From childhood to adulthood, superheroes have fascinated everyone at some point. The idea of flying high above the skyline or slipping past parents unnoticed is a fantasy we’ve all indulged.

Movies like The Avengers, The Hulk, or Wonder Woman only serve to encourage the idea. What would we do if we suddenly woke up one day with super strength or invisibility? What superpower would we really pick if given the choice? Would we use it for good or, say, to rob a bank?

What superpower would Air Academy pick? To compare the answers, Shawn Lealos’ ranking of the best powers of all time came into play. To give an idea of the difference in answers between Air Academy and Lealos’ ranking, the rankings from the top ten are listed.

10. Force Fields

9. Flight

8. Teleportation

7. Super Strength

6. Invulnerability

5. Super Speed

4. Time Travel

3. Telekinesis

2. Telepathy

1. Elemental Control

Surprisingly, this lineup was very different from Air Academy’s pick for their favorite superpower. Considering this was a ranking of the ‘best’ superpowers compared to the students’ favorite, it should have been expected.

Some students probably hadn’t given much thought to it before, like junior Skylar Hagins who offhandedly said super intelligence; “It would be nice,” Hagins commented briefly.

With finals fast approaching, quite a few other students agreed wholeheartedly with academic-focused powers. Junior Luke Bodwell, however, had more nefarious intentions with his ideal superpower.

“The ability to mask your presence, because if you get creative with it you can definitely get into all sorts of shenanigans,” Bodwell schemed.

While the majority of answers weren’t as flashy as the ones picked for Lealos’ list, sophomore Kyleigh Vigil was the first to agree with him, picking a power almost within the top ten of the list.

“If I could have a superpower I would have the power to control time so I could sleep in! Or I could do homework a minute before class,” Vigil added, comparing herself to Doctor Strange.

While this power came closest to number 4, it wasn’t exactly time travel. But it was the closest until a few students, like junior Zoe Lachnidt, picked a power that was on the list.

“Definitely teleportation. You could go anywhere you imagine,” Lachnidt explained.

Teleportation, surprisingly, was not nearly as popular as expected as Lachnidt was one of very few students to pick it as their desired superpower. Nathan Haist was the next student to pick a power within the top ten.

“Superspeed obviously,” Haist quickly responded, “you can basically slow down time.”

While these superpowers would make life much easier, there was a definite favorite among Air Academy students.

Intelligence came close to winning with the clear academic uses in and out of the classroom, but Air Academy’s favorite superpower would definitely be the ability to fly.

“I wouldn’t be late for anything,” junior Joshua Leong said.

Others quickly chimed in, like junior Keegan Bennet, agreeing that it would be a cool way to get around. A few said flying, in general, would just be cool. A couple commented that it would be an easy way to get out of awkward situations.

Compared to the list, flying is ranked at number 9. So, while not the best superpower of all time, it’s still an interesting idea.

Superpowers, unfortunately, don’t exist outside of comic books and TV shows. No one can fly without technology and the closest we’ll get to superintelligence is studying. That doesn’t mean dreaming big with the never-ending question of ‘what if?’ has to end. Realistic or not, it will always be fun to think about for the students of AAHS.