History Main / AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength

* ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}, DependingOnTheWriter , which is why Professor X says he put Scott in charge of the first group: he applies the same caution and restraint to the other's abilities that he does to his own.

The reason for this fear is what keeps it an interesting bit of character struggle [[note]] it's ''usually'' moral or sanity based, being between what they are capable of and what they can see properly allowable of themselves[[/note]], as does how it may or may not be [[CharacterizationMarchesOn resolved]] or [[StatusQuoIsGod not]]. Expect a NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech at one point or another.

For whatever reason a character (usually a [[TheHero hero]] or AntiHero) is worried about doing more harm than good whenever they use their powers or abilities. Sometimes this only causes a healthy amount caution and stricter set of [[FightsLikeANormal self imposed moral rules]], occasionally it can get to the point of being WillfullyWeak and using PowerLimiters but sometimes it's so bad that they are petrified with the [[GoMadFromTheRevelation fear of what could go wrong]] to the point of a RefusalOfTheCall, TenMinuteRetirement or becoming a RetiredBadass. Occasionally this is the result of '''not''' knowing WhatYouAreInTheDark where the little ideas in the back of the mind tempt them to abuse their power or position for the better good [[WellIntentionedExtremist at the cost of general well-being or freedoms]].

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': Why else do you think Italy hasn't taken over the world with his [[SuperSpeed superspeed]] and sword skills that rival ''[[{{Samurai}} Japan's]]''?

* Meliodas from ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'' has a problem with using his full powers and actual weapons on the grounds that he is too powerful for anyone to handle and has an aversion to killing. [[spoiler:Case-in-point and what he considers [[MyGreatestFailure his greatest failure]], he completely destroyed the Danafor kingdom in the past when he let his wrath get the better of him]].

* Why Guts from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' decides he has to fight from now on without fully using his berserker's armor: it causes his [[EnemyWithin inner]] [[HellHound hell beast]] to take control and [[OmnicidalManiac literally]] [[KillEmAll kill everything]] he sees and this is the embodiment of his [[BlackBugRoom internal rage and hatred]]... needless to say Guts has [[FreudianExcuse issues]]
* In the manga version of ''Literature/BattleRoyale'', Hiroki Sugimura has a case of this. He is a very powerful martial artist who feared that he would accidentally hurt people, or worse yet would come to enjoy hurting people in fighting, he went the route of being a TechnicalPacifist instead and in the past would even allow himself to be bullied rather than [[GentleGiant stand up for himself]]. He would only get involved in fighting if somebody else was in danger of being hurt.
* When Lina Inverse of ''LightNovel/TheSlayers'' learns what her secret spell, Giga Slave, really is about (it is about requesting intervention of an unpredictable, chaotic creator overdeity who may destroy the world on a whim), she goes through a period of being afraid of her own knowledge. This is, however, temporary and in the fifth season, she is once again ready to cast Giga Slave.
* Police officer Toshio Utsumi of ''Manga/CatsEye'' is a crack shot but is afraid of guns due the time in police school [[IJustShotMarvinInTheFace he fooled around with the gun and shot himself in the foot]], and thus never carries a gun (something that in Japan is not as bad as a problem as it would be in other countries). He apparently gets over it after it's revealed, as he's later shown to carry his service revolver.

* Prior to her CharacterDevelopment regarding this trope, Koneko of ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDxD'' held back her Nekomata power, fearing she would end up like her sister Kuroka, who lost control and killed their previous master. [[spoiler:Of course, it turns out Kuroka had rather sympathetic reasons for killing their previous master that had nothing to do with a loss of control.]]

* Franchise/{{Superman}}:
** DependingOnTheWriter his [[StrongAsTheyNeedToBe varying strength]] is attributed to mental blocks he has consciously put up to keep his power manageable. Also one of the {{trope codifier}}s as often it is shown that what he considers one of the biggest threats to the world is ''himself'' going rogue or being put under some kind of mind control, which is also why he considers it a ''good thing'' his [[OddFriendship best friend]] Batman keeps kryptonite in his arsenal at all times. In the ComicBook/PostCrisis era comics, Batman's first chunk of Kryptonite was actually given to him by Superman for exactly this reason.
** After Doomsday develops sentience he gets hints of this, though part of his power is [[CameBackStrong "evolving out"]] his weaknesses every time he dies and revives it could also be a natural fear of death, though he does [[TookALevelInKindness get better with it]] to the point that in an alternate timeline he fits this to the point where he continues Superman's legacy in fighting an alien army. (his sentience was wiped out when the alternate timeline was unwritten).
* Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} is more hot-headed and more short-tempered than her cousin, but she is also frightened of her own power and she holds back most of time because she doesn't want hurt anybody.
* ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}, DependingOnTheWriter , which is why Professor X says he put Scott in charge of the first group: he applies the same caution and restraint to the other's abilities that he does to his own.

