My problem with “human” superheroes is the amount of superhuman feats they’re capable of.
I agree people need a human referent among so many superpowered beings, but, trying to put the human to such a godlike level, authors negate that humanity at all.
Do you remember “Punisher kills the Marvel Universe”? He defeated people who can just look at him and fry him. Or make him think he’s dead, so he’s dead. Or freeze him. Or burn him. But he’s human, therefore he’s awesome.
“It’s because they are extraordinary human beings” won’t cut it anymore. Not for me. They’re still human. Human aren’t even the best animals in all creation. A bit smarter, I give you that, but they have to stop killing themselves before being considered intelligent or “sentient”. When they are way out of their league, they should try to avoid any physical confrontation at all cost and stall seeking the help of those more fitted for the task. “I don’t think you could’ve taken Batso either” is as lame an explanation as “I’m Batso”.
It was said the super soldier serum brought Captain America to a state of physical and mental perfection as a human can be, but we’ve all seen him kicking cars away, falling from hundreds of feets or pulling from helicopters to avoid them to get away. Not even the most perfect of humans could do such things (I can’t, FYI) so, what is it? Is he super or just “an extraordinary man”?
Ooops! the superometer says “super”.
Take Batso (again), for instance: he can do all those incredible physical prowess because he trained a lot but...when he lost his parents he also willed himself to be a genius, a mental prodigy? He knows practically every discipline of human knowledge and he’s the best in all of them, mastered multiple skills that, for others, would take a lifetime. When? How did he get time for all that? What is he, 200 years old? Luckily for Gotham, it was his parents the ones gunned down and not those of a stupid average rich boy who will grow up to be a drunken spoiled asshole. Some movies and cartoons try to diminish the idiocy and explain such nonsense saying he’s got external help to do some of the many things he does alone in the comics, like inventing gadgets or taking care of the many special vehicles he must have or running the myriad of companies he inherited.
And I’m avoiding talking about how “human” heroes heal in a matter of days from mortal wounds or keep fighting with a busted leg, an out of socket eye and a severed hand, or how the hero was totally dead...but not quite, because those are common happenstances in every heroic tale since Rocambole, so they get a pass here.
My problem is when they can do everything. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, without any powers, “because he’s human”, even defeat demigods in hand to hand combat. “Never underestimate the power of human will” Why not? Because we need to feel good about ourselves?
One thing is to boost the human spirit, the will for betterment and hard work, other entirely different thing is having a one-man-army, combined with a one-man-cirque du soleil, combined with one-man-silicon valley, combined with a one-man-NASA, etc. Isn’t that a bit too much?
And they rarely make mistakes. If they make one, it’s instantly forgiven, because “you’re just human”.
No!!! Now you’re human? Why didn’t you just considered it before thinking you’re omnipotent?
It’s only humans who are capable of such great things: aliens are just stupid and metahumans are usually silly, they can only handle being good at one thing at the time.
Humans excel on everything.
