We all love superhero movies, and every time we go to the theatres, we are excited to see them doing incredible feats as they fight against threats to their worlds. Yet, movies use computers to tell fictional stories that could never be repeated or replicated in real life. But, did you know that there are real-life superhumans living with us?

Some of these humans with incredible capabilities were born with gifts, but others chose to train and perfect their abilities. As scientists try to discover what makes these humans special, let’s see the superhuman abilities they have. Do you agree that they deserve the superhero tag?

10 Real Samurai: Slicing Projectiles In Two

In the past, samurais were warriors whose skills in combat were legendary and feared by both friends and enemies. Isao Machii is a talented superhuman whose skills could rival those of any samurai from ancient stories. Machii can slice anything in two with his sword — even a pellet shot from a gun at 200 mph!

While most people might know how to use a sword, Isao Machii is different because of his great speed and accuracy that helps him break one incredible feat after another. In the Guinness World Book of record, Machii is credited for the fastest 1,000 martial arts sword cuts, most martial arts katana cuts, and the fastest tennis ball cuts with a sword. His skills are often compared to a robot since machines are the only things that can come close to his abilities.

Yet, Isao Machii was not born with the talent since it’s a product of hard work and training. For many years, the Japanese Iaido Master has honed his skills with the sword, and every day, he picks his favorite weapon and trains. Isao Machii gives a new meaning to the phrase, “Practice makes perfect.”

9 Real-Life Batman: Blind Man Sees With His Tongue

If you lost your eyes today, how would you move around? Daniel Kish is technically blind, but he has a superpower that enables him to move around and see objects around him. Using echolocation, the same ability that bats have, Kish can drive a bike in heavy traffic, camp in the wild, and even climb trees.

So, how does he do it? After losing his eyes to retina cancer when he was a kid, Daniel Kish taught himself how to use his tongue as a navigational technique. By clicking his tongue, Kish listens to the sound that bounces off objects in the surrounding environment. When the sound returns in different volumes, he estimates the size of the obstacle and how far it is.

Daniel Kish is just like “Daredevil,” the blind superhero from the comics who uses “radar sense” to perceive objects around him. Over time, Kish got so good in his ability that other blind people hire him to help them get around.

As an expert in human echolocation, Kish can describe places he has never seen before to prove that the human body is capable of magical feats. Truly, disability is not inability!

8 Photographic Memory: No Camera, No Problem!

Ever wished you could remember everything that you ever saw? Stephen Wiltshire is a superhuman with a photographic memory, with the ability to memorize and draw anything he sees in intricate details.

Stephen Wiltshire was born autistic and didn’t speak until age five. But when he finally did, his first words were “Pen” and “Paper.” As an adult, Wiltshire uses his powers for good, making impressions of skylines and street scenes with just one helicopter ride across.

One of the best achievements by Stephen Wiltshire was his “London Skyline in 360” painting, which was a panorama of major landmarks in London. The most astounding fact is that he did the painting without any sketches, photos, or notes. Every detail he captured was on point!

We might carry our cameras around, but they come nowhere close to matching Wiltshire’s superhuman abilities.

7 Head Balancer: My Head Can Carry Anything!

John Evans earned his fame as a strongman who can balance anything on his head, and for many, his talents are both astounding and entertaining. Evans’ achievements require no introduction, and from lifting pints of beer to a 352-pound (159.6 kg) car for 33 seconds, the superhuman can support anything with his head and neck.

John Evans, who holds 33 Guinness World Records for balancing items on his head, is not your everyday weightlifter, and he admits that he never goes to the gym! While working as a laborer in construction, Evans realized that balancing bricks on his head made him haul more bricks than he would with his hands. Over time, he developed a strong neck as the daily work kept him in shape.

Years later, Evans tested his capabilities only to discover that his bone density was just like that of a 20-year-old! While many people get weaker as they age, Evans’ body keeps getting stronger, an ability that makes it possible for him to support weights with his skeleton alone.