* What eventually happens to ComicBook/DoctorDoom after he takes the [[PhysicalGod god like]] powers of the Beyonder in ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984''. He realizes unless he watches his every thought and whim he can [[PowerIncontinence accidentally]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction destroy a civilization]] with half a thought, eventually it gets the the point where he can't even sleep.

* Black Bolt king of ComicBook/TheInhumans has a voice so powerful he once immobilized [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]] with a whisper and [[HeWhoMustNotBeHeard destroyed a city when he was born crying]] (he's only gotten more powerful), because of this he has taken a vow of silence except in extreme cases and has [[TheSilentBob mastered body language]].
* The golden age Franchise/GreenLantern feels this way about his ring after seeing the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in an {{Elseworld}} story to the point where he put away [[TenMinuteRetirement his ring for a time]].
* The plot of ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' with all its {{Nineties anti hero}}es is essentially when [[BewareTheSuperMan super powered people stopped fearing]] what they [[MoralEventHorizon might become]] if not careful and decided to ride the edge of [[HeWhoFightsMonsters hero and villain]] [[note]]Some could also argue this being the point UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks itself which ''Kingdom Come'' was a deconstruction of[[/note]].
* In ''ComicBook/MonstersUnleashed'', Kei Kawade is keenly aware of how dangerous and destructive his ability to summon monsters is, to the point that he's considered a [[LivingMacguffin strategic asset]] by every intelligence organization on the planet. He's so scared of his own power that he starts considering ''himself'' a monster.

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has Harry being genuinely terrified of hurting people with his powers as they start manifesting. While he's used to his magic, he can control it. His PsychicPowers (which are in the same Omega Class as Jean Grey, albeit not on the same level) and SuperStrength, on the other hand, are PsychoActivePowers and prone to PowerIncontinence. The former cause turbulence whenever his emotions get stirred up, and the latter initially flickers on and off, more or less at random. This leads to him trying the 'conceal, don't feel' approach. Bad idea. Nearly catastrophic, in fact. It takes literal DivineIntervention (from [[spoiler: his mother, the White Phoenix of the Crown]]) to save him, Ron, Hermione, and Sean Cassidy when his psychic abilities run wild. After that, and a talk with Professor X, his attitude is more like sensible caution, but he's still wary of his {{Telepathy}} and terrified of what it could do without his knowing.

* In ''FanFic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Izuku Midoriya, who is Kryptonian in this story, is so strong that he has to be careful not to snap anything he grabs in two with his raw SuperStrength. He's especially haunted by the time he nearly killed Bakugou, whom he considered his best friend, by accidentally tossing him all the way across a park and through the wall of a building. Since then, Izuku has sworn off his dream of becoming a Hero out of fear of what he could do to someone else.

* In ''Fanfic/{{Juxtapose}}'', Izuku begins to be reluctant to use his Quirk after [[spoiler:he cripples the villain Tsuchigumo by deleting pieces of his internal organs in a desperate attempt to keep his friends safe.]] This is why he develops [[spoiler:Air Step, which propels him forward at high speed by banishing the air in front of him. The problem is that this causes grievous harm to ''[[HeroicRROD himself]]'' as he's slammed with the force of a truck to make this work.]] He gets over this after Recovery Girl [[spoiler:teaches him to use it non-lethally and brings him to the hospital to let him treat a bedridden man who would otherwise need open surgery.]]
* Following the battle of [[spoiler: Little Krypton in the Supergirl story ''Fanfic/FutureShock'', Cat suffers from a bout of this after becoming Kryptonian as she's lost fine motor control over her hands.]]
* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'': Fu ends up losing control of her Tailed Beast during her fight against Gaara in the Chunin Exams [[spoiler:after drinking the Hero Water her village leader gave her]]. While Gaara managed to knock her out before she could hurt anyone, the fact that things could have gone horribly wrong scares her off using any of her Tailed Beast's powers beyond basic flight for the next three years, even when she finds herself in a life or death fight against Akatsuki.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'', [[AnIcePerson Elsa]] is terrified of hurting someone with her ice powers, a fear exacerbated by the fact that she did accidentally strike her younger sister Anna with them when they were children. Due to this incident, she drove herself into isolation in order to try to control her powers.

