The Top 10 Superheroes Who Are Disabled (Ranked)

Life is what we make of it. Sometimes it deals us great hands, while in other instances, it tests us to see what we’re made of. For as great as their lives appear, superheroes have it no different. They are put into tough spots each and every day because life wants to see what they are capable of. When put into these spots, they have two options. 1) Fall down and give up, or 2) Persevere and fight on.

When choosing option two, things don’t always go as planned. In truth, sometimes things go so far off course that they’re left wondering why they bothered at all. In the most extreme circumstances, sometimes the off-course adventure leads them to an accident that causes a disability…and it happens more than you might think.

But who are they? Who are the heroes that have a disability? Here are the top 10 superheroes who are disabled.

Ranked list of top 10 superheroes who are disabled:

10. The Chief (Niles Caulder)

Dr. Niles Caulder is a paraplegic who uses his superior intellect to invent various technologies. As a result of his inventions, Caulder is wealthy beyond measure. Rather than keep his money to himself, he invests in a team of superheroes who could, for lack of a better description, be classified as outcasts. 

The team dubbed the Doom Patrol, then spent their existence fighting crime and showing that even outcasts have a place in society. Niles Caulder is what happens when people look past outward appearances and accept people for who they are. 

9. Echo

As one of the very few deaf characters in comics, putting Echo on this list was as easy as adding cheese to macaroni and cheese.

Echo is one of the most gifted characters in Marvel. Above is an Olympic-level athlete, she’s also an incredible martial artist, a skilled acrobat, possesses photographic reflexes, and is a proficient ballerina. She’s so dangerous that she has brought Daredevil to his knees. 

So what does this mean? 

This means that Echo is one of the terrifying opponents that Marvel supervillains encounter. 

8. Jericho

Joseph Wilson is the son of the deadly assassin Deathstroke. Although he is Deathstroke’s son, the two share very little in the way of ideals. 

As the son of Deathstroke, Joseph found himself in harm’s way on more than one occasion. On one such occasion, he was taken captive by a terrorist known as Jackal. During his rescue, one of Jackal’s men slit Joseph’s throat rendering him a mute.

Regarding abilities, he can take control of anyone he wishes simply by looking into their eyes. While in control, he has access to all of their powers and memories. This means that he has even, if only for a few moments, be in control of Superman.

7. Professor X

Professor X has made a career out of helping young mutants cope, learn to live with, and use their powers for the betterment of mankind…and he’s done so while rolling around in a wheelchair.

In his youth, Professor Xavier spent a lot of time traveling abroad. One of his trips took him to the Himalayas. While there, he quickly learned that the townsfolk were under the control of a being known as Lucifer. Wanting to help, he used his abilities to convince the people to storm the palace and fight for their freedom. Once inside, he decided to confront Lucifer alone. He didn’t realize that Lucifer had set a trap, and when Charles walked in, a block fell on him, crushing his legs in the process. 

6. Cyborg

Cyborg is what happens after an event goes sour, and a crackpot father fits his son with every piece of metal around him in a desperate attempt to bring them back to life. But that’s not all. Not only did his father use every piece of metal around him, but he also fitted his son with cybernetic enhancements and turned him into a giant supercomputer.

Just one look at Cyborg should be enough to convince you of his spot on this superhero who is disabled list. I mean, the guy is half man and half machine; without the machine part, he couldn’t function as a man. 

5. Thor

You may be asking yourself, how does the God of Thunder wind up on a list of superheroes who are disabled? And you know what? That’s a good wondering, so let me explain.

When we first met Thor, he was not the physically impressive specimen that we know him as today. Instead, he was Donald Blake, an amnesiac. Like Blake, Thor walked with a limp and was as useful as a flat tire. Luckily, he stumbled into a cave where he found an old cane. After bashing the cane into the ground, he transformed into Thor, lost his limp, and the world was better for it. 

4. Captain Marvel Jr.

Using the same magic that powers Billy Batson, when Freddy Freeman utters the word “Shazam,” he’s transformed into Captain Marvel Jr., Unlike Billy, however, when not in his superhero form, Freddy is constantly reminded of one of the toughest days of his life.

Let me explain.

During a battle with Captain Marvel, Captain Nazi attacked two bystanders. The two (Freddy and his Grandfather), unknowing of who he was, saved him when they pulled him from the waters into their boat. After another small skirmish between the two enemies, the older of the two, Jacob, was killed, and his grandson, Freddy, was left with severe spinal injuries. 

3. Hawkeye 

Thanks to either a sonic arrow or an exploding building, Hawkeye is actually deaf. Even though the MCU has not acknowledged this, the comic books have. In fact, not only have they acknowledged it, but through Hawkeye, they’ve also given the readers a glimpse into what it’s like to read lips and decipher the world around them without sound. Hawkeye is someone that people who are deaf can look up to and, like everyone else on this list, shows that a disability is only what you allow it to be.

This means that he is one of the most important Avengers of the last 15 years and will continue to be for as long as the reader wants him to be. 

2. Daredevil

Thanks to the Netflix show about the character, Daredevil’s story is well-known. If, for whatever reason you’re unfamiliar with it, allow me to elaborate.

As a teenager, Matt Murdock pushed a civilian out of the way of an oncoming truck. The truck, which was carrying highly toxic chemicals, swerved to avoid the two. Unfortunately for Matt, the swerve caused the chemicals to spill from the truck and onto him. When he awoke, he learned that he wasn’t only blind but that his other senses had been heightened. For the next many years, Matt trained and became one of the best fighters in Marvel Comics. As a blind superhero, Daredevil easily finds himself on this superhero who are disabled list. 

1. Oracle

Very few character changes have defined and breathed new life into a character, as Oracle did for Barbara Gordon. 

The events of The Killing Joke left Barbara Gordon paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Although it took time for her new life to change for the better, Barbara showed exactly what she was made of when it did.

As Oracle, Barbara tapped into her own intelligence and became the eyes of every superhero in DC Comics. She scouted their missions, provided intel where necessary, and assisted them on a never-before-seen level. While some heroes could’ve wasted away wallowing in their own misery, Barbara chose not to.

And that’s it. The top superheroes who are disabled. What do you think? Who would make your superheroes who are disabled list?

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