🦸 Invent a Superhero
Players draw a random power and a silly weakness, then build a superhero around them: name, villain and origin story included. Then they present their hero with a dramatic entrance.
What you need
Equipment: Paper and pens (optional). Play alone or in groups of two or three. Give everyone paper and a pen. Write the five parts on the board: name, superpower, weakness, villain and origin story.
How to play Invent a Superhero
- The host draws a random power and weakness: "Power: turns anything into chocolate. Weakness: allergic to chocolate."
- Each player or group gets five minutes to fill in all five parts around that power and weakness.
- Players can draw the costume next to their notes.
- When time is up, each hero is presented in 60 seconds.
- The rule: announce your hero's name in a dramatic voice and show the power with a move.
- The audience asks one question: "How does your villain beat you?"
- Bonus round: two heroes face off, and the group decides who wins and why.
Scoring and wrapping up
Scoring: The group votes for the funniest hero, the worst weakness and the power I would most like. Each category win is worth 2 points.
To finish: Announce the winning hero and hang the drawings on the wall as Capy's League of Heroes.
By age
- Ages 6-7: Skip the origin story and focus on the name, power and costume.
- Ages 10+: Ask for a short comic strip of three panels.
Variations
- Big group: Teams create a superhero squad, one member each.
- Capy twist: The power and weakness are drawn at random and must be used together, however silly.
Tips for the adult in charge
- Mismatched powers and weaknesses produce the best stories. Do not let them swap!
- Keep the face-off round to words only. No real battles.
🖨️ Printable power and weakness cards
Each card gives a power and a weakness. Draw one and build a hero around it.
- Power: turns anything into chocolate | Weakness: allergic to chocolate
- Power: talks to animals | Weakness: only understands ducks
- Power: super speed | Weakness: cannot stop
- Power: invisibility | Weakness: sneezes all the time
- Power: flies | Weakness: scared of heights
- Power: super strength | Weakness: only on Tuesdays
- Power: shrinks to ant size | Weakness: gets lost easily
- Power: controls the weather | Weakness: only makes drizzle
- Power: walks through walls | Weakness: always forgets which wall
- Power: reads minds | Weakness: can only read cats' minds
- Power: stretches like rubber | Weakness: very ticklish
- Power: freezes time | Weakness: only for three seconds
- Power: glows in the dark | Weakness: cannot sleep with the light on
- Power: copies any voice | Weakness: hiccups after every sentence
- Power: grows plants instantly | Weakness: hay fever
- Power: bounces like a ball | Weakness: hard to stop bouncing
- Power: super memory | Weakness: forgets own name
- Power: shoots bubbles | Weakness: pops if poked
- Power: teleports | Weakness: always lands in puddles
- Power: makes anyone laugh | Weakness: laughs at own jokes too long
Questions and answers
How do you invent a superhero with kids?
Start with a power and a weakness, then add a name, a costume, a villain and a short story about how they got their powers.
Is it good for the classroom?
Yes. It builds creative writing, speaking skills and character planning, and fits well into a literacy lesson.