JLU: The Greatest Story Never Told

[clearspira]

This story does raise an interesting point though about superheroes: is it actually wrong to save people for money and fame as opposed to just some sense of altruism or ''great power comes great responsibility?'' There is no real discussion about this in the episode its just kind of automatically assumed that it is and that's that. We saw this too in an episode of JLU with the Flash where he was shooting a couple of commercials and Green Lantern was highly critical of him. You are meant to just sacrifice your life to help others without any reward at all.
Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker spends his days saving people's lives in-between living in a shitty apartment delivering pizzas. It affects his grades, he has no social life, he cannot hold down a girlfriend. Being Spider-Man is a curse not a privilege in large part because it gives him nothing back.

This is one of the best parts of My Hero Academia where being a hero is a commercial business like any other. Its about publicity, advertising, hiring fees, taxes. There is an acknowledgement that even heroes need to put a roof over their head and put food on their tables. Even Superman expy All Might has employees and an office.

I won't deny that Booster Gold in this episode is a bit of a tool. But I don't think he's wrong either. Cops are paid to throw themselves in front of a bullet. Soldiers are paid to go off to war. Firemen are paid to walk into a burning building. But according to DC, superheroes are meant to stop Darkseid on empty bellies because they had to decide between going to work and fighting crime this month.

[HighPriest]

It's an unfortunate moral high ground, considering that, as you say, there are people in the real world who have the career or fighting crime but still need to... like, eat? (I know, the gall of some people...)

That said, in the real world, it would actually be quite possible for most superheroes to make a living off of crime-fighting. Bounties for wanted criminals is still a real thing - presumably it is in comic-book-land as well? Depending on who you're talking about, a bounty could range from a couple of thousand dollars for parole violation type offenses to tens of millions for wanted terrorists. That's a lot of pizza deliveries, though getting the FBI or whoever to cut a check for "Spider-Man" would be an issue.

[Makeitstop]

I've always wanted to see Booster Gold and The Question get a series together. I feel like they could play off each other quite well. They're incredibly different, having almost nothing in common in the way of powers, backgrounds, motivations or methods of solving problems. But they're also both outsiders who don't quite fit in with the rest of the team. They're not respected the way most heroes are. And even that serves as a contrast because while Booster Gold is all about fame and adoration, the question will gladly take the role of lone nutjob.

Really, you'd just need some excuse to have the plot handcuff them together in order to make a great odd couple / buddy cop dynamic. Have a time travel plot that involves them being framed and needing to go on the run to prove their innocence. Booster could suffer through lying low in a sleazy motel that The Question uses as a safe house. Skeets could bring up records from the future, only to have The Question argue with him about it all. I feel like a lot of it just writes itself.

[Fianna]

The thing with superheroes is that they're meant to be uniquely capable of saving their city/their world.

If someone decides to quit being a doctor, or a firefighter, or a police officer, or whatever, because they feel they're not getting paid enough, there are lots of other doctors, firefighters, police officers, whateverses who can pick up the slack. The world needs people filling those roles, but it doesn't need any specific individual to take up those roles.

With superheroes, it's different. If Superman decides to stop protecting Metropolis, then Metropolis is going to be destroyed by monsters or conquered by supervillains before the year's out. No one else can do what Superman does, so there's no way Superman can ever quit and still live with themself. Someone in that position might still enjoy receiving money or accolades, but if money and accolades are the reason they're in the hero game, that implies they'd leave the world to suffer if the gravy train ever dried up.

Of course, in a setup like JLU, where there are oodles and oodles of superheroes all over the place, the importance of any particular superhero continuing to do their duty does become less important.

[Nealithi]

The thing with superheroes is that they're meant to be uniquely capable of saving their city/their world.

If someone decides to quit being a doctor, or a firefighter, or a police officer, or whatever, because they feel they're not getting paid enough, there are lots of other doctors, firefighters, police officers, whateverses who can pick up the slack. The world needs people filling those roles, but it doesn't need any specific individual to take up those roles.

