A trip to outer space bombards four adventures with cosmic rays, and Sue Storm walks away with the ability to turn invisible. These days, the powers of the Invisible Woman have evolved to the point that she could potentially end the world.
Sue Storm had it rough in the early days of the Fantastic Four. Then known as The Invisible Girl, Sue was often portrayed as little more than a scared girl to be kidnapped or ignored.
But times change, and the media’s perception of women changed too. Sue Storm went from perpetual damsel in distress to someone just as capable as her male counterparts in the Fantastic Four, if not more so.
These days, she’s downright terrifying. Sue’s powers have reached a level where she’s considered a potentially world-ending threat, but she still manages to balance that with keeping the Fantastic Four together. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about just what the Invisible Woman is capable of, here’s a rundown of her powers and weaknesses in Marvel Comics.
Invisible Woman powers in Marvel Comics
Invisibility
As a result of being bombarded by cosmic rays, Sue gains the power to make herself invisible in 1961’s Fantastic Four #1. Essentially she has the ability to bend all known wavelengths of light around an object, though Sue’s eyes have evolved to a point that she can still see when invisible, as well as spot other invisible or hidden objects.
Originally, this power is relatively mundane, as Sue makes herself, her team, or a few small objects invisible. However, years of training have made her exceptionally skilled with this power.
That growth happened slowly. Sue started being able to turn larger and larger things invisible. These days, Sue can turn almost any object of any size invisible. She can also alter how light hits an object rather than just bending it, changing its appearance or even color. She also can control just how fine the invisibility is, such as turning Dr. Doom’s armor invisible so his scarred visage is revealed.
Psionic Force Fields
In addition to her invisibility powers, Invisible Woman has the ability to project psionic force fields. Over the years, Sue’s proficiency with the fields has progressed to the point that she’s one of Marvel’s most powerful characters, full stop.
Originally, Sue’s fields were simple bubbles or walls. Over time, with extensive training and help from Ben Grimm’s wife and sculptor Alicia Masters, she learned to make a variety of shapes with her fields. She can use them as passive shields but has also learned to cast them out as concussive forces.
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Their implementation has grown, too. Sue can use them as a means of traversal or expand them inside an object to make it explode. She has such finite control that she can form a small force field in a blood vessel to cut off oxygen to someone’s brain, but such masterful skill that she once blotted out the sun to cast a perpetual shade over part of the Earth, then held that field in place for three days.
Invisible Woman weaknesses in Marvel Comics
Mental Limitations
Sue’s powers are an extension of her mind, which means she’s limited by her own mental capacity. Though she’s improved tremendously over the years, she’s still limited to the breaking point of her own mind.
This can be as simple as distracting Sue so that she’s not able to focus on her field. It can also be finding a way to render her unconscious.
Sue’s fields also can take only so much damage, at which point she’ll feel pain feedback from them. Pushing her force field to the limit will render her unconscious.
Cosmic Power Synergy
After the fall of Doctor Doom’s reborn universe in Secret Wars, Sue stayed with her husband Reed, and their children, Franklin and Valeria. The family explored the cosmos, helping Franklin and the Molecule Man rebuild the multiverse.
During this time, Ben Grimm and Sue’s brother, Johnny, were returned to Earth with no knowledge of Reed and Sue’s fate. During this time, Ben and Johnny discovered their powers were growing weaker.
It’s revealed that the Four’s powers are cosmically tethered to each other, and being a universe apart is causing them to slowly lose their abilities. Once Invisible Woman and the FF are reunited, their powers are restored.
That’s all we have for now on the Invisible Woman’s strengths and weaknesses in Marvel Comics, but be sure to stick with Dexerto for more Fantastic Four and comic book news.
