If you were as powerful as Superman...

[Arsenal]

I'd have to leave Earth in fear that I would accidently do more harm than good while I'm simply trying to adjust to these powers. There is not a single safe place on Earth where somebody with that level of power can go to relearn how to function without causing some sort of diester that'll harm a bunch of living creatures. It could take years learning how to control that power and recalibrate every single movement your body makes so you don't accidently kill somebody or break something.

[Kon93]

Yeah, not ruling the world here, not telling anyone what to do, not killing anyone, and I believe I'm pretty sanely realistic thank you very much. And honestly, a few billionaires like the Koch Brothers or the peeps who run Monsanto are as bad as guys like Kim Jung Un, who I don't see you defending, unless you really think the North Korean people are currently deciding to rise or fall on their own. But you have already made up your mind about me, and honestly I have no reason to care at all what some random guy thinks online about my response to a question as impossible as "if I had Superman's powers". You can put your faith and hope in humanity all you want, but frankly it doesn't matter. Hope and faith doesn't actually change anything in the real world without action, and no action you or I are likely to take will have any bearing on anything. I've given up on humanity as a whole, and am honestly a lot happier and less stressed out for it. It's been good for me. I haven't been disappointed with my decision yet. Namely because there's more worthwhile places to place my hope, like family, friends, and God. The species though, meh, we're largely happy to continue digging our own grave, who am I to argue with that level of suicidal determinism? Dig on peeps, dig on.

You are picking and choosing who you think is bad,while there are ppl out there doing worse, but don't fall under your "sides" umbrella of evil. Superman would not pick or choose a side, he would just do good. That means helping a good person or a bad person.

When you have that kind of power you can't help but think big picture, as in humanity as a whole, and not just the ppl and things I deem important to myself, so he would never say screw everyone else as long as mime is all good.

When you stop looking with tunnel vision choices you make take on a totally different life.

[MichelleDiMera]

Rid the world of nuclear weapons and guns/Factories. Wouldnt think twice about it.

[Kon93]

Rid the world of nuclear weapons and guns/Factories. Wouldnt think twice about it.

So you would say **** it to a societies constitution and do whatever you wanted. OK,you guys are proving every post why you shouldn't have his powers.

[Jon Clark]

So you would say **** it to a societies constitution and do whatever you wanted. OK,you guys are proving every post why you shouldn't have his powers.

Actually what is the point of having the powers if you simply support the existing status quo? Do you honestly believe that if you had Martian telepathy and read the minds all the world's leaders (heads of state and congressional/parlimemtary members) the majority aren't doing whatever they please except when someone opposing them has enough power to checkmate them. I'd be surprised if you found a dozen who really are not just looking to help themselves more than (or instead of) their people.

The whole point of Superman is to be better than people, to be an example we strive for rather than someone we could actually be (ethically/morally as well as power-wise)

[Agent Z]

I'd try to live a normal life and help where I am qualified to.

Actually what is the point of having the powers if you simply support the existing status quo? Do you honestly believe that if you had Martian telepathy and read the minds all the world's leaders (heads of state and congressional/parlimemtary members) the majority aren't doing whatever they please except when someone opposing them has enough power to checkmate them. I'd be surprised if you found a dozen who really are not just looking to help themselves more than (or instead of) their people.

The whole point of Superman is to be better than people, to be an example we strive for rather than someone we could actually be (ethically/morally as well as power-wise)

Except no one is perfect not even Superman. We all bring our own biases to what we think is the right thing and when you're as powerful as Superman or Martian Manhunter or Captain Atom this can lead to literal disaster. The ability to bench press a mountain does not come with a superior moral compass.

[Flashback]

You are picking and choosing who you think is bad,while there are ppl out there doing worse, but don't fall under your "sides" umbrella of evil. Superman would not pick or choose a side, he would just do good. That means helping a good person or a bad person.

When you have that kind of power you can't help but think big picture, as in humanity as a whole, and not just the ppl and things I deem important to myself, so he would never say screw everyone else as long as mime is all good.

When you stop looking with tunnel vision choices you make take on a totally different life.

If superman was real, he'd probably be hunted down. The secret identity he has wouldn't work in real life, unless he works with the government. It's a lot easier for him to "just do good" in comics when it's mostly black and white. Hell, in the real world he probably would have accidentally killed a bad guy or two in the process of stopping evil. (should he have a pass)

Quick question but how does Superman deal with dictators in comics, do they even address it? What about his politics(abortion, immigration, gun-control)? because you know in the real world people would ask him.

Since Superman won't be dealing with your typical comic villain what will he be fighting actually? is he going to wait around the border and detain immigrants when they try to cross? or is he going to let that slide. What about drugs? is he only going to stop local drug dealers or will he go straight to the source and burn it all down. What about gangs? is he going to go to other countries and stop them too or is that out of his jurisdiction.

[Jon Clark]

Except no one is perfect not even Superman. We all bring our own biases to what we think is the right thing and when you're as powerful as Superman or Martian Manhunter or Captain Atom this can lead to literal disaster. The ability to bench press a mountain does not come with a superior moral compass.

