Seeing different creative superpowers in use is one of the most fun things about watching superhero movies, and sometimes the most mundane applications of them are the most entertaining. Obviously, a big draw to the comic book genre is the amazing live-action superhero fight scenes that punctuate each story beat. But sometimes, seeing a more mundane use of a special power or ability is just as fun, if not more so.

In many ways, it’s easier to relate to seeing superpowers used in day-to-day ways, as it’s realistically what most people would use them for if they were real. Fighting for the greater good is a noble pursuit, but it would hardly be worth it without a few special life hacks to make life easier. From obscure, weaker heroes to the most powerful characters of the MCU, plenty of comic book characters have shown off their abilities in clever, lazy ways.

10

Miles Brings Some Cake Home

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

Every cinematic Spider-Man agrees that with great power comes great responsibility, but that doesn’t necessarily exclude great convenience. Miles Morales may have been shaky over his control of his powers in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but by the time Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse rolls around, he has enough of a handle on them to accomplish basic tasks. Of course, part of being Spider-Man means always running late to things, but the powers and webs at least help to make up the difference.

When delivering a couple of cakes to a party hosted by his parents, Miles is rushing against the clock, coming in H๏τ from being out in costume. While simultaneously juggling the cakes enough to keep them steady, he’s able to slip plain clothes over his costume, ripping off the mask at the last second just in time to greet the guests with baked goods in hand. There’s so many moving pieces to this little fun scene that it’s worth rewatching a few times to catch every little detail.

9

Iceman Uses His Powers To Cool A Drink

X2: X-Men United

If there’s one group of people that are practically genetically disposed to use their powers for convenience’s sake, it’s the mutants of the X-Men franchise. The series is full of small moments of mutants using their powers to make day-to-day life easier, with most of them used to having powers from a young age. As a result, it comes across as second nature to lend a small hand when able.

Iceman proves this in X2: X-Men United when he watches Wolverine finally rustle up some beer, only to wince upon realizing that it’s lukewarm. Without a word, Logan simply holds out the beverage for Iceman, who fixes it up with a quick breath, instantly turning it into a delicious frosty beer straight out of a commercial. Wolverine might not be the best teacher in terms of being a role model, but it’s certainly easy to get a little extra credit from him.

8

Quicksilver Uses His Powers To Steal Random Objects

X-Men: Days of Future Past

The mutants’ penchant for mundane power usage would extend will into the new X-Men timelines once the prequel series rolled around. This new story introduced Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past, a mutant with the incredible ability to move at unbelievable speeds. When he’s in motion, Quicksilver percieves the world as his own playground of stopped time, as shown off in his wonderful handling of the guards when helping Magneto escape from prison.

While he can use this effect to fight quite well, for the most part, Quicksilver uses his powers for his own personal pleasure. Still an impulsive teen, Quicksilver uses his super speed to steal all sorts of random objects and zip away before authorities can blink, accumulating a man cave full of arcade machines, soda dispensers, and all sorts of other 70s goodies. It’s hard to say any other teen boy with the same powers wouldn’t do the same.

7

Johnny Storm Heats Up Popcorn

Fantastic Four

If there’s another group of superheroes who can give the X-Men a run for their money when it comes to mundane power usage, it’s The Fantastic Four. From The Thing making fresh-squeezed orange juice with his bare hands to Mr. Fantastic stretching his body to enhance his moves on the dance floor, the first superhero family certainly enjoys the small uses of their gifts. But the poster child for the lazy use of powers is by far Johnny Storm, a.k.a. The Human Torch.

A natural-born show-off, Johnny is constantly finding ways to abuse his powers for fun, whether he’s dipping out of a plane to fly with plenty of legroom or making an ad-hoc H๏τ tub out of mountainside snow. Arguably his best feat of mundane ingenuity is heating up a pan of popcorn with one hand, apparently able to raise his body temperature to a fine enough degree to avoid going full “Flame On”. Something about Chris Evans’ mannerisms in doing this makes it feel so natural and authentic.

6

The Incredibles Cleaning The House

The Incredibles

Another superhero family heavily based off of The Fantastic Four, The Incredibles are also no stranger to using their powers in everyday life. In fact, for a long time they were forced to use them for only that, with the government keeping “supers” hidden and protected at the cost of never being allowed to resume hero activity. In one of the greatest silent superhero movie scenes of all time, a brief snippet is shown of how Bob and Helen help each other around the house.