With superheroes, it's different. If Superman decides to stop protecting Metropolis, then Metropolis is going to be destroyed by monsters or conquered by supervillains before the year's out. No one else can do what Superman does, so there's no way Superman can ever quit and still live with themself. Someone in that position might still enjoy receiving money or accolades, but if money and accolades are the reason they're in the hero game, that implies they'd leave the world to suffer if the gravy train ever dried up.

Of course, in a setup like JLU, where there are oodles and oodles of superheroes all over the place, the importance of any particular superhero continuing to do their duty does become less important.

Else where it was brought up that society seems to really want to bring heroes down. Now some people are that way. Never ask me to write a Superman story. I really can't do 'happy'. But the big blue boyscout comes off too perfect sometimes. It makes him unrelatable. So they give him simple flaws. Balancing that work/hero lifestyle, or as Chuck showed in his review of Superman vs the Elite. Questioning his own choices. They, for lack of a better term, humanize him.

I think a story that encompasses this well is in the Legion of Nothing. The hero groups do things like licensing their likeness. Some toy sales etc. This is to generate operating capital for the group holdings. And compensate the heroes when they need to be away from their civilian jobs. This concept that they should never get any compensation is great for Bruce Wayne. But Clark Kent missed a meeting with the new VP because of that Intergang attack. So he is fired. Now how does he pay for his apartment? He still needs to eat. While there is some comparison to doctors, firemen, etc. These are primary careers for most of them. Not the secondary one.

And this leads me to one actual argument on what you put down here. I don't think Metropolis is doomed if Superman quits. Because Superman is not immortal. If the place will die if he takes a week off. Then they are going. to. die. One day he will be too old and have to stop. Now what? Sorry sheep, there are infinite wolves and I could only walk the pasture for so long. If that is the case then Metropolis absolutely should be paying Superman for his time. Because he is the only thing between them and those wolves.

[Madner Kami]

Come to think of it, it's funny how these ultra-american idols are expected or assumed to be so decidely socialistic in their behaviour.

[clearspira]

Come to think of it, it's funny how these ultra-american idols are expected or assumed to be so decidely socialistic in their behaviour.

You take someone like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark, who on the one hand are living the American Dream; beautiful women on both arms, big house, sports cars, lavish parties... and yet both also carry a clear ''money does not make you happy'' message. Bruce only puts on the playboy lifestyle to cover for being Batman, the rest of the time he sits alone and broods. And MCU Tony ends up living in a small house with a family after leading this life of unimageable wealth. Same kind of goes for poorer heroes like MCU Spider-Man and Cpt America who find no joy in fame but do in the arms of a woman.

I wonder if that's one of the reasons behind the superhero renaissance that we enjoy today. A backlash against the severe wealth and social inequalities of our society. There is something decidedly 1950s about the message of service to country and family beyond your own needs.

BTW, something else occurs to me about this frugal life that heroes are meant to lead: they live in a country where calling an ambulance can cost a grand. Without money how are they patching their wounds up? Its fine if you happen to be mates with Bruce or Tony, I guess.

[Fianna]

This concept that they should never get any compensation is great for Bruce Wayne. But Clark Kent missed a meeting with the new VP because of that Intergang attack. So he is fired. Now how does he pay for his apartment? He still needs to eat.

He can crush coal into diamonds; he'll be fine.

[MightyDavidson]

This concept that they should never get any compensation is great for Bruce Wayne. But Clark Kent missed a meeting with the new VP because of that Intergang attack. So he is fired. Now how does he pay for his apartment? He still needs to eat.

He can crush coal into diamonds; he'll be fine.

Also I highly doubt Clark Kent's gonna be fired, given he's a Pulitzer winning journalist and so far as the VP knows he missed the meeting because he was getting the story on that Intergang attack.