Poll Position: Unfamiliar locations

This week's Poll Position question is:

{democracy:48}

Discussion after the jump.

I got to thinking about what makes a hero a hero. Is it the powers, the situation they find themselves in, a combination of the two, or something internal and undefinable? I wondered what would happen to a character who suddenly had either their powers, or their motivation for using their powers, taken away. Would they stop doing heroic things and settle down into a nice comfortable job filing the mail, or would they still be just as honorable and brave?

  • You're Superman on a red-sun planet. Superman fascinates me. Does it still count as courage if you know you can't be hurt? What if all of a sudden, after a lifetime of being invulnerable, you were just as mortal as everyone else? I wonder if he'd continue his life of crime-fighting as a non-powered hero like his buddy Bruce, or if he'd simply pack it in and become a reporter full-time. Personally, I wouldn't want to choose this option, as without his powers Kal-El is kind of a bore and I've already got that in my real life.
  • You're Professor Xavier on a planet where no one's mind can be read and there are no mutants. Professor X has built his entire life around serving and protecting mutant-kind. If all of that were taken away, and he couldn't read anyone's mind, what would he turn to? Clearly the Professor is a brilliant man, so I think he'd still be active and engaged on such a planet. He built Cerbero, after all, so he's clearly got an inventive streak that would serve him well no matter what. But, I think he'd probably feel a bit listless and at loose ends without mutants to look after, and so would probably end up defending some other oppressed group just as passionately. That'd be a good life for anyone to lead, comic book character or not.
  • You're Batman on a crime-free planet. Bruce Wayne fascinates me just as much as Superman, and for the same reason -- neither one has a reason to exist outside their super-powers. Superman's abilities are all physical, but take away Batman's need to fight crime and I don't know if he could take it. Superman seems to be a case of "I have these powers, I might as well use them" while Batman is more "I must fight crime at all costs, it's who I am." Superman seems to almost be an accidental super-hero, while Batman is very much an intentional one. Of course Bruce is brilliant and talented (not to mention rich) so if I had to live in that life it wouldn't totally suck, but I honestly think he'd end up contemplating suicide pretty darn fast on a crime-free world.
  • You're Iron Man on a planet where money doesn't matter. No money, no armor. No armor, no thrills. No thrills, no chicks. I'm just sayin'.
  • You're Wonder Woman on a planet where men do not exist, just Amazons. This might be the easiest choice, since Diana existed for a long time in just such a state, at least as far as she knew. And she was pretty happy doing it. So going back to something like that wouldn't be the be-all, end-all for her. However, I include it because I wonder if she could make the choice now, knowing what she'd be missing.

Having said all that, probably I'd choose to be Tony Stark on the planet of no money. A guy that smart is going to be all right no matter what, and the lack of money won't ever take away fundamental human nature -- people will fight just as hard over non-monetary items, and in that kind of culture Tony excels.

I'm curious to hear what you would choose, and why, in the comments below.

9 Responses to Poll Position: Unfamiliar locations

  1. Kiri says:

    Lol, I chose Batman on a crime-free planet. I’d imagine after contemplating suicide, Bruce would then decide to become a crime junky and commit terrible things just to do something fun. Without crime, Bruce would be tortured some other way. He’d probably be a bit off like Joker, or The Riddler. Their all smart, but Bruce has the money. So that’s my idea…its not the greatest but after reading The Dark Knight comic, you’d understand what i’m thinking.

  2. Bael says:

    I’d go for Batman. It used to be that the narrators spent a lot of time commenting on how he could have revolutionized the world of science/physics/chemistery etc. when plugging his latest gadget. I’d like to see what he could do in a full on philanthropic or scientific role in the world at large. The shallow Bruce Wayne is a cover he uses, not his real personality. Without a need to hide his talents, what could he accomplish?

  3. John says:

    ***WARNING***TOTAL GUY ANSWER***

    I voted for Wonder Woman on a planet with no men. ‘Cuz then it’s nothin’ but hot Amazon girl-on-girl action! Woohoo! Yeah, baby!

  4. Xstacy says:

    As a lesbian…John’s reasoning won me over.

  5. DJ says:

    Batman. He wants a crime free world. That it was he is fighting for. It would be a perfect world and I would be rich so that would be a plus.

    John. Your answer ALMOST persuaded me to vote for Wonder Woman.

  6. Jester says:

    …..Can I be batman on a planet where there are only Amazons?

  7. LightningLord says:

    Jester, are you aware what Amazons doing to men? They capture them, force them to have sex and kill you afterwards. I chose Batman in a crime-free world, because I understood it as me being in these Person’s role. I could have fun at showing off with the batmobile. =P

  8. DJ says:

    Lighting…What part of that was bad? You die a happy death!

  9. PhoenixTalion says:

    IDK, I think Batman in a world without crime would be all kinds of fascinating. Everything he’s ever wanted, combined with a creeping horror that in his idea of a perfect world, there’s no place for someone like him. Contemplating suicide? Yes, but I can also totally see him snapping and turning into some kind of anarchist. (Maybe even with Joker motifs?) Heck, maybe he’d crack to the point of having multiple secret identities, one who engenders crime and one who thwarts it.

    Wouldn’t want to BE him for the world, but it’s a fascinating idea.