Superhero's active working lifespan

[Forbin]

Why are you guys using words like "average" or "typical," or even just looking to athletes and the like? Characters like Batman are outliers. He may not have any superpowers, but there is something extraordinary about him that lets him do what he does. Hell, even the people Batman himself has recruited and trained quickly get used up/retire/slow down significantly after only a few years of trying to keep up, and they're pretty big outliers, too.

I have no idea what an outlier is, and I'm pretty sure I've never met one. Are there such actual people who have extraordinary resistance to injury?

And if you're pulling them not only out of their settings but also the suspension of disbelief that comes with them, well, what's the point in that? You could do that with any superhero. "If Superman were in the real world where he didn't have any superpowers, but he tried to stop a train? How many nanoseconds would he survive after the initial impact?"

???

Heh? That's not at ALL what I'm asking. I specifically said to discount heroes with superpowers and only consider superheroes that are normal humans. Like someone said upthread, that mostly narrows us down to Batman and Daredevil, but I'm also thinking what if some poor schmoe in real life decides to give it a try.

What's the point? This is the frickin' internet. What's the point of HALF the things we talk about here? Why pick on MY question?

 

[Mister Fandango]

I have no idea what an outlier is, and I'm pretty sure I've never met one. Are there such actual people who have extraordinary resistance to injury?

Words are hard.

Heh? That's not at ALL what I'm asking. I specifically said to discount heroes with superpowers and only consider superheroes that are normal humans. Like someone said upthread, that mostly narrows us down to Batman and Daredevil, but I'm also thinking what if some poor schmoe in real life decides to give it a try.

Batman and Daredevil aren't normal humans. They're pretty much the exact opposite of normal. They're exceptional; above and beyond the norm; distant outliers; unique and special; etc.

What's the point? This is the frickin' internet. What's the point of HALF the things we talk about here? Why pick on MY question?

Because despite the saying, it is possible to ask stupid questions.

 

[Dream]

The only way superheroes can exist in real life is if they had real life powers like Superman or wore power armor like Iron Man.

A normal human would become a cop if he wanted to fight crime not dress up in tights.

 

[JoeZhang]

Because despite the saying, it is possible to ask stupid questions.

Is your superpower "pretend internet badass"? Because you know science proved that superpower didn't exist many years via many many examples and much direct observation This thread clearly isn't for you, the rest of us are enjoying it - couldn't you go and gas a puppy or something rather than stand around in the middle of the party shouting "guys stop having fun"*

 

[Zaku]

At least Green Arrow tries to keep a distance beetween him and the bad guys...

Edit, There is a book about this "stupid" question!


Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero

Zehr discusses the physical training necessary to maintain bad-guy-fighting readiness while relating the science underlying this process, from strength conditioning to the cognitive changes a person would endure in undertaking such a regimen. In probing what a real-life Batman could achieve, Zehr considers the level of punishment a consummately fit and trained person could handle, how hard and fast such a person could punch and kick, and the number of adversaries that individual could dispatch. He also tells us what it would be like to fight while wearing a batsuit and the amount of food we'd need to consume each day to maintain vigilance as Gotham City's guardian.

 

[RJDiogenes]

It's far from a stupid question.

 

[Gov Kodos]

Physical pounding, a few weeks, tops, with luck and picking opponents wisely (size, numbers, potential interlopers or back up, and recourse for retreat in the event things go wrong). Being able to come and go from the lair, depends on how large the superhero is trying to be a name that is how many encounters he's taking credit for in some fashion. Attention will bring witnesses. An ability to blend quickly with the environment will be critical. Batman's suit, car and dodads just scream stupid and easy to follow and find. You're really not driving fast and far through NY, London, or any other similar city in a rig like the Batmobile for very long. Running on foot, even less so unless you can look like everyone else real quick. Any supersuit stuff will make a short week or two.

 

[Forbin]

Because despite the saying, it is possible to ask stupid questions.

Is your superpower "pretend internet badass"? Because you know science proved that superpower didn't exist many years via many many examples and much direct observation This thread clearly isn't for you, the rest of us are enjoying it - couldn't you go and gas a puppy or something rather than stand around in the middle of the party shouting "guys stop having fun"*

I posed the question on Facebook too, hoping for a fun exchange instead of the usual cute kitty pics and political rants. One old friend said we should stop talking about frivolous things and talk about the issues. That was a few hours after Fandango's post. I told him to fuck off. He actually called and asked why I was mad! I screamed at him for a few minutes about ruining other peoples' threads and not being able to have fun.

He's such an outlier.

 

[Mister Fandango]

He's such an outlier.

Yeah... still not grasping the word. They really are hard.

(Also, do you really think you're clever by telling someone to fuck off by using a made-up example? Sad.)

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I think you need to look at athletes in high contact sports, like American Football for example.

They also only do it once a week, which is a bit different.

I think you need to pick three categories:

Unpowered heroes like Batman, who would probably have a short lifespan, limited by peak physical condition and how much wear and tear they take on a daily basis. He also has to live two full lives. I think Dark Knight portrayed the timeline fairly well, keeping in mind that Batman is among the best and had the advantage of superior technology. Basically, a few years at his peak and then a rapid decline.

