# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/41 "2025-07-14T14:45:30Z")
President Vance: “Just grab whoever you think might be an immigrant. We don’t care.” ---
**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, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/42 "2025-07-14T14:46:35Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > “Just grab whoever you think might be an immigrant. We don’t care.” _\>Superman tosses Steven Miller into the Sun\<_ “LOOPHOLE!!!” ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/43 "2025-07-14T14:48:57Z")
Not so much banned, as “work for us or go away”, is _implied_ in the 1986 Frank Miller _The Dark Knight Returns_ as part of the backstory for how most of the costumed crew are retired or gone in their dystopian near-future. ---
**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, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/44 "2025-07-14T15:06:58Z")
> [@JohnnyEcks](#): > > 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. Oooh, now THAT is a cool idea for a setting. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/45 "2025-07-14T15:12:00Z")
[The Dark Knight Returns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Returns) series by Frank Miller was based on this. All superheroes are illegal/retired, except Superman, who is now a covert operative working for President Reagan. Batman comes out of retirement, and for the two issues or so the new Gotham police commissioner tries to arrest him. In the final issue, Ronnie sends Supes after Batman because he’s stirring things up too much ETA, Dammit, ninjad by JRDelirious. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2025, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/46 "2025-07-14T15:13:08Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Does X-MEN count? They’re ‘mutants’ not ‘super heroes’, but enmity between them and the state is a major plot point in at least one of the movies Now, from the X-men movies only, I think they should all be locked up, or frankly, killed outright. They are more or a danger to us than almost anything. Yes even including the “good guy” X-men. For a different take on this, check out the movie _Hancock_. His collateral damage far exceeded the good he did. On the other hand, I thought the group killing superpowered humans at the end of _Glass_ were wrong, and should be killed. “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” 🙂 ---
**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, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/47 "2025-07-14T15:19:56Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > “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. Or, Superman, being the law abiding person he is, voluntarily agrees to be deported and live out the rest of his life in a supermax (heh) prison in El Salvador, Senegal or some similar place, since he _ **is** _ an illegal alien. Kind of an anticlimactic ending, though. ---
**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, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/48 "2025-07-14T15:23:17Z")
nevermind ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/49 "2025-07-14T15:26:17Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Now, from the X-men movies only, I think they should all be locked up, or frankly, killed outright. They are more or a danger to us than almost anything. Yes even including the “good guy” X-men. All mutants or just the ones who go around super-heroing/villaining? Because the first choice sound very ~~MAGA~~ Friends of Humanity… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/50 "2025-07-14T15:49:04Z")
> [@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. 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. The superhero could be doing something _other_ than fighting villains. For example - rescuing people. Something Superman is well known for doing. A flying superhero could maybe rescue people on stranded on top of things. Or, if they’re able to exist in a vacuum, launch things into Earth orbit or repair satellites. A super strong person could help in, say, urban search and rescue by lifting/holding heavy objects safely while others retrieved injured people from under wreckage. A super who could walk on water could act as a lifeguard and perform sea rescues. Probably rinse and repeat on a lot of things I can’t think of at the moment. The point being that all of that is legal (although flyers might need to be cognizant of air traffic rules) and the opposite of harmful. I’m not sure all super powers would have such utility but quite a few of them would or could. > [@solost](#): > > 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. There have been numerous story lines in the comics where a superhero basically tied up the bad guys, attached a note, and called the cops for a pick up. I most specifically recall Batman and Spiderman doing this, but I’m sure it applied to others. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/51 "2025-07-14T15:49:19Z")
> [@JohnnyEcks](#): > > various superhero dynasties, which have become corrupt and decadent _Kingdom Come_ explores similar territory. ---
