Off My Mind: What Happens When Superheroes Get Sick?

Not to sound gross or anything, but what about diarrhea? I mean, who wants to web swing around a city with a heinous case of the BG's (Bubbly guts)? I say Nay! Sometimes a day off is needed.

On the other hand, many criminals might think twice about fighting you if you've obviously got something contagious. ;)

I honestly think the heroes with enhanced powers should be immune to common colds and viruses.  Spider Man, Capn America, Superman should never get sick.  I would think Batman would have trained himself never to get sick. 
 
Now for the guys who don't have that health factor or batman immune system, I would think it's about networking.  You honestly need to have someone you trust that is in that position to take care of you if you do in fact get sick.  And if you have to take a sick day, take a sick day.  If you think that the city is not safe if you're not traipsing about it in your spandex, you have no clue.  Sure being on patrol helps.  But even cops can't stop all the crime.   
 
Besides, Spider Man looks like a douche laying in the hospital bed like that. 

lol, good question when you consider the universal super-hero health plans required to insure everything :) 
 
My guess is, a good hero knows when they're more a liability than an asset and avoid getting the rest down with the same super-mutated bugs.

mhm, good question.

With prep Batman beats all virus' and diseases. 

LMAO where do you come up with some of this stuff, G-Man. Interesting piece, though. I suppose it works sort of like in Shed/Grim Hunt when Spidey still had to go toe to toe with Lizard/The Kraven clan despite his flu. 

the avengers have an excellent healthcare plan they get full gov benefits.

I suspect that in a super-hero universe, you'd consider yourself lucky if you can avoid any illness that is:  

1. Cancer or AIDS or another "topical" disease that will kill you (and you'll stay dead because your death was powerful.) 
2. Turning you into a super-mutation-Lovecraftian-horror show.
3. An embarrassing STD.  Along with complications from sneezing and the mud-butt, I imagine it's hard for Spidey to scratch himself without Captain America noticing.

I think the same way.If a hero is sick other lonely hero should cover him.

" Not to sound gross or anything, but what about diarrhea? I mean, who wants to web swing around a city with a heinous case of the BG's (Bubbly guts)? I say Nay! Sometimes a day off is needed. "

Peter Parker used to get sick every 2 months XD 
Under Stan Lee, didn't he get a flu, cough, fever, get a cold, etc.all in his first 2-3 years?

They go to Night Nurse. Gun shots, burn wounds, measles, shingles, hepatitis C, colon wa... well you get the idea.

Nice article. If I remeber right some hero include an immunity (or at least an improved resistance) to diseases among their powers. As a general rule superheroes are extremly active so many of them should be pretty tough for germs. but at the same time they're also extremly stressed, which usually lower the immune response
 
Also there's another side to the matter, what about supervillains? Try to picture Doom who, after months of planning, is about to unleash his last plot to destroy the F4 and suddenly sneeze inside his helmet. It will be more humiliating than this
 

Superheroines in nurse outfits. Epic win for sick heroes.

What about Super Villians ?

"

She is here for them :P "

What about in Batman the Animate Series, when Bats gets a cold from fighting Mister Freeze? (BTAS: Heart of Ice). Alfred gives him chicken soup, and out he goes.

One thought I've had in the past is what kind of superbug would be created if one of these guys catches something, and it mutates because of their altered biological systems?  A friend of mine and I wrote up an Exiles/What If? type story a while back about an Earth that was decimated by a plague, all because Captain America caught the flu, and became Patient Zero.
 
And before anyone asks, we wrote it back in high school, it was horribly written, and I didn't keep the file.

" LMAO where do you come up with some of this stuff, G-Man. "

good question,  I  really have no idea    

Do you know what happens....... they loose their powers or their powers mutate and they get their butts handed to them. I f they have no powers... They end up taking the day off or get killed.... or they get to see me, I am a Doctor.

They call other heroes to take their place for a day or two. There are enough heroes in the world to look after a certain area in the world for two days or so. In other words, they just call in sick.

That's why you register.

The Flu: Spider Man's worst nemesis. This idea was interesting, I never really thought of what happens to superheroes when they become sick. 

Didn't Bruce get sick during Knightfall, last I check it did not go well for him.

To all criminals out there all I gotta say....CRIME SPREE!!! YAY!!!

Someone mentioned the Night Nurse already. There you go! 
 
And good job cranking these out Tony. There's always something new to read when I hop on.

Could you imagine the back splash he gets when he sneezes! yuck!
 
Not to mention all the time traveling (past, alt. present, and future) and space traveling these guys do, who knows what they could bring back with them like: "Srull-pox" *symptoms include greening of the skin, rippling of the chin, and irritable shape-shifting do to sneezing*

" @ComicMan24 said:

"

She is here for them :P "

i want to be sick !!! "

Alfred has gotten pretty good at sewing Batman back up.

I'm pretty sure Ironman operates the suit drunk half the time so a little cough medicine ain't nothing I tells ya

Most dont get sick though so dont worry bout it

what happens if superman (or anyother hero/villian w/ super tough skin) needs to get an injection?

Why not turn to a superhero who IS a doctor:
Dr. Mid-Nite,
Dr. Light, 
Dr. Thirteen,
Dr. Strange,
Dr. Manhattan,
Dr. Fate,
....