Over Analyzing Comic Books (Superhero Registration)
By multiverse 0 Comments
Below are my thoughts on what would happen if superheroes/villains were real:
Disclaimer:
I realize that it is unreasonable to expect comic books to completely reflect reality. Consider the thoughts below my attempt to see how close to reality they could conceivably get and keep in mind that this is just for fun.Who, What, and How:
If people really were running around with superpowers I tend to think that governments would want to know who the people are. For example, even though we know Spider-Man is a good guy, there is no logical reason to expect that he would never become a threat to public safety. To me the Fantastic Four model works best in this regard. If they ever went rogue you pretty much know who they are and where to find them. The easiest way to keep track of people with superpowers would be through medical records. If you have superpowers then there is a reasonable chance that your powers affect what can be done to treat medical problems you may have. Thus, it would be nice if your doctor knew you had superpowers. The need for governments to protect people from superpowered threats need not conflict with the idea of doctor-patient confidentiality. In most cases what governments would need to know is the type of threat they might face. For example, do they need to guard against psychics, speedsters, or shapeshifters? Once the danngers are known steps can be taken to protect people. For example, if Kryptonians might be a threat then law enforcement/military officials would use kryptonite to deal with the threat.Rules of Engagement:
In comic books many superheroes are essentially vigilantes. If superheroes were real then I don't think vigilantism would be tolerated. The model that makes the most sense to me is a hybrid of what SHIELD did with the 50 State Initiative and Heroes' Primatech Paper's policy of pairing powered and nonpowered operatives. Superteams would need to follow rules for when they can get involved on a case. Essentially, I think that Batman would need to get a warrant before he could search a building and heroes would need to focus more on saving lives/reducing property damage than on fighting villains. However, I do think you could have superpowered bounty hunters, private investigators, athletes, etc. so long as they follow rules designed to keep things fair.Compensation: If people could really have powers then being a superhero would essentially be a job. Thus, I am in favor of superheroes getting paid. One could argue that paying superheroes makes them less heroic but paying police officers or firefighters doesn't make them less heroic.