Molecular Combustion

From Charmed

Molecular Combustion is the power to give molecules more energy until the point of explosion. This happens rather quickly, and results with the bonds of the molecules breaking. Piper Halliwell's powers grew into this power and was her more often used power. ("Exit Strategy"). This power is the rarest offensive power and was the strongest power of the Charmed Ones. It is referred to as the "Piper Whammy" by Piper and as a result of it, Piper overcame Prue as the most powerful of the charmed ones.

Piper originally was able to trigger this power through anger or frustration and she lacked any precision or control. This power seemed to have emerged when Piper's personality became more aggressive and evolved from her original power of molecular immobilization. However, it temporarily became Piper's primary power and was activated by a gesture similar to that which Piper used to freeze things. Initially, Piper was fearful to use this power because she did not have control over what would explode. When first learning to master this power, Piper attempted to isolate herself and through meditation was able to calm down. Piper initally used this power to blow up a demon, but she did this by accident as she meant to freeze him. Later, when they weren't sure how to destroy the Banshee, Leo suggested Piper take it out with this, but she wasn't sure she could. Ultimatly she did, her first conciously controled use of this power. She was later able to use it to defeat Shax, but he was too powerful to be vanquished by it and was just merley defeated. ("Look Who's Barking", "All Hell Breaks Loose")

After Prue died, Piper's combustion power began to unpredictably alternate with her freezing power, but also proved to be a formidable magical weapon. As she gained more control over this power, Piper relied less on her frustration to fuel the ability and grew more confident to the point of being able to select the object that she wanted to blow up. She could also use it to blow up projectiles aimed at her, or selectively blow up body parts instead of the entire demon or warlock. ("Charmed Again", "Centennial Charmed")

Although this power is extremely dangerous, some upper level demons and warlocks are partially immune to it in the beginning. These beings would either only be blown back a few feet, only have parts of them blown up, or manage to reconstitute themselves--such as The Source of All Evil. In that case, the Source's body exploded and the fragments of his body reformed after a couple of seconds. ("Charmed and Dangerous") Also, Piper was able to destroy Jeric with it and he was so powerful all the ancient Egyptians could do was mummify him, but Piper destroyed him in one hit. However, this power has grown a lot over the series, to the point that by season 8 it is so powerful that she was able to blow up Baliel, a member of the Triad, by hitting him three times in the chest - something no other witch's power is remotely capable of. This proves that the ability has become strong enough that no demon can withstand it, and also cements Piper as the most powerful witch there is.

This ability isn't easy to control and takes much concentration as its one of the most powerful. This is shown promenintly when Piper and Leo switch powers during the attacks of the Siren. Leo couldn't control this power and didn't even seem to try Piper's other power, just this one. Similarily, Piper was able to control orbing easily, but healing and sensing were much harder for her. During the battle with the Siren, Leo, the only one with an offensive power, was forced to battle the Siren with this power and he had a hard time trying to even hit her with it. With much concentration and effort, Leo finally managed to hit the Siren, blowing her up and vanquishing her. Leo and Piper's powers were later switched back.

Piper has also used this power to deviate attacks, like when a demon threw a fireball at her or when Imara, as Phoebe, threw a fireball at her and she directed it back. Piper can also use this power to create ripples when she wants to. She used this in Season 6 when a demon threw an energy ball at the Charmed Ones and she deflected it by controlling her power and creating ripples that thrust the demon backwards. She also seems to be able to use this power as a type of telekinesis for example in the Season 8 episode 'Still Charmed and Kicking' when disguised as Wyatt she blows up half an energy ball ,and by continuously combusting the air around it, guides it into another demon. She also was able to vanquish the demon that threw it by freezing another energy ball and then blasting him at a certain angle, causing him to fly into his own energy ball and be vanquished. Piper also can control how strong she wishes her power to be when she uses it. She can throw people and demons flying across the room without hurting them, like when she flings an Avatar in "Charmageddon."

It could be said that she sends people and projectiles flying as if she had telekinesis, although she doesn't. She does this by controlling her Molecular Combustion power.Unlike her freezing power, it is not clarified whether good witches are immune to molecular combustion. Piper does at one time knock Christy out of the way with this power, but it isn't known if Christy's morality had anything to do with her partial immunity. ("The Torn Identity"). We see though that she also projects Billie back a couple of feet because she was trying not to hurt her. This shows that this power can be used against good witches. However, Billie had had part demon in her when Piper blasted her, thus making her more susceptible to being knocked down. As evidenced, when the Source took the Charmed One's powers in Charmed and Dangerous, he never attempted to blow up the Charmed Ones but tried to kill them with a fireball. Since Piper's combustion and immobilization powers work off of manipulating molecules, it is possible that she could receive a possible future power advancement and gain the power of Molecular Manipulation, if so she would be able to create and control all forms of matter and energy and could also be used to simulate virtually any power and ability.

Piper seems to access this power easier, perhaps due to it's more intricate ties to her emotions, than her immobilization power. At one point when Piper became extremely angered by Leo she was able to blow up an entire door and part of a wall in the manor. ("Cat House")

This is the last power used to vanquish a demon on the series: Piper uses it to blow up the Present and Past Dumain, vanquishing both.

[edit] List of users

• Piper Halliwell - An advancement from molecular immobilization. ("Exit Strategy" - "Forever Charmed")
• Leo Wyatt - Switched powers with Piper. ("Siren Song")
• The Source - Stole Piper's powers. ("Charmed and Dangerous")
• Mabel Stillman - Temporarily stole Piper's powers. ("The Power of Three Blondes")
• Pilar - Copied/Stole Piper's powers. ("Repo Manor")
• Zankou - Stole Piper's power's. ("Something Wicca This Way Goes")
• Denise - Absorbed Piper's powers. ("Ordinary Witches")

[edit] Notes

• Piper does not have to be directly in front of an object to blow it up, she just has to see it. This means Piper can blow something up through a pane of glass without blowing up the glass itself.
• This power is the most powerful of the Charmed One's abilities, for they don't always have to say a spell to vanquish a demon.
• Piper is the only character shown naturally possessing this power.
• In the season 7 episode Charrrmed!, Piper controls both immobilization and combustion powers by blowing up a glass casing with one hand, then subsequently freezing the shards in mid air with the other hand. Also, in the season 4 episode Charmed and Dangerous the Source, who possessed both of Piper's powers temporarily, froze the shattered remains of a urn, using both powers simultaneously.
• This is the last power used to vanquish a demon: Piper blows up both Future Dumain and Past Dumain with this power, vanquishing both in one hit each and taking out Past Dumain as he tries to shimmer away.