How would the worlds media real handle Superheroes
By
Anti_Proton,
Posted on: 2010-03-22 06:44 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
Considering the media is owned and ran by evil men anyways, I don't expect the reaction to be very good. At the end of the day I think the hero would be vilified for being different, for not being everywhere all the time, and for not being able to help everyone. At the end of the day the hero will probably regret their decision to "come out".
Which reminds me; I can't wait until next season of Heroes after Claire's stunt in Central Park. They just better be glad Sylar is a good guy.. at least for now.
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Arc Name: Tsoo In Love
Arc ID: 413575
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lol you used "Privacy" and "Government" in the same sentence
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Originally Posted by Golden Girl
I think that it'd be likely superpowered people would have to register with the government, so there might be some kind of privacy law to protect the identities of any of them who were going to be fighting crime.
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Who do I have to *&^% around here to get more Targeted AoE recipes added?
Arc Name: Tsoo In Love
Arc ID: 413575
GURPS IST and the White Wolf's Abberant have both produced fairly realistic settings featuring supers. Worth a read if you're interested in that kind of thing. The CoH background is actually fairly well constructed. I think it's moderately fair to say that a lot of the consistencies we see (on Union anyway) are actually the result of player roleplay rather than actual problems with the background.
The press in real life would be what the press are: highly variable. We see that in Paragon City and a number of other settings. Some papers would treat heroes as heroes, others would dig into their background until it broke, others would consider them a menace. The press needs distinction to create a USP which brings in their readers. Expecting one, consistent attitude from them is like asking for consensus at the UN.
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
While not exactly the same, the 'Wild Cards' series of books does present a possible 'supers in real world' view.
I also enjoyed the logic/reasoning behind the super-powers that Wild Cards uses.
(everything, in one way or another, eventually breaks down to a form of psionic ability)
Which is why the super-gadgets that some Aces make aren't being mass produced...they simply don't really work for anyone else.
That's always been one of my peeves with superhero worlds. Why isn't everyone flying around with thier micro-atomic powered anti-gravity boots? Why hasn't Nike signed an exclusive deal for the rights and mass produced them?
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Cost effectiveness, adaptability, safety issues, and of course the rights to the design belong to a person who has the right to say "No. No. I won't be giving you the tech" Though they -could- backwards engineer it... of course then you've either got to retrain your entire staff on handling radioactive materials or fire them and hope you can hire a bunch of nuclear physicists in third world countries to manufacture the shoes -and- the replacement energy sources for them.|
Originally Posted by Soulwind
While not exactly the same, the 'Wild Cards' series of books does present a possible 'supers in real world' view.
I also enjoyed the logic/reasoning behind the super-powers that Wild Cards uses. (everything, in one way or another, eventually breaks down to a form of psionic ability) Which is why the super-gadgets that some Aces make aren't being mass produced...they simply don't really work for anyone else. That's always been one of my peeves with superhero worlds. Why isn't everyone flying around with thier micro-atomic powered anti-gravity boots? Why hasn't Nike signed an exclusive deal for the rights and mass produced them? |
-Rachel-
-Rachel-
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I think these are the types of Heroes that would get a hard time from the press.|
Originally Posted by Steampunkette
I don't know if I believe heroes would be harassed by the paparazzi. I think it entirely depends on their method of doing things -and- their method of travel.
For Example! Batman style hero: Always in poor lighting, uses alleyways and rooftops to travel around stealthily, strikes hard and retreats out of sight. Also: Has no problem crushing cameras. Assuming the Paparazzi could even -find- him to take the pictures or question-assault him, he's a vigilante. Broken cameras, destroyed film, and late night intimidation visits of a Dark knight standing at the foot of your bed, glowering down at you with the hate and pain of all of your nightmares! "Don't. Do it. Again. I know where you live. I know where you sleep." Sure there'd be bad press... But would Batman give half a damn? Superman-powered hero; Heat vision, super-speed, flight. The Red Blue Blur is actually a good description of what the Paparazzi would get of a superman-powered hero in real life. Follow him home? HOW?! Man flies cross-country faster than the human eye can follow. Most people would be aware of the general direction he was flying, but so long as he was careful he'd be fine... And with super-hearing, super-smelling, and Automated Super-Hypnosis from putting on his glasses: We can be sure he'd be fairly careful. Martian Manhunter: Change Form. Done. This works for most form-changing heroes. And -then- you have heroes like my Hero in the Isles SG Leader. People who just -don't- take off the mask. She's been wearing it since ""Hardcastle" was created. Even wears it in the shower! How about Rorschach, Spiderman, The Shocker, and other characters who wear full-face masks over features noone knows anything about? Ultimately whether they're revealed or not depends on their reactions to the paparazzi, their powers, their methods, and their attitudes toward their status as a hero. -Rachel- |
Rorschach wouldn't give a damn what the papers say about him, and I can see him breaking a few Pap noses if they put a camera too far in his face.
