Reed Richards vs. real world problems

[The Arbiter]

616 Marvel comics Reed. How would he manage if he came to our world and without access to his lab? How quickly does he solve these?

1: Cure/vaccinate or wipeout the 10 infections with highest mortality rate. Rabies, mad cow, ebola, brain eating amoeba etc.

2: Eliminate the US national debt down to zero

3: Invent reliable faster than light technology for space travel

4: Create true A.I.

5: Create a free energy machine/mechanism

6: Answer or solve the "Information Paradox" associated with black holes


I will probably add other challenges later.

[Sharpandpointies]

616 Marvel comics Reed. How would he manage if he came to our world and without access to his lab? How quickly does he solve these?

So with access to the tech we have, can he create comic book tech?

1: Cure/vaccinate or wipeout the 10 infections with highest mortality rate. Rabies, mad cow, ebola, brain eating amoeba etc.

With comic book tech? Should be able to do it.

2: Eliminate the US national debt down to zero

He'd need to take control of the country to do that, it's not happening.

3: Invent reliable faster than light technology for space travel

With comic book tech? Sure.

4: Create true A.I.

With comic book tech? Sure.

5: Create a free energy machine/mechanism

With comic book tech? Sure.

6: Answer or solve the "Information Paradox" associated with black holes

Given this is a pure 'knowledge' thing, for which he doesn't NEED comic book tech, and Reed has done stuff like 'comprehend the universe on a conceptual level' and that kind of thing, absolutely. Doesn't take him long, either.

[The Arbiter]

Ok but does he know whats in my pocket

[The Arbiter]

But seriously, Im fine with him being able to use real world materials to recreate the machinery and technology he has at home. The restriction of not having his lab was to slow him down to see which of these take longer than others.

I agree that the Information Paradox, despite on paper being the most difficult problem here, is likely the one he could solve quickest and with the least trouble. Its very much in his wheelhouse.

[Sharpandpointies]

Ok but does he know whats in my pocket

Handses!

String or nothing!

But seriously, Im fine with him being able to use real world materials to recreate the machinery and technology he has at home. The restriction of not having his lab was to slow him down to see which of these take longer than others.

I agree that the Information Paradox, despite on paper being the most difficult problem here, is likely the one he could solve quickest and with the least trouble. Its very much in his wheelhouse.

Information Paradox, he probably already knows the answer for that one.

Basically, with his own tech he can pretty easily do any of these things outside of fixing the US economy, which he can't do as a scientist/engineer - he'd need to take control of the place completely (just becoming the President wouldn't be enough). I guess he could do that with his own tech as well - set himself up as a dictator with an army of indestructible robots or something - but Reed doesn't do that.

The only reason he doesn't do those things in comics, based on the stuff he DOES do, is pure comic logic.

[The Arbiter]

Handses!

String or nothing!


Information Paradox, he probably already knows the answer for that one.

Basically, with his own tech he can pretty easily do any of these things outside of fixing the US economy, which he can't do as a scientist/engineer - he'd need to take control of the place completely (just becoming the President wouldn't be enough). I guess he could do that with his own tech as well - set himself up as a dictator with an army of indestructible robots or something - but Reed doesn't do that.

The only reason he doesn't do those things in comics, based on the stuff he DOES do, is pure comic logic.

Actually, the answer is a cool rock I found outside ^_^

Totally agree with you.
Is there anything solvable on this list that would take him /longer/ to sort out? A particular field of science or technology hes less comfortable with has less practical experience handling?

[The Arbiter]

More VERY IMPORTANT questions for him to solve/answer:

Could state the answer out loud 11.3 trillion times 6.4 + 96,312 subtracted by .08 in his head in less than 3 seconds after having it read to him!?

Does a bear $hit in the woods?

If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood!!??

[StupidMoniker]

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.p...hardsIsUseless

[The Watcher]

2: Eliminate the US national debt down to zero

He'd need to take control of the country to do that, it's not happening.

Theoretically there's a way he could eliminate the national debt without doing that. If he could make enough money off of all the inventions that he creates to buy all of the outstanding U.S. Bonds, Treasury Bills and other Government Securities that represent the debt, he could then forgive the debt.

The National Debt would be completely eliminated. At least until the government begins issuing new bonds but the original post never said Reed had to eliminate the entire U.S. debt forever. It asks if he could get it down to zero, not keep it there indefinitely.

[Sharpandpointies]

Could state the answer out loud 11.3 trillion times 6.4 + 96,312 subtracted by .08 in his head in less than 3 seconds after having it read to him!?

- Probably. Dude probably has instances in his actual on-panel career of doing advanced math in the middle of a conversation and people noting it.

Does a bear $hit in the woods?

- Given some bears live in the woods, demonstratively.

If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?

- Yes. Lack of human witness does not obviate basic physics.

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood!!??

Pretty sure he could work this out based on how fast it can dig, density of soil to get weight of soil displaced, how soil compares to wood in density, you get the picture.

Theoretically there's a way he could eliminate the national debt without doing that. If he could make enough money off of all the inventions that he creates to buy all of the outstanding U.S. Bonds, Treasury Bills and other Government Securities that represent the debt, he could then forgive the debt.

The National Debt would be completely eliminated. At least until the government begins issuing new bonds but the original post never said Reed had to eliminate the entire U.S. debt forever. It asks if he could get it down to zero, not keep it there indefinitely.

Hey, there we go. ^_^

[MichaelC]

1: Cure/vaccinate or wipeout the 10 infections with highest mortality rate. Rabies, mad cow, ebola, brain eating amoeba etc.
No, he's made it clear that he can't even fix these with his lab, nevermind without it.

2: Eliminate the US national debt down to zero
No

3: Invent reliable faster than light technology for space travel
Yes, casually.

4: Create true A.I.
Yes, casually.

5: Create a free energy machine/mechanism
Yes, casually.

6: Answer or solve the "Information Paradox" associated with black holes
Yes, casually.

[Alan2099]

There was a comic where Reed was stuck in Doom's armor for a while and had to pretend to be Doom. While acting as Monarch of Latveria, he came up with a plan to fix all of Earth's problems. It only required everyone on the planet to be housed in his warehouse like supercities and strictly follow his computer generated schedules.

Even Doom was horrified by his ideas of stripping away the art and freewill in humanity.

[Powerboy]

More VERY IMPORTANT questions for him to solve/answer:

Could state the answer out loud 11.3 trillion times 6.4 + 96,312 subtracted by .08 in his head in less than 3 seconds after having it read to him!?

Does a bear $hit in the woods?

If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood!!??

Reed would know that, if a woodchuck could chuck wood, a woodchuck would chuck all the wood that a woodchuck could chuck.

[Captain Smith]

Years ago, when Captain Marvel (the Kree guy) had cancer, no one in the usual array could stop it. The science folks, magic folks, etc. I think that might have included Reed but it was a long time ago. So I imagine there are medical problems that are beyond him. Viruses are hard problem.

[Nik Hasta]

Loathe as I am to reference One More Day, canonically, Reed couldn't help an old lady with a gunshot wound.

Though that's definitely more a case of him being forced to hold the idiot ball/PIS.