History Main / OurAncestorsAreSuperheroes

** Lady from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3'' is a devil hunter with CharlesAtlasSuperpower and is descended from a priestess who helped [[AscendedDemon Sparda]] seal a gateway to the demon world two thousand years ago.

* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, this is part of the religious philosophy of the [[WitchSpecies Altmer (High Elves)]]. They believe that the [[OurElvesAreDifferent other "lesser" races of Mer]] are the result of "degeneration" over the ages, with each generation being weaker than the last as they are one more removed from their divine [[{{Precursors}} Aedric/Ehlnofey ancestors]]. The Altmer actively try to breed themselves back into their ideal (including, according to some sources, the culling of undesirable progeny), to maintain a perceived level of "purity".

** All of the Titan-forged races (humans, dwarves, gnomes, and the unplayable troggs, tol'vir and mogu) were created by the {{Precursor}} Titans to help form Azeroth. They were originally powerful golems made of stone or metal, and were capable of moving mountains on their own. After the Titans left, the [[EldritchAbomination Old Gods]] afflicted the Titan-forged with the Curse of Flesh, which weakened their bodies and minds to leave them ripe for corruption.

* In the ''Literature/GleamsOfAeterna'', all direct ''majorat'' descendants (irrespective of bastardy and legitimacy) of the four original Elemental Lords and their sixteen Vassals possess elemental and martial superpowers -- too bad that almost all knowledge of this magic form has been lost to time, so these powers only really manifest every 400 years. The origin of these powers is, in fact, that the first Elemental Lords were the sons of the four [[TheMaker creator deities]] who brought Quertiana (the ConstructedWorld of the novels) into existence in the first place, so the four Lords are functionally descended from literal gods.

* The [[SpaceMarines Adeptus Astartes]] of ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' are slowly transformed from ordinary if battle-hardened humans to the seven-foot-tall SuperSoldiers by regular genetic therapy from the geneseed of the fifteen-foot tall quasi-war god Primarchs, which is why they share some of their personality traits. The Primarchs themselves were created from the genetic material of the Emperor, and a diluted version of the process creates the Literature/GreyKnights and the Adeptus Custodes, who are to Astartes what Astartes are to normal humans.

** Johnny Cage's [[AllThereInTheManual bio]] in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' reveals that he is descended from a race of superhuman warriors who were bred by a cult to serve as champions for the gods. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', Johnny's daughter Cassie has inherited the abilities Johnny possesses.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGeneaologyOfTheHolyWar'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'': The society of Judgral is organized along the "holy" bloodlines of the Twelve Crusaders: twelve warriors who have been granted superpowers by the [[DragonsAreDivine Divine Dragon Naga]] to fight off evil dragon invasion centuries ago. The Twelve are revered as demigods in the modern times and their direct descendants form noble houses that have divvied up pretty much the entire lands of Judgral among themselves. In addition to historical prestige, the "holy blood" inherited by their descendants grants them minor superpowers of their own and, more importantly, allows them to wield the insanely powerful {{Ancestral Weapon}}s of their respective Crusader ancestors.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': Inspired by ''Geneaology'', the game features a similar setup with all noble houses of Fodlan descended from either the Ten Elites (warriors who defeated the BigBad Nemesis in the backstory) or the Four Saints (actually five, if you count [[OneExtraMember Saint Seiros]]). Those descended from these ancient figures may occasionally manifest their "Crests" (bloodborne superpowers) and, in the case of the Ten Elites' descendants, wield their signature {{Ancestral Weapon}}s, the Relics. It is eventaully revealed (specifically in the [[StoryBranching Verdant Wind route]]) that [[spoiler:the Saints have actually been the last survivors of the draconic Nabatean species, and their "descendants" were actually humans they gave their dragon blood to. The Ten Elites, meanwhile, were actually bandits who ''killed'' most of said species, drank their blood, made Relics out of their ''bones'', but were later [[WrittenByTheWinners rewritten]] as folk heroes]]. Either way, both the Saints and the Elites have clearly been superhuman figures, and so are their descendants. A recurring theme of the game is how the Fodlan nobility's obsession with preserving their magical bloodlines (not-so-subtly encouraged by TheChurch of Seiros) causes social stagnation and MedievalStasis of the contintent.

* One of the core tenants of the ''Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}'' - In the beginning of humanity's history, during the age of gods, humans were capable of incredible feats, but over time as the world's mysteries (the source of magic's power) disappeared, so too did humanities, power to the point where individual humans are the weakest that they will ever be. However eventually, should humanity survive long enough and not fall into decline, our decedents may become superheroes again, leading to Literature/AngelNotes.

* In the manga ''Manga/ElfenLied'', the Kakuzawa family assert that they descend from the pure, original [[SuperiorSpecies diclonii]], who lived in the Japanese Middle Ages and inspired the myths of gods and demons due to humans’ fear of them. Their attempt to help humanity advance [[GoneHorriblyWrong went horribly wrong]] and resulted only in the diclonius-powers diminishing to nothingness due to the dilution of their DNA. [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters Humanity then hunted them to near-extinction.]] However, [[UnreliableExpositor Kakuzawa has nothing to back up his claim]], and considering that this origin makes very little sense, the other characters believe that the {{Big Bad}}’s ancestors were ordinary humans who just had a genetic mutation which resulted in horns, but no special powers. The elder Kakuzawa did sire [[http://elfen-lied.wikia.com/wiki/Male_Diclonius a real Diclonius]], but this doesn’t settle anything due to how they come into being.

* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, this is part of the religious philosophy of the [[WitchSpecies Altmer (High Elves)]]. They believe that the [[OurElvesAreBetter other "lesser" races of Mer]] are the result of "degeneration" over the ages, with each generation being weaker than the last as they are one more removed from their divine [[{{Precursors}} Aedric/Ehlnofey ancestors]]. The Altmer actively try to breed themselves back into their ideal (including, according to some sources, the culling of undesirable progeny), to maintain a perceived level of "purity".

[[folder:Anime / Manga]]

* ''Anime/YuYuHakusho: The main protagonist, Yusuke is descended of Raizen, the demon world's most powerful demon and one of the Three Kings. His demon side manifests after being killed in battle by Sensui.

[[folder:Comics]]

* ''ComicBook/AgeOfBronze'': Two guys on opposite sides of a battle stop fighting because they're both grandsons of Herakles (who was a charismatic warlord rather than an actual divinity in this verse).

[[folder:Fan Fic]]
* ''FanFic/OfficerMisako'': The Mad Scientist's technology guarantees this after The Reset.

[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
* The Literature/BookOfGenesis depicts the first humans as living for anywhere from 300 to 900 years, even the ones who didn't have god-given superpowers. There is implication that humans were originally created immortal with natural abilities that could be considered superhuman, but greatly diminished after the Fall from God's grace and have been further declining over time, healthcare and technology notwithstanding.
* The idea is not specific to any particular religion. In Dharmic religions (mainly Hinduism and Buddhism), humanity is steadily declining due to loss of virtues. The most noticable decline is the decline of lifespan-- what started as hundreds of years long will eventually be as short as a couple years. On the other hand, the decline will eventually be reversed, allowing our distant ''descendants'' to be superheroes.

* Nero of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' is the grandson of the [[AscendedDemon demon]] Sparda who saved humanity from an invasion from the demon world two thousand years ago. This was hinted at in the fourth game and confirmed in the fifth one.

** The first and second Sub-Zeroes are descended from the Cryomancers, a race of Outworlders (later retconned into Edenians) who had the power to [[AnIcePerson control, shape and manipulate ice]]. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance'', the second Sub-Zero, Kuai Liang meets another Cryomancer descendant named Frost whom he takes on as an apprentice. Unfortunately, [[APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil she betrays him]].

** Teyla is revealed to be descended from humans who were experimented on by the Wraith, which gave them (and her, and others like her) the ability to sense the presence of Wraith.
*** This ability also allows her to tap into the Wraith psychic network and even temporarily possess a Wraith. Of course, it works both ways.

* The Hayabusa Clan from ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' is descended from a tribe of [[HalfHumanHybrid half-human, half-Fiend]] warriors who sided with the Heavenly Dragons against the Fiends. This tribe became known as the Dragon Lineage and their battles against the Fiends continues from generation to generation, all the way down to their current descendant Ryu Hayabusa.
* Nero of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' is the grandson of the [[AscendedDemon demon]] Sparda who saved humanity from an invasion from the demon world two thousand years ago.

** Johnny Cage's [[AllThereInTheManual bio]] in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' reveals that he is descended from a race of superhuman warriors who were bred by a cult to serve as champions for the gods. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', Johnny's daughter, Cassie, has inherited the abilities Johnny possesses.
** Kung Loa, Kung Jin and [[AmbiguouslyRelated possibly]] Liu Kang are descendants of the Great Kung Lao, the original Earth Champion of Mortal Kombat.

* The Hayabusa Clan from ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' is descended from a tribe of [[HalfHumanHybrid half-human, half-Fiend]] warriors who sided with the Heavenly Dragons against the Fiends. This tribe became known as the Dragon Lineage and in the modern day, their descendant, Ryu Hayabusa, continues their battle against the Fiends, as well as any and all evil forces who threaten the world.

** Kung Loa, Kung Jin and [[AmbiguouslyRelated possibly]] Liu Kang are descended of the Great Kung Lao, the original Earth Champion of Mortal Kombat.

** Originally, Johnny Cage's [[AllThereInTheManual bio]] in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' reveals that he is descended from a race of superhuman warriors who were bred by a cult to serve as champions for the gods. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', Johnny's daughter, Cassie, has inherited these abilities as well.

** Originally, Johnny Cage's powers had no official explanation and were just assumed to be SupernaturalMartialArts. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', it is revealed that he is descended from a race of warriors who were bred by a cult to serve as champions for the gods. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', Johnny's daughter, Cassie, has inherited these abilities as well.

** The first and second Sub-Zeroes are descended from the Cryomancers, a race of Outworlders (later retconned into Edenians) who had the power to [[AnIcePerson control, shape and manipulate ice]]. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance'', the second Sub-Zero, Kuai Liang meets another Cryomancer descendant named Frost whom he takes on as an apprentice. Unfortunately, [[APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedEvil she betrays him]].

# The Legend becomes more legendary: A single, famous person like a king, general or folk hero is shown with non-historical, superhuman abilities which may or may not be based on the religion at that time. It is important to notice that these superhuman abilities are not the usual wonders as in Literature/TheBible, but show a more personal and anachronistic profile.
# Some people beyond our time had superpowers and met in [[{{Masquerade}} secret societies or similar]]. However, for some reason, those went extinct or went under the radar, so that today their offspring don't know about their heritage or abilities until they realize they've got superpowers. At this point the often meet MrExposition, who shows them their way of handling the powers inside and explain the goals of their ancestors which the offspring is usually intended to pursue.
# The other ancestors {{Precursors}} not only sported highly advanced technology but also had superpowers which we didn't inherit only because our own ancestors were too busy killing them off. Somehow. Compare RockBeatsLaser.

* ''Film/{{Wanted}}'': Wesley is unknowingly descended from a secret society of assassins dating back centuries with innate superhuman powers. An example of type 2 above.