Katie Power is the youngest, and her original ability is probably the one that makes the contrast between age and danger easiest to see. As Energizer, she can break matter down,…

Katie Power is the youngest, and her original ability is probably the one that makes the contrast between age and danger easiest to see. As Energizer, she can break matter down, absorb the released energy and discharge it in powerful bursts. That is a serious ability to put in the hands of a small child. She can affect the world in ways most adults cannot, without having the experience that would help an adult judge every possible consequence. The danger is there even when she is trying to help. Katie is also capable of making decisions that the older people around her struggle with. Annalee’s attempt to take the Power children follows the loss of her own children. The harm she causes is real, but Katie eventually offers a connection that does not require replacing her actual family: Annalee could be a special grandmother. It is a surprisingly generous answer to an ugly situation. The adults have to stop the coercion and restore the children’s lives. Katie can then offer something freely. That order matters. Compassion does not require leaving someone in control of the people they have hurt. Her appearances also avoid making bravery look tidy. A young child can be frightened, upset and brave in the same scene. There is no need to erase the fear to prove that she deserves the costume. That makes Energizer more than the smallest figure in the group with the biggest-looking blast. Katie has a way of responding to people that changes the emotional direction of a story. Sometimes she needs somebody older to protect her. Sometimes she is the one who sees a possibility the adults have missed. Both belong to the character, and neither requires pretending she has stopped being a child.