as smart as the others but he has a super power and the others don't?

I'd argue that the x-men are naturally occurring also

But their powers are as a result of a mutation, which I'd agree would be "naturally occurring" in the sense that it's biological from birth, but I think it's different to just being naturally intelligent.

Reed/Stark/Pym's intelligence is definitely at the peak of what humans are capable of, whereas the X-Men's mutation gives them abilities humans aren't capable of. Take Beast for example, his "beast" abilities are the result of his genetic mutation, whereas his intelligence isn't. He's just intelligent.

Penn

Penn wrote: »

But their powers are as a result of a mutation, which I'd agree would be "naturally occurring" in the sense that it's biological from birth, but I think it's different to just being naturally intelligent.

Reed/Stark/Pym's intelligence is definitely at the peak of what humans are capable of, whereas the X-Men's mutation gives them abilities humans aren't capable of. Take Beast for example, his "beast" abilities are the result of his genetic mutation, whereas his intelligence isn't. He's just intelligent.

But you have superpowered intelligence which is less than the naturals?

Should there not be a statistical level at which a freak of genetics puts individuals into a naturally occurring super category?

Penn

Deleted User wrote: »

But you have superpowered intelligence which is less than the naturals?

Should there not be a statistical level at which a freak of genetics puts individuals into a naturally occurring super category?

Again though, where do you draw the line? Should Hawkeye's marksmanship count as a superpower? Or Shang-Chi's martial arts abilities?

I mean, if I got struck by lightning and it gave me the ability to run twice as fast as I currently can, it would be a superpower, but I'd still be slower than Usain Bolt.

Penn

Penn wrote: »

Again though, where do you draw the line? Should Hawkeye's marksmanship count as a superpower? Or Shang-Chi's martial arts abilities?

I mean, if I got struck by lightning and it gave me the ability to run twice as fast as I currently can, it would be a superpower, but I'd still be slower than Usain Bolt.

Not very super then. It's an artificial ability but nothing special

Penn

Deleted User wrote: »

Not very super then. It's an artificial ability but nothing special

I'm just saying, "superpower" generally means that you have abilities normal humans don't obtained through non-normal means.

While Pym/Reed/Stark's intelligence goes way beyond what the vast majority of humans are capable of, their intelligence isn't deemed to be outside of what a human can achieve, and it's natural to them (as in not the result of a mutation etc, but just a perfect storm of genetics + upbringing).