|
Metahuman is a term, coined by the fictitious alien Dominators (in DC Comics' Invasion! miniseries), used to describe any human being with what are commonly described as "super powers". The justification for this alternate phrase is that "super" implies a value judgement – is super-strength somehow "better" than normal strength? Moreover, it implies that the ability is an enhanced version of a normal human ability – by which definition, telekinesis (for example), which is not possessed by normal humans, is not a superpower. These powers are referred to as metahuman abilities. The more common term for metahuman is superhuman.
A common rule in some fandom is that Marvel has mutants, while DC has metahumans.
The prefix "meta", in this context, simply means "beyond" – as in "metastable", which is beyond regular stability and ready to collapse at the slightest disruption, or "metamorphosis", which is the state of going beyong a single shape.
|