**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, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/52 "2025-07-14T15:57:07Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > The superhero could be doing something _other_ than fighting villains. > > For example - rescuing people. Something Superman is well known for doing. A flying superhero could maybe rescue people on stranded on top of things. In the recent TV show Superman and Lois, one of Superman’s kids had both superpowers, and a massive anxiety problem. He felt like a screw-up because he kept messing up the big fights with the supervillains, but it annoyed me to no end that no one ever pointed out to him that he did just fine rescuing people from things like fires, floods and earthquakes. His anxiety made him second guess himself when faced with a villain, who was actively trying to hurt people, but for purely physical dangers, he did quite well. He could have spent all day rescuing people like that, and gone home at the end of the day knowing he’d made the world a bit better, even if the supervillains were still out there getting into fights with his dad. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/53 "2025-07-14T16:06:55Z")
Metahumans could also do things that aren’t particularly heroic, but still perfectly law-abiding. Like, maybe someone with super-strength becomes a construction worker. It’d probably come in handy to be able to lift steel beams into place without needing a crane. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/54 "2025-07-14T16:08:19Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > In a real world with super powered beings, they’d probably be more like god-kings. _They_ would be the government. Why would they do that? If you could fly and look through walls, would you spend Tuesday 1:30 to 3:00 in a budget meeting with the comptroller deciding whether to renew the contract for maintenance of your snowplows, or put it out for bid? Real governing is boring. ---
**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, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/55 "2025-07-14T16:14:18Z")
They’d have plenty of followers willing to do those things for them, hoping to curry favor in the new world order. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/56 "2025-07-14T16:33:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Metahumans could also do things that aren’t particularly heroic, but still perfectly law-abiding. Like, maybe someone with super-strength becomes a construction worker. It’d probably come in handy to be able to lift steel beams into place without needing a crane. This has been lamp shaded in some comics. Superman stopped a dude with a jetpack from robbing a bank. This was some no name villain who invented a working jetpack in his garage, and Superman says something like, “You invented a jetpack and your first thought was to rob a bank instead of making money off your invention?” Spider-Man addresses it with some dinosaur man who was using genetic science to turn people into dinosaurs. Spidey says, “You can cure cancer and you choose to turn people into dinosaurs instead?” And the dinosaur man just says something like, “I like dinosaurs.” As someone already pointed out in this thread, superhero comics are just a modern form of fantasy. Not many of us would find a compelling villain in the form of Magneto who uses his powers to put honest construction workers out of business by undercutting their labor. ---
**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, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/57 "2025-07-14T16:37:12Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Spider-Man addresses it with some dinosaur man who was using genetic science to turn people into dinosaurs. Spidey says, “You can cure cancer and you choose to turn people into dinosaurs instead?” And the dinosaur man just says something like, “I like dinosaurs.” This one is a bit of a meme: > **[https://external-preview.redd.it/iQ3dFkvLj1p-p-trNzoTFpMF-DlKQxfQq0QHNbcKCPU.jpg...](https://external-preview.redd.it/iQ3dFkvLj1p-p-trNzoTFpMF-DlKQxfQq0QHNbcKCPU.jpg?auto=webp&s=6dfedc7e877174133be454219aae03812e773f52)** ---
**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, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/58 "2025-07-14T16:50:01Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > They’d have plenty of followers willing to do those things for them, hoping to curry favor in the new world order Plus, there is also a hierarchy of superpowers. If Superman wants to be the King, Aquaman isn’t going to challenge him for the throne. But there would be lots of spots for lesser nobility, acting as agents of the King, for things that don’t require a Superman-level response. > [@Odesio](#): > > Magneto who uses his powers to put honest construction workers out of business by undercutting their labor. And that’s an interesting question, the economics of superpowers. Sure, Magneto could lift beams pretty easily, but how long would it take him, by himself, to put together a building frame? How much downtime would there be for him while people like drywallers and plumbers and electricians are filling in the fiddly bits on the floors already constructed? Building contractors would be doing the math on things like, “With Magneto, we could build this thing in three months as opposed to two years, but he’s booked solid for the next five years. Can we bid enough to get him on the job in the next twelve to fifteen months?” You can train humans to work cranes, you can’t train them to have super powers. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/59 "2025-07-14T16:56:33Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > And that’s an interesting question, the economics of superpowers. Sure, Magneto could lift beams pretty easily, but how long would it take him, by himself, to put together a building frame? I don’t think a lot of adolescent boys in the 1960s were looking for those kind of storylines. But as an adult, yeah, I do find that kind of interesting. Just think of what Magneto could do for the mining industry? He could walk through an area and give mining companies a good idea of how much copper or iron is under the ground. ---
**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, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850/60 "2025-07-14T17:00:15Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > As someone already pointed out in this thread, superhero comics are just a modern form of fantasy. Not many of us would find a compelling villain in the form of Magneto who uses his powers to put honest construction workers out of business by undercutting their labor I happen to really dislike stories that deconstruct superheroes, and this thread reminded me of that. But several such stories have been very popular. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-government-bans-superheroes/1020850.md?page=4)