* In the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' Eragon is told that the dangers of learning one's true name is two fold, either you GoMadFromTheRevelation of knowing yourself so well or you become crippled by fear from the idea of having such a perfect and complete control over yourself (or, if the True name is not yours, having over another).

* In the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series Jondalar is afraid of the strength of his emotions, so he has trained himself to not get too attached to anyone. (In the backstory he had severely injured another man when the other man had caught Jondalar getting emotionally attached to a woman who it was culturally taboo for him to connect with.) This changes once he meets Ayla.
* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}''. How Shizuo thinks of his [[TheBerserker berserker]] SuperStrength rages and how they hurt people he doesn't intend at times. As he puts it, "I hate violence." As in, he hates the fact he [[HairTriggerTemper can't keep his cool]] and leaves carnage in his wake every time he ''does'' lose it.
* Lamb from ''Literature/RedCountry'' avoids fights and has developed a reputation for cowardice. What he is really afraid of is [[spoiler:becoming [[SuperpoweredEvilSide the Bloody Nine]] again.]]
* In ''Literature/MrMonkOnPatrol'', after she successfully stops a mini-mart robbery, Natalie feels disturbed by the what-ifs — not just that she could have gotten hurt, but that she might have been wrong in her hunch or have injured an innocent by accident. Monk reassures her by telling her that her self-criticism proves she's a good cop; a reckless wannabe only interested in the thrill wouldn't think about the consequences.
* In ''Literature/SuperPowereds'', Vince goes through that for a good part of the series, although he eventually learns to control himself and discovers his own limits, which calms him down. It doesn't help that he used to be a [[PowerIncontinence Powered]], and his EnergyAbsorption ability could flare up at any time. In the ''Literature/{{Corpies}}'' spin-off, Titan is one of the physically strongest people in the world, but he almost never uses more than a fraction of his true strength for fear of collateral damage. A Hero's job isn't to kill unless necessary. When he finds out that the [[CorporateSponsoredSuperhero PEERS]] leader's ability is to boost others' physical parameters to their possible limits, Titan makes him promise to never use his ability on him, since he'd probably end up destroying a city block or two by accident. [[spoiler:During the giant robot attack, though, he tells the guy to give him a boost and goes all out on the HumongousMecha]].

* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'': Quelana, the most advanced teacher of Pyromancy in the game, repeatedly cautions the player to "Always fear the flame" even as she teaches flame manipulation. Knowing what happened to her family (transformed into demons when they created but failed to control the Flame of Chaos), it's very obvious why she would have this philosophy.
* Winston of ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' is not a fan of his more primal instincts. He keeps them in check most of the time, but will go full on psycho gorilla on someone if angered enough.
* Rean Schwarzer from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'' has always been afraid of his [[SuperpoweredEvilSide ogre powers]] in that he believes he could cause a lot of harm to other people.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', after Vaarsuvius realizes how far-reaching the Familicide spell was, he/she has a HeroicBSOD made of MyGodWhatHaveIDone and this, saying something along the lines of "This is the ultimate power I spent most of my life looking for? How many other innocents did I kill whose only sin was loving a stranger?"
* In ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes'', this is (combined with IJustWantToBeNormal) is implied to be the reason Summer Mighty does so little training to control her SuperStrength or EyeBeams. It's been pointed out to her that the less she works with her abilities, the more dangerous she'll actually be, due to lack of control.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Aang himself gets two of these in the show, with a third up for debate.
** During the episode "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheAvatarState The Avatar State]]", Aang is haunted by how scary and destructive he can be when he's in Avatar State; being that he's a pacifist by nature and upbringing, it's very justified. In the episode he even says "I was scary" referring to the avatar state.
** After Aang burns [[spoiler:Katara when he gets impatient with his firebending lessons]], he swears that he will never firebend again, this comes up two more times, once in his training with Guru Pathik (who comments that it was the thing Aang let go of the hardest) and when he learns from the masters of the Sun Warriors, only letting it go when the Chief tells him [[spoiler:Fire is not only destruction but life too.]]
** Aang's stopping of himself and his past lives from killing Ozai could be considered this or sticking up to his beliefs of pacifism and no killing but the fact that the horrified look on Ozai's face is the thing that seems to trigger it, it could be construed as a factor.
** Also Katara's reluctance to use blood bending is an example, she sees it as morally reprehensible and feeling wrong "Reaching inside someone like that."
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' examples:
** This is how Terra felt about her powers when she first appeared which caused her to freak out and cause even more damage; "[[PowerIncontinence Don't lose control, Don't lose control]]" [[spoiler:it's what eventually drove her to Slade where she got over both her control issues and her fear.]]
** In the same vein as Terra, Red Star was terrified of his powers due his inability to fully control them, leading to [[PowerIncontinence the destruction of a city when they first manifested with an explosive burst of radiations (similar emissions of radiations happen every time his powers build up too much, and he has to vent them in an apposite device or shout to everyone to run if he can't get to the device in time)]]. He ultimately learns to control them, and loses the fear.

