AVATAR POWERS

[Scott]

The Avatars possess awesome powers. However, these powers need to be replenished through time and the addition of new powerful members to the fold. Their powers truly do seem to go beyond good and evil. Both Cole and Leo experience a surge in their abilities when imbued with Avatar powers. Perhaps Avatars truly are that: creatures that possess godlike powers.

From "There's Something About Leo", we know that Avatars can at least revive the recently deceased. They can also penetrate a crystal cage. And, they are able to shoot lightning bolts from a state of near invisibility. (Perhaps at least a mask is required.)

We also know from "Centennial Charmed" that Avatars have the ability to create alternative worlds. We learn from "Extreme Makeover: World Edition" that they can induce a whole world's population into sleep and alter the attitudes and behaviors of most of the sleeping. From "Charmaggedon" we learn that they can even reverse time, though it takes great power to do so.

Yet, the Avatars cannot penetrate Zankou's Middle Eastern lair where he and Leo can plot the overthrow of the Avatar world order. Nor can the Avatars track the Charmed Ones when they slip off the radar and join Zankou in this self-same lair. Thus, they are not omnipotent. But, they are pretty powerful, indeed!

[Xenith]

You forgot several of their basic powers

1. Teleportation (Not really sure what else I'd call their rapid transportation method when they aren't using the green heads method.)

2. Freeze time [Something About Leo, and many others]

3. Ability to summon each other with a thought [Witchness Protection, and others]

4. Ability to not only create new dimensions/realities but to travel between them. [Centennial Charmed]

5. Ability to open a portal to travel through time. (Furthermore you are returned to the present as soon as you have seen what you needed to see.)[Ordinary Witches]

6. A level near invincibility (with the exception being the avatar killing potion and each other's powers) [From Ordinary Witches - The Elder's combined power can not kill or even injure Leo]

Plus they were somehow able to enter and manipulate Leo's vision quest without being near him.

[vandergraafk]

Thank you for adding to my initial list. Kind of looks like they were gods or demi-gods, to say the least. That must have really been a special potion, if it can kill these superpowerful beings and weaken the fold at the same time. Apparently, though, Avatars do not have the ability to foresee events with any degree of accuracy in order to prevent unwelcome attacks. True, they can suggest possible futures: in Something About Leo the gravesite scene with all of the dead Halliwell witches indicated is but one example. The possible consequence to the Avatars if Leo enlightens Piper: Paige tells Brody, Brody uses his potion to attack Leo. Avatar Alpha intercepts the potion. Perhaps the ability to anticipate attacks is the one weakness they are left with since the enumeration of powers is otherwise pretty complete and awesome indeed!

[vandergraafk]

A while ago, in the Charmed Cafe, I made a casual remark regarding Leo and the Avatars. Here is the original comment:

Killing Leo became a necessity. He was going to undermine the whole Avatar plan. Of course, killing him would weaken the collective. However, the Avatars were counting on Charmed power (a concept first articulated in Season 8) to make up for any deficit they might experience.

Now, if you believe that, then let me tell you that none of the people in planes or driving in cars or doing any dangerous sorts of activities were harmed in the remaking of the world.

But, would killing Leo truly weaken the collective? Xenith did not think so and added these comments:

Killing Leo became a necessity. He was going to undermine the whole Avatar plan. Of course, killing him would weaken the collective. However, the Avatars were counting on Charmed power (a concept first articulated in Season 8) to make up for any deficit they might experience.


Looking back at it I now also wonder if in fact they weren't able to absorb the powers of those they erased. Leo, but if in the process they more or less absorbed his power in the process. Similiar as to what is hypothesized they did with Cole and his collapsing reallity. Except in Cole's case they possibly were not strong enough to simply "erase" him themselves.
The Avatar vanquishing potion on the other hand possibly corrupts the power of whomever is vanquished by it, so that the persons power is completely lost from the collective and can not be reabsorbed.

After reflecting on Xenith's comment, I was compelled to admit an error. My casual comment had been just that: a comment too casually made. Upon further thought, I offered the following:

Yes, Xenith, that's definitely a possibility. First the Avatars would have to take back what was given to Leo, but I don't that is such a simple matter. Remember in Centennial Charmed, what the Avatars give Cole is a boost in his already existing powers. Thus, Cole, who probably had picked up some of the Source's power to alter time (either the Source shared this power with Tempus or took back Tempus's power to undo All Hell Breaks Loose), was able to use that power boost to not only reset time, but to create an alternative reality. (That's quite a boost!) Similarly, Leo's normal healing power was given quite the boost so that he could bring back the recently deceased. Quite a boost again, but apparently not as powerful as Cole's.

Now, when the Avatars take back this power, I suppose they take back the enhanced powers, thereby stripping Leo of whatever powers he had. I like this explanation since it would provide a logical explanation why the Avatars would endow magical entities with a power boost. The quid pro quo must be that if you abuse your new found powers, we (the Avatars) will do whatever we need to do to stop you and reclaim your enhanced powers. This would, as you note, add to the power of the collective. Hence, I believe my statement was not well thought through. Thanks for the palliative potion.