Logistics of a real Superhero world

[fireinthedust]

Well, I don't know. I just said it hasn't been well-explored. I would expect the presence of a significant number of such people to have notable impact on values - what is a person worth? what is "justice", really?, what use of force do we allow, and what don't we?

Consider the Old West. Then consider the period of WWII. Now consider today. We've had major cultural shifts between those times. Your typical person believed different things about right and wrong, what was proper and what wasn't, and so on. Heroes from each time would be different types of people.

Good call. I suppose you could say that, as an add-on to what you're saying, the way culture develops would depend upon the moment of outbreak? Like, if Supers are used as Supersoldiers in WW2, we could see aspects of society form along different lines than they would in our world (a world where the President doesn't have telepaths and super-warriors enforcing politics).

In a world where Supers developed in an Old West setting, we might see more Homesteads and maybe Independent States arise and stay stable: America as we know it may never have formed!

I have this one tpb from England where the Hippies in the 60s gained psionic superpowers and became heroes like "Dr.Love" and other hippie names. Good guy were enlightened peaceniks. Bad guys were Manson-esque, and brought about a dark time called "Helter Skelter", sort of like Ragnarock. Short and sweet, but interesting take.

Well, that depends on what kind of powers we are talking about. If your heroes are Batman, that means one thing. If they are Superman, they are another. Godlike, for example, is a RPG set in WWII, with superhero characters - but a good sniper bullet is still a major danger to the characters. That's radically different from a Superman who can around the world and travel back in time....

In an era with nuclear weapons available, you need to be Superman before fighting back is not an option.

I don't know about that. Fallout on a level to take out even the DC heroes who are a string below Superman would seriously destroy the US itself. Victory wouldn't be worth the cost if it meant exploding New York just to take out costumed heroes.


I'm assuming for much of this that we're talking about a standard Comics company array of heroes: from Luke Cage and Wolverine to Superman and Green Lantern. However, even Heroes level hidden supers got to the point several times in that show, where they either did or almost wiped everything out.

But yeah, fundamentally I think they'd change the game: could you have a president in a world where a Shapeshifter could assassinate and replace him/her? Unless there were measures against them, I think changes would be needed in the system itself.

 

[Tayne]

You should read MiracleMan by Neail Gaiman.

I think I should, actually. I read up on it on wikipedia and it sounds cool. I'm a fan of Alan Moore's deconstructionist stuff and it sounds like maybe there's a connection there?

edit - oh, he wrote on it too... and I can pick it up on amazon for ONLY like $400!

 

[Relique du Madde]

If super powers arose in the old west, I think the US would end up in the same place it is today. See, in the old west Law Men and Outlaws wandered from town to town until they died in a gun battle or retired to a civilized life. With super powers the same thing would happen, but with more epic results.

Wild Bill Hickok would have died by a bullet in the back of his head (assuming he has super powers) either from a random lucky mook or by a Super Villian. The shoot out at the OK Corral would have been a super powered first fight, or Wyatt Erp and his men would have rounded up the cow boys using their super abilities (assuming they were not a posse of normals who were slaughtered by super cow boys), etc.

-Posted via mobile device.

 

[Tayne]

If super powers arose in the old west, I think the US would end up in the same place it is today. See, in the old west Law Men and Outlaws wandered from town to town until they died in a gun battle or retired to a civilized life. With super powers the same thing would happen, but with more epic results.

Wild Bill Hickok would have died by a bullet in the back of his head (assuming he has super powers) either from a random lucky mook or by a Super Villian. The shoot out at the OK Corral would have been a super powered first fight, or Wyatt Erp and his men would have rounded up the cow boys using their super abilities (assuming they were not a posse of normals who were slaughtered by super cow boys), etc.

-Posted via mobile device.

I know one thing- things would have been different if the only old west superhero was Apache Chief.

 

[fireinthedust]

I know one thing- things would have been different if the only old west superhero was Apache Chief.

Mmmm, I think he wouldn't have lasted long: world filled with gun happy cowboys and Apache Chief decides to make himself bigger?!

 

[Tayne]

Mmmm, I think he wouldn't have lasted long: world filled with gun happy cowboys and Apache Chief decides to make himself bigger?!

I think the only thing he needs to do to become bulletproof is buy a leather duster. One of those suddenly 100x thicker and bullets aren't getting through it.

Or does only his Indian garb grow with him?

 

[Relique du Madde]

Technically, as long as he stays large, most calliber bullets from the 1800s wont do too much damage to him since his skin would become thicker then leather. In order to drop him you would need at least a shot gun (slug), buffalo gun, cannon, or explosives.

However, the last thing he would want to do is increase or decrease his size when a bullet it lodged in his body.

-Posted via mobile device.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex

 

[fireinthedust]

Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex

The first article makes no sense: Superman was an infant when he landed, and didn't get his powers until later in his life. The superstrong baby in the film is the invention of that director, iirc.

Regardless, his personality isn't Kryptonian: his identity is basically human, formed before he learned he was Kryptonian. He may be interested in discovering more about his people, but he's still psychologically human, at least for how he was raised; physiology and temperament is genetically Kryptonian, so we can't judge what their urges are like.

Anyway, a little red sunlight and he's basically a human. One tanning bed rigged to do red light and he's normal.

If he didn't gain his powers until exposed ot the Yellow sun of Earth, then the Foetus wouldn't have powers until it was out.

Also: space travel. Send Superman and Lois to some other planet and they don't have the powers problem. Done. Come back when the baby is ready to have powers.

Yeah, horrible article in terms of knowledge of Superman and options.

 

[Nytmare]

Olgar, thank you for reuniting me with a story I hadn't read since the mid 80s.

Fireinthedust, thank you for sucking all of the joy out of the first thing I had ever read by Larry Niven.

[EDIT] Also, the superstrong baby was in the comics. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/yeung/actioncomics/page1.html