The Most Unhinged And Terrifying Powers In ‘Gen V,’ Ranked

From self-destruction to straight-up mind control, the cost of being a supe is way more terrifying than you think. Here’s a ranking of the most unhinged powers in Gen V.

Gen V superheroes are nothing like Superman or Batman. Their abilities come with serious psychological baggage and body horror that are meant to shock and awe. The show also takes classic superhero tropes and twists them into something way darker, showing what having these powers would actually cost someone. Season two is coming, which means even more opportunities to explore just how horrifying life at Godolkin University can get. Here’s the ranking of the most unhinged, scary, and sometimes funny superpowers on the show.

9. Emma’s Shrinking Thing

Emma’s size-changing ability has this really twisted catch that makes it way worse than it first appears. Sure, growing huge is destructive, but shrinking down requires her to literally throw up to burn calories first. It’s basically turning bulimia into a superpower, which is honestly brilliant writing but absolutely horrifying to watch. Every time she needs to get small, she has to hurt herself first. The show doesn’t shy away from showing how this messes with her head – creating this awful feedback loop where her greatest strength comes from self-destruction.

8. Andre’s Metal Control (With a Side of Brain Death)

Andre can move metal around like it’s nothing, which sounds pretty cool until you learn about the brain hemorrhages. Using his power too much literally makes his brain bleed, and not in a “mild headache” way — in a “might die right now” way. This turns every fight scene into this tense game where you’re watching him decide if saving someone is worth potentially dying for it. The medical horror element adds this layer of dread that most superhero shows completely ignore.

7. Jordan’s Explosive Energy Problem

Jordan’s energy blasts look amazing on screen, but they’re basically unguided missiles. When he’s in male form, these things just go wherever they want, turning any fight into potential collateral damage central. There’s something genuinely unsettling about watching someone try to be a hero while knowing their power could accidentally level a city block. The unpredictability makes every blast feel like a dice roll with people’s lives.

6. Rufus and His Teleportation Disasters

Teleportation should be the ultimate convenience power, but Rufus somehow got the worst possible version. He can’t control where he goes, and worse, he doesn’t always arrive in one piece. Body parts just get left behind sometimes, which is both gross and terrifying to think about. Watching him use his power is like watching someone play Russian roulette with their own anatomy. It’s messy, unreliable, and genuinely hard to watch sometimes.

5. Tek Knight’s Mind Reading Nightmare

So, Tek Knight calls it “empathy,” which is a joke because what he’s really doing is straight-up mental espionage. This guy pokes around in people’s heads, finds their worst memories and biggest fears, then turns around and uses all that against them. Picture having your therapist suddenly become your worst enemy while still pretending to give you advice. It’s not just creepy—it’s this specific kind of betrayal that makes your skin crawl. Physical torture ends eventually, but knowing someone’s been inside your thoughts? That sticks with you.

4. Luke’s Human Torch Problem

Luke’s fire powers look cool as hell until you realize he’s basically a walking emotional powder keg. He gets upset, and suddenly everything’s on fire. His powers are tied directly to whatever mess is going on in his head, which means therapy sessions could accidentally burn down buildings. Yeah, the whole “inner fire” thing is pretty obvious symbolically, but watching it play out is still intense. When someone that unstable can literally ignite at any moment, being his friend becomes a serious occupational hazard.

3. Sam’s Trauma-Powered Strength

Sam’s got strength that could probably punch through concrete, but here’s the kicker — it gets even worse when his PTSD flares up.  His mental health issues don’t just affect him — they turn him into this unstoppable force that can’t tell reality from his trauma responses. When Sam loses it, it’s genuinely hard to watch. You can tell he hates what he becomes, but once those hallucinations kick in, his strength just goes completely off the rails. The worst part? He’s aware enough to know he’s hurting people, but not enough to stop it from happening.

2. Cate’s Complete Mind Control

Cate can touch someone and make them do absolutely anything she wants. Worse than that, she can mess with their memories so they don’t even know it happened. Cate’s power is really the ultimate violation. She’ll strip away free will, memories, and basically everything that makes you who you are.  And the casual way Cate uses it makes it even more disturbing. It’s like she doesn’t fully grasp how completely she’s hurting people.

1. Marie’s Blood Control Madness

Marie wins the horror prize with blood manipulation that’s as gross as it sounds. She can make your blood explode inside your body, turn it solid, or just yank it right out of you to use as weapons. This power attacks the most basic thing keeping you alive and turns it against you in the most visceral way possible. The blood effects are genuinely nauseating, and knowing she could kill someone just by thinking about it makes every scene with her feel incredibly tense. It’s body horror at its finest, and easily the most disturbing power on the entire show.