Pseudo-Super Powers
The main character of my book boasts a set of pseudo-super powers. He is cybernetically enhanced, which allows him to do things normal people can't. One of the powers I thought would be useful was x-ray vision, because a large part of the world building comes from muon tomography, which is basically x-ray vision... kind of. Anyway, after some thoughtful review, I decided to give it the axe. Here's why.
The Practicality Problem
X-ray vision sounds cool in theory, but when you really think about it, the practical applications are limited. As far as super hero names go, Voyeurman maxes out the creep factor. Even Superman, the poster child for x-ray vision, rarely uses it in any meaningful way. More often than not, he employs it like some kind of perv, sneaking peeks through people's clothing, rather than saving the day.
Even in fantastical situations, how often would you genuinely need to see through things? Sure, it might come in handy for finding your keys behind the couch, but beyond trivial uses, its practicality dwindles. My story strives for some semblance of realism, and x-ray vision quickly becomes more of a gimmick than a useful tool.
From a storytelling perspective, super powers need to serve a purpose. Because the super powers of the character are born from tragedy, it helps develop the character, and adds an interesting twist to the narrative in the various circumstanced where being super human is required. X-ray vision, however, does none of that. Not only is it difficult to describe, it serves as the clumsiest foreshadowing imaginable.
Not All Super Powers Are Created Equal
Super strength. Super speed. Super intelligence. Time traveling. Very useful super powers. No one wants Aquaman's. Sure making the whole ocean sing Baby Shark might be interesting, but that proves impractically useless upon closer inspection. X-ray vision fits into this category. Actually, I'd rather listen to Baby Shark whale songs than have X-Ray vision.