Qualifying Super-Heroes: an article by GF Willmetts.
I have odd thoughts. Sometimes they might be throwaway things that might suit a paragraph at the end of the editorial and this one started that way until I thought of the bigger implication. The initial idea was what qualified Bruce Wayne to run Wayne Enterprises? I mean, a lot of his early life was spent travelling and learning all kinds of physical and detective skills for his alter-ego, so when did he spend some time doing business management?
He couldn’t have left it all to Lucius Fox or any of the other executives. It is acknowledged that Bruce Wayne has a degree in law but that doesn’t really mean he has business acremen which relies a large bit on ruthlessness in making decisions. Imagine if he dealt with his businesses as he dealt with criminals as the Batman. Now that would be totally ruthless, well, short of murder. In many respects, outside of research, Wayne Enterprises is left to its own devices (sic) and one can wonder why the business models of the likes of Amazon aren’t used? I mean, do we see how much any of the workers get paid and whether there are union rates employed? Considering how many companies Bruce Wayne owns throughout Gotham City and, probably the world, you would think he must have content workers because you rarely hear of strike action for better wages and yet he is getting continually richer. So what and where is Bruce Wayne’s business acumen?
If corporate business models from our own reality are considered, one would have to wonder why the Wayne Enterprises board of directors didn’t vote to get rid of him. He rarely turns up to meetings and when he does, frequently goes to sleep. A similar thing could also be addressed to Tony Stark’s business, Stark Industries, in the Marvel Universe, where I think that did happen, being fired not asleep, and had to start from scratch. However, in contrast, it is Stark’s technical know-how that got the work and not someone who could readily take over running the company and he still entered up with several government contracts.
This also needs a little qualification as a subject for this article. Before taking the super-hero route, as civilians, many do have professional qualifications. Matthew Murdock and Jennifer Walters are both lawyers although knowing the law doesn’t mean much as vigilantes, unless they were planning to hit villains over the heads with their books.
Many are qualified scientists even if we don’t quite see how they are funded or can have private laboratories for their research. Considering the number of degrees Henry Pym has, you do have to wonder on the type of thesis he wrote? The same would also apply to the likes of Reed Richards and Charles Xavier. Both Pym and Richards also have a list of undisclosed patents and written books allowing private funding for their own projects. You do have to wonder how many heroes and villains read them as a means to develop their own alter-egos although very few rarely adopted similar powers or vehicles so presumably that type never saw print. Even so, the scientists at A.I.M. might not have been of a similar calibre but they weren’t lacking in the brains department.
Some can also draw some odd thoughts. You would think that if Peter Parker could develop the spidery fluid that could support his weight bouncing over New York, he could have sold a patent of it in a more diluted form and have money for life. Then again, there are some similarities to the adhesives created by Peter Petruski aka Paste-Pot Pete aka the Trapster. Those with a criminal bent as well as scientific genius wouldn’t need to do that. Dr. Bentley Wittman aka the Wingless Wizard did actually create scientific devices for others before his own peeves took over. If you’re going to live in a world where people dress in zoot-suits with their own aims, its also likely that some of it is going to rub off on you and deciding where you’re going to stand in all of this. Law abiding citizens or a desire to think you’re superior and just help yourself and super-heroes are a minor annoyance as most of them don’t commit murder. If anything, its likely that, at least on Marvel Earth, you can pay lawyers to get you off with lenient sentences.
Quite where the dividing line is between wanting to help mankind or help themselves is a grey area and a whole article to itself on morals. One can’t deny their creative abilities or the realisation of what some of these devices can do as weapons as much as anything else. Even the good guys and gals don’t want to let some of their devices loose. Reed Richards’ Fantastic Four undoubtedly got to the Moon before NASA but he didn’t share his technology with them nor made it official.
Indeed, much of the super-technology on Marvel Earth, in all of its variations, tends to be kept away from normal humans. There are exceptions like S.H.I.E.L.D., but then they were beholden to Stark Industries for the needed technology like the helicarrier, air-cars and weaponry. However, considering one of their primary objectives was to oppose Hydra and A.I.M., both supported by advanced technology, there would have been little choice.
