In the DC Universe, a metahuman is a human with superpowers. In DC Comics, the term is used loosely in most instances to refer to any human-like individual with extraordinary, often paranormal abilities or other attributes, regardless of whether or not they are cosmic, mutant, scientific, supernatural, skill-based or technological in nature.
The term in comic books published by DC Comics is typically used as a loose government classification of powered people and not a descriptor of a character's specific origins. As such it is often applied readily to humanoid and human-looking characters such as Superman (an alien) and Wonder Woman (a near-goddess) just as it is to characters like Metamorpho (a mutated human) and Lilith Clay (a human born with psychic abilities). Within the metahuman population however is a segment of the human population born with a genetic variant called the "metagene". It is this variant that some human beings have to gain powers and other paranormal qualities during freak accidents, or to manifest powers during times of intense psychological distress, effectively making them a subspecies of superhumans living within the population.