It turns out that elasticity is incredibly helpful for getting chores done, as Elastigirl stretches her arm to reach across the living room with her vacuum. To help her out, Mr. Incredible lazily lifts the entire couch over his head from one corner as easily as lifting a coffee cup, proving the couple’s newfound ability to work together. It’s hard not to be jealous of The Incredibles’ powers after watching small interactions like this.

5

Hancock Shaving With His Nails

Hancock

Using powers to shave is one of the most commonly-used examples in the mundane usage of superpowers trope. From Mr. Fantastic in Fantastic Four to Superman in the DCAU, many heroes have found creative ways to trim their beards. Even Will Smith’s Hancock of the relatively obscure original superhero movie by the same name, who has a particularly unique method of cleaning up his five o’clock shadow.

Evidently, Hancock’s invincibility extends even to his fingernails, essentially giving him impossibly-sharp claws on top of super strength and durability. Eschewing a razor, Hancock simply drags his nails across his face after lathering up with shaving cream. Considering he’s in prison when this scene is occurring, where traditional razor blades are surely hard to come by, it’s a nice bit of convenience to be able to shave without one.

4

Doctor Strange Studies While Asleep

Doctor Strange

Despite being ostensibly an ordinary human, Doctor Strange was somehow able to become one of the most powerful magic users in the MCU. In his debut тιтular film, he gives a throwaway line about his pH๏τographic memory being the reason he can become such a gifted magician in record time. But the film also shows off a clever way in which Doctor Strange is able to maximize his downtime to always be studying.

After learning how to astrally project, Doctor Strange realizes that just because his body is asleep doesn’t necessarily mean his mind has to be. By astral projecting while asleep, Stephen is able to study all through the night, effectively doubling the rate at which he’s able to use magical concepts. This is only the first in a long line of frivolous uses of awesome magic power the hero comes to perform.

3

Shazam Charges People’s Phones

Shazam!

There’s always a learning curve to gaining powers, and Shazam! features one of the funniest montages of a hero slowly unlocking their newfound power. After realizing he has the lightning of Zeus, Billy Batson is initially ecstatic, realizing he can use this new ranged attack to zap bad guys. But when there are no villains around, he settles on a far more mundane way of helping people hilariously below the pay grade of a traditional superhero.

As Shazam, Billy ends up stooping to walking around on his patrols zapping people’s phones, topping up their charge as he goes. He does this often enough that it becomes mistaken as his only power, a hilarious sentiment given that he’s actually one of the stronger characters in the DCEU. Still, it’s hard to deny how handy never having to worry about keeping a phone charged would be in real life.

2

Metro Man Uses Super Speed To Work Out A Mid-Life Crisis

Megamind

It’s one thing to use super speed for selfish thievery like Quicksilver does, but Megamind‘s Metro Man demonstrates a whole new level of speed by undergoing an entire mental metamorphosis in the span of a couple of seconds. Just as he’s about to be struck by Megamind’s death ray, Metro Man realizes that he’s gone through the motions of his job far too many times, hitting a midlife crisis. Luckily, he’s able to use his staggering speed to take a break and think things over.

While moving at these speeds, time appears completely stopped for Metro Man, allowing him to waltz around Metrocity and ponder life’s big questions with all the time in the world. Beyond establishing just how absurdly powerful Metro Man is, this scene proves how superpowers could be used to help navigate a serious idenтιтy crisis. Being able to catch up on reading and scarf down some fries at the same time is just icing on the cake.

1

Spider-Man Cleans Up A Cobweb On The Ceiling

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man might be better known for creating webs, leaving them hanging from all over the city, but Spider-Man: No Way Home proves he’s just as good at cleaning them up, too. It’s a shock when Ned and M.J. officially meet another reality’s version of Peter Parker, as Andrew Garfield’s take on the character steps through the portal. To prove his idenтιтy, they ask him to stick to the ceiling, which he eventually does.

Hilariously enough, while he’s there, Ned’s Lola asks Peter to clean up a cobweb in the corner. Being the polite lad he is, Peter begrudgingly obliges, scurrying over to clean up those hard-to-reach areas. It’s a small moment, but one that proves both Peter Parker’s relentless kindness and how fun it is for superhero movies to use powers in mundane ways.