The Overrated "Super" People

Oftentimes, in the world of comic books, an ordinary person is imbued with superhuman abilities, usually through some exaggerated scientifically anomalous event. There’s something that happens within the person’s psyche at this same time, though, that intrigues me: on top of receiving superhuman abilities, they also suddenly assume a hyper-moral personal philosophy. Either they believe they are obligated to help everyone in need, or hurt everyone whether in need or not.

Granted, there are those who don’t have any “special” abilities, but the world of comic books sees no moral gray area, however much they try to blur the illustrations of good-and-evil/black-and-white. The heroes or villain created in this world are always given to the conflict between the very worst in existence versus the very best in existence.

And, you’re right, they’re not real. They only serve to entertain, right? There’s truly no human with super abilities. There are only artists who create these people, and the extreme sides of right or wrong these characters choose are nothing more than hyperbole. I understand that.

I just want to know if everyone realizes, truly, that if a person obtained amazing power within their physiology, chances are they wouldn’t do jack s*** about it. They’d go about their lives as quietly as they always had. Maybe they’d show their ability once in a while, if the situation called for it, but that would be the extent of their exhibition. I know this because I have superhuman abilities, and you don’t see me going around saving people or killing people. Just kidding (I already do both of those things, every day.) I actually know this is the case--and you do, too--because we all know people that have extraordinary abilities, yet they hide those abilities pretty much all the time, either out of humility or humiliation.

Also, where is it written that all people who have super abilities need an alter-ego? The whole protection angle is bull. It’s so self-serving. Audacious. When is someone going to finally tell the person who has recently acquired super abilities that no one suddenly cares what happens to them or their loved ones any more than before? It’s a total martyr-complex, especially if they’ve decided to stop crime, for whatever reason. “I’m doing better things than everyone else, so bad guys are going to want to hurt me the most through my loved ones. Woe to my suddenly chiseled abs.”

Then, there’s the issue of tacky fashion-sense. All I’ll say about this is that superheroes and supervillains are, essentially, grown men and women playing dress-up. When it comes to style, the only difference between them and anyone else playing dress-up is the latter are aware they don't need to.

At any angle, super-humans aren’t all that super. They are their own category: products of their delusional and mentally-eccentric architects, building sewers for the waste of time.