# The Government bans superheroes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-books-manga\ **Created:** [July 14, 2025, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850 "2025-07-14T12:50:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/21 "2025-07-14T13:57:06Z")
Now, I’m not saying that ignorance is bliss, but can you imagine the uproar in either the DC or Marvel universe if a major “superhero” was asked this question: “To the best of your ability, can you please tell us how many times this world (if not the universe) has been destroyed then been recreated in the past 50 years?” ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/22 "2025-07-14T14:00:11Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > “To the best of your ability, can you please tell us how many times this world (if not the universe) has been destroyed then been recreated in the past 50 years?” “Zero times”. Leaving unsaid: _because **this** world was created Last Thursday, after the **last** world was destroyed._ ---
**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:** [July 14, 2025, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/23 "2025-07-14T14:11:31Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Isn’t that called ‘vigilantism’ and already illegal? Any ‘real’ superheroes would, by default, be operating outside of the law, unless they somehow got deputized or something. It depends on what the superhero is doing. Civilians (ie people who have no government law enforcement authority) are legally allowed to arrest other people who have broken a law. Laws vary by state but generally a civilian can only arrest somebody if they directly witnessed the crime occurring. The civilian must then turn the person over the police and the suspect will be tried by the court system. What’s illegal (ie vigilantism) is when people bypass the court system and start punishing people for breaking the law. So it would be legal for Superman to “arrest” Brainiac if he had witnessed him committing a crime as long as he then turned him over the Metropolis PD. But it would be illegal is he sent Brainiac to the Phantom Zone. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/24 "2025-07-14T14:13:39Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > In a real world with super powered beings, they’d probably be more like god-kings. _They_ would be the government. > > Especially if they’d _always_ existed rather than showing up in the 1930s or whenever comics started. _The Boys_ subverts this problem in that the Superheroes were literally created by the Evil Corporation, and the corporation **has** actually spent considerable time and resources both figuring out how to control the superheroes, and how to accommodate them in the legal system. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/25 "2025-07-14T14:15:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So it would be legal for Superman to “arrest” Brainiac if he had witnessed him committing a crime as long as he then turned him over the Metropolis PD. But it would be illegal is he sent Brainiac to the Phantom Zone. I thought Brainiac was a robot. Do sentient robots in the DC universe get rights? ---
**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:** [July 14, 2025, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/26 "2025-07-14T14:16:00Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > _The Boys_ subverts this problem in that the Superheroes were literally created by the Evil Corporation, and the corporation **has** actually spent considerable time and resources both figuring out how to control the superheroes, and how to accommodate them in the legal system. Valentina de Fontaine learned how well that plan works. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/27 "2025-07-14T14:18:28Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I thought Brainiac was a robot. Do sentient robots in the DC universe get rights? I don’t know what the legal landscape is in the DC-verse, but if I were in Braniac’s shoes in _our_ universe, I’d make the claim that I was really a human in a fancy cybernetic suit, and claim full human rights, let the courts prove otherwise. That’ll tie things up for years if not decades. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/28 "2025-07-14T14:18:32Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I thought Brainiac was a robot. Do sentient robots in the DC universe get rights? Well if you want to raise the issue, Superman is not a human being either. So from a legal standpoint, you have two “things” which are causing a public disturbance and neither has any legal rights recognized by the state. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/29 "2025-07-14T14:23:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It depends on what the superhero is doing. > > Civilians (ie people who have no government law enforcement authority) are legally allowed to arrest other people who have broken a law. > […] > What’s illegal (ie vigilantism) is when people bypass the court system and start punishing people for breaking the law. Ah, so a typical superhero would basically be staying within the law by making a ‘citizen’s arrest’ each time and turning the villain over to the proper authorities. It makes me wonder, though, how realistic or practical the ‘citizen’s arrest’ actually is in a real world situation. Few bad guys are going to willingly let themselves be taken into custody, so the citizen making the arrest, whether we’re talking an ordinary citizen or a superhero, would likely have to physically restrain the bad guy in order to take them in, and the process could easily turn into, or be construed as, unnecessary force or ‘punishment’. I have no idea how often citizen’s arrests are ever attempted, but I’m guessing few actual ‘citizen’s arrests’ go smoothly for the ‘citizen’. They probably either end up being hurt or killed themselves, or hurt or kill the bad guy in the process. Or are accused of causing injury and sued, or they get into legal trouble themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/30 "2025-07-14T14:23:26Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I think comic book Batman was deputized shortly after Batman jumped the shark with the introduction of the “kid sidekick”. I used to wonder how much regular cops resented Batman’s flouting procedural rules and spoiling crime scenes. Not really on topic, but I can’t see how the kid sidekick being added in year 2 of an 80+year publishing history counts as “jumping the shark.” I don’t think it had enough history to qualify as long-running series, even if it hadn’t lasted so much longer. