“Up, up, and away!” So says Superman (or so he used to say) every time he left gravity behind to soar into the wild blue yonder. But Superman has a treasure chest full of powers, from heat vision to super-strength to, depending on the writer, super-breath. Other superheroes aren’t so blessed. Here are four superheroes who can fly but have no other powers; some recognizable and others less so.
The Falcon (Original)
The Falcon from the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been promoted, not just to “captain” but to Captain America. The original comic version of the Falcon, however, was strictly a flier and excellent hand-to-hand combatant, with wings given to him by T’Challa, the Black Panther himself. While not a superpower per se, the tech-based superhero soared high, taking down bad guys with the original Cap through high speed, strategy, and smarts.
Banshee
The mutant superhero Banshee first appeared in the X-Men’s comics in 1967. As often happened, he was an adversary first who later joined the X-crew. Technically, Banshee has the power to scream very loudly, causing him to fly forward and demolish everything in his path. Sadly, Banshee died. Several times. But his daughter developed similar powers and later became the superhero Siryn, further perpetuating the mythical supernatural sound-making creature motif.
The Skyman
Skyman is a forgotten hero who few people beyond ardent Golden Age comics fans remember. Skyman was created by Gardner Fox (who was responsible for better-known heroes such as Batgirl, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, and many others). Skyman depended on an outside source for his flying ability—a pair of wings called an “Icarus-Cape,” which apparently overlooked the fate of the original Icarus. Like Batman, Skyman also had the power of money on his side, and used his dough to fight criminals, saboteurs, and communist spies. There are no plans for a Skyman movie franchise at present.
Air Wave
Air Wave is a DC hero, or rather several heroes, going back to the Golden Age of comics. Several characters have had the name. While the original Air Wave was essentially a smart guy with a good right hook who (seriously) rode atop telephone lines with hidden skates built into his boots. Later, Air Waves had the ability to turn into an energy being, allowing him to fly or even travel through the wires the original Air Wave had to roller disco across.
Angel (Original)
The original X-Men character has been through many changes. Angel later became Archangel, perhaps to make him seem more intimidating, with sharp metal wings and a healing factor like Wolverine’s. However, original-recipe Angel had to make do with just having great, big, super strong white wings. His wings allowed him to fly high and fast and even engage in combat, smacking bad guys with them. While never a fan favorite, Angel has returned in several incarnations of the team.
Those are four superheroes who can fly but have no other powers. The only way most of us in the real world will ever get to fly is through the long but important process of attending flight school. Until then, we’re left to enjoy the high-flying adventures of these and other sky-scraping superheroes.
