The Physically Disabled in Comics

X-Men: Powers as a Liability

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     Comic books once gave their heroes phenomenal powers that were used to fight crime, save the universe, and make the world a better place. For many years this was the standard; whatever a character's special powers or abilites might be, they were always beneficial in some way. Characters were very rarely impeded by their super-ability; or at the very most any impediment was considered a "side effect" of their beneficial power, and therefore a

     Modern X-Men comics have since diverted from the conventional notion of superpowers being beneficial, and instead have often focused on stories where a power or mutation can actively harm a character to the point of disability or even death. These depictions have become fairly common, and help demonstrate a better understanding of physical disability and how it is portrayed in comic books.

Generation X - Chamber

Grant Morrison's New X-Men (2001-2002)

Uncanny X-Men #414 (December 2002)

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