Unleash Your Powers: 10 Superhero Books for Marvel and DC Fans

Crave heroes cloaked in lightning, not lycra? Enter Gatlon City, where Renegades rule with an iron fist, their powers dazzling distractions hiding a ruthless grip on power. Nova, a young woman harboring a secret grudge, joins the villains who oppose them, the Anarchists. But lines blur when she befriends Adrian, a Renegade burdened by doubt and seeking a flicker of rebellion within the system.

Betrayal simmering beneath alliances forged in fire, impossible heists fueled by adrenaline, and loyalty tested at every turn – Renegades is a masterclass in morally ambiguous superheroes. Magic whispers through cobbled streets, technology hums with forbidden power, and Nova and Adrian grapple with the question: who wields true justice, the gilded masks of heroes or the shadows whispered by rebels? So buckle up, bookworms, for Marissa Meyer’s masterpiece throws you into a thrilling world where heroism is far more than the color of your cape. Renegades isn’t just superhero fantasy, it’s a revolution in disguise, waiting to ignite your imagination and redefine the heroes you thought you knew.

Fueled by vengeance and steeped in darkness, Vicious shatters expectations of what a superhero story can be. Victor and Eli, college roommates obsessed with near-death experiences, inadvertently unlock the path to extraordinary abilities. But power always comes with a price, and their rivalry erupts into a chilling game of cat and mouse—one fueled by revenge, obsession, and the question of who truly wields power.

Vicious isn’t your typical superhero origin story. It’s a chilling dance between ambition and destruction, where every character walks the razor’s edge between hero and villain. Schwab’s prose is as sharp as the edges of her characters’ powers, weaving a tale of moral ambiguity and electrifying confrontations. There are no capes, no secret identities—just two men battling for supremacy and grappling with the terrifying consequences of their ambition.

In a forgotten corner of the superhero genre, a whisper rises – Advent 9. No spandex parades, no gleaming towers, just grit and shadows dancing on shattered monuments to vanished titans. This self-published debut blasts open a world where capes lie abandoned, replaced by fear and a hollow echo of “Powered” glory.

But from the ashes, a figure stumbles. Advent 9, burdened by fragmented memories and haunted by nightmares, claws his way into existence. No origin story, no grand reveal, just raw power struggling for control, yearning for purpose. The world watches with cautious eyes, scarred by the heroes who came before. Can they trust this broken phoenix, this anomaly wielding fire and doubt in equal measure?

Steelheart clutches Chicago in his steely fist, monuments his trophies, fear his currency. No neon heroes soar here, only shadows dare whisper defiance. David, his heart an icy pit, hunts vengeance for Steelheart’s cruelty.

No fancy tech, no mystical origin – David’s weapon is razor-sharp wit, honed on years of studying the monster’s flaws. He joins the Reckoners, rebels dancing with death, waging a guerrilla war against Steelheart’s twisted Epics. Each mission is a gamble, each clash a heartbeat away from oblivion.

Craving superheroes but tired of the shiny tights and cheesy morals? Hench takes you behind the scenes, where the capes are traded for office drones, and the bad guys don’t twirl mustaches. Anna’s your average temp worker, except her boss, is a supervillain. No laser fingers, just data analysis, and spreadsheets – who knew world domination could be so boring?

But when the heroes start acting more villainous than the villains, Anna’s gotta decide where her loyalty lies. Can you fight for good without the superpowers and spandex? Hench is a hilarious, action-packed romp through the dark side of the superhero world, where the lines between good and evil get blurry, and a killer resume is your biggest weapon.

Whispers in the night. Kids snatched from beds. Welcome to The Institutes, Stephen King’s dark twist on superhero fantasy.

No costumes, no fancy logos, just chilling experiments on telekinetic tykes and mind-reading teens. Luke, our boy thrust into this nightmare, fights for freedom with every terrified blink.

Friendships forged in fear, escapes plotted in whispers, The Institutes is a page-turner powered by King’s masterful storytelling. You’ll scream for Luke, rage at Mrs. Sigsby’s icy grip, and pray for that spark of rebellion to ignite.

Hunger crawls through the corridors, not heroes in spandex. Melanie, a girl whispered to be a monster, locked away with dreams of sunshine. But her mind hides secrets; her touch sparks light in the darkness.

The teacher whispers lessons, soldiers guard the line, and a girl with all the gifts is trapped in cold steel. The world outside? Ashes and shadows, where the hungry roam. But Melanie yearns for more, a flicker of humanity in a world of fear.

MR Carey crafts a chilling masterpiece, where lines blur between monster and man, and hope blooms in the most unexpected places.

Forget those shiny heroes, bookworms. It’s time to join the shadows. In Drew Hayes’s Villains’ Code, the world’s turned upside down. Here, villains rule the streets, heroes are the hunted, and a young thief named Tori is about to stumble into a whole new league of trouble.

No capes, no secret lairs – just a shadowy guild with a dark code and a knack for stealing the impossible. Tori’s got skills, but she’s never faced a job like this. Steal a ghost from a haunted vault? Yeah, that’s a Tuesday for these villains. But as Tori dives deeper into the underworld, she uncovers secrets that could shatter the guild from within.

No capes, no skyscrapers, just college dorms and detention. Welcome to Super Powereds, where ordinary students unlock extraordinary abilities, but the hero training comes with a side of cafeteria mystery.

Vince, Hershel, Nick, Mary, Alice – just your average teens, except they now control metal, teleport, read minds, manipulate fire, and bend reality. Crammed into Lander University’s secret program, they face pop quizzes on ethics, dodge bullies with superpowers, and try not to blow the lab (too often).

But something’s rotten in the halls of hero academia. Secrets lurk in shadows, whispers of conspiracies twist through the hallways, and their powers might not be all they seem. Super Powereds is a laugh-out-loud, action-packed romp through a superhero school unlike any other. You’ll root for the misfits, crack up at their antics, and gasp at the twists that leave you begging for the next class period.

Wearing the Cape: A Superhero Story by Marion G. Harmon offers a unique spin on the superhero narrative. Hope, once a girl who dreamt of superpowers, ironically gains them just before her freshman year in college, in the aftermath of the Ashland Bombing. Now, she’s faced with a pivotal decision that could change the course of her life.

As she’s given the superhero alias “Astra” and an invitation to join Chicago’s elite super-team, The Sentinels, Hope grapples with her newfound abilities and the responsibilities they bring. In a world where superheroes are akin to celebrities, with agents and unions, the allure of donning a cape is tempting. Yet, the risks are significant, especially when it comes to maintaining a secret identity.