Happy Fourth of July, Fantasy Readers! What a great day to blog and win some beer (or hot chocolate…). Every week we offer up a bloggy prompt and invite you to discuss and debate the topic. The comments will close at 11:59PM Pacific time Saturday and, if we have at least 10 participants, we’ll award $10 in beer money to the most interesting or entertaining contributor after that. Close out the weekend in style!
This week’s blog topic is by non-fiction editor K. Tempest Bradford:
Superheroes and Property Damage
This is the opening weekend for Hancock, a movie about “an angry homeless man with superhuman powers who causes massive property damage whenever he clumsily tries to save the day.” This got me thinking about one of my favorite superhero franchises: The Bruce Timm DC Animated Universe. Batman: the Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman: Beyond, Justice League, etc. I can’t get enough of these shows, but there’s one aspect about them that continually bugs me.
Over the past few days I’ve been watching the first and second season DVDs of Justice League Unlimited. In almost every episode there’s a major battle between superheroes and villains that results in major property damage. Not just, oh, we broke a wall, but, that building exploded when it crashed down into the other one. These battles rarely take place in out of the way locations–generally it’s a major urban center by all the tall buildings. Judging by how quickly Lois Lane gets to the heart of the fighting, I’d say many times Metropolis takes a major beating, even when it’s not stated.
And yet no one comments on this. Sure, the heroes save the day and all, but they destroy the city in the process. What’s the point in saving us all from the dastardly deeds of the bad guy if there’s no home to go to? Insurance rates must be ridiculous. The mob bosses running construction must be billionaires, because just one episode later all the buildings are back in place and people return. Suckers.
I noticed that this tends to happen more often in shows where Superman is around. I don’t remember this level of destruction on Batman, and even Batman Beyond didn’t have Terry destroying high rises every other week. I suppose when you bring in a hero who can pick up a building and hurl it at someone, these things are bound to happen.
But still, so often? With hardly any comment?
There were a few times that the toll on non-hero people was mentioned. In the JLU first season episode “The Greatest Story Never Told”, minor hero Booster Gold gets assigned to crowd control while the other more important heroes fight the evil wizard. This results in a lot of disaster, buildings destroyed, etc, while Booster begrudgingly tells the scared and running populace to “keep moving along.” Why isn’t there an evacuation plan for this sort of thing? In the second season episode “Flashpoint”, the League’s super cannon fires on a town in New Mexico, destroying an underground base and most of the town’s buildings. Some of the League go down to do rescue and repair–something I don’t think we’ve ever seen on the show before–and someone asks why they bothered to help when they did the destroying in the first place. Thing is, Lex Luthor fired the weapon (which the people don’t know). So one of the only times we see people getting angry about the destruction is when the bad guy is responsible.
It’s really interesting that the writers and other creative team are perfectly willing to show the wholesale destruction of property but don’t want to talk about the effects that has on the people. And they gloss over the extent of that destruction by not showing the cities in repair–just shining and glorious as they were before (right before they’re reduced to rubble again).
In the DC Animated Universe we rarely see people die. Sure, they get the shit beat out of them, or blasted by energy beams, or tossed off of things, or have their building destroyed, or whatever other thing that would result in death in our world, yet they do not die. I’m not talking about the heroes, I’m talking about the regular people. It feels a little disingenuous.
Which is why I’m cautiously optimistic about Hancock. I’m primed to see someone address these problems. Because I feel like that’s part of the superhero world, too: the tradeoff between safety from great evil and randomly having some dudes crash through your walls as they fight that battle.
1 • NewroticGirl said:
July 4th, 2008 at 11:47 am, permalink
Hey, all that property damage is creating jobs! The people of Metropolis, Gotham City, et al never have to worry about unemployment because there’s always some post-super battle cleaning up to be done.
All that splodey boom is GOOD. Good for the economy! Good for progress! The city of (insert city here) gets ramshackle old buildings knocked down for free and gets to hire folks to put up shiny new ones.
Top Jobs in A City With A Hero:
1. Construction
2. Cleaning
3. Psychiatry/Therapy
4. EMT/First Responder
5. Medical/Healthcare
6. Glass/Windows/Windshield Installation
7. Auto Sales (how many cars get crunched/tossed/blown up per episode? in this town, cars are disposable!)
8. Insurance Sales
2 • Charlie Allery said:
July 4th, 2008 at 12:21 pm, permalink
IIRC, that’s the kind of thing that used to set Spidey apart from the rest of the Marvel universe superheroes. The Avengers had a mansion, the Fantastic Four got awards and made loads of dosh out of scientific spin-offs and Spidey got invoices from the city for the destruction of property involved in stopping the bad guys. And of course, it was regular headline material for J Jonah Jameson.
But as for someone repairing the damage or doing something for those made homeless/carless/jobless … hmmm, nope, not ringing any bells here. I guess they just figured everyone was insured and after all, they *survived* didn’t they? Sheesh! *g*
3 • Randy Henderson said:
July 4th, 2008 at 12:27 pm, permalink
HULK SMASH!