Other notable achievements by this superhuman include balancing motorcycles, two cyclists on their bikes, washing machines, and bunk beds. It is very probable that John Evans could carry the weight of the world on his head if he was big enough to hold it. 

6 Human Lightning Conductor: Lightning 7, Man 0

They say that lightning never strikes the same place twice, but one man from the US is an exception to this rule. Roy Cleveland Sullivan, a former US park ranger, earned the title of the “Spark Ranger” after being struck by lightning seven times in his life!

Roy, who holds the record for most lightning strikes for any human in history, was exposed to risks of lightning strikes in his job as a park ranger. By working out in the open, the ranger was at more risk of being hit by lightning, but the surprising thing was that with each incident, he survived exceptionally.

The first time he was hit, Roy walked away with a hole in his shoe, the second burned off his eyebrows and eyelashes, and the third time, it seared his left shoulder. Defying statistics that show that 10% of people who get struck by lightning die while 90% are left with disabilities, Roy never saw an emergency room after a lightning strike.

Yet, because Roy was a lightning magnet, many people avoided him for fear that they would also get struck if a storm hit. At the end of his life, Roy took his own life by suicide for unknown reasons that had many theorizing that he was tired of watching out for storm clouds.

5 Baby Superman: Strongest Toddler Ever

Liam Hoekstra shot to fame when he was just 5 years old, earning the title of the “world’s strongest toddler.” When he was 6 years old, his parents got curious about what made their special son strong and after a study, it became clear that Liam was stronger than 85% of other 6-year-old kids.

The condition that made Liam special was his myostatin deficiency, which led to a massive increase in body mass and double muscling. The lack of myostatin meant that Liam developed muscles easily, as they grew at a faster than normal rate without any exercise. Also, his body is completely unable to store body fat, no matter how much he ate.

After his biological mom gave up out of fear that she couldn’t take adequate care of him, Liam stood out from his peers from a young age. While other kids struggled with chin-ups, he could easily hold himself up for minutes, impressing many and shocking others.

The only side effect of Liam’s superpower was that he consumed more food than other kids since his body needed more energy to grow. In the end, with great power came great and delicious responsibilities.  

4 Spider-Man: Climbs Any Building With No Equipment!

Alain Robert, aka ‘The French Spiderman,’ is a professional rock climber, but mountains aren’t the only things he can scale! Name the tallest buildings in the world, and Roberts has likely climbed a few of them!

Alain Robert takes pride in being the most famous free climber in the world and he’s climbed over 100 buildings and he’s still going. In 2011, Robert proved why he’s the best when he climbed Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. In the 828-meter climb, Robert took just six hours, using nothing but his hands, feet, and an indomitable spirit.

What makes Alain Robert special? His technique, training, and physical conditioning enable him to scale buildings by latching on to small outcrops. Robert is a daredevil who believes that fear should not control our lives.

In the past, Robert has been arrested on multiple occasions for scaling buildings while wearing a spiderman outfit! For the athlete, being great has more to do with sacrifice and concentration, qualities he has mastered over many years.

3 Metal Bender: World’s Strongest Granny

Sakinat Khanapiyeva is not your average grandma and while she hasn’t entered any weight lifting event, she’s easily the strongest in her age group. When she was 10 years, Sakinat discovered that she was a superhuman when she moved a 661-pound (299 kg) grain container. For a scale, 661 pounds is equal to the weight of four grown men!

As she got older, Sakinat Khanapiyeva realized that she could still do some amazing things like twisting 2-inch steel rods and rip a phone-book in half! Think that is standard? In her 70s, Sakinat shocked everyone by lifting a 52-pound dumbbell while standing on nails!

What else can she do? She can also break a horseshoe in two like a cookie! Even Schwarzenegger couldn’t beat that! Truly, Sakinat Khanapiyeva from Daghestan, Russia, deserves her Guinness World Book record as the strongest grandma in the world.

2 The Flash: Legs that can’t stop running!

How many marathons can you run in a year? Dean Karnazes is an ultramarathon runner, but his greatest accomplishment was running 50 marathons in 50 days, back-to-back.