Spiderman had the right idea, controlling who (himself) and when photos of him were taken, however because of Jameson he got a lot of bad press, which he did not get control over. I think Jonas J Jameson's real life equivelent would be Piers Morgan (when he was editor of the Daily Mirror).
However, you got PR gurus these days, sometimes that could help (Hancock being a perfect example), but if you get anyone like Max Clifford you would immediatley taint your reputation if you were to hire him to do your PR (the man is a leech, maybe a real-life supervillian, a very subtle one at that).
I would hope only the Government and the Police would be negative about Superheroes. Personally, I think the press would use them at every opportunity to attack Government policies, Police methods. But I think a hero would get the best positive feedback would be from the public, morale would skyrocket if a superhero were to appear (Dark Knight anyone? Although I think vigilante gangs would be extreme)
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The government in real life protects the privacy/identity of some CIA agents - so it'd do the same for superpowered agents too.
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Originally Posted by EnigmaBlack
lol you used "Privacy" and "Government" in the same sentence
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@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
The real answer is that the media would do what the media does: Push its own agenda to make money, and that would be at the expense of meta humans who would be treated like celebrities in one sentence and the scum of the earth in the next. Never let it be said that the media ever let the facts get in the way of a good story
Thelonious Monk
The Daily Mail [UK newspaper] would have the headline
SUPERHEROES COSTING JOBS!
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If I remember correctly...doesn't Reed Richards actually make a mountain of money just by selling the patents to his inventions to various companies?|
Originally Posted by Steampunkette
Cost effectiveness, adaptability, safety issues, and of course the rights to the design belong to a person who has the right to say "No. No. I won't be giving you the tech" Though they -could- backwards engineer it... of course then you've either got to retrain your entire staff on handling radioactive materials or fire them and hope you can hire a bunch of nuclear physicists in third world countries to manufacture the shoes -and- the replacement energy sources for them.
-Rachel- -Rachel- |
Good point though, most villain mad science is definitely not designed to be mass produced for a commercial market due to them being, well, mad. Most of their devices would usually be inherently dangerous to use but the good Doctor Von Doomenstien (madeup name...no relation to the vastly more sensible Dr Doom) is just so crazy he doesn't care that his rocket boots have a chance to blow his feet off.
Most hero science is safer but usually less powerful than the mad scientist counterpart however these gadgets are usually designed by the millionare playboy types OR they're already military projects...
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1) Why would you assume that someone with superpowers would want anything to do with the government?|
Originally Posted by Golden Girl
The government in real life protects the privacy/identity of some CIA agents - so it'd do the same for superpowered agents too.
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2) Why would you assume that the government would want to do anything other than exploit someone with enough power to level a city?
3) We're all assuming a lot about the background of the superpowered person to begin with. He/she might have no family or secret identity to protect(Hancock). They might also be from a totally different universe/planet etc.
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Well it is a safe assumption surely. Would be a far safer bet to have them on your side than have both the government and the bad guys after you.| 1) Why would you assume that someone with superpowers would want anything to do with the government? |
Correct me if im wrong but arent the majority of the main heroes on some kind of "level" with the government? [By which i mean, they dont set out to p**s them off]
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Because they could use to them to help people, and it'd be a lot easier to make sure you were registered and known about, rather than possibly causing a major alarm when you started using your powers.|
Originally Posted by Slashman
1) Why would you assume that someone with superpowers would want anything to do with the government?
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| 2) Why would you assume that the government would want to do anything other than exploit someone with enough power to level a city? |
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| 3) We're all assuming a lot about the background of the superpowered person to begin with. He/she might have no family or secret identity to protect(Hancock). They might also be from a totally different universe/planet etc. |
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
All the UK headlines are scary, because I can believe them.
Sheesh...we've got a lousy system. Can we have yours? =S
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
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Originally Posted by EU_Damz
Well it is a safe assumption surely. Would be a far safer bet to have them on your side than have both the government and the bad guys after you.
Correct me if im wrong but arent the majority of the main heroes on some kind of "level" with the government? [By which i mean, they dont set out to p**s them off] |
That depends on whether you're there to "fix" problems that the state isn't, which is typically what a vigilante is about. If the police and associated authorities are failing to combat crime, for example then the individual steps outside of the law to correct a perceived failing in "the system."
