Powerless depicts a world of superheroes and supervillains. Traditional superhero fiction typically revolves around people with extraordinary abilities or skills who use their powers to protect society from villains and threats. Daniel is an atypical protagonist for a superhero story: He’s an everyday kid who suddenly finds himself surrounded by kids with extraordinary abilities. Author Matthew Cody’s background in reading comic books influenced him to write superhero fiction from a different perspective. Rather than an adventure story where the main character vanquishes the villain through incredible power, Powerless depicts how Daniel uses his wits and intelligence to outmaneuver the Shroud and save his friends, showing that someone doesn’t need superpowers to be a hero. In fact, Daniel is the only one who can vanquish the villain because his lack of powers means he can touch the stone that would drain his friends’ powers.

Though Powerless subverts many common tropes of superhero fiction, it also pays homage to comic-book tales of traditional heroes and the villains they fight. Mollie, Eric, and the other supers display abilities commonly associated with superheroes, such as incredible strength, flight, heightened senses, and invisibility.