This Robot 6 piece returns us to the horror that is Marvel's
Civil War. Well, for the record, I've always been vaguely in agreement with the idea of superhero registration. Superhuman registration is a step too far, and UN sanctioned superhero teams (like the Avengers or Justice League) are a step not-far-enough. If you transport superheros into a real world context, they're a lot harder to like. They're a lot harder to believe in. Who the fuck would want Tony Stark zipping around the world in flying, powered-armor, punching the shit out of 'bad guys'? And what about the Hulk? Man, publicly I'd be all about curing his sad, sad plight. Privately, I would be sympathizing with the Illuminati - yes, let's shoot this fucker out into space where he's no longer an unstoppable, rampaging force of id.
In the comments, Mark Waid says that "Superheroes are not about rules, they're about flying." And he's pretty much right. It's why grim-and-gritty, 'realistic' reboots of beloved superhero properties are so grating. But let's thought-experiment our way through this morass anyway. Sorry Mark, we're killing all ur fun! What if superheroes were real? Would your position on superhero registration change?
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