(partially paraphrased from my post last week)
The new Hulk movie is SO much better than the previous Ang Lee version, but one thing I still can’t get over was the military’s complete disregard for civilian safety.
For example, in one scene a helicopter gunman was strafing the target (which I shan’t name) as he ran across the rooftops. They were firing at an angle DOWN into the buildings. They must have mowed down at least 67 families sitting in the top three floors of those apartment buildings.
I mean, it’s a given that the Hulk would do some damage. It’s not like the plot was going to be around his struggle as an underdog to fulfill his lifetime dream of being Mr. Universe, and how that inspired a group of innercity kids to go for their goals or something. The Hulk is about smashin’ big things into little things, preferrably with explosions.
But(spoiler) after establishing a factory owner as being kind to Banner, but struggling financially, they have the Hulk and commandos demolish the poor guy’s factory. That’s just whack.
(end spoiler).
4 • Randy Henderson said:
July 4th, 2008 at 12:32 pm, permalink
It should be noted that they address this issue of hero damage in The Incredibles as well, with rampant lawsuits resulting in “supers” being banned.
5 • Aerik said:
July 4th, 2008 at 3:45 pm, permalink
CADMUS’s Alice Waller seemed to care. Makes me wonder how much you really watched.
Anyhoo, that’s not the onlyr eason to be cautious about Hancock. The way things are going, it looks to be Scientology’s second try at what they tried to do with Battlefield Earth.
6 • Randy Henderson said:
July 4th, 2008 at 4:14 pm, permalink
Presidential Opinion on the Topic
As the (unofficial) self-appointed Spec-Fic Community Outreach Representatives for both Obama and McCain, I would like to release the following (completely unauthorized) statements on behalf of the candidates:
McCain-ish:
I believe it is up to the individual states to determine how best to handle the issue of superhero destruction.
However, I would make a few suggestions to guide these states in their decisions.
First, and most importantly, accelerate the rebuilding of any Old Country Buffet restaurants destroyed in the fighting. I love buffets.
Second, I understand that corporations like Lexcorp have been accused of profiteering on the destruction, by building cheap substandard housing and offices and then taking out ridiculous insurance policies on them. More, it has been suggested that many super-villains take bribes to direct the superheroes’ destruction in the most profitable urban areas.
I have been assured by Lex Luthor himself that this is not true. In fact, I propose … er… what was I talking about? Oh, yes, I propose reducing the taxes on any profits made from such speculation, as well as the corporate tax rate in general, as that will inject additional capital back into the system that will trickle down into jobs for the common people, and ensure faster rebuilding times.
Third and finally, I support tax breaks on all purchases of Viagra. I know that may seem a bit off-topic, but seeing Superman in his blue outfit going strong at, what, 90-something (?), reminded me.
Fourth, and finally, do not rebuild urban public schools. Instead use that money to provide vouchers to the parents of the displaced students. This will allow them to send their child to a safe private school in the suburbs – well, assuming they can get in, and afford the remaining tuition. However, I feel we should be careful what schools we fund. Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, for example, apparently has an unusually strong focus on teaching and researching evolution.
Finally, on the topic of immigration, many of the most powerful (and therefore destructive) superheroes entered our great nation from other countries, dimensions, planets and galaxies illegally. I propose erecting a transdimensional wall around our entire nation. And we can offer those who are already here a path to citizenship, if they are willing to use their abilities to help us defeat evil in Iraq. Not that we need help there. As General Thaddeus Ross clearly stated, everything is going really, really great there. Really.
Finally, let me just say that if you vote for me, I will send everyone a birthday card with five dollars in it.
And finally, pull my finger. Go on. It’s funny. Okay, fine, but … look who’s got your nose!
Oh, yes, thank you, and God bless America. And by God, I mean the real God, not the mighty Thor, or any of those other fake gods you see in eastern Indian comics, of course. But Buddha is okay. And no, I’m not just saying that to make people forget how I said I hated “gooks” in my 2000 presidential bid. Really.
Oh, and Reagan. And terrorists. Don’t really have a point, but I forgot to fit those words in earlier.
Is it nap time now? What? Oh, how do you turn this microphone off? I usually have my grandkids help me with my electronics. You should see me try to set the time on my DVD player. I — ssskkkk…
Obama-ish:
Can we rebuild a brighter, better city after a superhero battle? Yes we can. Each superhero battle is not just an event of massive destruction, but one of opportunity, and hope.
I am reminded of little Billy Bradley, who asked me, “why didn’t my mother have health insurance when Superman caused a wall to collapse on her leg?” We must do more to ensure every citizen has the ability to seek medical aid after a superhero battle without fear of massive debt. That’s why I propose a voluntary universal health care system, as well as a superhero national volunteer program. For example, if Superman broke the woman’s leg, there is no reason he can’t use his x-ray vision to determine the damage, and save her the cost of hospital x-rays.
That’s point one.
Point two, we must address the rampant profiteering that drives this destruction. I support the efforts by Senate Democrats to levy a windfall tax on the insurance and construction companies, like Lexcorp, that have grossly profited from, and arguably increased, the destruction of people’s homes and offices. I also support increased accountability from building inspectors who sign off on these sub-standard and oddly explosive buildings.
