This week's Poll Position asks you to make some trade-offs:
{democracy:196}
Discussion to follow!
So the main rule here is, "no supers". That means no Iron Man in charge of SHIELD and no Abe Sapien working for BPRD. Dr. Who, however, is not really a "super hero" so would still be part of the deal with the Celestial Intervention Agency.
- SHIELD & HYDRA: On the plus side, flying helicarriers and Samuel L. Jackson leading our elite fighting force. On the minus side, HYRDA's pretty bad-ass and much more capable of mass destruction than anything we have today.
- STAR Labs & LexCorp: In the DC Universe, STAR Labs is at the cutting edge of some truly awesome tech that would make our world a lot better. And LexCorp is ruthless, but not really the "blow up the world" kind of group. However, STAR Labs is a research institution, not at all oriented to fighting something like LexCorp. The others on the list are direct combatants, but this is the only choice where you're bringing in an evil without a directly opposing good organization to fight it, even if the evil isn't as potentially threatening as some of the others. An interesting choice.
- Celestial Intervention Agency & Daleks: I don't know a lot about Dr. Who, so I'll leave this choice up to you all to defend in comments.
- G.I. Joe & Cobra: Cobra's pretty hapless in the grand scheme of things, while G.I. Joe is a fairly effective force. Plus, we could use them in more conventional engagements.
- UNCLE & THRUSH: This is really, really old-school. As in, before even my incredibly ancient time. In other words, l don't know much about it so you're on your own. Think of this as the "Texas A&M" choice -- sure to lose, but you gotta fill out the roster somehow.
- BPRD & The Black Flame: One way to look at this is that we're introducing a whole set of alternate (meta)physics into our world, which would require BPRD to defend us from it. The world seems to be getting along fine without ghosts and beasts and demons, and I don't think a group who exists purely to fight an evil we don't already have is a good trade-off.
- MiB & various aliens: The main appealing aspect to this is the idea that there really are aliens out there, which is awesome as a sci-fi fan. However, you can make the same argument against this as you would against BPRD -- why import a group that doesn't share its tech with the common man just to fight another group we wouldn't have if we didn't bring them in?
For me personally, I think the best trade-off of "we get cool stuff" versus the risk of the enemy you'd be bringing in would probably be STAR Labs and LexCorp. We already have corporations who serve their own ends against all else, and agencies in place to fight them off. What we don't have is a research group capable of the kinds of fantastical tech STAR would bring to us.
What about you, what would you choose and why?
Doctor Who is awesome but the Daleks are pretty scary… They can use lasers to vaporise people so I would rather not have them come here since the Daleks also don’t seem to be easy to destroy, even the Doctor seems to have trouble dealing with them at times. Although the Daleks are probably better than the Cyber-men…
I chose MiB and various aliens because to be honest, I think having super battles could be quite dangerous in the real world and nearly as fun as it is in comic books and movies. That being said, part of the whole premise of MiB is that they make sure the public is unaware and no one gets hurt (with exception to rednecks who get worn as a suit)
Jeff i think there is a problem because i vote now for three time
STAR and LexCorp. Why? Because they’d actually contribute positively to the world. Hell in a world without Superman , Lex Luthor would get off his duff and make the Earth a utopia.
I guess I’m going with STAR Labs and LexCorp myself. Because, first, we’ll end up with some amazing tech. And second, I think we can deal with Lex Luthor’s brand of evil, as opposed to world domination or blowing things up. I mean, really, is Luthor really that much more evil than, say, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs?
@TopHat(4): Exactly! Lex Luthor without Superman could be the best thing for humanity! Lex is really just a smart guy who got mad when he was upstaged by an alien, not somone who really wants to dominate the planet and blow up everyone in his path. Instead, I think STAR Labs and Lexcorp would be nothing more than competitors in the real world.
STAR Labs: “we discovered time travel!”
LexCorp: “oh yeah, well we figured out how to give normal people super powers!”
STAR Labs: “no way, time travel is sooooo much cooler than–”
LexCorp: “is not!”
STAR Labs: “is to!”
etc, etc
Yeah, I’m going to go withe The Doctor & the Daleks. I’m a Whovian, so this is actually a pretty cool Idea. Amy’s right though, they’re not easy to destroy, which I think might be why the entire concept is so cool. For all of the Star Trek fans, think of the Borg. They’re very hard to destroy, which is why it makes for a good story. Every time you encounter them, you have to devise some new way to do it with the available resources. Same with the Daleks. It’s always hard for the Doctor, but with the Celestial Intervention Agency it could start to get more interesting.
I would like to see Cobra Comander trying to wreak havock in our world…and I don’t mean the dumb live action version they did! As far as im concerned that NEVER happened. (Kinda the way everyone pretends there was never an ORIGINAL Fantastic Four movie but we all know it happened and it sucked)
My other argument for GI joe Cobra coming to our world is: Scarlet…nuff said 😉
Had to go with STAR Labs and LexCorp. As mentioned before, importing these groups into the real world doesn’t bring instant danger to innocent bystanders like the others would. In the real world the most interesting story isn’t necessarily good for our health.
