Powerless (comics)

Powerless
250x450px Cover of Powerless 1 (2004).Art by Alex Maleev.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Mini-Series
Publication date	2004
Number of issues	6
Main character(s)	William Watts Peter Parker Logan Matt Murdock Frank Castle Bruce Banner Norman Osborn Wilson Fisk Gwen Stacy
Creative team
Writer(s)	Matt Cherniss Peter Johnson
Artist(s)	Alex Maleev
Penciller(s)	Michael Gaydos
Colorist(s)	Lee Loughridge

Powerless is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series, which began in 2004, is written by Matt Cherniss and Peter Johnson and penciled by artist Michael Gaydos. It had a six issue run, all of which are now published together in a trade paperback collection.

Plot summary

The series begins with a psychologist, Dr. William Watts, waking suddenly in a hospital bed. According to his doctor, Dr. Susan Storm, he was suffering from a three day coma caused by falling on the sidewalk in front of his apartment. Dr. Watts remarks that he had incredibly vivid dreams of fantastical heroes and villains during his coma, so much so that he has trouble distinguishing which world is reality.

Dream Universe

Though the events in all six issues of Powerless occur in a version of Earth where superpowers do not exist, known in the Marvel universe as Earth-Powerless, there are occasional panels featuring characters from the "fantasy world" William Watts experienced while in his brief coma. These panels feature a wide variety of Marvel characters, many of which have a counterpart in Dr. Watts' actual life; however, many others only appear in these flashbacks. The events he experienced in this "dream universe" are very vague - however, the set of characters and costumes imply that it is most similar to the main Marvel universe, Earth-616.

Cast

Issues	Characters	Cameos	Referenced but not seen
#1–6	William Watts, Peter Parker, Logan, Matt Murdock, Frank Castle, Gwen Stacy, Norman Osborn, Wilson Fisk
#1	Leland Owlsley, Aunt May, Foggy Nelson, Bruce Banner	Susan Richards, Reed Richards, Emma Frost, Flash Thompson, Doctor Strange	Brian Michael Bendis, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Charles Xavier
#2	Charles Xavier, Aunt May, Karen Page, Tony Stark, Mystique
#3	Foggy Nelson, Mystique	Henry Pym
#4	Foggy Nelson, Eric Magnus, Victor Creed, Tony Stark,	Mortimer Toynbee, Electro, The Scorpion, Sandman, Doctor Octopus, Kraven, Mysterio, The Rhino, The Vulture	Mystique, Charles Xavier
#5	Victor Creed, Captain Stacy	Curt Connors	Charles Xavier, Matthew Senreich, Brian Michael Bendis
#6	Bruce Banner, Eric Magnus

Heroes' powers

In Powerless none of the characters have any powers, although there are realistic substitutes; Logan possesses spring-loaded claws, Spider-Man's hands are atrophic, Bruce Banner does not transform into the Hulk but instead has a split personality disorder and looks astonishingly like Lou Ferrigno.

Creators

• Matt Cherniss & Peter Johnson - writers
• Michael Gaydos - penciller
• Lee Loughridge - colorist
• Alex Maleev - cover artist
• Axel Alonso - editor
• Joe Quesada - Editor-in-Chief

Collections

Title	Material collected	Date Released	ISBN
Powerless (Spider-Man, Wolverine, Daredevil)	Powerless #1–6	January 19, 2005	ISBN 0-7851-1511-0