On May 1, 2026 every person in the world over the age of 15 becomes completely convinced that if they directly kill another person in the next 24 hours they will receive the powers of Thragg from the Invincible comic/show. They’re informed as to what Thragg’s powers are if they don’t know and once they actually kill someone are rendered perfectly safe from harm until the day is over and they get their powers. Anyone younger than 15 doesn’t get any powers if they kill someone.
What happens next?
How many people try to kill to get powers and succeed?
What does civilization look like after the day is over with its newfound superhumans and smaller population?
A lot of people figure that May 1 2026 is a good day to kill their partner, because the police will be overwhelmed with all the murders on that day.
On the other hand, juries assume that any accidental death on that day is really a murder, it’s just not clear who did it or how it was done. So in civilised countries, a lot of people will be trying to hide their superpowers.
You just said everybody would be “convinced”; not that they would actually get the powers if they killed someone. Are you asking about a world run by superpowered murderers with only children left as vulnerable victims? I will boldly predict the outcome would be bad.
So think the thing that will save us is everyone will also think killing the guy who just decided to attack a random child to get powers, will get them powers.
Won’t work. The OP said that as soon as a person kills somebody, they can’t be harmed for the rest of the day. So the strategy of “Wait until you see somebody kill somebody else to get powered up and then kill that person because they deserve to be killed” won’t work.
What’s going to be interesting is there will be some people who get powers without setting out to kill somebody. For example, Mary decides that it’s morally wrong to commit murder. But John is willing to commit murder to get the powers and he’s Mary’s neighbor. So John breaks into Mary’s house with the intent of killing her. But John was unaware that Mary owns a gun and when he breaks into her house with the clear intent of killing her, she shoot and kills John. Which means Mary has now qualified to receive the powers.
Forget superpowered murderers, I want to know what happens in the world where no one gets superpowers, and the population is now 50% smaller. Are aliens maniacally laughing at human stupidity. “We took over their world and didn’t have to fire a shot.”
Let’s say the bargain is real. I kill someone and I get superpowers. OK, why stop at one? Having less superpowered people around afterwards is better, so I kill hundreds, thousands, millions if I am in charge of a nuke. Is there anything wrong with that? I didn’t make the rules. I’m just advancing the next stage of human evolution.
They think that. Doesn’t make it true. Though does the belief survive contradictory evidence? If you successfully beat someone to death after they killed someone, do you carry on believing you’ll get powers?
Even if it is true, it takes your average person a long time to kill someone that’s a big window where someone can intervene. And also would being beaten, stabbed, or shot constantly for a day count as a suitable disincentive? It doesn’t say you can’t be harmed, just not killed.
On the other hand their miraculous ability to survive that is evidence they might actually be about to get super powers.
For those unfamiliar with Thragg, what happens when two people with those superpowers fight each other? Is it basically the same as if neither one had superpowers / they balance each other out? Do the enhancements to ones ability to absorb damage outweigh the enhancements to dish out damage, or the other way around?
That’s important, because I highly doubt a large population of people with superpowers are all going to get along with each other in the same way we currently do, especially given that it’s selected for people that were willing to murder to get those powers.
Assuming these powered up people can still do damage to each other, I see it as ending up in a world with a whole bunch of small gangs all doing war with each other.
Thragg has a simpler power set, only has two versions that are basically identical and is popular at the moment because of Invincible’s popularity. If I chose Superman and linked a specific version’s respect thread some number of people would simply ignore the link and persist in asking which version or start bringing up half remembered powers from something they watched or read years ago that the version I specified doesn’t have.
The way I envision the post-day world is you’re going to have a group of superpowered people who are willing to commit murder for their own personal benefit and a group of non-powered people who weren’t willing to commit murder. And a global disruption on a scale never seen before.
I think it’s inevitable that the powered people will take over and rule as dictators. The non-powered people will end up as slaves to provide for the needs of their powered rulers.
Powered people who band together into gangs will be more effective than powered people who try to go it alone. So I agree you’ll end up with a world run by small gangs fighting each other.
Another factor will be powered people seeking revenge. Powered person A got his power by killing a stranger he saw on the street. But that stranger he killed was the brother of powered person B, who got his power by killing his boss. B had no problem killing his boss but he’s mad at the guy who killed his brother so he wants to kill A.
I will kill the asshole who comes at me in some lame attempt to become Thragg. It will be in self-defense, so I will have zero moral qualms about it, plus I get Thragg powers. Win/win.
Another major factor will be the passage of time. The OP seems to be saying this power/murder event was a one time thing. So on May 2, 2026 we’ll have a lot of powered people running around.
But what about on May 2, 2096? The powered people got longevity but not immortality. Even if they don’t get killed, they will eventually get old and die off. Meanwhile non-powered people will keep getting born and maintain their population.
At some point, there will be a shift in power when the millions of non-powered people are collectively stronger than the surviving number of elderly powered people.
Some of the people with powers would be motivated to simply destroy the Earth or render it nearly lifeless for one reason or another. It would only take one person flying into the world at faster than light speeds to destroy it.
What do you mean? They would have the ability to live for thousands of years without much aging.
