Real world consequences: If people suddenly began to develop Super Powers

[mathew101281]

This is one thread in a series of posts examining what the ramifications of fantastic elements would be if they were taken out of fiction, myth and legend and dropped into the real world.

Thread 1: Super powers among us. The scenario goes like this. You wake up one Monday, morning and discover via the media that something resembling what we would call a superhero/villian has been spotted in the closest metropolitan area to where you live. At first you think it’s a joke, one of those gimmicky fake news stories that news outlets are prone to running with nowadays. But then you realize that there is a distinctly non tongue and cheek element to the story. Then comes the pictures. The internet is literally overrun with images from the thousands of smart phones that captured the incident. Its then that you realize this is very real. The media goes ballistic, trying to explain what has just happened. The following weeks are filled with reports trying to discover who the superhuman was, and how he came to be. He turns out to be just some average Joe who woke one day and discovered he could leap tall buildings in a single bound. He becomes a novelty, a tabloid celebrity, a freak for the media to stare at, and write opinion pieces about. And that's the way it remained for a month. Then a another shoe drops, several more superhuman's with completely different abilities have made their presence known in the world, and some of these figures aren't as seemingly harmless as the first. Some of them appear among the prison population, or among political and ideological figures that you disagree with both at home and across the globe. A dramatic seed change has happened in the world, and the individuals blessed/cursed by this global phenomenon seem to be quite random. A pacifist Nun one day develops the ability to teleport one day, a pyromaniac develops electrical powers the next day. Thus begins the new normal.

How would the real world react to the existence of super powered beings? Also what would the effects developing powers be to an individual level? mentally, physically, relationship wise?

[mojotastic]

Too many variables to think, like is everyone with the same power? Do bad people like a terrorist, a dictator or a serial killer have stronger powers than the one from good people? And many more.

I predict chaos will reign until a group of strong people decide to regulate society under their laws.

[mathew101281]

Too many variables to think, like is everyone with the same power? Do bad people like a terrorist, a dictator or a serial killer have stronger powers than the one from good people? And many more.

I predict chaos will reign until a group of strong people decide to regulate society under their laws.

As it states in the scenario, it’s random individuals getting random powers.

[Kirby101]

One thing I have thought of, with sports figures making 8 figure deals, someone with even a miminal power could make a legal fortune.
If you could jump a little higher, run a little faster, move an object just a bit, you could be filthy rich.
So why turn to crime?

[mathew101281]

I predict chaos will reign until a group of strong people decide to regulate society under their laws.

Probably at first. But I feel that it wouldn't be the more physical (potentially violent,) powers that would have the most long term effects on society. Look at characters like Reed Richards. Super humanly intelligent people would change the world way more drastically then any knock off Hulk or Flash would. Normally a person who creates one or to groundbreaking or world changing inventions in their lifetime would be considered a genius. Now what does being a super genius entail?

[Kirby101]

Miracleman was a good series that dealt with this.

[RLAAMJR.]

I want to be the most powerful literally like noone can hurt me, nobody can take away my powers, and i can turn off everybody's powers whenever i want to with just a thought.

I wanna be the most powerful to maintain peace and order here on Earth.

[batnbreakfast]

The military industrial complex hunts you down and uses you as their Black-Ops supersoldier. How can it be any other way