In 2005, Karzanes showed the world why he’s better than ‘Flash’ from the comics when he ran 350 miles (560 km) in 80 hours and 44 minutes across North Carolina! In the incredible display of both stamina and endurance, Karzanes didn’t stop to eat or sleep and for over 3 days, his legs just couldn’t stop running.

Other achievements by this legend include running a marathon to the South Pole in 2002 and a 199-mile (320 km) relay from Calistoga to Santa Cruz. According to ‘Men’s Fitness’, Dean Karzanes is one of the fittest men on the planet, and from his impressive resume, it’s clear why he deserves the title.

Like all the great runners, Karzanes has trained himself never to give up even when his body tells him to stop. But, as a superhuman, Karzanes’ muscles don’t ever get tired, an ability that makes it possible to keep moving where many would quit!

1 The Iceman: Real Life Snowman?

How much cold is too cold for you? Wim Hof entered the Guinness World Record for his unique ability to sit in an ice bath for 1 hour, 53 minutes, and 2 seconds!

Hof, famous for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures, is a daredevil who is always chasing the next world record. With over 26 records under his belt, Hof is always pushing the limits of the human body, and his accolades are even more impressive.

Some of the most notable achievements by “The Iceman” include running the fastest half marathon barefoot on ice/snow and attempting to climb Mt Everest wearing nothing but shorts and shoes! It seems that there’s nothing this real-life snowman won’t try. If it involves shocking acts of cold endurance, you can bet that Wim Hof has tried it.

As a fitness guru, Wim Hof credits his achievements to techniques such as the Buddhist Tummo meditation technique. The practice that was perfected by monks literally translates to ‘inner fire,’ a deep state of meditation achieved through breathing and visualization. Also, using his very own ‘Wim Hof Method’, the unstoppable man aims to change the world through breathing, meditation, and cold exposure.

While the smallest organisms capable of killing a human fall on the bacteria and virus branches of the tree of life, they aren’t what many would call a “creature.” There are plenty of proper animals that have been killing folks for hundreds of thousands of years.

Granted, most of the deadliest animals in the world are relatively large. While they are certainly interesting, the smallest killer critters can be far more fascinating. These ten animals are two fundamental things: they’re small and horrifically deadly.

Since they could all kill a person, they are arranged from the largest to the smallest deadly critter. Also, no vectors here, so don’t expect to see mosquitoes or fleas — only animals that can kill a person through direct contact.

10 Australian Animals That Aren’t As Deadly As You Think

10 Australian Box Jellyfish

Most jellyfish are more of an annoying nuisance than anything else. They tend to swarm and get in the way when you’re diving, and outside the occasional painful sting, they aren’t much of a bother.

Some jellyfish stings are excruciating, but they don’t result in death. That’s not true of the Australian Box Jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri), which is often cited as the most venomous marine animal.

C. fleckeri is the largest of the 51 known species of box jellyfish. In terms of size, they average around 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter. Its tentacles can extend for 10 feet (3 meters), so it’s not the smallest thing in the ocean.

Regardless, it’s something that should be avoided at all costs, which can be difficult. They don’t float about with the current and can swim up to 20 ft/second (6 m/sec.) or four knots. Their tentacles can deliver microscopic darts carrying intensely painful venom.

If stung and left untreated, death can come within two to five minutes. A single C. fleckeri has enough venom to kill around 60 adult humans. Nearly 80 fatalities have been recorded in Australia since the 19th century.

9 Amazonian Giant Centipede

The Amazonian Giant Centipede (Scolopendra gigantea) is one of the largest centipedes on the planet, reaching 12 inches (30 cm) in length. They can be found throughout South America and the Caribbean, where it enjoys eating other large arthropods, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small mammals.

These centipedes are true carnivores. It has no problem overpowering other relatively large insects, spiders, scorpions, lizards, frogs, bats, mice, and birds. While they may look interesting, they should never be handled. They possess a particularly nasty venom they don’t mind sharing with the world.

The venom of S. gigantea contains a potent neurotoxin, making it possible for them to take down animals significantly larger than themselves. The venom targets the cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, and nervous systems, incapacitating their victims.

