Marvel Just Introduced The Best New Superpower Of The Year

A new Marvel hero’s superpower is definitely the most rare superhuman ability in the Marvel Universe. Marvel’s enormous population of superpowered characters gather a collection of abilities that can feel as though they were invented for a single joke. Some abilities are incredibly specific, like Squirrel Girl’s ability to communicate with squirrels or Eye-Scream’s ability to transform his body into different flavors of ice cream. Others sound rather uncomfortable, like Zeitgeist’s corrosive vomit that can burn through materials, and Maggott’s sentient digestive system.

On the other hand, some of Marvel’s most useful abilities are surprisingly uncommon. Phasing, best exemplified by the X-Men’s secret powerhouse Kitty Pryde, is arguably even more dangerous than super strength, as it can destroy organic and inorganic matter by targeting whatever it’s inside. Multiple Man’s self-multiplication could enhance any other superpower, and both invisibility and size-shifting could make any already powerful hero or villain impossible to find on the battlefield.

The clearest sign that a clever, versatile superpower is rare is that it has no known name, as is the case with Marvel’s newest superhero, Sightseer.

Sightseer Sees The Universe’s Invisible Life

Ultimate Impact: Reborn #4; Written By Chris Condon; Art By Stefano Caselli & David Curiel

Since she opened her Origin Box, Boothe Media employee Paulina has been seeing strange creatures and colors around her. After accidentally coming across a discarded phoropter in an alley in Ultimate Impact: Reborn #3, Paulina is now able to focus her “Sightseer” powers. In issue #4, instead of getting overwhelmed with colors and figures, Paulina seems to be able to pinpoint helpful creatures around her. As soon as she exits the alley, Paulina sees a school of flying fish surrounding a single man, whom she can save just in time when a large metal beam drops from a construction site.

Sightseer’s abilities are a unique kind of superpower that very few Marvel heroes and villains possess. Whereas most superhumans in the Marvel Universe gain powers they can use directly against their opponents, like super strength or even flight, Paulina gains the ability to perceive something that might have always been there. Sightseer may not be able to direct the flying fish to save pedestrians in danger or to attack her enemies, but she can acquire game-changing, exclusive information from them.

Marvel Already Teased Sightseer’s Unique Superhero Costume

Paulina’s Sightseer Costume Might Combine Two Marvel Heroes’ Rare Designs

The phoropter Paulina starts wearing to focus her Origin Box powers in Ultimate Impact: Reborn #4 is the perfect prototype for her eventual Sightseer superhero costume. The three lenses on each side of the apparatus make Sightseer resemble a spider, and the entire device bears a striking resemblance to Yelena Belova’s unforgettable tactical night vision spy mask. The fact that Sightseer needs to wear a mask that obscures her eyes in order to see beyond normal human vision also recalls Madame Web, known for her extrasensory abilities.

Sightseer’s costume design could take various different forms with the phoropter as its foundation. In order to stand apart from spider-themed characters like Black Widow and Madame Web, Paulina could draw inspiration from other heroes with similar abilities, like Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, and Monica Rambeau. Mystical robes, a cloak, or a tight-fitting suit with a trench coat on top would place Sightseer among similar heroes, but also contrast with her signature mask.

What do you think about Sightseer’s powers?

Ultimate Impact: Reborn #4 is available August 19 from Marvel Comics