Never Be a Hero: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|
There's a strange [[Double Standard]] regarding superheroics. Most superheroes [[How to Give A Character Super Powers|get their powers by accident]] and choose to use them for good with little to no training beforehand. This is what makes them [[Heroes]].
However, if a [[Muggle]], [[Sidekick]], or some other [[What Measure Is a Non Super|"mundane"]] gains superpowers and tries to be a [[Hero for
But Superheroes don't exist in this world, so why is it wrong to try to be one in a fantasy world? The justification (if any is given) for this [[Fantastic Aesop]] can be any or all of the following:
# [[Muggle
# Only the hero has the moral fiber to resist succumbing to [[The Dark Side]]. Anyone else will quickly get drunk with power and become a [[Monster of the Week|Villain Of The Week.]]
# Powers are dangerous, and only the hero has enough practice using them to rescue people without making an accident into a natural disaster. Rather than coaching the new superhero on how to use their powers effectively and safely, the hero will [[Hero Harasses Helpers|try to get them to quit or give the powers up.]]
# Attempts to [[What Measure Is a Non Super|gain super powers]] are seen as [[Ambition Is Evil|rank ambition]], and dangerous in and of themselves. This carries the [[Unfortunate Implications]] that we shouldn't try to rise above our stations. Superheroes are special, and we should just be content to be [[Red Shirt
** It should also be noted that, if you're trying to duplicate the risky conditions of how a hero got powers, and ''especially'' if those powers are a really dangerous form of [[Cursed
# Another aspect of this comes from two other superhero universal constants: [[Could Have Been Messy]] and [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]]. The untrained can't pull off the infallible dodging, and since they don't have [[Improbable Aiming Skills]] their attacks will actually kill criminals. [[And That's Terrible|Which is wrong.]]
The worst uses of this trope won't even come with a reason why it's wrong. If someone suddenly gains super powers ''and'' does ''the same good'' the hero does, it's still considered wrong if this trope is applied. By story's end the [[Contagious Powers]] will be gone, the [[Sidekick Glass Ceiling]] will be bumped against, and [[Status Quo Is God]] shall be reaffirmed.
The real reason for the existence of this trope is that if lots of people gain powers and become superheroes, then it steals some of the main characters thunder. They become less special, unique, and one-of-a-kind. Never mind that even if [[Top Ten|everyone in the setting]] [[Legion of Super-Heroes (
It should be noted that when the subject of this aesop doesn't have any powers and seeks to emulate a [[Badass Normal]], [[Costumed Nonsuper Hero]] or a hero with [[Charles Atlas Superpower
So basically, this aesop is logical when both the hero and muggle are low on the [[Super Weight]] scale... but gets really iffy when someone who by all rights ought to have been treated as a young hero in need of guidance, isn't.
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== Comic Books ==
* Completely averted by John Henry Irons, AKA Steel. When [[Superman]] saved his life he asked how he could repay him and got the answer "live a life worth saving". So he builds [[Powered Armor]] and uses it to become a Superhero. He remains a respected member of the superhero community to this day.
** Although when John Henry's niece gained powers through the Everyman Project and became leader of [[Infinity, Inc.]], he complained she hadn't "earned" them. Mind you, this was less about "you shouldn't be a hero" and more about the fact that Infinity Inc. was sponsored by Lex '[[Civilian Villain|totally reformed this time, honest]]' Luthor. There ''was'' a little bit of "you're not mature or responsible enough to be a hero yet" in Steel's actions, but in his defense Natasha herself demonstrated that he wasn't ''entirely'' wrong about this.
*** On the other hand, when he was at one point thought dead, Natasha picked up his hammer and triggered a fantastic recorded message saying "I don't want you to be a superhero like me, it's too dangerous, but since you'll probably ignore me, I rigged all my gear to answer to you. You'll be great." But then, [[Legacy Character|taking up the mantle]] is a slightly different situation in [[DC Comics|the DCU]].
* [[Silver Age]] Lois Lane used to [https://web.archive.org/web/20200801201239/http://www.superdickery.com/?option=com_content&id=981%3Alois-gets-powers-again get] powers
** Of course, the real reason is that Lois won't be the [https://web.archive.org/web/20191017002530/http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=949:lois-kryptonite-vision brightest] bulb even on a shelf full of [https://web.archive.org/web/20191017002529/http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=448:be-smarter-than-the-bed-lois bed lamps].
