Can anyone name a time where making a character more powerful...

[mathew101281]

Made them more interesting?

Jean Grey becoming Phoenix maybe, but that became played out really fast.

[Keyotheseasons]

Made them more interesting?

Jean Grey becoming Phoenix maybe, but that became played out really fast.

I would say upgrading Sue Storm made her infinitely more interesting. Especially if you consider that people back in the 60s were asking Stan and Jack to take her off the team because she was considered useless. But the addition of force fields to her arsenal -as amazing a move as that was- can't be compared to something like the Phoenix or Wanda's plot device of a power upgrade.

[gurkle]

Scarlet Witch, I would say, because Steve Englehart's decision to make her a "real" witch and study with Agatha Harkness not only increased her power level (which isn't that interesting) but created new stories to tell with her and made her sort of unique as a character who straddled the worlds of "science" (mutant power) and magic. Her show wouldn't exist without that story of a character who never thought of herself as magical but discovers she has an affinity for magic.

[MaximoffTrash]

Following on Wanda's case, I would say power boost makes a character more interesting only when it also comes with lore expansion and thus opportunity for more potential stories/narrative.
I would also say Busiek also gave Wanda a power boost that ultimately makes her more interesting by expanding/sorting her old lore of being born on Wundagore/marked by Chthon.

The counter example would be Jason Aaron making Phoenix Thor's mom, sure you can argue Phoenix is more powerful than Gaea which should mean Thor is also more powerful as a result. But Phoenix as Thor's mom makes his whole mythos less interesting.

[mugiwara]

It works with people would have a weak (especially a weak on offense) powerset, like Invisible Girl, Angel or Cypher.
Especially of they are in a team and always need other characters to protect them.

[marhawkman]

There's been cases where it's not so much more powerful, but better defined powers that made them interesting in a way they weren't before.

[marhawkman]

It works with people would have a weak (especially a weak on offense) powerset, like Invisible Girl, Angel or Cypher.
Especially of they are in a team and always need other characters to protect them.

Cypher can do that "reading body language" thing and use that as part of martial arts.

Cipher.... well she can just whack you upside the head without you even knowing she was there.

[Nomads1]

Wasp - Jan became more powerful, and more assertive, eventually becomming one of the Avengers top leaders.
Archangel - Warren always lacked some heavy duty offensive powers. In the Champions, they even considered gifting him with Hercules godly admantine mace. Then, in X-factor, they traded the angelical wings for metalic ones that he could use not only to cut through most substances, but also fire the feathers as daggers laced with a paralizing toxin. That's a lot of offensive power, and Warren started to be seen as X-Factor's Wolverine.

I could probably think of others. Those two instantly came to me.

Peace

[K7P5V]

Wasp - Jan became more powerful, and more assertive, eventually becomming one of the Avengers top leaders.
Archangel - Warren always lacked some heavy duty offensive powers. In the Champions, they even considered gifting him with Hercules godly admantine mace. Then, in X-factor, they traded the angelical wings for metalic ones that he could use not only to cut through most substances, but also fire the feathers as daggers laced with a paralizing toxin. That's a lot of offensive power, and Warren started to be seen as X-Factor's Wolverine.

I could probably think of others. Those two instantly came to me.

Peace

Exactly! Excellent selections!! My addition to your list would be...

Rogue
(especially, after she permanently gained the powers of Carol Danvers)

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Spider-Man with the black suit.

[Ascended]

Nova. Once Richard became Nova Prime in the wake of the Annihilation wave, he became infinitely more interesting than he had ever been before. That was the height of the franchise's popularity and a big part of that was Richard becoming so much more powerful than he had been, and how he balanced that against the added responsibility.

Jean Gray is infinitely more interesting with the Phoenix than without.

I thought Tony Stark's bleeding edge, Fraction era armor, which was way, way more advanced than anything he had worn before, was excellent.

[Midnight_v]

Maybe...

Wolverine.

I feel like the more powerful he became the more uhm... "Irrefutable" and large his fan base became.

Being "true" indestructible really worked for him and the majority of people who enjoyed him, but though people round these parts disagree his
toughness being much more powerful really expanded the types of enemies he was a threat to and thus stories he could engage in.


Maybe... Moon knight


But definitely ? Iron Man and DOOM

Just intellect as a power being uncapped as opposed to actual science make them incredibly interesting and able to engage in a vaaaaast amount of stories. They can just step up and find
solutions to threats but... still get trounced w/o there being TOO great a stain or backlash as long as they live. They learn.

[K7P5V]

Definitely, another choice would be...

Wonder Man
(especially, after his '90s resurrection & gaining his ionic form)

[Mike_Murdock]

Black Panther comes to mind. I think most people have enjoyed the Vibranium suit of Priest's Panther over McGregor's Panther (who I love a lot as well, fwiw).

[Ptrvc]

Hulk. Particularly when he started doing Angrier=Stronger thing. So much so that most folks have no idea he didn't already have it.