Thank you.
"It doesn't matter what I think," Varsha said. "People will throw that Spider-man crap at you. 'With great power comes great responsibility.' It's bullshit. We don't go tell people 'you're in good shape, it's your duty to become a cop or a firefighter or a soldier.' There are plenty of people out there who would make really good first responders or doctors or whatever, but don't want to do those jobs. And there are people who become cops and firefighters and doctors and EMTs and soldiers and decide that isn't what they want to do with their life and they walk away from it. That doesn't make them bad people. "Your life is still your life. You don't want to be a superhero, don't be a superhero. Go make rocket engines. Find a pretty girl. Settle down and raise cats. Find something that makes you happy and hold onto it with both hands and to hell with anyone who tells you that isn't what you should do with your life."
Mind, I feel like there's about an 80% chance she becomes at least an auxiliary hero by the end of the book. But the point is that Delta Vee said it, out loud. Like, it could semi-reasonably be argued that Tony Stark has a responsibility because he deliberately chose to get his "powers", but anyone else, not really.
... ... ...
"...and when a new metahuman pops up as powerful as you, I get a file on my desk. A really big god damned file. I know things about you I don't want to know, but one thing that stands out is that you grew up wanting to be a hero." "I didn't want to be a hero, I wanted to be an astronaut." "Same damn thing."
I will concede that if anyone has the legal authority to draft Maggie into superheroics, it's probably the Secretary for Metahuman Affairs. But I'm not convinced that authority exists, particularly when there's no declared war or national emergency.
One thing I remember wanting to be, when I was a kid, was a painter specializing in African wildlife. Doesn't mean anyone trying to take away my computer and put a palette in my hand is in any way in the right.
Yyeah no. Astronaut ≠ superhero. Especially in a setting where supers have openly existed for who knows how long. Fundamentally different roles, responsibilities, training, authority...
In short: fuck you, Banks.
