Reed Richards Is Useless: Difference between revisions

Content added Content deleted
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
(Rescuing 2 sources and tagging 0 as dead. #IABot (v2.0beta9))
Line 46: Line 46:
** This [http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/12/30/worst-comics-2010-superman-grounded/ review] of the ''Grounded'' story arc makes a good case [[Tropes Are Not Bad|why this trope exists in the first place]]. ''This is the problem with trying to tackle "real world" problems in a "serious" way with a character like Superman. He's basically God. He can walk into a neighborhood full of drug dealers and just magically destroy all their drugs and drive them off. In order to explain why he doesn't just do this all the time, or any number of other things that he could do with minimal effort that would drastically change the lives of every single person in the country, if not the world, writers like Straczynski resort to utter inanity. "Over there has to stand for itself, has to speak for itself, because it's only when over there becomes here that we can stop this once and for all." Read that sentence again. It means [[Meaningless Meaningful Words|nothing]].''
** This [http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/12/30/worst-comics-2010-superman-grounded/ review] of the ''Grounded'' story arc makes a good case [[Tropes Are Not Bad|why this trope exists in the first place]]. ''This is the problem with trying to tackle "real world" problems in a "serious" way with a character like Superman. He's basically God. He can walk into a neighborhood full of drug dealers and just magically destroy all their drugs and drive them off. In order to explain why he doesn't just do this all the time, or any number of other things that he could do with minimal effort that would drastically change the lives of every single person in the country, if not the world, writers like Straczynski resort to utter inanity. "Over there has to stand for itself, has to speak for itself, because it's only when over there becomes here that we can stop this once and for all." Read that sentence again. It means [[Meaningless Meaningful Words|nothing]].''
** Linkara's review of the Superman Grounded storyline took a further look at how the story applies to this trope and story's general stupidity. At the beginning of Grounded, one woman publicly criticizes Superman for not saving her husband from a brain tumor while Superman was saving Earth. Linkara points out that not only was Superman busy with saving millions of lives, but that there is no indication that Superman's heat/x-ray vision can treat cancer nor does Supes have the necessary medical training. http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/2012/04/superman-701.html
** Linkara's review of the Superman Grounded storyline took a further look at how the story applies to this trope and story's general stupidity. At the beginning of Grounded, one woman publicly criticizes Superman for not saving her husband from a brain tumor while Superman was saving Earth. Linkara points out that not only was Superman busy with saving millions of lives, but that there is no indication that Superman's heat/x-ray vision can treat cancer nor does Supes have the necessary medical training. http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/2012/04/superman-701.html
** Superman's creators wrote a story for ''Look'' magazine detailing [http://supermanthrutheages.com/look/?page=2 how Superman would have cleared up World War II in a matter of minutes]. Naturally, nothing of the sort ever happened in the actual comic books. It couldn't. Nothing else in history would have been unaffected and the worlds would have had to diverge until the one in the comic book no longer resembled reality at all.
** Superman's creators wrote a story for ''Look'' magazine detailing [https://web.archive.org/web/20130115122307/http://supermanthrutheages.com/look/?page=2 how Superman would have cleared up World War II in a matter of minutes]. Naturally, nothing of the sort ever happened in the actual comic books. It couldn't. Nothing else in history would have been unaffected and the worlds would have had to diverge until the one in the comic book no longer resembled reality at all.
** This is also intentionally invoked in ''[[Superman: Red Son|Red Son]]'', where Superman changes the entire world in a few short decades. He even acknowledges that he could change the world in a day if he beat it into submission.
** This is also intentionally invoked in ''[[Superman: Red Son|Red Son]]'', where Superman changes the entire world in a few short decades. He even acknowledges that he could change the world in a day if he beat it into submission.
* In a 1982 issue of ''[[Swamp Thing]]'', [[The Phantom Stranger]] makes opposing sides' ammo wet and unusable. The solution? Bludgeon each other with the guns, of course.
* In a 1982 issue of ''[[Swamp Thing]]'', [[The Phantom Stranger]] makes opposing sides' ammo wet and unusable. The solution? Bludgeon each other with the guns, of course.
Line 121: Line 121:
* [[Damage Control]], a company that repairs the damage to New York caused by superhero battles, is implied to be highly effective as New York can be devastated in one issue yet return to normal by the next storyline. However, Damage Control seems unable to treat real world disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and 9/11.
* [[Damage Control]], a company that repairs the damage to New York caused by superhero battles, is implied to be highly effective as New York can be devastated in one issue yet return to normal by the next storyline. However, Damage Control seems unable to treat real world disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and 9/11.
* During the ''[[Secret Invasion]]'' storyline, Norman Osborne creates a weapon to kill Deadpool that could also theoretically cure cancer. In an absolutely spectacular display of idiocy, he never thinks to release this to the public and thus generate obscene amounts of money and good publicity.
* During the ''[[Secret Invasion]]'' storyline, Norman Osborne creates a weapon to kill Deadpool that could also theoretically cure cancer. In an absolutely spectacular display of idiocy, he never thinks to release this to the public and thus generate obscene amounts of money and good publicity.
* Given the reckless use of their superpowers in early appearances, it is a surprise that the X-Men and Fantastic Four were not "useless" if not downright dangerous as superheroes (http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/linkara/at4w/33215-all-star-comics-8-and-the-fantastic-four-1 and http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/2010/11/x-men-1.html).
* Given the reckless use of their superpowers in early appearances, it is a surprise that the X-Men and Fantastic Four were not "useless" if not downright dangerous as superheroes (https://web.archive.org/web/20130908114623/http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/linkara/at4w/33215-all-star-comics-8-and-the-fantastic-four-1 and http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/2010/11/x-men-1.html).
* In the comic book review show ''[[Atop the Fourth Wall]]'' host Linkara points out that Reed Richards seems too busy with inventing useless stuff like air signals that can change their own writing as opposed to something useful like curing cancer.
* In the comic book review show ''[[Atop the Fourth Wall]]'' host Linkara points out that Reed Richards seems too busy with inventing useless stuff like air signals that can change their own writing as opposed to something useful like curing cancer.
* Doesn't Professor X occasionally use his telepathy powers to help bring people out of comas?
* Doesn't Professor X occasionally use his telepathy powers to help bring people out of comas?
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Reed_Richards_Is_Useless"