jo

In the end? I know I'd be vilified no matter what side I chose by SOMEONE. So at the end of the day, I would do as...grandad says "What I can" I think this is why so many street level heroes stay street level. So the can help who they can how they can. Easier to ward off bad cops, gangbangers, and drug dealers etc and protect a small area. Especially when you see the bigger things there and legit have no idea how to handle it in a way that doesn't cause problems for those who lack your powers. I mean in truth if you had the connections you could track some CEO big wigs down and....make an accident occur, removing them. But what about the next in line, and the next in line.

Or...alternatively, one could simply use their power and just make themselves the big dog....but at that point are you using power to help, or harm and what is to keep you yourself from slipping off that proverbial slope and becoming like what you fight?

I have a lot more thoughts on this, and its hard to correlate them all into something sensible. But the jist is. In my position would that I have powers. Most laws would be null and void in my eyes the moment it enables the disadvantaged to be killed, beaten, taken advantage of. If have to be vilified if I should wage a war on those that would write laws and mandates that remove rights, dignity from people....a villain I will be to those in power. Many a snake's head would be cut off until such a time comes as the message is sent

It is unfortunately an effect of characters and narratives becoming thought of as "intellectual property". Characters that can never change or grow so that content can be produced ad infinitum. Superman can never make earth a utopia because, well, that would wrap up his character. So I think it's less that these characters are conceived of as "defenders of that status quo", but rather that it's what they must be to make a product out of them.

It sounds kind of frivolous talking about these characters fictional development against the backdrop of real social issues, but I think that this is the core of the problem. Writers are forced to wrap things up in a way so the world is basically the same as it was last week forever, lest things get rebooted. Now, many people are starting to see this outlook as something to aspire to.

I think there is a desire to see it happen, we just need to let characters and their worlds have narrative closure. Let them make the world a better place and have new heroes for the next story to tell. Maybe with it we can have a little justice in our stories as well.