Envenomation in humans is incredibly painful and can cause severe issues if not treated. There is only one documented case of death from a bite. In 2014, a four-year-old child in Venezuela found one in an open soda can. The subsequent bite resulted in the child’s death despite a great deal of effort medical professionals made trying to save his life.

8 Geography Cone

Cone snails are common worldwide, and because of their brightly colored shells, they are highly prized by shell collectors. It’s always best to collect the shells long after the snail has died because many of the 600+ species are extremely venomous.

The most dangerous of them all is the Geography Cone (Conus geographus), found in the coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific. Despite being a small snail that grows to between 4 and 6 inches (10—15 cm), C. geographus actively hunts fish. It does this by firing off a harpoon-like tooth that delivers a powerful venom.

These little guys’ venom packs a wallop, and there is no antivenom to treat people once they are hit with it. The only thing medical professionals can do is try to keep a person alive long enough for the toxins to wear off.

If an adult is struck with the venom of the Geography cone, they will die within one to five hours without medical treatment. They are often called “cigarette snails” due to an old bit of gallows humor. It’s said that after a sting, a person has enough time to smoke a single cigarette before they die.

7 Deathstalker Scorpion

Scorpions are always somewhat dangerous to humans, as their sting tends to come with a lot of pain. Still, they aren’t ordinarily deadly, but that’s not to say there aren’t a few capable of killing a person. The deadliest known is the Deathstalker scorpion (Leiurus quinquestriatus), which measures around 3 to 4 inches (80 to 110 mm).

They are found throughout North Africa and the Middle East, where they are well known for the danger they present. Their venom is a nasty mix of neurotoxins that carry a low lethal dose. It includes chlorotoxin, charybdotoxin, scyllatoxin, and three types of agitoxins, all of which block specific channels of the nervous system.

While the envenomation of an adult doesn’t typically result in death, the young, infirmed, and elderly are all at risk. Most stings result in anaphylaxis, which can be followed by pancreatitis. An antivenom exists, but it is often needed in large doses to counter the deathstalker’s venom’s effects.

When death does occur, it’s most often the result of respiratory failure. Interestingly, while their venom can be fatal, it contains components that may help treat brain tumors and diabetes.

6 Blue-Ringed Octopus

Most people don’t think of an octopus as a venomous creature since the main focus is usually on its eight legs. There are several venomous octopi, and the deadliest is, by far, the Blue-ringed octopus. There are four species, and every one of them can be deadly to humans.

Blue-ringed octopi are small compared to other species, as most measure between 2.5 and 4 inches (6 to 10 cm). They get their name thanks to the brilliant blue rings found all over their bodies, and they can be found in tide pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

A Blue-ringed octopus is typically docile around humans, which can be a problem. This leads unsuspecting people to pick them up to admire their unique coloration, but this is a mistake. The little octopi are some of the world’s most venomous marine animals, and their venom is no joke.

They carry a powerful neurotoxin tetrodotoxin. A single octopus has enough to kill 25 adult humans in a matter of minutes. Their bite is often painless because of their small size, so most people who are bitten only realize it when they stop breathing and become paralyzed.

5 Golden Poison Dart Frog

The Golden Poison Dart frog (Phyllobates terribilis) is the most poisonous animal in the world. The key word here is “poisonous,” as it has no venom of its own. Still, a single frog has enough poison secreted from its skin to kill 22,000 mice. Their name is derived from the Choco Emberá, who used the frogs to poison their darts used for hunting.

These tiny frogs grow to a maximum of 2 inches (55 mm), making them particularly small. They are prized for their coloration, which is arguably quite beautiful. Still, handling one is a terrible idea should you find them in their native habitat of Colombia’s Pacific coast forests.

Their skin is densely coated in an alkaloid toxin, which causes a victim’s nerves to stop transmitting impulses. This leads to heart failure, and a single frog contains enough toxins to kill between 10 to 20 people.

