Super Powers Would Suck: A thought experiment

[Khadgar]

Bro science powers = same thing as super powers.

yeah because Batman isn't assisted by science / technology at all.

[Gheld]

yeah because Batman isn't assisted by science / technology at all.

Batman's technologies have historically been much less over the top. By a long shot.

His absurdity comes more from the fact that he always seems to have the right tool for the situation kicking around.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Batman's technologies have historically been much less over the top. By a long shot.

Unless it's the Hellbat suit

[Gheld]

Unless it's the Hellbat suit

I don't follow this crap closely enough to even know what that is. All I know is that Ironman is completely absurd, pretty much every single super power in these comics is completely absurd, and Batman is bound by the material reality in which we live.

[Deleted]

Wolverine powers, like super healing. Theres no downside to that.

Power projection? Never seen it but I dont see having free power being bad. Screw fighting crime or helping. Id use it to make money.

Oh yea and one more dr. Manhattan powers. Also no downside.

[Megitsune]

I think it makes no sense to take the concept of superpowers, which are completely unrealistic in every way, and try to put realistic downsides on them. The very existence of powers would negate any realistic thought since most of them completely defy all natural laws we have in place. You wouldn't be able to comprehend why someone is super fast in the first place, so you wouldn't be able to comprehend why they wouldn't just die or whatever from the speed.

[Dendrek]

How about increasing/decreasing the speed at which my brain perceives things and is able to think about them? So while time may not actually slow down or stop, I can speed up my perception of it such that I have near unlimited time to consider my next move. I have extra time to respond when someone throws a punch or I see an impending car crash or whatever. I would have more time to consider an answer in a job interview or in an important meeting.

Or I could go the other way and finish up an hour's long wait for something to a couple seconds. If a girlfriend were mundanely taking her clothes off at the end of the day I could totally slow it down to make it sexier.

How useful would speeding up your perception really be in most situations? Even in the more extreme ones that you mentioned?

If you're asked a tricky question, it could be useful. In that sense, in every day conversation (or special conversations like job interviews) it would allow you to appear more witty. But wouldn't it also be very taxing? You're basically stuck in a loop of overanalyzing every question and situation. You'd become reliant on it in everyday conversations. Your perception of time would become weird as well. That sounds maddening.

As for its usefulness in extreme situations, that depends on two things: 1) How quickly can you activate it (or is it always active)? 2) How effective can it be in changing the outcome of the situation?

In case 1, if it's always active, again that would be exhausting. If it's not always active, then your "normal" reaction time would have to kick in just to activate it, wasting the majority of its potential. In case 2, unless there's an actual and immediate solution to the problem, you may end up just slowing down time just so you can witness an impending tragedy in slow motion. That would be torturous, not advantageous.

In the case of slowing down your perception to make things happen quicker: wouldn't that make you slower on the uptake as well? Once the event you were waiting for occurs, your reactions would be slow enough that it would take you a "moment" to realize it's time to break out of it. But that "moment" in your slowed down state is actually quite a bit of normal time. It might take you several minutes to realize your girlfriend was talking to you.

[Kaganfindel]

How about increasing/decreasing the speed at which my brain perceives things and is able to think about them? So while time may not actually slow down or stop, I can speed up my perception of it such that I have near unlimited time to consider my next move. I have extra time to respond when someone throws a punch or I see an impending car crash or whatever. I would have more time to consider an answer in a job interview or in an important meeting.

Or I could go the other way and finish up an hour's long wait for something to a couple seconds. If a girlfriend were mundanely taking her clothes off at the end of the day I could totally slow it down to make it sexier.

Your thoughts are electrical impulses. You want the ability to make your brain so superconductive that you can throttle the transmission of those impulses up and down infinitely? Have you thought up a cooling system for that processor? 'Cause without one, you'll have to constantly regulate your own processing speed. Otherwise, your other super power is spraying a gout of superheated cholesterol out of your nose.

You'd also need to develop the ability to perceive the temperature of your brain, because it doesn't currently have any nerve endings. You wouldn't even know you were cooking yourself.

