As fans, we tend to think we know everything about some of our favorite superheroes. Every weakness, skill and power. But many of these characters have been around for literal decades. Within that time, some powers don’t get the same level of attention as others. Some abilities never truly go away, but they just don’t get utilized as much as they could be. So here’s a short list of some heroes and the powers that never get the attention they deserve.

The Hulk Can Talk To Ghosts

Throughout his comic history the Hulk has had a lot of one off powers. One interesting ability that will pop up from time to time is his ability to see and speak with individuals who exist on the Astral Plane. In hindsight, this makes sense. The Hulk was often pitted against foes of a more supernatural nature. Especially with all his team ups with the likes of Dr. Strange. So being able to communicate with ghosts makes sense.

It’s said the reason the Hulk developed this ability was due to Bruce Banner’s subconscious fear of his father returning to haunt him from the grave. Remember, the Hulk largely exists as a means to protect Bruce from what he deems a threat. So the Hulk had this ability as a means to watch out for this potential. More recently, Bruce has been shown to have this ability as well, though it’s shown as not being as clear as when the Hulk has the ability.

Squirrel Girl Has Knuckle Spikes

Squirrel Girl, Squirrel Girl. Does whatever a Squirrel can. Which apparently means having a spike come directly from her knuckles. This isn’t just an ability that popped up for a gag at some point. It’s actually been shown on display from her very first appearance back in Marvel Super-Heroes #8. The only real change is that back then it was shown to be more of a claw similar to Wolverine, whereas nowadays it has a shape similar to a seashell. Even Doreen forgets she has these. But there’s a reason this doesn’t pop up all that often now. Squirrel Girl is now portrayed as an all ages gag character. Doreen using these claws in a fight would be a bit too graphic. Just imagine her fighting some supervillain only to punch them in the face with this spike.

Wonder Woman Can Talk To Animals

Wonder Woman has some inconsistencies in her powerset over the years. But we generally know what she can do. Super strength, combat expert, sometimes she can fly. But did you know she can also communicate with animals? Specifically, DC calls this ability “Animal Empathy.” The idea being she can communicate with all forms of living beasts, command them, & even her mere presence within the area can calm a raging beast. This hasn’t been forgotten by DC either. It pops up regularly within the comics. It’s even the main reason why, when DC did their Looney Tunes crossovers, Wonder Woman got paired with the Tasmanian Devil. It’s just that within media and other adaptations, it’s never brought up. The closest I’ve found is Wonder Woman approaching a horse & it calming down. There could be more instances that I am unaware of.

Mr. Fantastic Has Mastered Magic.

Yes, you read that correctly. The stretchy science oriented hero has taken the time to master sorcery. This is a relatively newer story so Spoilers Ahead. But the story goes that after Reed had seen Dr. Doom faced Dormammu; he realized the value magic could have to his arsenal and began studying it. Later, once Doom has been named Sorcerer Supreme & was currently using his newfound power to rule & influence the world. Multiple teams from the Avengers, Shield & the X-Men. Even the Masters of Evil attempt to come at Doom from different angles. Only to be unsuccessful.

But of course since this was a story with Doom at the center, the Fantastic Four could not be left out of the picture. Mister Fantastic confronts Doom in Latveria, only to then show us how much he’d truly learned in his magical studies. He brings Doom into the Astral Plane & fights him there. Declaring himself as the Scientist Supreme, a title formerly held by Hank Pym. While his assault on Doom is unsuccessful, even Doom has to admit he has an impressive level of mastery over magic. He’s clearly not that creative with these skills at this point. Mostly just replicating abilities he’s seen his allies have in the past. But with the Fantastic Four being re-positioned towards the center of Marvel going forward, we should definitely see his skills improve.

What are some heroes out there with hidden abilities we can cover next time? Which of these abilities was the most surprising to you?