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It depends on what the superhero is doing. Yep. Besides the citizens’ arrests you mention, there’s also all the times the heroes are rescuing people, rather than fighting/arresting villains. They break the law tons, but there are also lots of superheroing feats that would be totally legal. Not sure how on how fighting alien invasions counts - suppose it depends on the relevant government views the aliens at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/31 "2025-07-14T14:27:23Z")
“ICE vs Superman” (2026). Having rounded up all other illegals, President Vance sets his sights on Superman. The final scene with Superman fighting Steven Miller (in human form) and the ICE team (with kryptonite bullets) atop trump’s head at Mt Rushmore will have you on the edge of your seat. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/32 "2025-07-14T14:28:06Z")
> [@solost](#): > > It makes me wonder, though, how realistic or practical the ‘citizen’s arrest’ actually is in a real world situation. Few bad guys are going to willingly let themselves be taken into custody, so the citizen making the arrest, whether we’re talking an ordinary citizen or a superhero, would likely have to physically restrain the bad guy in order to take them in, and the process could easily turn into, or be construed as, unnecessary force or ‘punishment’. I have no idea how often citizen’s arrests are ever attempted, but I’m guessing few actual ‘citizen’s arrests’ go smoothly for the ‘citizen’. They probably either end up being hurt or killed themselves, or hurt or kill the bad guy in the process. Or are accused of causing injury and sued, or they get into legal trouble themselves. Bounty hunters are a thing, no? ---
**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:** [July 14, 2025, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/33 "2025-07-14T14:29:13Z")
> [@solost](#): > > It makes me wonder, though, how realistic or practical the ‘citizen’s arrest’ actually is in a real world situation. Few bad guys are going to willingly let themselves be taken into custody, so the citizen making the arrest, whether we’re talking an ordinary citizen or a superhero, would likely have to physically restrain the bad guy in order to take them in, and the process could easily turn into, or be construed as, unnecessary force or ‘punishment’. I have no idea how often citizen’s arrests are ever attempted, but I’m guessing few actual ‘citizen’s arrests’ go smoothly for the ‘citizen’. They probably either end up being hurt or killed themselves, or hurt or kill the bad guy in the process. Or are accused of causing injury and sued, or they get into legal trouble themselves. Again, the real world laws vary but generally a civilian is allowed to use “reasonable force” if it is necessary to perform a valid citizen’s arrest. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/34 "2025-07-14T14:32:11Z")
The first example took place in the 1950s (in Universe) or 1970s (RL). The Justice Society Of America was banned by the Un-American Activities Committee, as suspected Communists. [LINK](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Justice_Society_of_America_(New_Earth)#Disbanding) ---
**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:** [July 14, 2025, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/35 "2025-07-14T14:32:30Z")
Another issue about citizen’s arrests is that they are generally only legal if the person being arrested committed a felony. You generally can’t perform a citizen’s arrest for a misdemeanor. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/36 "2025-07-14T14:33:46Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Bounty hunters are a thing, no? True. I suppose a bounty hunter is the closest real-life thing to a superhero there is, in the general sense that they are citizens who bring lawbreakers to justice. According to [this Wiki article on bounty hunters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bounty_hunter), it depends on the state, but they are generally unlicensed. Seems hard to believe you can just go out and start apprehending bad guys with no licensing or formal training, and it’s perfectly legal. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/37 "2025-07-14T14:37:17Z")
Hell of a job- if the guy you’re trying to grab doesn’t shoot you, the guy you grab by mistake sues you into oblivion. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/38 "2025-07-14T14:42:07Z")
Ninjaed. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/39 "2025-07-14T14:44:22Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > “ICE vs Superman” (2026). Having rounded up all other illegals, President Vance sets his sights on Superman. Superman: “But I fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way!” President Vance: “But don’t you see, Superman? _The American Way_ has changed!” Superman: “Ah, crap, you’re right, goddamn rules lawyering! Okay, where are those immigrants you want disposed of?” ---
**Author:** ![JohnnyEcks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnnyecks/32/18197_2.png) [@JohnnyEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyEcks)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/40 "2025-07-14T14:45:12Z")
Alan Moore proposed “Twilight of the Superheroes “ back in 1987, with the story set in 2007, and the world-or at least the U.S.- ruled feudally by various superhero dynasties, which have become corrupt and decadent. It was rejected, though apparently the script can be found online. Such a situation would be inevitable if super powers were real. If Superman thinks abortion is murder, the law and public opinion mean nothing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850.md?page=3)