What is invented about superpowers?
Distinguish imagined abilities, real spider silk and gravity; design an original friendly character.
The short answer
An imaginary hero can fly, but only for ten minutes. Now they must plan: who needs help first, and where will they land? Limits make superpower stories exciting. Copying them does not give real people superpowers; dangerous jumps remain dangerous.
Puschel and Flauschi in the museum. Invented flying figure, falling ball and torch compare fantasy and reality. Flying power belongs only to the drawing; ball and torch explain real processes. AI-created illustration, not a photograph of nature.
Explained in three pictures
1 Invented flying power
Our paper character floats only in its invented story.
2 Real gravity
A real released ball normally falls downwards.
3 A real tool
A torch uses energy to make light, not flying magic.
More about the picture
Superpowers are rules in an invented story. Natural processes and tools can be observed and explained. A drawing of a flying person does not prove real flying power. Think about the limits of your invented ability.
An imagined Wusel scene
Puschel and Flauschi investigate
Puschel invents a character who can do everything. Flauschi asks where they would still need help. He adds a limit: they can hear far away, but cannot be everywhere. Now two characters must cooperate, and the story moves forward.
Look closely
Compare the museum model with the three picture steps. A real released ball normally falls downwards.
An example to help you understand
Draw an original character and an invented ability. Add a card saying “only in our story.” Describe a limit and how the character can still help kindly. On another card, draw an everyday tool such as a flashlight and say what it is used for. Discuss the difference; never test a dangerous ability. The flashlight is a tool, no evidence of the drawn character’s ability.
Try explaining it
Which idea makes clear what a fictional character can and cannot do with their power?
Choose a), b) or c), then explain your choice.
- a)A power without limits solves every problem instantly.
- b)A power changes what it can do without explanation whenever a problem arises.
- c)Limits to the power and consequences of using it.
Show the explanation
Correct: c): Limits to the power and consequences of using it.
An imaginary hero can fly, but only for ten minutes. Now they must plan: who needs help first, and where will they land? Limits make superpower stories exciting. Copying them does not give real people superpowers; dangerous jumps remain dangerous.
Word help
- mass
- A property of objects, measured in grams or kilograms, that affects gravity and resistance to changes of motion.
Explore in more detail
Here you will find longer explanations and further details. You can explore them together.
1. A story may include impossible inventions
In our fantasy story, a superpower may be an unusual invented ability: for example, a drawn character flies above a cloud without wings or equipment. Fantasy may include such impossible things. Being able to draw a character provides no evidence that a real person has its ability. It gives Puschel and Flauschi no new real abilities either.
Checked against: [1]
2. Real special features can be studied
Spiders produce silk. It consists of proteins, particular building materials in living bodies. Different kinds of silk may serve different purposes. At AMNH, researcher Cheryl Hayashi studies relationships between genetic information and silk properties, among other questions. That research uses real animals and materials. It transfers no abilities to humans through a bite. A precise material question is more useful than a claim of unlimited super-strength.
Checked against: [2]
3. A drawing does not switch off gravity
Gravity is attraction between masses. Earth attracts objects; a released stone falls if nothing supports it. Gravity also exists in space around Earth. Astronauts aboard an orbiting space station appear to float because they and their station are in free fall around Earth together. That is a physical situation, no superpower or invitation to try jumping yourself.
Checked against: [3]
4. Our imaginary character gets a clear limit
For our original drawing story, we decide that the paper character can fly only inside a drawn cloud picture. Outside that picture, it asks others for help. This is our invented story rule. Beside it, draw a real helpful action, such as explaining a route together. Practice, listening or an appropriate tool may also be useful; nobody needs a superpower to matter.
Checked against: [1]
An optional question for further exploration
You can use the longer explanation above. This is extra, not needed for the first quiz.
An extra question
Does our drawing of a flying character prove that people can fly that way without equipment?
Discover the answer
No. It shows an invented idea. Examine real abilities using appropriate observations and explanations. Spider silk and gravity are natural phenomena that can be studied; our paper character’s flight rule belongs to a story.
Pictures and sources for adults
Sources for further reading
Facts checked against the specialist sources below on 12 October 2026. The Wusel scene is fictional; comparisons and simplified models are explicitly explained. Sources are in English.