The reason for this fear is what keeps it an interesting bit of character struggle [[note]] it's ''usually'' moral or sanity based, being between what they are capable of and what they can see properly allowable of themselves[[/note]], as does how it may or may not be [[CharacterizationMarchesOn resolved]] or [[StatusQuoIsGod not]]. Expect a WorldOfCardboardSpeech at one point or another.

** In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', in "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E5And6OnlyADream Only A Dream]]", Superman's nightmare is entirely about [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath what could happen]] to everyone else if he ever [[PowerIncontinence loses control of his abilities]]; in fact, Superman's personal version is the cause of the [[TropeNamer original]] WorldOfCardboardSpeech

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has Harry being genuinely terrified of hurting people with his powers as they start manifesting. While he's used to his magic, he can control it. His PsychicPowers (which are in the same Omega Class as Jean Grey, albeit not on the same level) and SuperStrength, on the other hand, are PsychoActivePowers and prone to PowerIncontinence. The former cause turbulence whenever his emotions get stirred up, and the latter initially flickers on and off, more or less at random. This leads to him trying the 'conceal, don't feel' approach. [[{{Understatement}} Bad idea.]] Nearly catastrophic, in fact. It takes literal DivineIntervention (from [[spoiler: his mother, the White Phoenix of the Crown]]) to save him, Ron, Hermione, and Sean Cassidy when his psychic abilities run wild. After that, and a talk with Professor X, his attitude is more like sensible caution, but he's still wary of his {{Telepathy}} and terrified of what it could do without his knowing.

* Their powers include a SuperpoweredEvilSide, a DefenseMechanismSuperpower or a case of GoodPeopleBadPowers.

* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'': Fu ends up losing control of her Tailed Beast during her fight against Gaara in the Chunin Exams [[spoiler:after drinking the Hero Water her village leader gave her]]. While Gaara managed to knock her out before she could hurt anyone, the fact that things could have gone horribly wrong scares her off using any of her Tailed Beasts powers beyond basic flight for the next three years, even when she finds herself in a life or death fight against Akatsuki.

* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'': Fu ends up losing control of her Tailed Beast during her fight against Gaara in the
Chunin Exams [[spoiler:after drinking the Hero Water her village leader gave her]]. While Gaara managed to knock her out before she could hurt anyone, the fact that things could have gone horribly wrong scares her off using any of her Tailed Beasts powers beyond basic flight for the next three years, even when she finds herself in a life or death fight against Akatsuki.

* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'': Fu ends up losing control of her Tailed Beast during her fight against Gaara in the [[spoiler:after drinking the Hero Water her village leader gave her]]. While Gaara managed to knock her out before she could hurt anyone, the fact that things could have gone horribly wrong scares her off using any of her Tailed Beasts powers beyond basic flight for the next three years, even when she finds herself in a life or death fight against Akatsuki.

* What eventually happens to ComicBook/DoctorDoom after he takes the [[PhysicalGod god like]] powers of the Beyonder in ''ComicBook/SecretWars''. He realizes unless he watches his every thought and whim he can [[PowerIncontinence accidentally]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction destroy a civilization]] with half a thought, eventually it gets the the point where he can't even sleep.

-->-- '''[[CCharacters/BleachThirteenCourtGuardSquads8To13 Hisagi Shuuhei]]''', ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''

* Bruce Banner has this attitude about the [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]], also a possible interpretation of Hulk's quote from 'ComicBook/{{World War Hulk}}'
--> '''Hulk:''' ''"I'll hate you forever. Almost as much as I hate myself."''

