Resenting superheroes, and the real world

[Cthulhudrew]

Collateral damage is the price the supers ( and the rest of comic earth) pays for their saftey.

Ah, yes, but the question is sometimes- would all these supervillains exist if the heroes weren't there to combat them? Chicken and egg, copycat killer syndrome. Asked primarily (that I've seen) in Batman comics (Miller's Year One, IIRC).

 

[DreadPirateMurphy]

I suggest nobody say anything more about Katrina on this thread, and suspect the moderators will take an interest before too long.

As for my opinion on superheroes in the "real world." The government is not going to allow vigilante justice by people in tights (any more than they would people with big guns). People with super powers would have to work for the police, FBI, military, etc., or be licensed to operate in specific areas. Anybody who flouts those rules would be fully prosecuted for any property damage, injury or death done.

Most folks with super powers would be unlikely to go into heroics or crime, in my opinion. I don't stop being me just because I can shoot lasers out of my eyes. Most folks would get jobs that would pay top dollar for special abilities, whether in entertainment, construction, security, etc. What research lab wouldn't pay top dollar for a super genius?

 

[Cthulhudrew]

As for my opinion on superheroes in the "real world." The government is not going to allow vigilante justice by people in tights (any more than they would people with big guns). People with super powers would have to work for the police, FBI, military, etc., or be licensed to operate in specific areas. Anybody who flouts those rules would be fully prosecuted for any property damage, injury or death done.

You'd have to catch us first! Hah!

Most folks with super powers would be unlikely to go into heroics or crime, in my opinion. I don't stop being me just because I can shoot lasers out of my eyes. Most folks would get jobs that would pay top dollar for special abilities, whether in entertainment, construction, security, etc. What research lab wouldn't pay top dollar for a super genius?

Not to mention the sheer logistical difficulty of standard "street justice" crimefighting. Even if you have a policeband radio or somesuch, odds are you'd get to the scene of the crime long after the perps have left. And to just swing around the city in hopes of stumbling across some criminal activity- yeah, right.

 

[Ranger REG]

Most folks with super powers would be unlikely to go into heroics or crime, in my opinion. I don't stop being me just because I can shoot lasers out of my eyes. Most folks would get jobs that would pay top dollar for special abilities, whether in entertainment, construction, security, etc. What research lab wouldn't pay top dollar for a super genius?

But if having laser eye is an advantage, would you use it?

I mean, if you and some innocent strangers are trapped in an elevator, would you cut an opening with your eyes?

Or if a bully in your PE class is climbing 15 feet up a rope, won't you be tempted to burn the top of the rope?

BTW, I don't know if having laser eyes would make you a super genius.

 

[Chimera]

the Flash can grab loose bricks, mortar them back in place, rewire the electrical systems, fix the plumbing, et al, all before landing the first punch.

Is he Union?



Gee, I was completely unaware that the construction trades were part and parcel of the Superhero training program.

 

[Filby]

That was just an example -- although Flash has indeed displayed a certain degree of engineering knowledge. What I meant was that superheroes can at least help out with the cleanup (ie, heavy lifting, etc.), even if they don't know how to put a building back together piece-by-piece.

 

[Plane Sailing]

If the thought occurs to you that a comment might stray too much towards politics, it probably has, so don't post it please. The thread is bound to sail close to the wind, we need your help to make sure it stays open.

Plus, we can talk more about the incredibles! Great movie, and a setting which was, in some respects mentioned, perhaps more "realistic" than your average 70's-era Marvel or DC comic

Cheers

 

[Klaus]

That was just an example -- although Flash has indeed displayed a certain degree of engineering knowledge. What I meant was that superheroes can at least help out with the cleanup (ie, heavy lifting, etc.), even if they don't know how to put a building back together piece-by-piece.

Actually in a comic Flash told Impulse (now Kid Flash) to slow down a bit when putting up walls, 'cause the mortar needs time to dry and support the bricks. He then goes on to explain that Superman doesn't suffer from these limitations, cause he can dry up mortar with his heat vision, cool down welded steel with his superbreath and check for structural weak spots with his X-Ray, Telescopic and Microscopic Visions. He's basically a one-man construction army, but he doesn't do too much, for fear of jeopardizing the jobs of construction workers.

 

[MaxKaladin]

On one board or another (I don't think it was this one), I once posted a thread about the "unsung heroes of the Justice League Universe" or a similar title. The essense of the thread was that I found the real heroes to be the cops, firefighters, soldiers and other non-superpowered people you see in every episode futilely standing their ground trying to do their jobs in the face of some supervillain despite equipment that is inadequate to completely useless against them. It's one thing to face off against Doc Mutilator (or whoever) when the worst he can do is throw you bodily through a wall but you're otherwise unharmed, which is what tends to happen to supers in those cartoons, but it's another for someone who would have to be cleaned up with a mop after a throw like that.

 

[Wrahn]

"Who watches the Watchmen?"

'nuff said.