Ballistic gel, which you learned all about from watching Mythbusters all those years, is commonly used as a comparable stand-in for human muscle and tissue. That way, we can run dangerous tests on something resembling a block of Jell-O, instead of someone named Bob. Thanks to that gelatinous concoction, we now have confirmation that if we had 100,000 volts of electricity pumped through us we miiiight not survive… unless we got super powers.

You can’t watch this video (which comes from the YouTube channel Photonicinduction, where they were asked to test the effects of electricity on ballistic gel) without being reminded of some superhero origin story, or at the very least the creation of Frankenstein’s monster.

After watching the effects of just 440 volts (you definitely want to avoid that level of voltage, because if it doesn’t kill you it will cause severe damage) and then 2,000 volts (you get real melty real fast at that level, which is what is used in an electric chair), they cranked the voltage all the way up to a whopping 100,000 volts. The ballistic gel started glowing, and became its own little blob of purple death.

I don’t know what I was expecting—maybe for the gel to burst into flames?—but it was far more dangerous looking than I could have imagined. The blob essentially absorbed all of the energy and looked like it was coming to life.

We love to bring you these fascinating experiments and videos, but please, do not start messing around with stuff like this yourself. This is obviously a professional with top-notch equipment and tons of experience dealing with electrical engineering. But this is still extremely dangerous for him.

Remember, we use ballistic gel for a reason. This degree of electricity won’t actually give you superpowers.

What surprised you in this video? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: Photonicinduction