# Every person becomes convinced they’ll get powers if they kill someone in the next 24 hours. What happens next? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 19, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227 "2026-05-19T23:19:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/21 "2026-05-20T17:26:33Z")
Is it a superpower to revive the dead? Kill a certain guy a wise guy dictator wanna be king, yeah you got that right, then reanimate him, so someone else can kill him again, over and over and over again. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/22 "2026-05-20T17:38:43Z")
Honestly, best case is to be taken out. I’m not interested in becoming a murderer. I’m not interested in living in a world dominated by Thraggs. Even if I successfully defend myself from a would be Thragg, no society run by Thraggs is going to be governable except by force. Talk about ugly, a world run by people empowered by personally murdering someone else. Who wants to live there, or have children under those conditions? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/23 "2026-05-20T17:46:12Z")
I’ll admit I’ve never read _Invincible_ or watched the series. I’d never heard of Thragg before this thread. So I went by the description that said his powers are “Super strength, durability, endurance, stamina, longevity, speed and flight” without going into details. I was not aware the “speed” meant the ability to fly at faster than light speed or that “longevity” meant living thousands of years without aging. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/24 "2026-05-20T18:00:18Z")
From what I can gather, not only can Thragg reproduce, but his children all inherit his powers. At least based on my quick reading. So there wouldn’t be a scenario where there’s a bunch of only elderly Thragg’s and younger non-powered people. There would also be younger Thragg powered people born to the initial group. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/25 "2026-05-20T18:28:48Z")
So there’s a second source for gaining the powers; be a descendant of person who gained the powers by killing somebody back in 2026. In that case, I’ll say we’re looking at a “boot stamping on a human face - forever” scenario. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/26 "2026-05-20T19:07:33Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So I agree you’ll end up with a world run by small gangs fighting each other. In other word, The Eugenics wars. KHAAAAAAAANNNN! ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/27 "2026-05-20T19:52:35Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ll say we’re looking at a “boot stamping on a human face - forever” scenario. Welcome to the Invincible universe. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/28 "2026-05-20T20:00:03Z")
Some might call it the Twilight of the Superheroes universe. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/29 "2026-05-20T20:45:08Z")
If the powered people who establish themselves as rulers in 2026 never die off naturally, you’ll have a growing group of their descendants who have super powers but are shut out of political power. I think you’ll end up with waves of revolutions as the powered people who are out of power seek to overthrow and replace their ancestors. And each group of powered immortals that succeeds in putting itself at the top will eventually be the target of their descendants. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/30 "2026-05-21T02:07:27Z")
I wonder how many not-normally murderous people can think of, at least, one person who _needs_ killing. That first day might be open season on assholes. Silver lining and all that. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/31 "2026-05-21T02:20:21Z")
The problem is the assholes are probably the ones who are most willing to commit murder and gain superpowers. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227/32 "2026-05-21T02:53:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Don’t fight the hypothetical. I’m going to fight the hypothetical because it was posted on May 19. If on May 19, 2026 (or today) I had been told that killing someone on May 1, 2026 would grant me god-like powers, I’d have said “Damn, sure sucks that a bunch of random murderers got god-like powers a couple weeks back.” That or “Damn, sure sucks to be convinced of something that is obviously not true, because I am convinced killing someone a couple weeks ago would have given me god-like powers, but I just checked and it’s pretty clear that no one who actually killed someone on May 1, 2026 has god-like powers.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-person-becomes-convinced-they-ll-get-powers-if-they-kill-someone-in-the-next-24-hours-what-happens-next/1030227.md?page=1)