1y ago

What super power would be impractical in real life?

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Super strength is something I could see being problematic.
The movies always show the super strong hero picking up buses or trains with one hand, but in reality you have to lift such vehicles in specific places, or they will be damaged. Youtube is full of videos depicting cars falling from mechanic's lifts due to improper lift point placement, or just old fasioned rust. Imagine Mr. Incredible going to pick up a bus in a state where the roads are salted, and just breaking off a handful of the frame.
- This is the kind of gritty reality I'd like to see in a movie. Stuff is constantly breaking when the hero tries to pick it up, he has to go through a montage of classes on structure and how to choose the best place to grab onto things.
  Also leverage. Unless the super strength comes with stability, lifing a boulder from the edge would just make the hero's feet slip out from under them. He has to lift one side straight up until he can fit underneath to balance the thing. Then he has to hope that the ground below can withstand all the weight of the boulder pressing on the soles of his feet.
  
  Also super strong guy has to grow morbidly obese in order to gain a slight mechanical advantage over whatever he's trying to move
  
  Haha, yeah!
  
  I'd just depict it as super strong guy ripping panels off of vehicles or tearing wheels and shit off.
- Additionally, see the essay Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex by Larry Niven
  Overthinking? Yes, intentionally. Gross and funny? Also yes!
  
  I have a collection of short stories that includes that essay. Long time fan of Niven!
- Also, even if you were that strong, the calories you'd have to eat to pick up that shit and put out that much force would be insane. The Hulk would have to eat wheelbarrows of food after throwing cars around
  
  I have wondered before how many cheeseburgers Cyclops would have to eat to power his laser eyes.
  
  Could be "scientifically" countered by nuclear fusion/fission of the atoms in the food eaten.
- I never thought about that but you're correct. You can mess up your car really bad if you put the carjack anywhere else than the strong parts of the frame.
- Yup. Same with 'slowing things down' too quickly - sure you might save the bus but the strawberry jam inside isn't going to appreciate it.
  
  Like when Ironman falls out of the sky and slams into the ground. He's always just fine.
- Haha I've thought of that. Maybe they can add that to a Deadpool movie or something with a super strong character ripping up a car finding the lift points.

137 comments