That is a side-issue. Much of the advanced technology is created by super-smart people who would undoubtedly advance mankind far too quickly if their inventions were freely available. Indeed, the presence of the so-called super-villains is a continual testimony why such technology should not be readily available.
Even so, one does have to wonder how these super-smart people learn beyond their university educations, mostly independently of each other. One could surmise that with great IQs comes great expertise capable of turning theory into practical and making it work. It would probably explain why the likes of Clint Barton aka Hawkeye could first make all of his viable trick arrows work properly the first time working in a simple workshop. Presumably some of his arrow technology was borrowed from other sources, if only for technical expertise in physics and chemistry.
At our DC Earth office, one would also have to surmise similar things taking place. There, we have S.T.A.R. Laboratories but, generally, a similar pattern exists there as well. There is a major difference that by the 30th century, there is an acceptance of advanced technology and treated as matter-of-fact although rarely exploited. You have to consider that proposition or why haven’t more people wanted to own the likes of the Legionnaire flight ring and be able to fly around. Granted there isn’t enough Nth metal left to make that possible but with so many colonised planets, you would think more supplies could be found.
Probably the worse case profession belongs to Dr. Charles McNider aka Dr. Mid-Nite. Although blind from the explosion that took his sight but developed super-powers and night goggles that enabled him to see at night, he continued his work as a physician and surgeon, from time to time, presumably with his special glasses.
It does point to an odd problem professionally. Super-characters either exploit their talents into their vigilante activities or have separate lives to them. It’s more amazing none of them get killed as they learn the ropes (sic). Presumably, some of them must do some martial arts training and you would think someone from their dojo might recognise their incognito style, more so as they would have to be the best there than act as wimps. In many respects, though, in the costume business, once out on the streets on a regular basis, every night is practicing and honing their skills.
Moving away from those with a scientific bent, without super-powers, some have Olympic level gymnastic skills and were selected for that reason, like Natasha Romanoff aka the Black Widow. Even when super-powered, strength or levels of invulnerability, isn’t enough and few have any martial arts training let alone any combat or military skills. No wonder the likes of the Punisher can be so formidable. Relying solely on super-powers might explain why so many become vulnerable in fights and endless battles to improve their basic skills. It’s more surprising so many don’t end up maimed or dead.
I should point out that back in the 1980s it was revealed that the Taskmaster (nothing in common with the current British TV comedy series) did train a selection of super-villains. When you consider his ability to absorb other people’s skills using photographic reflexes, this wasn’t entirely an altruistic reasoning and he had his own benefits from the scheme.
Of course, there are exceptions. Over the years, gaps in the Batman’s background have been filled in and as Bruce Wayne, he was trained by Ras al Ghul, although went beyond this or he would have beaten his mentor. Indeed, Ras al Ghul worked out who the Batman was simply from recognising his own training.
You would have thought the various teams would have been better trained. Obviously, the various X-teams were in the notorious Danger Room, both individually and together, so hardly surprising how formidable the original two teams were, often taking on other teams that potentially were more powerful than themselves. Of course, we don’t see what the other teams do for practice but should we be surprised that there isn’t some grandstanding or not getting involved in another team member’s fight. I suspect a lot of learning happened during their regular activities, although you would have thought their egos would get in the way from time to time. If there is any training together, then even in my day, you didn’t see it. It was only when the original Avengers was downsized and combat-trained Captain America had rookies Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye, was there any serious team training together or they would have been seriously outmatched.
In many respects, many vigilantes or super-heroes could be regarded as amateur in the amount of qualified training they’ve received. Put in this perspective, its more amazing how many have survived against those with more professional combat training. Granted, any super-human physique or other super-human powers they have undoubtedly gives a particular edge but also unique in that the only people capable of self-training are themselves.
I suppose we should be grateful that there are few trained vigilantes out there on DC or Marvel Earths. They might well get it into their heads to drastically change their worlds than uphold the current social order and obey the existing laws. When that happens, we then have a Watchmen scenario and the world would quickly change or made even worse by several super-scientists or organisations working against each other.
© GF Willmetts 2022
All rights reserved
Ask before borrowing
