I suppose there is one way said hypothetical hero could gain powers from the deceased...

9gag logo, nice

@LardWad420 , that’s an interesting idea, actually! I think any of them could do the trick, although I’m inclined to select Quartermain myself 😎

Perhaps one way to nerf them, while also adding some complexity, would be allowing him to access abilities of the deceased under one condition: he has to have had a personal connection with them.

This would give him a nice gray area to play in where there are those who he truly cares about and can access them but, by the same token, he would also be capable of manipulating others and creating pseudo relationships just to have them in his arsenal, cultivating relationships that he cares nothing about. In essence, using people by pretending to care.

I’m just spitballing, so let me know what you think 🤣

That's actually something I didn't think about. I imagined the hypothetical hero being too powerful, but that's an ingenius way of limiting the power! I think the morally gray actions would make for a less likable protagonist, but assuming it's done well, I could see the story being spectacular.

Yes exactly! ✊🏻

It has a natural progression too, I’d think, because the hero starts off with “I would never manipulate anyone so I’ll only use it with people I’ve known”, which then turns into “maybe just this once because if I don’t, it’s all over”, then it degrades slowly into “I’ll do it any time I deem it necessary”.

Still a hero, and an overall good person, but more antihero with Machiavellian tendencies that progressively become more egregious with time.

There is already a character who can use the powers of deceased superhumans. His name is Dead Ringer