Point three, we must ensure that the constant destruction of property does not destroy the lives of the middle-class men and women who work and live in these buildings. That’s why I propose rolling back the tax cuts on the corporations and the wealthiest 1 percent, like Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne, in order to provide additional tax relief and to extend unemployment benefits to the people who really deserve and need it, the hard working lower and middle class Americans, like my local press contact here, Peter Parker.
Point four, I intend to bring our troops home from Iraq as quickly as possible, so that our national guard can be available to help safeguard and rebuild our own cities during and after these superhero battles.
Point five, let’s take these opportunities to build more energy efficient buildings that utilize solar power, water and waste recycling technologies, and more. And for every gas-guzzling car tossed or blasted or ripped apart, let us replace it with a hybrid or electric car. In this way, we can take the jobs lost due to exporting labor to cheap countries like Dr. Doom’s Latveria, and to the destruction of workplaces and factories by superbattles, and replace them with “green” jobs that will put Americans back to work.
And finally, I just want to say that my favorite superhero of all time is Wonder Woman, who reminds me of my strong and beautiful wife. And no, I’m not just saying that to win over the Clinton women’s vote. Really.
Thank you, and God bless.
7 • K. Tempest Bradford said:
July 4th, 2008 at 4:19 pm, permalink
Aerik, do you mean AMANDA Waller? See, I’ve watched enough!
And her concern was not so much for the destruction of cities during battles to defeat bad guys, but for the Justice League turning into bad guys themselves. That’s a big difference. I don’t remember a circumstance of her getting angry because superman threw some guy through three buildings and destroyed a city’s low income housing.
The ONLY time the destruction of property was mentioned is in the episode where Luthor builds Lextown or whatever and goads Superman into destroying it. And again, the mention only happens when the real reason behind it is a villain. And that same villain is working with Waller, who also doesn’t seem to care too deeply about the town, just about making Superman look bad.
8 • Rachel said:
July 4th, 2008 at 5:19 pm, permalink
Maybe it’s just because I’m not particularly fond of the superhero trope in the first place, but I feel like the only times I’ve seen this handled have been clumsy. I mean, it’s a major plot point in The Incredibles, isn’t it? The Incredibles is a good movie, but that particular gag is only worth the screen time it got there… I’d really rather not see it rehashed in other media.
I realize the author here is suggesting we see superheroes’ property damage treated seriously rather than comedically, but… well. I’m skeptical. It would have to be done well, at any rate.
9 • Aerik said:
July 5th, 2008 at 12:24 am, permalink
pass the test, but when you say “nobody” seemed to care, well, poo on you.
10 • K. Tempest Bradford said:
July 5th, 2008 at 12:33 am, permalink
Aerik, describe to me an instance of someone caring where the destruction didn’t have something to do with Lex Luthor goading or framing the JLU. As I said, Waller didn’t express caring about destruction during fights with villains, so who are you talking about?
11 • Where do the candidates stand on superheroes? at K. Tempest Bradford said:
July 5th, 2008 at 12:44 am, permalink
[...] Henderson has a very funny take on what McCain and Obama would say about the destruction of cities by superheroes fighting villains. In some alternate universe, [...]
12 • Shweta Narayan said:
July 5th, 2008 at 3:57 am, permalink
Scott McCloud’s “Destroy” is a screamingly funny take on this very issue.
Not that he has anybody care about the massive property damage. Just that he pushes it to the point of satire … and about five levels beyond.
It’s a well named little comic.
13 • S.H. Segal said:
July 5th, 2008 at 6:01 am, permalink
I believe this is what we’re all talking around: “Damage Control” by Marvel Comics
14 • Esther said:
July 5th, 2008 at 9:02 am, permalink
The wanton destruction of superheroes cannot be good for an economy. Yes, one of the spillovers of destruction is construction, which can boost production in an economy. Fine, but that only works if the destruction is fairly improbable.
If the destruction were expected, there wouldn’t be businesses in those high-rises in the first place. Think about it: if a firm knew that there was a 50% chance that its building would be destroyed EVERY WEEK, they wouldn’t rent the premises unless they had sufficient insurance to a) pay for the reconstruction and b) pay for the inconvenience of relocating and the productivity lost. Insurance companies can’t offer this kind of insurance unless they’re backed by the state and the state would very quickly go bankrupt if they had to support Metropolis with Superman, Gotham City with Batman and so on. It’s just not a sustainable system.
Any city with superheroes causing wanton damage would swiftly depopulate because there would be no incentive for businesses to rent premises in them. If this situation continued for long enough (and presuming all superheroes live in the USA, which does seem to be the case) the entire economy of the country would have to change. Or the superheroes would have to stop destroying buildings. The cost would simply be too high.
In which case, perhaps superheroes could spend some time addressing real problems, like dictators and genocide.
15 • K. Tempest Bradford said:
July 5th, 2008 at 9:32 am, permalink
Why does it not surprise me that the Marvel universe is all over this? Though I think in the actual DC comics it’s been mentioned, right? Still, damage Control is awesome. (and damn you for sending me to an artcle which led to another and another and another!)