Fortunately, lethal poisoning is rare, but it can happen. If the frogs are removed from their native habitat, they stop producing toxins, rendering them harmless. Their toxin builds from their consumption of ants that result in the buildup of batrachotoxins, so without the ants, they become innocuous.

4 Giant Silkworm Moth Caterpillar

The Giant Silkworm Moth Caterpillar (Lonomia obliqua) is a saturniid moth species found in South America. They are relatively small, measuring only about 2 inches (5.5 cm) long. According to the Guinness World Records, they make up for their size by being the most venomous caterpillar in the world.

Most people don’t see caterpillars as a threat, but if you should ever find yourself standing on a path with one of these, don’t go anywhere near it! They have a toxic venom capable of causing disseminated intravascular coagulation and consumptive coagulopathy. That’s a fancy way of saying it causes your blood to clot throughout your body.

When that happens, hemorrhagic syndrome and death aren’t far behind. These little guys don’t bite their victims to inject venom. Instead, their hollow bristles, which are found all over its body, contain and inject the venom into the poor fool who touches them.

Their spines may look like hairs, but they can easily penetrate the skin to deliver their venom. Fatalities are common with these caterpillars, but death isn’t certain. It can take several painful and miserable days to kick in, so immediate medical treatment is required.

3 Sydney Funnel-Web Spider

Several species of spiders are capable of killing folks, which is one reason arachnophobia is so prevalent. Still, the vast majority could only hurt a fly — after all, a spider’s venom is wasted on a human since we aren’t their usual prey.

Still, some spiders can kill, and the Sydney Funnel-Web Spider is one of the deadliest. They can only be found within a 63 mile (100 km) radius of Sydney, Australia, and they are the “most venomous” spiders in the world, regarding their toxicity to humans.

They aren’t the largest spiders in the world, with most examples’ body length ranging from 0.4 to 2 inches (1 to 5 cm). They have large, nasty-looking fangs, which they use to inject their entire venom reserve into their victims.

The venom contains a compound called atracotoxin, which inhibits the nervous system in primates. This can lead to death in as little as 15 minutes if untreated with antivenom. A full envenomated bite can kill an adult human, but they are more dangerous to the young and elderly.

2 Blue Sea Dragon

Blue Sea Dragons (Glaucus atlanticus) are a species of sea slug known for their beautiful and unique shape, which resembles a dragon. They measure only about 1.2 inches (3 cm) and can be found throughout the world’s oceans, but if you ever see one, avoid it at all costs!

These critters may be beautiful to look at, but they are incredibly dangerous and more than willing to sting someone who picks them up. Their diet consists of other venomous animals, specifically the parts of animals that contain venom. One of their favorite meals is the nematocysts from the Portuguese man o’ war.

When an animal eats nothing but venom, they tend to incorporate what they eat into their own nasty sting. When they do sting someone, it can be excruciating. It will cause all kinds of problems, including pain, vomiting, and acute allergic contact dermatitis.

Typically, handling one of these animals won’t kill a person. That said, there is a risk of a severe allergic reaction, resulting in death if left untreated. It’s always best to operate under a ‘look but don’t touch’ policy where the Blue Sea Dragon is concerned.

1 Common Kingslayer

The Common Kingslayer (Malo Kingi) is a species of Irukandji jellyfish that is minuscule compared to larger animals such as the Australian Box Jellyfish. M. Kingi measures a comparatively tiny 1 inch (3 cm) and is entirely transparent, making them difficult to spot.

They make up for their small size by carrying a particularly nasty venom, which can lead to Irukandji syndrome. If afflicted with the syndrome, most adults can expect to experience severe pain, rapid blood pressure, and vomiting. While death is rare, it can occur.

The name “Common Kingslayer” was given to the jellyfish following Robert King’s death, an American tourist who died after being stung. King is the only person who is known to have been killed by their sting, but he’s not the only person who’s been hit by them.

Stings are relatively common due to the difficulty swimmers have in seeing and avoiding them. It’s believed that their venom becomes more potent as they mature. Since King’s death in 2002, more attention has been given to M. Kingi, which was first described only five years following King’s death.