WHAT?? No Starfleet vs. Klingons and/or Romulans and/or Borg????
oh well, guess I’ll just HAVE to go with Star Labs and Lex…
I would vote for MiB, but the only way I see that being cool is if I was part of the MiB, and I’m no Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones. 😉
United Network Command for Law Enforcement
Technological Heirarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity
Wrist-mounted blasters.
i’d rather not have nazi’s still running around, plus i’d totally hang out with hellboy and abe sapien
I’d go with StarLabs and Lexcorp, simply because they’d contribute the most positively of the bunch. My other choice would be the Gallifreyans, as I’m a Whovian. My only problem with that would be the Daleks who are basically cyborg Nazis from space who would kill us all if given the chance.
I’ll take STAR and LexCorp. LexCorp is no worse than some real-world unethical businesses most of the time and at least provides occasional things of value.
Amy Elf (1): I’d take Cybermen over Daleks any day. The Daleks are the supreme bad-asses of the Whoniverse. And by the way, did you see that episode where they met up and flung insults at each other?
Much as I love Doctor Who, no decision that brings the Daleks back is a good one. Exterminate!
Walmar–I mean, LexCorp, so long as it’s working toward it’s own gains, would probably still serve humanity to some extent. Unless I’m really off the mark, we’re not talking about evil for the sake of evil here, just cold calculation. I think we’d get some good out of LexCorp along with the bad.
haz (15) Yes I did see that episode and thought that it was a clever way to try and destroy them both… too bad that they keep reappearing somehow… But yeah, no decision that brings the Daleks to earth for the millionth time is a good one… actually no decision that brings the Daleks to the universe again is a good one since there have been episodes where the Daleks have controlled Earth from space.
Who voted for Daleks, if they would be real it would be like
“Exterminate,exter…there’s nothing left to exterminate.”
At this point I want to hear from the phantom/silent people voting for Shield/Hydra. So far from the comments I see 6 votes for Star Labs/LexCorp A couple for the Doctor, one MiB, but not a one for Shield/Hydra. Who are these people? And why are they scared to post??? Are they afraid of a little discussion??
Yeah, I gotta agree, in a Supermanless world the presence of LexCorp and STAR Labs would have paradigm-shifting consequences.
@Worf; I think maybe all those votes are coming from HYDRA agents. Advancing their nefarious agenda from the dark; you know how they are.
They’re probably the same ones who have obstructed the development of personal jet-packs all these years. And wrist-mounted blasters.
@spidercow2010: Damn those Hydra agents trying to come into OUR world.
On a side note, we apparently have a new “all purpose” phrase. Wrist-mounted blasters. let’s see:
Wrist-mounted blasters the wrist-mounted blasters Hydra agents that are wrist-mounted blasters our wrist-mounted blasters voting pool.
There, that works, right? 😉
STAR versus LexCorp, of course. The reasons have been adequately presented, already…
Jeff, you really can’t have Dr. Who with a “no supers” rule… The Doctor is a high-tech alien with serial immortality, and thousands of years of knowledge. The Daleks have Disintegrator rays, armored shells, and scary vocoders.
How is that not Super?
As for UNCLE versus Thrush, just think James Bond versus SMERSH, and you’re on the right track. It was classily done, but “Man from UNCLE” was basically a spoof of the Bond movies… {“Open Channel D!”} 😀
No M.A.S.K. or VENOM? So disappointed! ;9
Have to go with G.I. Joe and Cobra. At least the cartoon version. Walking down the street, epic battles blazing, stuff blowing up everywhere, the sound of lasers zapping… and no one ever gets hurt! They even parachute out of open-air helicopters!
Now the comic version… eeehhhh, you’re going to die.
Have to agree with MScat. Scarlet! More of a Baroness myself. You 80s kids will know this debate: Are you a “Jan” or a “Chrissy?” Such is with G.I. Joe. Lady Jaye being the Cindy.
I would vote for SPHINX and the Guild of Calamitous Intent if I could, just because both organizations are pretty ineffectual and wouldn’t really muck up our world that much.
I always say in a vote like this, vote for the organizations that would least likely mess up your life somehow. We already have enough real-life organizations causing trouble in the world.
I *had* to go with the MiBs, since theirs were the only “opposite numbers” that weren’t necessarily too evil to be worth the risk (no WAY that I want Cobra or the Daleks around!) In fact, a lot of those “resident aliens” in MiB sound like a lot of fun; they’re just cool, new neighbors!
And last but not least, the MiB might give me a job, at least as a clerk or something. (I may honestly be too weird for anything else.)
Worf makes an excellent point, we do need wrist-mounted blasters in HM3.
I want to see Torchwood or Unit on this list.