[Deleted]

All of those are assuming the superpowers would work by the limited knowledge we have. Who says that super strenght has to be trained to keep up with, who says a body wouldn't be adjusted to allow for said super speeds, who says time stop would work in the sense you are thinking.

It's retarded as fuck to debate something we have yet to come across, it's about as retarded as religious discussions if not more.

[Faroth]

This is why in practical terms, Longshot has one of the best powers. His power is just simply luck.

Though if I had to pick a single power, it would be Wolverine's healing factor.

[Gheld]

I think it makes no sense to take the concept of superpowers, which are completely unrealistic in every way, and try to put realistic downsides on them. The very existence of powers would negate any realistic thought since most of them completely defy all natural laws we have in place. You wouldn't be able to comprehend why someone is super fast in the first place, so you wouldn't be able to comprehend why they wouldn't just die or whatever from the speed.

And that's the thing. I hate when writers try to blur the lines between fantasy and reality. It just makes everything so much less interesting. I like fantasy. I also like reality, just like how I like both ice cream and fried eggs, but fried egg flavored ice cream would be shit.

[Dendrek]

Batman's technologies have historically been much less over the top. By a long shot.

His absurdity comes more from the fact that he always seems to have the right tool for the situation kicking around.

Batman's absurdity also comes from the fact that he's at superhuman peak physical condition. It would take a normal human being decades to become as efficient as he is at combat such that he could not only survive combat against multiple assailants, but he could also incapacitate them without killing them (even while they're using lethal weapons). And he has to be able to do this every night. For a normal human being, the feats he performs are basically impossible.

[Khadgar]

I think it makes no sense to take the concept of superpowers, which are completely unrealistic in every way, and try to put realistic downsides on them. The very existence of powers would negate any realistic thought since most of them completely defy all natural laws we have in place. You wouldn't be able to comprehend why someone is super fast in the first place, so you wouldn't be able to comprehend why they wouldn't just die or whatever from the speed.

what if we were able to access 100% of our cerebral capacity?

[Faroth]

All of those are assuming the superpowers would work by the limited knowledge we have. Who says that super strenght has to be trained to keep up with, who says a body wouldn't be adjusted to allow for said super speeds, who says time stop would work in the sense you are thinking.

I have this book and it's actually a neat look at how some of the X-Men powers could theoretically work based on our current scientific understandings. Obviously a few leaps and speculations required.

[Dendrek]

I think it makes no sense to take the concept of superpowers, which are completely unrealistic in every way, and try to put realistic downsides on them. The very existence of powers would negate any realistic thought since most of them completely defy all natural laws we have in place. You wouldn't be able to comprehend why someone is super fast in the first place, so you wouldn't be able to comprehend why they wouldn't just die or whatever from the speed.

So basically "Don't ask questions." I find that a tad bit boring.

[Gheld]

what if we were able to access 100% of our cerebral capacity?

We already are able to. The whole "10% of your brain" thing has been tested and debunked to death. It's just bullshit made up by a bullshitter who hadn't met their quota for peddling bullshit for the week.

[Dendrek]

All of those are assuming the superpowers would work by the limited knowledge we have. Who says that super strenght has to be trained to keep up with, who says a body wouldn't be adjusted to allow for said super speeds, who says time stop would work in the sense you are thinking.

It's retarded as fuck to debate something we have yet to come across, it's about as retarded as religious discussions if not more.

You're handwaving all of that. You're also missing the entire point of this thread. But sure, be edgy by calling it retarded.

[Yunru]

Mind control. Only downside would probaly be is that you will have headache (and so will the controled person).

[Deleted]

I have this book and it's actually a neat look at how some of the X-Men powers could theoretically work based on our current scientific understandings. Obviously a few leaps and speculations required.

It's one thing to talk about it for fun, but some here are talking as it is exact science...hence this thread is retarded. :P

[Dendrek]

The "don't debate it" "don't ask questions" "just accept it" mentality is so boring. No. If it doesn't interest you, don't reply. But being condescending is pointless. You're just trying to drag people down for really no reason at all.