-->-- '''[[Characters/BleachGotei13Squads8To13 Hisagi Shuuhei]]''', ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''

** It seems many of the officers of the Gotei 13 feel this way and are taught to think as such.
** It's implied to be ''part'' of the meaning behind Squad 3's theme of "Despair" as given by [[Characters/BleachGotei13Squads1To7 Izuru Kira]]

* ''Fanfic/TangledAdventuresInArendelle'': Elsa struggles with this trope carried over from [[Disney/{{Frozen}} her movie]]. While she believes that her powers can be used for good (especially after talking with different people around the kingdom about different possibilities), she's still scared of one day losing control due to her emotions or the simple fact that she does not understand where her magic came from, so she doesn't know its limits or true control factors.

* In ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'', this is a massive source of Angst for [[AnIcePerson Elsa]], and by extension a main driving force of the plot.

* Prior to her CharacterDevelopment regarding this trope, Koneko of ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDxD'' held back her Nekomata power, fearing she would end up like her sister Kuroka, who lost control and killed their previous master.

* They are the AntiAntiChrist .

* Having [[CrapsackWorld reality]] [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished smack]] the WideEyedIdealist [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids out]]. of [[JadeColoredGlasses a person]] after they are all [[NaiveNewcomer gung ho]] about [[JumpedAtTheCall being a hero]].

* Previously using their powers [[WhatHaveIBecome for bad]] but seeing the [[HeelRealization error]] of their ways, resulting in TheAtoner or MustMakeAmends.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Twilight's Kingdom Part 2]]'', after realizing she has trouble controlling the combined power of all the Princesses' alicorn magic, Twilight tries to physically distance herself from her friends so she can practice in safety.
** In ''A Royal Problem'', it's implied at this is the reason for Princess Celestia's [[TheWorfEffect less-than-stellar fighting record]]: she has incredible power, but because she cares for her subjects is the reason why she doesn't lash out.

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': Why else do you think Italy hasn't taken over the world with his [[SuperSpeed superspeed]] and sword skills that rival ''[[UsefulNotes/{{Samurai}} Japan's]]''?

* Becomes an increasing problem for Mahsiro in ''Mange/ThouShaltNotDie''. [[spoiler:After the Psy-Res incident her strength starts to grow to an absurd degree extremely quickly to the point that she can't do even the most mundane things without causing injury or damages. It quickly get's so severe that she starts to isolate herself from everyone around her out of fear that she might hurt or even kill those she cares about without even intending to]].

* What eventually happens to ComicBook/DoctorDoom after he takes the [[PhysicalGod god like]] powers of the Beyonder in ''ComicBooks/SecretWars''. He realizes unless he watches his every thought and whim he can [[PowerIncontinence accidentally]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction destroy a civilization]] with half a thought, eventually it gets the the point where he can't even sleep.

* The plot of ''Comics/KingdomCome'' with all its {{Nineties anti hero}}es is essentially when [[BewareTheSuperMan super powered people stopped fearing]] what they [[MoralEventHorizon might become]] if not careful and decided to ride the edge of [[HeWhoFightsMonsters hero and villain]] [[note]]Some could also argue this being the point UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks itself which ''Comics/KingdomCome'' was a deconstruction of[[/note]].

* They are the AntiAntiChrist

* Having [[CrapsackWorld reality]] [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished smack]] the WideEyedIdealist [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids out]] of [[JadeColoredGlasses a person]] after they are all [[NaiveNewcomer gung ho]] about [[JumpedAtTheCall being a hero]]
* A case of failed HeroInsurance or discovering they caused a WhatTheHellHero moment

In Conflict based story telling a great way to [[{{Foil}} contrast]] a protagonist from an antagonist seeking [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide "Ultimate]] [[DrunkWithPower Power"]], or a fellow protagonist with the same power, but lacking the fear, embracing it [[note]]if it's a fellow protagonist expect them to also fill one or more of the following: HotBlooded, some kind of AntiHero, SlowlySlippingIntoEvil, TokenEvilTeammate, or [[PowerLevels just not]] [[SuperWeight earth shatteringly powerful]], though it could even be a StartOfDarkness [[/note]].

* In the ''Fanfic/WhatYouAlreadyKnow'' series, as Daniel Jackson develops his psychic abilities, after realises that he can use his powers to enhance his physical strength in direct confrontations, he expresses fear that he might lose control and hurt one of his allies in a training session.