There are many superheroes and villains who can fly, whether it be due to an innate ability or a pair of jet-powered wings, but there aren’t many who can claim to be a “fly”—or in fact any other insect-like hero or supervillain who can scale the skies.
The appearance of these types of heroes are among the most eye-catching and fascinating in the world of comic books. Their costumes are inspired by insects and can have a distinct wing-design, a helmet that sports antennae, and often a power that is an amplified version of a skill the insect they are based on possesses. But some of these villains and heroes are definitely stronger than the others.
10 Butterfly
In her day job, which is actually at night, Marian Michaels works as a cabaret singer in the city of Las Vegas. But as the hours pile on and the shadows grow darker outside, Marian transforms herself into the Butterfly and fights racists with the help of her jet-powered costume. The outfit also has very bright lights attached to it, that blinds her enemies in times of need. But she doesn’t truly have any superpowers.
She clashes with a criminal group called Claw, whose members wear cat-like costumes and use the money they get by selling heroin to finance an army centered around fascism. And, later, she investigates a white supremacist group called Brothers of the Crimson Cross. On top of her dedicated fight against fascism, what makes her even more special is that she was the first-ever black superhero to be published in comics.
9 Firefly
Garfield Lynns a.k.a. Firefly first arrived in the world of DC Comics to play the role of a small-time criminal who indulges in a bit of robbery now and then, using an array of lights. But a few decades later, he got a sinister makeover and came to be feared as a pyromaniac who loved nothing more than setting fires for no reason at all.
With a fireproof suit to call his own, and flamethrowers, smoke bombs, and grenades in his arsenal, Firefly becomes quite the explosive adversary for Batman. Even more so since, thanks to technology, he is capable of flight as well.
8 The Moth
Jack Mahoney works in a circus. He has a unique costume, based on moths, which he wears while performing on the high-wire and also while fighting criminals in the world outside the circus. Owing to his job, he is an extremely agile acrobat and wrestler. His suit is powerful, too, hiding a gas gun that can put people to sleep or set things on fire within its folds. This version of the Moth was first published by Dark Horse Comics in 1998.
There is another Moth, completely separate in identity, that first appeared in Fox Feature Syndicate's Mystery Men Comics #9, in 1940. This one was created by two writers who used a joint pseudonym, "Norton Kingsley," to create a superhero capable of flight.
7 Yellowjacket
Having stolen a Yellowjacket suit from Dr. Hank Pym, making it her own in the process, Rita DeMara still seems quite cautious in using the suit’s powers and shies away from using its full potential initially. When she later fights the Wasp, she seems to grow frightened when her size shrinks down, allowing the former to trap her in the ongoing confusion.
There’s considerable power in her suit: she can charge someone with electric blasts by using her gloves, she can fly through the air, and, of course, she can reduce her form to a considerably smaller size.
6 Ant-Man
An integral part of Marvel’s Avengers in both comics and films, Scott Lang as Ant-Man uses his considerable experience as a thief and the power of his Pym-powered suit to find ways out of very tight situations.
He can transform himself to stand only a few inches in height, and go further, into sub-atomic sizes. He can also grow larger than his ordinary human height, into a giant 100 feet in height. Not only that, he can assign this power, of reducing or enlarging dimensions, to objects as well.
5 Wasp
Yellowjacket, Ant-Man, and the Wasp are all creations of Dr. Hank Pym and, therefore, have similar abilities. All of them, for instance, can easily shrink down in size and fight on a smaller level. But Janet Van Dyne as the Wasp edges out the other two characters when it comes to strength in the reduced size.
Yellowjacket is just as powerful as she was in her normal form, as is Ant-Man. But the Wasp’s physical prowess is greatly increased when she shrinks down. Not only that, the Wasp can fly, telepathically control insects, and even blast bursts of bio-electric energy at her enemies.
4 Mantis
The greatest power that Mantis possesses is the ability to gauge an individual’s emotional state, her empathic prowess also allows her to communicate with plants. But beyond that, she is an exceptionally talented martial artist who has proven to defeat the likes of Captain America and Thor by taking advantage of their weak points.
She is also incredible at meditating, so much so that she can control her breathing and bleeding, and thereby control the speed of her own recovery when wounded. Her spiritual power also helps her move about without any protective gear in outer space. All she needs to do is detach her consciousness from her corporeal form, and she can travel great distances between planets.
3 Blue Beetle
Quite a few people have had the codename “Blue Beetle” over the years. Starting from Dan Garret, who was a police officer and then an archaeologist (in a retcon); Ted Kord, who was mentored by Garret; and Jaime Reyes is the most recent person to wear the garb of the Blue Beetle.
The source of the superhero’s power comes from an alien scarab that attaches itself to the bearer’s spine, covering the host in a protective suit when facing danger while allowing him access to a sword, shield, blades, a cannon that can blast energy, and a pair of wings to help him fly. Not only that, the scarab via the suit can make the bearer immune to magic, emit radiation akin to that which Kryptonite produces, and manipulate objects that are extra-dimensional in nature.
2 The Tick
Although created out of a desire to make fun of superheroes and their tropes, the Tick is nevertheless an intimidating and powerful superhero who can easily lift cars and not suffer any painful consequences.
In fact, he never really gets so seriously injured that he might lose his life. Even when he falls several thousand feet from the sky, he doesn’t sustain any major wounds and only a bit of a concussion. His only weakness is his antennae, which can cause some balancing issues for the Tick if sabotaged in any way.
1 The Fly
All Tommy Troy has to do is rub a magical ring (belonging to the mysterious Fly People) and utter the words, “I wish I were the Fly,” and his ordinary human form becomes a weapon of unimaginable feats. The Fly has the physical might of one million ants, the speed of several flies, a pair of wings that give him the ability to fly and, when vibrated in the correct manner, even allow him to break objects.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his powers—which have evolved from his initial ability to be extremely agile and walk on walls.