**
* Similarly, Johnny Quick once gained a [[Distaff Counterpart]] called Joanie Swift whom he seriously resented, but who couldn't be dissuaded from trying to help, until she had to deal with ''[[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?|mice]]'', after which she agreed to let him take away her powers.
** In what was perhaps a deliberate bit of irony by writers, Johnny Quick's daughter Jesse would inherit his powers as well as that of his wife Liberty Belle, super-strength. So the speedster who saw no problems in taking the powers of another person for essentially being a girl is now represented in the comics by a girl who can also bend steel.
* No one but [[Batman]] or his acknowledged sidekicks are ever supposed to be working in Gotham City. Anyone else will invariably get things totally wrong, such as by being very slightly more brutal than Batman on interrogation, or risking getting people killed somehow, or accidentally interfering in the one crime per year that the Gotham PD is actually doing something about. How contrived this feels varies from case-to-case.
** Stephanie Brown deserves special mention: for years, she was the epitome of this trope, being told time and again not just by Batman, but (eventually) by nearly everyone associated with him that she should stop crimefighting, but she never backed down. It even went so far that she ''got herself killed
** A major part of it is that Batman is a major control freak who considers Gotham to be "his" city, and doesn't even allow established heroes from outside his band of sidekicks to work the city without getting permission beforehand. Any new heroes deliberately defying Batman in that regard are probably going to be reckless in other ways.
** There are also occasional exceptions to this rule, such as the Huntress (who moves in and out of Batman's orbit, and isn't happy about being defined in such terms). Perhaps the most notable was the Cavalier, who Batman gave the "this is my city" talk to before actually accepting that the guy was skilled enough and honest enough to make it work. Of course, then [[It Got Worse]].
*** And then it got better, since after Battle for the Cowl the Cavalier has been going by his real name, Mortimer Drake (no relation to Tim Drake), and is acting as the bodyguard for Dr. Leslie Thompkins after she provided him with emercengy medical assistance. He still uses the sword, though.
** An argument can be made that Gotham is ''not'' a city that most heroes can operate in, however. This is not a city with people like Lex Luthor, who causes collateral damage, or Gorilla Grodd with his temporary and easily-fixed [[Mind Control]]. Gotham has villains like the Joker, who kidnaps dozens of babies ''just because he enjoys screwing with Batman,'' or Killer Croc, a cannibal with monstrous strength. Batman's villains may not be high on the totem pole of supervillain ''power,'' but they're the reigning champions as far as terrifying and squick-inducing go. There's the added bonus that it typically requires intelligence to stop their plans in time. Sure, Superman ''could'' catch
== Film ==
* ''[[Dark Knight Trilogy|The Dark Knight]]''. Were those vigilantes wrong for trying to be heroes? No. Although Batman just made a snarky comment about hockey pads, it was clear what they were doing wrong was using his persona for outright violence ([[Technical Pacifist|and guns]]), which was not at all what he stood for.
* In ''[[Narnia|The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe]]'' film by Disney, Peter is met with this line... "Just because some guy in a red suit gives you a sword, it doesn't make you a hero!", hoping he's not dumb enough to try and fight the wolves and die trying. He does, since the alternatives are even dumber. (Fight the wolves, that is. He lives.)
* The premise of ''[[Sky High]]'' is basically this trope being applied to high school
* One of Columbus' biggest rules in ''[[
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== Live Action TV ==
* Here's a subverted/averted example. In the ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' episode "The Other Guys", Dr. Felger is a real fanboy of SG1. When he sees SG1 is getting captured by Jaffa, he insists on rescuing them. Of course, he quotes their motto "Never leave a man behind", so he takes another scientist with him and they beam themselves on the Ha'tak to rescue them. Turns out SG1 was deliberately letting themselves be captured and [[Unwanted Rescue|they now screwed them up]]. Of course, O'Neill is very angry at them for doing this. In the end though, the two are indeed responsible for rescuing SG1 (as the undercover operative they were supposed to meet up with had been found out and executed) and they both get a medal (although that particular part was [[All Just a Dream]] of Dr. Felger).