Underpowered heroes like Spiderman who have bonus strength and agility but can still be vulnerable. I think he can go longer, both in age and in physical punishment, but severe traumatic injury would probably end his career abruptly. For what it's worth, Spiderman himself at least can multitask and take pictures of himself for money. Others, like the X-Men don't have to worry about double lives at all.

Full-powered heroes like Superman who are virtually indestructable and don't really show signs of aging. I'll put Thor in this category, although he probably can get hurt. They can go decades or centuries without problems as long as they don't die.

 

[Zaku]

Underpowered heroes like Spiderman who have bonus strength and agility but can still be vulnerable. I think he can go longer, both in age and in physical punishment, but severe traumatic injury would probably end his career abruptly. For what it's worth, Spiderman himself at least can multitask and take pictures of himself for money. Others, like the X-Men don't have to worry about double lives at all.

I believe Spider-man has an healing factor (not Wolverine Level!)

From wikipedia:

Spider-Man is capable of healing injuries faster and more extensively than ordinary humans, though it is considerably inferior to the healing abilities of individuals such as Wolverine or The Hulk. However, Spider-Man is capable of healing from injuries as severe as broken bones within a matter of hours. During a battle with a villain called the Masked Marauder, Spider-Man is rendered completely blind. However, during a visit to an eye specialist, it is revealed that Spider-Man is already healing only hours after being blasted. After about 2 days, Spider-Man's eyesight has recovered to perfection and his 20/20 vision is restored, although his eyes are sensitive for about a day after, shown when Carrion flashed a bright light in his face. Afterwards, his eyes are completely healed.

 

[Forbin]

(Also, do you really think you're clever by telling someone to fuck off by using a made-up example? Sad.)

I have no idea what you're talking about I used no example of anything when I told him to fuck off.

If you're not enjoying the thread, feel free to fuck off.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I believe Spider-man has an healing factor (not Wolverine Level!)

Interesting, I didn't quite know that. I knew he had above-average durability at least. He's still in this broad category either way. So is Captain America and, I would say, most Marvel heroes.

 

[Forbin]

Hawkeye, for sure, is just an athletic human.

Cap has the super-soldier serum in him. Spidey has a bit of super-strength and a certain amount of superhuman stamina and healing ability.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, Hawkeye falls into the Batman camp, same with Daredevil and Punisher. I put Thor in the third category. I'd even put Ironman in the middle - even though he's technically a normal human, his suit protects him enough to compensate for physical shortcomings. I don't think my point was to categorize every single one, but to point out that this isn't a one size fit all thing.

 

[Neroon]

(Also, do you really think you're clever by telling someone to fuck off by using a made-up example? Sad.)

I have no idea what you're talking about I used no example of anything when I told him to fuck off.

If you're not enjoying the thread, feel free to fuck off.

Guys... let's stop this NOW before either of you loses your cool and needs an infraction. It's an intriguing question that merits a chance to continue.

Comments to PM, if it's really necessary.

 

[Holdfast]

Yeah, Hawkeye falls into the Batman camp, same with Daredevil and Punisher. I put Thor in the third category. I'd even put Ironman in the middle - even though he's technically a normal human, his suit protects him enough to compensate for physical shortcomings. I don't think my point was to categorize every single one, but to point out that this isn't a one size fit all thing.

Daredevil is definitely not in the same category as Batman or Hawkeye (unless his powers have altered since I read the comic as a kid, which I guess is entirely possible). Daredevil's heightened senses, in particular the echolocation do more than just compensate for lack of normal vision. He gets superhuman balance & agility and I think I can remember examples of him having something analogous to spidey-sense. He's not just a highly athletic normal person.

Batman, Hawkeye, Punisher and Stark though, yeah I'd count them as being written as being "normal" humans without powers. Of course, Stark's suit means he's superhuman-powered when in action, I agree.

 

[Forbin]

(Also, do you really think you're clever by telling someone to fuck off by using a made-up example? Sad.)

I have no idea what you're talking about I used no example of anything when I told him to fuck off.

If you're not enjoying the thread, feel free to fuck off.

Guys... let's stop this NOW before either of you loses your cool and needs an infraction. It's an intriguing question that merits a chance to continue.

Comments to PM, if it's really necessary.

Not necessary, but he was one post away from being reported.
Carrying on.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Daredevil is definitely not in the same category as Batman or Hawkeye (unless his powers have altered since I read the comic as a kid, which I guess is entirely possible). Daredevil's heightened senses, in particular the echolocation do more than just compensate for lack of normal vision. He gets superhuman balance & agility and I think I can remember examples of him having something analogous to spidey-sense. He's not just a highly athletic normal person.

But he's still a normal person physically, like Batman and Green Arrow and so on, so he would respond to physical punishment just like any of us (and he takes quite a bit). I think this would apply to a lot of heroes who have super powers, like, for example, Cyclops or Angel. They can shoot eye beams and fly, but if they get blasted or pummeled or shot, they in just as much trouble as anybody. Same with magical characters like Doctor Strange.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I'm not really sure mutants are as vulnerable to injury as we are. They logically should be (with exceptions), but I swear I've seen them take more of a beating.