I’ve assembled a brief but more-or-less comprehensive list of superhero necessities. The list isn’t promising for the average citizen. It’s not even easy for most above-average citizens.
Bulletproof Everything
Face included. When fighting crime, someone will eventually shoot you. This is a reality you need to deal with, if you're going to be fighting crime.
Remember, bulletproof does not mean pain proof. Those bullets will hurt. You can still get bruises and broken ribs while wearing bulletproof equipment. You are just less likely to die. Also, more armor can equal less mobility.
A Helmet
Not even a mask will do. Everybody in Metropolis should know who Superman is his second week out. Green Lantern's mask isn’t nearly enough to actually conceal his identity. Even Batman’s mask is lacking: chins can be pretty distinctive. A helmet protects your identity while providing some protection to your head. Also consider something to disguise your voice.
The downside is that you lack some range of vision, and some movement of the head.
Of course, the downside to concealing your identity is that other people can imitate you. Someone could go out and start committing horrible crimes, to discredit you to get revenge on you.
Locomotion
When your arch-villain threatens your girlfriend on one side of the city and your best friend on the other side, how will you get to both of them? If the villain is jumping from rooftop to roof top, how will you follow? You need a way to get around. Enough said.
First Aid Kit
Honestly, if you are out there fighting crime, you are going to get hurt. Unless you are Superman, Wolverine, or someone with similar levels of invulnerability and/or superhealing, you will get hurt. Possibly seriously.
In fact, add “Good health plan” to the list. You’re going to need it.
Utility Belt
Consider basic personal security items, such as mace. A camera would be helpful, something with GPS could be...come to think of it, a smartphone with really good coverage. You may also want a ballpoint pen, a pack of gum, and duct tape (according to MacGyver).
I’m tempted to include swiss army knife; however, I would recommend not having any sharp or deadly weapons. They look bad if you’re arrested. Plus, you might kill someone.
Few people can kill someone without it having a major negative effect on their mental and emotional states. Think of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or shell shock. You will be much less effective if you are sent over the edge, and death is something you can’t undo.
Knowledge of Criminal Law
Does the law allow you to do what you’re planning? What does it allow, or require? What if you only report suspicious activity to the police?
Come to think of it, it would be a good idea to have a crack team of criminal lawyers that you consult before you begin superheroing. (Can superhero be a verb? I’m going to go with yes for now). You may also want to recheck with them on a regular basis on what you have done or are planning to do, to determine if you are still behaving within the bounds of the law.
Even a good team of attorneys may not be able to keep you from jail time, however.
Absolute Correctness
You need a lot more than certainty when you are fighting crime. How many shows are there where someone is certain that a given person or enemy is the criminal who committed an act, only to find out they weren’t? How often does incontrovertible evidence point to the wrong killers on television?
The truth is, in real life as in many shows and movies, things are not always what they seem. There are examples, sometimes tragic, of people being certain they were stopping a fight or apprehending a criminal, but they were wrong.
You are not infallible. You can be wrong. But this piece of the superhero puzzle is so important that it is just assumed for every superhero in nearly every story. After all, who wants to read a story about Batman beating up the bad guy, only to discover he was wrong? Okay, yes, it could make a very emotional and powerful story. But the vast majority of people want to read about villains getting justice, not about the innocent people getting punished.
If you are punishing the wrong people, you have moved from superhero to supervillain. Some would go as far to say that if you are punishing people at all without a proper trial, then you are a villain.
So there you have it, my more-or-less complete list of superhero necessities. Have I missed any key ingredients? Maybe a super useful item for the utility belt?
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