Superman is as close to perfect as it gets in some ways. The majority of presentations give us a guy who never abused his X-ray vision even when he had the power in his teens. He didn't decide to extract gold or diamonds to set up Clark Kent with even a moderate lifestyle that didn't require a job. We rarely if ever have seen Superman intervene in a situation where his opponent wasn't a self-centered person and where the outcome wasn't better for his having intervened. He's never gotten people unemployed because after his intervention to improve working conditions the company went bankrupt. He's never intervened in a domestic battle where after he left the spouse was abused worse (after they refused to press charges). Clark never seems to use his powers for personal gain and he never seems to make a wrong moral decision.

[Agent Z]

Superman is as close to perfect as it gets in some ways. The majority of presentations give us a guy who never abused his X-ray vision even when he had the power in his teens. He didn't decide to extract gold or diamonds to set up Clark Kent with even a moderate lifestyle that didn't require a job. We rarely if ever have seen Superman intervene in a situation where his opponent wasn't a self-centered person and where the outcome wasn't better for his having intervened. He's never gotten people unemployed because after his intervention to improve working conditions the company went bankrupt. He's never intervened in a domestic battle where after he left the spouse was abused worse (after they refused to press charges). Clark never seems to use his powers for personal gain and he never seems to make a wrong moral decision.

Clark's made plenty of wrong moral decisions. Defrauding a newspaper and keeping the League's mind wipes a secret come to mind.

[Jon Clark]

If superman was real, he'd probably be hunted down. The secret identity he has wouldn't work in real life, unless he works with the government. It's a lot easier for him to "just do good" in comics when it's mostly black and white. Hell, in the real world he probably would have accidentally killed a bad guy or two in the process of stopping evil. (should he have a pass)

Quick question but how does Superman deal with dictators in comics, do they even address it? What about his politics(abortion, immigration, gun-control)? because you know in the real world people would ask him.

Since Superman won't be dealing with your typical comic villain what will he be fighting actually? is he going to wait around the border and detain immigrants when they try to cross? or is he going to let that slide. What about drugs? is he only going to stop local drug dealers or will he go straight to the source and burn it all down. What about gangs? is he going to go to other countries and stop them too or is that out of his jurisdiction.

Superman would be at the border helping people enter the US (legally or otherwise). He'd probably wipe out the source of illegal drugs. Now if it were comics he'd do so without having to worry about how all these people will live once they get to the US or how the economy in the area where illegal drugs are grown suffers. In real life he'd simply keep meddling in things until he eliminate the problem by eventually taking over larger and larger areas of life (like the comic book version did with those mind-control satellites as Red/Blue).

[Jon Clark]

Clark's made plenty of wrong moral decisions. Defrauding a newspaper and keeping the League's mind wipes a secret come to mind.

The newspaper bit isn't immoral. Perry White chose to print Clark's articles the same way he did Lois' when both were pro-Superman. It might not have been ethical to hide the truth from Perry but it wasn't done for personal gain (since his job was to tell newsworthy stories not just Superman ones) or to harm others.

And the mind wipes are a tricky area. Putting aside the graphic way it was demonstrated- would it really have been moral for the Leaguers to let these villains loose knowing that they had no qualms about targeting the heroes families and associates? If there was a 95% certain chance it would work, do you not think people would be pushing for these type of mindwipes to be used on stalkers?

[Agent Z]

The newspaper bit isn't immoral. Perry White chose to print Clark's articles the same way he did Lois' when both were pro-Superman. It might not have been ethical to hide the truth from Perry but it wasn't done for personal gain (since his job was to tell newsworthy stories not just Superman ones) or to harm others.

And the mind wipes are a tricky area. Putting aside the graphic way it was demonstrated- would it really have been moral for the Leaguers to let these villains loose knowing that they had no qualms about targeting the heroes families and associates? If there was a 95% certain chance it would work, do you not think people would be pushing for these type of mindwipes to be used on stalkers?

I think hiding the fact that you are Superman while writing stories about Superman is pretty damn questionable at least.

The League has no problem throwing villains in prisons they know won't keep them locked up. And in the first case, Light wasn't a threat to the families of the ones who had secret identities (he only knew who Sue was because her husband's identity was public). That's not even getting into them mind wiping Batman (which is what resulted in his paranoia towards metahumans so thanks for that guys) who isn't a villain or the fact that they mindwiped villains who weren't even all that dangerous like Catwoman.

No, because as we saw with Light, the mind wipes didn't hold and he only became more of a bastard when he got his memories back.

[JAK]

So, Superman's powers.... here we go!


First, I'd start off much as he does: helping people, stopping crime, preventing disasters as possible, leading by example.

But since I'm not Kryptonian and I'm not having to basically feel like I'm watching humanity through a glass jar, I'd start using the best power he has: his mind.

