Whether superpowered or not, the characters of Powerless grapple with the true meaning of being a hero. Along the way, they find that heroism isn’t as simple as doing good or following the rules, forcing them to reevaluate how they view themselves and others. Through Daniel’s character arc, Eric’s desire to do good, and the Shroud’s twisted view of his actions, the novel explores how and why someone is heroic.

Daniel’s character arc reveals that heroes don’t need to be special to do heroic things. All his life, Daniel has been an average kid, something he never questioned until he met the supers of Noble’s Green. After witnessing the kids’ powers, Daniel starts to wonder how these kids got their abilities, which in turn leads to questions about why certain people are special when others are not. After getting caught up in the world of the supers, Daniel struggles to deal with being “normal.” Watching the kids use their powers and being left behind while they help people keeps Daniel from feeling like he’s truly part of the group, which makes him vulnerable to Plunkett’s deception. Daniel falls for Plunkett’s lies because he wants to believe his lack of

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