There are rules, naturally. For example, the potential energy stored in a frozen movement could be disastrous, like broken bones or whiplash. Whether you call it Temporal Manipulation, Chronokinetic powers, or simply The Pause Button, the ability to stop time is potentially one of the most useful and yet underused superpowers known to comics. There are plenty of superheroes, villains, and characters who can move really fast or time travel. But to freeze time? That’s a little harder to find. I’ve narrowed it down to the five best characters to stop time, and even then I’m still open to discussion for it. I’m expecting some heated debate on social media about the difference between the power to stop time and the power to time travel. But first, press pause for a few minutes and check out our fave time stoppers below. Whether it’s avoiding a catastrophic accident or simply needing a few extra minutes to enjoy your cup of coffee in peace, the ability to stop time is now top of my superpower wishlist. This is only a starting list of comics to stop time, or at least let me dream. I don’t think I can mess up the timeline that much with a well-placed 90-second pause. But it would be nice to put the world on hold (and mute) for but a moment. So what do you do with this unique skillset? Rob a bank. Okay, to be fair, it was Jon’s idea as a solution to save Suzie’s library, which is a noble thought indeed. What they didn’t plan for were the Sex Police, who exist for this exact reason. If you’re thinking it is all a bit more weirded out than you were expecting, rest assured it sticks the landing with the guiding hand of Fraction and Zdarsky. Fraction’s storytelling is smooth with plenty of wit and charm while Zdarsky’s quirky art brings warmth to the characters, however, it is still hard to read in public. Special mention must be made to Kinzie’s colouring. When time stands still, Kinzie’s colours flow with movement and fluidity across the page. Sex Criminals is great, but the colours are what make it magnificent. DIO’s “Stand” is known as THE WORLD and has the ability to stop time for a maximum of nine seconds. While DIO can continue to move, everything else around him has stopped still. I’m not too sure exactly how you will gain extra summer holiday vibes in nine-second increments, but if you want to start yelling “Za Warudo! Toki yo Tomare” to test it, be my guest. To be honest, I would love more exploration of Sailor Pluto’s character arc and ability. I know she is intentionally left in the dark, but come on! Bring her back to the team! And let her have some fun with the time-stopping! Novachrono can manipulate time: either speed it up or slow it down, stop time completely, or even store it for use later. Julius can also see into the future, making him a formidable foe. But honestly, I think he might be a little bored with it all as well. At least it explains his very chill attitude. If I could gain even a smidgen of his chill, I think I could finally relax during the summer holidays. Lacuna used her ability to create temporary cracks in the timestream, giving her the freedom to move around while everyone else stayed still. We can assume she was able to do this with little to no physical effect on people, thanks to her fave activity of undressing people to their underwear or replacing weapons with harmless objects.