I would:
1. Perfect solar/wind/battery/etc technology into the most hearty/cost-effective renewable energy source possible, and build a bar-none business with it, supplying energy to the world.
2. Doing the same thing to the internet. Cost-effective, lightning fast, and far beyond what we see now. The advanced tech could detect viruses/etc and kill them, would eliminate most advertising besides the recreational, and would also provide a means of education for those who want it.
3. Advancing clean travel technology

Between the proprietary tech that's light-years beyond human thought and the means to procure the necessary materials myself universe-wide with no problem, i basically corner the various markets to varrying degrees - only charging a bit more than enough to keep the number of current industry jobs in place that the tech might affect (if not grow it, in quality/quantity) and to fund one last project: an autonomous, self-funded (via the above) press corp organization, with strict journalistic standards. Think Daily Planet, but huge. With a dedication to the truth , holding the powerful accountable, and being a way to get as much helpful information to the public as possible.

The idea is to be a stabilizing force - free will isn't to be affected, and with a focus on balance and better informing people while using these industries (and whatever else is necessary) to stabilize the planet long-term.

After that, it's back to bad guys and natural disaster prevention, and probably some universe exploration in the middle of all this.

[Vakanai]

You are picking and choosing who you think is bad,while there are ppl out there doing worse, but don't fall under your "sides" umbrella of evil. Superman would not pick or choose a side, he would just do good. That means helping a good person or a bad person.

When you have that kind of power you can't help but think big picture, as in humanity as a whole, and not just the ppl and things I deem important to myself, so he would never say screw everyone else as long as mime is all good.

When you stop looking with tunnel vision choices you make take on a totally different life.

Yeah, going to agree to disagree with you on that. Of course I'm picking and choosing who I think is bad, that's kinda how morality works. At some point you have to go, "Hey, maybe that dictator killing hundreds of people and keeping thousands more down under his boot to suffer the most deplorable living conditions is maybe, just possibly, a bad guy..." But yeah, let's not pick a side, let the madmen kill and war all they want and let God sort them out. Seems like the heroic thing to do.

Really, "helping a good person or a bad person", how am I supposed to help a bad person, maybe give advice to the Koch Brothers on how better to lobby politicians in their pockets, maybe volunteer some ideas to better skew the laws for their gain? Because greedy sociopath types aren't going to feel helped any other way.

Just because you have more power, doesn't mean you have to think differently, never mind the fact that people routinely disagree about what the "big picture" is or how to work to achieve it, like how were disagreeing right now. Don't just assume that you know what the big picture is, or that you aren't the one with tunnel vision. As I understand it, you seem to be arguing for that anyone with power should act like Superman in the books, which means leaving dictators, despots, and warlords to continue on, terrorists to continue on, to let trade wars, recessions, and great depressions happen, to let nuclear testing in North Korea continue, to allow wars to happen as they may, to stand by as disease, starvation, and financial crises happen in third world countries, the poor get poorer and the rich ever more absurdly richer, and let climate change get as bad as it will get, which is very bad indeed, all because this is what's best in the big picture? Just maybe do some traditional heroics like putting out fires or...whatever else it is that doesn't cause a splash to the rich and powerful. Because to do otherwise is selfish, right?

Or maybe you want to enlighten me as to what one who thinks of humanity as a whole would do?

Or you could (please) just stop making moral calls on other people and saying I'm the type of person who would become a tyrant, or I've got tunnel vision, or other such remarks when you really don't know me, all over an impossible hypothetical. Most people with power? They don't think of humanity as a whole, they do say "screw everyone else," and their "big picture" is very different from yours, which is why our world is the way it is, and because my version of doing good involves removing them from the equation for a decade or two I'm the one who needs your moral judgment?

Look, I'm getting to bothered here over getting judged by crap that's impossible anyways, so I'm done with this thread and this whole pointless thought exercise. Good bye.

[Kon93]

Quotes. Jor-El : You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal

This quote the difference between how you see superman and how he really is or would be.
Give them a idea, not make decisions for them
The will stumble, they will fall, illustrates that jor knows humanity has a long way to go, BUT it's their journey to get there, not supermans duty to push them in the direction he wants them to go.

Superman would think of himself as better than us.

He wouldn't break a countries laws, and definitely not the 1 he lives in and loves. So no he would not help illiegals cross the border.

He wouldn't pick out certain ppl he thinks are bad, he would see both sides of the argument, and not let his personal feelings tip the balance out of some selfishness. So no he wouldn't get rid of the Koch Brothers, just like he woundnt get rid of george Soros.


Ppl here keep forgetting that superman is a reactionary hero, there have been plenty of stories where it has been brought up, even other heroes bring it to his attention. He does not impose himself on others.

If he sees a guy with a gun pointing it at someone he is gonna do something about it. If he sees a car going off the road. If he sees a desert, he might plant seeds and get a water system running to it. If he sees a nuke heading toward a defenseless country he is going to stop it.

There is a reason why golden age superman stopped holding ppl over the side of roofs, same reason Grant Morrisons superman stopped doing it.


There is a reason why superman is still Clark Kent, a investigative reporter.