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

[BeastieRunner]

It'd probably turn out like X-Men or Miracleman.

[Soubhagya]

Now its an interesting thread. When we are talking about the world there is so much to unpack. If fans desire this thread may continue for thousands of posts. This has been tackled quite well in comics. But then the stories are geared to entertain. So we can't call them accurate. There is no need too.

It can change the world entirely as we see it. From its geography to its politics to entertainment. For individuals this can be so different.

I guess best way of moving forward would be posting some from each angle.
1. Individual level
2. World's response

Individual: Its quite possible that everyone who develops powers can behave differently. Some would try to hide. Some would try to exploit. There would be people who actually try to help. While others may simply desire to be a celebrity.

Celebrity: It makes a lot of sense. People with superpowers will shoot videos of themselves and post them on Youtube. Who does not like to be a celebrity? I guess those videos will go viral. You know this may work better as a protection against those black-ops of govt. While those hating them will be there. That's obvious. Likes of X-Men has done this. But there would be people who would fight for their rights. You can't arrest a celebrity for no reason without causing a public outcry. What about civil rights?

These new celebrities may choose not to hide. Get film deals, tv series and webcasts. Why they may even cast them as the comic book movie leads? Imagine a guy who acts as Superman and who actually is someone like Superman. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, faster then a speeding bullet, more powerful then a locomotive. Cast him as Superman. It would be gimmick casting. There is no guarantee that these 'actors' could act well. There would a lot of bad superhero movies.

Some governments can see an opportunity. Why not keep them in the payroll? An intelligent government would try to set up a team as soon as possible. They would fear a team meant to destabilize them. How it would affect the politics is anyone's guess? It would be difficult to have a party based on paranoia. If you are drumming up hate against them you won't get their support. You risk being called xenophobes by a good chunk of the public. A good way to fight this is by actually showing these celebs as heroes. Say shoot a video of a guy saving a girl from a fire and release it on the internet. Why even governments may sponsor these 'videos'. X-Men and The Brotherhood will have to fight a propaganda war too. It is risky to use your powers for bad.

X-Men property would be a big hit initially. I guess. Some characters may even make a jump to the comics themselves. Licensing deals by these new age celebs would make them millionaires almost overnight.

I am setting a scenario where Superman of this world decided to shoot a video while doing his first job as Superman and placed that in the internet. I am placing a good scenario. I expect someone to find flaws and mistakes here. And how these things might or might not happen.

Worst case scenario is of course Armageddon. How difficult it would be for a Mystique to get access to USA 's nuclear warheads. A slight mistake and the world will end up as spoken off in 'Dr. Strangelove'. There might be total annihilation or partial with people getting into these shelters underground. (If someone has seen Dr. Strangelove one can get what i am saying). But even this survival is interesting.


Food for thought: What will happen first? Will this 'Superman' post his video first? Or first there would be a major incident sparking off a paranoia for these 'Supers'. This is most crucial to see how world will respond to this new age. And also how the other 'Supers' would respond to it.

[Adam Allen]

Can only conjecture obviously, but I feel like a "super powered arms race" is the only inevitable result -- whether it begins immediately or takes a bit before really taking off. There may be super-powered celebrities and even real hero types, but inevitably it has to occur that superhuman abilities are a game-changer, as far as conflict, security, and all that sort of thing are concerned.

A Reed Richards would pretty quickly come to be seen as any given government's greatest asset or greatest threat, but a single Flash or a Hulk, or a Storm, too -- a single element that can produce an outsized impact, especially if used strategically. Finding super powers that you can leverage I think has to become a priority ... and, finding ways to neutralize the super-powered leverage of your enemies. So yeah, super-powered arms race.

For the individual -- you keep your powers a secret, or give up on any kind of normal life. You're instantly a possible asset and possible threat, if it's publicly known that you can do stuff that's basically magic.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

You'd have alot of people using it for celebrity and otherwise trying to take the easiest path to a comfortable life.

[Dalak]

If this continues will everyone in the world have powers? Is there some sort of max or one day are we going to see a Molecule Man who can literally reshape the world?

[ed2962]

This kinda reminds me of a story on This American Life like ten years ago...they asked several people what they would do if that had certain superpowers. All the answers were stuff like, "I'd use it to get more work done, I'd fly my friends to Paris, I'd sneak into the movies." Almost no one said they'd fight crime.

I think there'd be some people who use their powers to become celebrities. I think some would use them in more mundane ways to make money. For instance, you'd start a construction business and use your laser eyes to clean debris.

I think there'd be some people who'd become heroes but they'd do so in acceptable ways...join the military or police force. Perhaps set up a website or foundation where you volunteer to do good deeds. I don't think very many people would try to become vigilante heroes.

[mathew101281]

If this continues will everyone in the world have powers? Is there some sort of max or one day are we going to see a Molecule Man who can literally reshape the world?

That depends, on whether it’s a genetic phenomenon. I would imagine the quest to understand and duplicate whatever is causing people to get powers would be billion dollar enterprise, if it’s proven to have a scientific explanation of some sort. If not then it leads to other questions. If we can’t explain it scientifically is their a metaphysical explanation. A sudden outbreak of the impossible like this would effect the world philosophically and theologically as well. What would they make of mythological figures like Hercules for example in the light of the phenomenon? Does it open up the possibility that these figures are the result of a previous outbreak of superpowers we forgot about?