In the Marvel Universe, most people believe Spider-Man is a villain because of the press power of J. Jonah Jameson, and in a real world situation most right thinking people would be appalled if a masked vigilante took to the streets and acted as de facto judge, jury and executioner.
A vigilante cannot "arrest" anyone legally because the rights of the arrested individual could be said to be severely abused (not to be confused with a Citizen's Arrest.)
Thelonious Monk
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Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha
All the UK headlines are scary, because I can believe them.
Sheesh...we've got a lousy system. Can we have yours? =S |
You'd swap the Sun for Fox News?
Thelonious Monk
I don't care how many lives a superhero saved, if they are too powerful, they will be captured, locked away and dissected. The only recourse for the superhero would be to conquer the world or be destroyed by it.
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Id they're that powerful, then they couldn't be captured
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
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Being that powerful would in no means guarantee that they have no weaknesses or vulnerabilities.|
Originally Posted by Golden Girl
Id they're that powerful, then they couldn't be captured
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History isn't full of examples of people who used power exclusively for the greater good. Governments being fine examples of the exact opposite. Taken a look a China recently? I have absolutely no faith that any government in the world wouldn't try its utmost to control and use any individual with a significant amount of power, regardless of the altruistic intentions of this individual.
Watchmen is a much more believable scenario than Justice League. Even with all his power, Dr. Manhattan ended up becoming a tool of the government...used to do some rather despicable things to end a war which had no right being fought in the first place. Oh hey...that sounds a bit familiar...
Nitpick here, but dissection would be a in-depth study of a DEAD specimen. A super-hero would not get that privelage. At the end of the line, once they're sure they can't get anything else, they will vivisect said superhero. It won't leave much for a post-vivisection, post-mortem dissection.
I really don't buy the idea that the government would vivisect superheroes any more than it vivisects, say, geniuses. Not all governments are Nazi Germany. Try to control or coerce yes; if nothing else, maintaining order is their job. But the drag-you-away-to-the-lab scenario is unlikely.
There's also the practical problem that if they started doing that, the news would get out and you'd probably have a superhuman insurrection. Heroes and villains alike would rally against the government out of self preservation. You aren't likely to have any allies among the super community if you have the habit of dissecting them.
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More than likely the government would create divisions that incorporated super powered beings into its ranks.
So you would see Municipal Govt start taking in local heroes as special Police Force operatives while the Feds would handle Military, CIA, FBI and Homeland Security divisions.
The government would not overtly do anything to super powered beings to control them, but then again it doesn't do anything obvious to control its current spies, CIA operatives, etc. I am sure, however, that for every "Superman" level meta-human the government would take steps to insure they had a fail-safe handy... just in case.
More than anything... and here I am speaking primarily of the US... the government is chained irrevocably to public opinion. As long as the heroes of the superpowered community were able to keep the villains in check, I am sure you would see a great deal of government support directed towards the heroes. Up to and including subsidies and information support.
On the other hand, if villains were constantly messing around with Average Joe America without anyone stopping them you can bet that the hammer would fall and it would fall on EVERY meta-human whether they were villainous or not.
In any case I don't see the government being pro-active about meta-humans. I don't see them "getting them before they get us." Our "leaders" may bluster about being brave and bold but they remain extremely timid about stepping out in declaration about anything new until someone else has dipped their toes in the water to check for pirhana first.
My mind wanders so often you've probably seen its picture on milk cartons. - Me... the first person version of the third person Steelclaw
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The operative word being "some", case in point Valerie Plame.|
Originally Posted by Golden Girl
The government in real life protects the privacy/identity of some CIA agents - so it'd do the same for superpowered agents too.
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I would never underestimate the lust for power and greed; something that would only magnify in non superhuman beings if there were super powered beings around. I'd actually feel sorry for them as there would be people around every corner trying to exploit them or worse.
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Arc Name: Tsoo In Love
Arc ID: 413575
Depending on the nature and extent of the superhuman's powers, then I think it'd be a lot harder to capture and intimidate them than most people think.
For instance, if I were a super human with the power of a Superman or Dr. Manhattan and the government tried to tell me what to do, I would just pop into the White House and threaten to depopulate Washington DC starting at the top.
On the other hand, if the Government wished to pay me to do certain things I didn't find morally objectionable-- say lift satellites into orbit or help establish outposts on the moon or Mars ... then I'd be willing to do business. 
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