** Maybe not ''that'' part, but... {{spoiler|getting kissed by Carter was most ''definitely'' [[All Just a Dream]]}}!
* Another aversion in ''[[Lois and Clark]]'': When Superman's powers are transferred to Lois Lane, he (and his parents) spend most of the episode coaching her with her newfound abilities and turning her into a proper superhero. She acquits herself pretty well, though she becomes normal again at the end of the episode. This would be [[Status Quo Is God]], but she also accepts Clark's marriage proposal, perhaps due to the experience she had as a hero.
** On the other hand, in another episode a dumpy old guy gains superpowers and decides to adopt the moniker of "Resplendent Man" and save people... for money. Usually haggling over the price with the victim while they were still in danger, and seeing nothing wrong with this because, hey, your own life's gotta be worth a lot, right? When Superman shows up and rescues the victim, Resplendent Man berates him for "horning in on his territory". In the end he loses his powers and [[Status Quo Is God|status quo is reasserted]] with an actually palatable aesop: it takes more than superpowers to make a hero.
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== Web Comic ==
* The City of Nexus in [[Captain SNES]] actually has laws against hero work not done via the police, mostly because the citizens of Nexus come from such a staggering variety of games that they all have very, ''very'' different ideas about what they are and aren't allowed to do during such tasks. It is also pointed out that heroes tend to draw villains and show up at world-endangering times, to the extent that a world-weary [[Mega Man (
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== Western Animation ==
* In the 1990 ''[[He
* There was an example of this in the ''[[She
* Syndrome from ''[[The Incredibles]]''. Tries to be a superhero using technology, turns into the [[Big Bad]].
** Considering he was discouraged for this because he was a kid in a world where [[Infant Immortality]] is [[Informed Attribute|stated]] to not be the case, possibly a good idea to discourage him until he got older. Especially since what was very nearly his first action as a 'hero' came within a couple of seconds of getting both himself and Mr. Incredible killed.
* ''[[Superman:
** On the other hand, the series' version of Steel's origins (see Comics section above) had Superman being quite receptive to the idea of having someone around to help, even ''after'' the [[Power Armor]] prototype in the episode that introduced John Henry Irons gave its user [[A God Am I|a serious God Complex]], and encouraged him to keep trying.
*** There was perhaps some [[Justified Trope|justification]] for Superman getting her to sit things out for a while- she wasn't nearly as powerful as him, and came uncomfortably close to getting herself killed on multiple occasions. After she had gotten a bit more acclimated to her powers and Earth in general, she ''did'' get into the game in Justice League Unlimited, and with her cousin's full support.
* There was an episode of the Sunbow ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' cartoon where Quick Kick's girlfriend ''successfully sneaked into the heart of Joe Headquarters'' to try and join the Joe team. Duke tells her to go to her local army recruiter. This from the team that recruited Shipwreck in the middle of desert and Quick Kick himself from the middle of the Arctic.
* ''[[Danny Phantom]]''. [[Proud to Be
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* Quite possibly used so that impressionable children [[Don't Try This At Home|don't try to imitate the heroes in real life]], going back to the George Reeves Superman series, where there were reports of kids donning red towels and jumping out of their window in an attempt to fly. Live action shows geared to kids in the 90s used this trope, often showing that the stunts were done by actors who knew what they were doing and giving kids ideas to be real heroes in their community by getting involved in picking up litter or something.
* In real-life disaster situations, the first rule for bystanders is, "Avoid increasing the number of people needing to be rescued". In real life, none of us have super powers.
** It's the rule even for people with first aid training - the first step is always to look for environmental hazards that could endanger your own safety before giving assistance. Becoming a victim is not useful for either you or the person you're trying to help.
** Similarly, in situations where civilians have involved themselves in stopping a crime in progress, it's common to hear a police spokesperson cautiously congratulate the person's bravery whilst still stressing that ordinary civilians should leave the crime-fighting to the police, as the police have undergone extensive training to deal with such situations in a way as to make sure that as few people as possible are killed or injured in doing so, and most civilians haven't. Of course the police can't stop every crime in progress, but that is ''not'' a license to take rash actions.
** Although, when taken too far, this leads to the [[Somebody Else's Problem|Bystander Effect]].
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Superhero Tropes]]
[[Category:
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