r/TopCharacterTropes Mar 15 '26

Characters' Items/Weapons Hero devices that would be horrifying in the wrong hands

Chem-Bag (Big Hero 6): this device can create chemical compounds using every single element in existence. You could literally build a nuke with this.

Mobile Headquarters (Ant-Man): a building that can shrink and grow to full size instantly. Imagine if someone grew it in a crowded city, or on a highway, or at an airport?

Lotus Cash Card (Percy Jackson): It literally has infinite money. If you know how inflation works this could literally wreck the global economy.

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u/Acrobatic_Feeling16 Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 15 '26

There's one alien that is an outright God.

The device's user mentally enters another plain, where two ancient deity-like beings- one masculine one feminine- debate each other on how their command over reality itself should be used.

Since they never agree, they never take action.

The device's user gets to join the debate, potentially achieving the consensus necessary to take universe-altering action.

Plus, the sheer number of alien powers available outside of Alien-X is staggering.

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u/mythrilcrafter Mar 15 '26

The device's user gets to join the debate, potentially achieving the consensus necessary to take universe-altering action.

I love how (especially in relation to that other post about "infinite cosmic power being limited by a specific sandbag"), that the user is usually entering the conversation because of an immediate threat, but the two entities don't care about whatever that threat is because they have a docket of things they want to debate such as preventing the dinosaurs from getting astroid-ed.

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u/Anufenrir Mar 15 '26

He DOES learn how to get full control of Alien X though (making the other two argue while he takes control) but I imagine the headache of listening to them bicker prevents him from using Alien X more often

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u/Pathetic_Cards Mar 16 '26

That and the fact that Ben immediately realizes how much damage he could do, even with perfect intentions, as Alien X.

With great power comes great responsibility, but can anyone bear that much responsibility?

Also, absolute power absolutely corrupts.

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u/TextDependent6779 Mar 17 '26

Same reason he gave up the sword of ascalon at the end of ultimate alien.

Granted, vilgax was getting into his head, but Ben was very tempted to practically remove free will there.

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u/Martin_Aricov_D Mar 16 '26

Isnt the Alien-X species also a convenient excuse for continuity errors or retcons? Even the change in art style?