Let’s say the standard comic book accident involving genetically engineered extraterrestrial radioactive nanites gives you Kryptonian super-powers and tech, only without the bother of Kryptonite. After spending a few weeks abusing your X-ray vision, you discover, to your horror*, that your compassion and civic-mindedness have increased along with your brute strength, and so you decide to become a super-hero.
On what scale do you operate? Do you pick a single big city that’s bubbling over with bad vibes–Detroit, say–and make it paradise? Or do you diffuse your energies by using your power on a global scale, which means you save a lot more lives but can’t really make substantive, systemic changes anywhere? Why do you choose the way you do, either way?
Okay, maybe I’d be the only one horrified at that change of events. I’d want to be a villiain. But I’m weird.
I’m inclined to think that I’d try to make one city a Utopia, in the vague hopes that my doing so would inspire other people to improve their little corners of the world, rather than improve the whole world incrementally and have that improvement be lost in the background noise.
The imbalance between Utopia City and the blasted lands beyond is an invitation to war. Soon the citizens of the blasted lands would unite under the leadership of the brilliant charismatic sociopath Rex Rushton, who would launch a series of spectacular, needlessly baroque attacks on Utopia City.
Maybe I’m overthinking this, but what kind of superpowers could possibly let you make, say, Detroit a superpower? The economy’s gone to crap because most of the auto manufacturers have moved elsewhere, and the population is rapidly aging. Flying really fast and beating up bad guys isn’t going to cut it here.
For the record, If I had superpowers of some kind, I’d do whatever I could to improve the whole world.
I could make one city a paradise. For me, anyway. You would probably hate it.
I could make one city a paradise. For you, anyway. Your neighbors would hate it.
I don’t really believe that Utopia is possible, so I would go for small improvements for the world.
Doctor Manhattan style matter manipulation powers, perhaps. Or precognition; someone who can foresee the future in detail would know just how to guide a city to it’s most prosperous possible state.
I agree. Dealing with the whole world would allow you to concentrate on the extremes of evil, like slavery, torture, wars of conquest, genocide, and so on. Trying to shape a city into a Utopia would involve dealing with many more moral grey areas. And too many things that are simply a matter of preference.
From an entertainment and dramatic viewpoint, you really need the one Utopian place versus everywhere else. We need people to look down on, we need people to be jealous and envious of.
I’d probably concentrate on Africa. There’s a lot of bullies there who could probably use to be given what-for.
I don’t think that improving a single city would have much effect. The US, Australia, and Western Europe already are essentially a Utopia compared to vast sections of the rest of the world, but their existence isn’t really acting as a significant impetus to improve.
I’d spread it around, try to help everyone a little, and see how that goes. One of the first things I’d do is help put a bunch of solar power satellites in orbit and try to provide cheap, clean energy to everyone.
First I’d use my genetic structure as a basis for a superhero army, then I’d send them across the world.
If that’s not an option, one city is the best I could reasonably expect. Perhaps it would become such a popular place, it would grow and supercede all other cities anyway (which would be jealous because they didn’t have their own superhero) and therefore become such a mega-city it would almost be like spreading my good self across multiple metropoli.