Steelheart

The superpower motif plays a key role in exposing how unmitigated power corrupts people. Megan reflects, “I think [Epics are] a test of some kind. […] I mean a test of what we’ll do, if we have power” (228). The narrative evidence proves that tasting power makes Epics greedier and more narcissistic. In typical superhero stories, the presence of superpowers justifies a new persona distinct from the character’s human counterpart: Clark Kent is Superman; Bruce Wayne is Batman; and Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Often, these characters adopt superhero personas to hide their true identities and live normal lives. However, in Sanderson’s inverted depiction of superpowers, Epics’ abilities change their inmost being so drastically that their power-drunk personalities warrant an entirely new identity. David notices these personality changes whenever Prof or Megan uses powers, even if used to defend friends: “[Megan’s] eyes were angry. I don’t think I’d ever seen an expression like that in a person’s eyes before—not directed at me at least. It was like I could feel the hate coming off her” (204). This inversion, therefore, highlights the novel’s themes about how power inherently alters people to become less human.