Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)
So, if you have superpowers and feel like cashing in on them
legitimately, what are your options?
1. Exhibitions. If you have a flashy power then people will
pay to watch a demonstration. Comic book examples include
Shooting Star and Texas Twister, who did more performing
at rodeos than actual superheroics and Dazzler who was a singer
but was primarily notable for her ability to provide her own
lightshow. In real life you have people like Uri Geller who pretended
to have mental powers and the various Salamander Kings and Queens
of the 19th century who pretended to be fireproof. And of course
there was a newspaper comic strip where one of the characters briefly
worked as a strolling pianist. However, with a
wide variety of powered individuals available, most of them would
find their celebrity status to be fleeting as new novelties came
along. Only a few who possessed other talents to go with their
gimmick, or who were particularly good at controlling their gimmick
to produce more effects to keep the public from ennui would have
any lasting appeal.
2. Inventing. By rights, the existence of the likes of
Reed Richards, Tony Stark and Forge ought to rapidly propel your
comic book universe into total science fiction, even allowing
for the fact that some mysterious law means that the initial
prototype for any technology is always way better than the mass
production model. Probably the best way to justify that not
happening is to assume that most of the technologies in
question are dependant on supplies of some form of unobtanium.
Thus, although the United States of your universe may actually
have dozens of power armour suits, nobody is going to be using
their capacitor technology to create electric cars with better range
and performance than an internal combustion engine or laser pistols
as standard law enforcement armament...yet. It also helps if you
have an organisation like AIM or Viper that routinely steals every
revolutionary advance and tries to kill or kidnap the source of
said advances. But there we are getting back into superheroics.
Even so, you'll note that all three inventors I name are rich as all
get out. After all, even their most mundane and trivial advancements
are going to be most marketable, and the good stuff, even if imposible
to replicate, is going to be valuable for it's sheer rarity.
3. Investing. That's one that keeps on coming up, the person who
uses their super brain power...ala John Doe, the brief television
superhero...to turn Wall Street inside out. Not so common. Sheer
vanilla brain power usually takes the form of inventive genius, after
all. It's not that easy to outsmart a profoundly chaotic system
like the market after all unless you have insider information.
And use of insider information, even gained by means like telepathy or
is illegal. I suspect that in a world where superhumans were not
unknown, fear of superhumans screwing with the capitalist system
would mean that there might even be laws against superhumans
making stock investments. If they can be biologically identified,
the obstacles might be at least as substantial as steroidal athletes,
with the SEC demanding a blood test from anyone who hits it big.
As for Vegas, I'm inclined to think that one of the ways a super
can make his money is by detecting other supers with a penchant for
trying to work the system.
4. Product endorsements and merchandising. Probably the most implausible
element of mainline superhero universes is that American superheros
almost to a man refuse to license their image or advertise products.
The few exceptions give the proceeds to charity. How likely is that?
C'mon. You know and I know that if someone is going to be putting
his life on the line every day and become the idol of millions, the
least he can reasonably expect is what every really successful jock
in the real world gets almost automatically. And yet apart from
Captain Incredible in Mystery Men (who was really a villain and thus
played into that whole anti-merchandising prejudice).
5. Real work. Consider the mining industry. While carving out tunnels
with your zap, or your earth moving powers, or even just your
superstrength wouldn't give the same income that many of the above
options I mentioned, you could probably negotiate a very comfortable
salary for yourself. The same would apply to things like superspeed
delivery services, or radiation immune reactor repairmen.
So, if you have superpowers and feel like cashing in on them
legitimately, what are your options?
1. Exhibitions. If you have a flashy power then people will
pay to watch a demonstration. Comic book examples include
Shooting Star and Texas Twister, who did more performing
at rodeos than actual superheroics and Dazzler who was a singer
but was primarily notable for her ability to provide her own
lightshow. In real life you have people like Uri Geller who pretended
to have mental powers and the various Salamander Kings and Queens
of the 19th century who pretended to be fireproof. And of course
there was a newspaper comic strip where one of the characters briefly
worked as a strolling pianist. However, with a
wide variety of powered individuals available, most of them would
find their celebrity status to be fleeting as new novelties came
along. Only a few who possessed other talents to go with their
gimmick, or who were particularly good at controlling their gimmick
to produce more effects to keep the public from ennui would have
any lasting appeal.
2. Inventing. By rights, the existence of the likes of
Reed Richards, Tony Stark and Forge ought to rapidly propel your
comic book universe into total science fiction, even allowing
for the fact that some mysterious law means that the initial
prototype for any technology is always way better than the mass
production model. Probably the best way to justify that not
happening is to assume that most of the technologies in
question are dependant on supplies of some form of unobtanium.
Thus, although the United States of your universe may actually
have dozens of power armour suits, nobody is going to be using
their capacitor technology to create electric cars with better range
and performance than an internal combustion engine or laser pistols
as standard law enforcement armament...yet. It also helps if you
have an organisation like AIM or Viper that routinely steals every
revolutionary advance and tries to kill or kidnap the source of
said advances. But there we are getting back into superheroics.
Even so, you'll note that all three inventors I name are rich as all
get out. After all, even their most mundane and trivial advancements
are going to be most marketable, and the good stuff, even if imposible
to replicate, is going to be valuable for it's sheer rarity.
3. Investing. That's one that keeps on coming up, the person who
uses their super brain power...ala John Doe, the brief television
superhero...to turn Wall Street inside out. Not so common. Sheer
vanilla brain power usually takes the form of inventive genius, after
all. It's not that easy to outsmart a profoundly chaotic system
like the market after all unless you have insider information.
And use of insider information, even gained by means like telepathy or
is illegal. I suspect that in a world where superhumans were not
unknown, fear of superhumans screwing with the capitalist system
would mean that there might even be laws against superhumans
making stock investments. If they can be biologically identified,
the obstacles might be at least as substantial as steroidal athletes,
with the SEC demanding a blood test from anyone who hits it big.
As for Vegas, I'm inclined to think that one of the ways a super
can make his money is by detecting other supers with a penchant for
trying to work the system.
4. Product endorsements and merchandising. Probably the most implausible
element of mainline superhero universes is that American superheros
almost to a man refuse to license their image or advertise products.
The few exceptions give the proceeds to charity. How likely is that?
C'mon. You know and I know that if someone is going to be putting
his life on the line every day and become the idol of millions, the
least he can reasonably expect is what every really successful jock
in the real world gets almost automatically. And yet apart from
Captain Incredible in Mystery Men (who was really a villain and thus
played into that whole anti-merchandising prejudice).
5. Real work. Consider the mining industry. While carving out tunnels
with your zap, or your earth moving powers, or even just your
superstrength wouldn't give the same income that many of the above
options I mentioned, you could probably negotiate a very comfortable
salary for yourself. The same would apply to things like superspeed
delivery services, or radiation immune reactor repairmen.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram