Superhuman/Mutant Registration

[ThatNickGuy]

I'm in the middle of watching X-Men: First Class for the first time. Although it's not a topic that comes in this particular movie, the idea of mutant registration is one that's been brought up on the comics on multiple occasions.

Civil War also brought up the idea, where at first, it was handled with some equal decency, it quickly degraded into "registration is evil and anyone for it are bad!"

Personally, I agree with the idea behind it. As a Canadian, I'm absolutely for the idea of gun registration, although I don't know how much that helps the law or hurts individual citizens.

When it comes to someone who has the ability to blow up buildings with a snap of their fingers or cut through steel by looking at it, I think some form of government registration would be ideal. It's not something that would be necessarily wide open to the public, but perhaps something under a lot of security to protect the identities and civil rights of those with powers.

It's honestly a very tricky subject and one that honestly hasn't been dealt well in the comics. Most times, it takes the idea of registration on the most vile of circumstances, including locking them up and treating them like crap. On the X-Men mutant front, I can understand that it's meant to extend the original metaphor of racism and especially anti-semetism. At the time in the 60's, the idea of encampments not just for Jews, but for Japanese was still in the forefront of everyone's minds.

Still, I don't know. If it were handled humanely and still keeping people's rights in mind, I would be for it. What do you guys think?

 

[klew]

I don't think I would like the idea. The direct analogy of racism applies, in that you were born a mutant, it wasn't something you could have chosen, unlike choosing to own a gun. It would say that you want to monitor the activities of everyone of a certain group, before ever having committed a crime. If a mutant does become a criminal, using their mutant power or not, then they get to be registered and followed, like sex offenders.

However, if it were possible to choose to acquire a superpower (like a super soldier serum), I'm all for having that registered, just like any gun/weapon.

 

[Ravenpoe]

I don't think I would like the idea. The direct analogy of racism applies, in that you were born a mutant, it wasn't something you could have chosen, unlike choosing to own a gun. It would say that you want to monitor the activities of everyone of a certain group, before ever having committed a crime. If a mutant does become a criminal, using their mutant power or not, then they get to be registered and followed, like sex offenders.

However, if it were possible to choose to acquire a superpower (like a super soldier serum), I'm all for having that registered, just like any gun/weapon.

I'm against the fictional registration of mutant powers, but I'm all for the fictional registration of super science!

 

[ThatNickGuy]

I threw this up on Facebook and someone suggested the idea of the registration being treated not necessarily as a weapon, but as a medical condition. I think there's something to it, there.

 

[Allen who is Quiet]

I'm all for finding out what super-attractive people like to wear spandex.

 

[phil]

There's two ways of looking at this, I think. Are we assuming a wacky comic book universe where there are hundreds of super powered people running amok, some good and some bad and no one ever seems to stay dead? In that case I don't really see the point. Really since we would register all super powered criminals upon their initial incarceration being unregistered would be a sign that this guy is on the up and up. And really since the super powered community has to police it's own, trying to get a super powered individual to do anything as a normal law enforcement officer or bureaucrat or anything is just pointless.

Plus we have to assume that the agency keeping tabs on these people is a complete joke anyway. I mean they have access to people smart enough to create super suits, intergalactic space travel, doomsday machines and all sorts of other stuff, but we can't figure out what this guy with a domino mask looks like without said domino mask. Apparently they have ray guns, but not photoshop or something.

Or we can assume that this is a more realistic world. Perhaps there are mutants and certain costumed individuals that go out and fight crime, but not so many that we feel the need to reboot the universe from time to time. In this universe registration would be the only way we can actually utilize super people. You have the right to face your accuser. If the cop who wrote you the ticket doesn't show up, you go free. Now imagine the cop is Batman. Without his testimony all the prosecution has to go off of is the fact that this guy was tied to a lamp post at 3am.

Mutants are different though. Mutant registration would be the gay marriage debate of our world. It would clearly be unconstitutional but those who are afraid of it would demand it. The clear answer would be to only register those who decide to use their powers in a vigilante way. Of course it would be a slow and stupid debate that would drag on as one at a time each state does the right thing because WE JUST CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.

All in all I'm generally for it for people who decide to use their powers for good or evil. If you get powers via birth or some accident then I don't think you need to get registered so long as you aren't going to take an authoritative role with those powers. Having powers isn't always a choice but being a Super hero is.

 

[Frank]

I think it's funny that in Marvel, Canada has had superhuman registration since forever. Wolverine even comments on it during Civil War.

 

[@Li3n]

I threw this up on Facebook and someone suggested the idea of the registration being treated not necessarily as a weapon, but as a medical condition. I think there's something to it, there.

Yeah, it should totally be counted as a mental disease...

I guess moving the X-Men to San Francisco was too subtle...

 

[AshburnerX]

I think the Spinnerette universe handled it best: They register your Superhero identity and have the means to confirm that the person testifying is the person who registered with them. (I.E. They take Spinnerette's DNA. Now they can check to make sure it's her under the suit.) Because the Superhero identity is now confirmed, they are allowed to testify under mask because they are accusing the person as that identity, not their civilian one. This works rather well because the government doesn't keep track of that kind of thing unless your a criminal, in which case they have a vested interest in stopping you anyway.

I threw this up on Facebook and someone suggested the idea of the registration being treated not necessarily as a weapon, but as a medical condition. I think there's something to it, there.

Right, because it's TOTALLY okay for the government to have a complete listing of people with HIV or Aids... oh wait...

 

[Chibibar]

I am against it. Why?
The registration is more of a way to "segregate" the mutants. Plus as with any registration, it only mess with the law abiding citizens (until the criminals are caught and process of course)

To me, it is like require to have Asian Registration in the U.S. but any other ethnicity are exempt.

 

[@Li3n]

Now imagine the cop is Batman. Without his testimony all the prosecution has to go off of is the fact that this guy was tied to a lamp post at 3am.

If the cop was Batman then the bad guy would have bribed his way out of it anyway... or would be a crazy person who the cops where already looking for...

 

[Steve]

If you outlaw criminals then only criminals will be outlaws. It's a slippery slope.

 

[GasBandit]

As a Canadian, I'm absolutely for the idea of gun registration

Most of the world's most notorious tyrants and monsters agree with you.

But putting that aside for the moment, in the comic universe these people, these mutants, did not ask to be what they are. They didn't go down to a gun store and buy a gun, knowing they'd need to register it. Chibi's closest I think to the best analogy.

 

[Covar]

But putting that aside for the moment, in the comic universe these people, these mutants, did not ask to be what they are. They didn't go down to a gun store and buy a gun, knowing they'd need to register it. Chibi's closest I think to the best analogy.

That's exactly why She-Hulk fought against the Mutant Registration Act, but was Pro Super-Hero registration.

 

[GasBandit]

That's exactly why She-Hulk fought against the Mutant Registration Act, but was Pro Super-Hero registration.

Super HEROES are a bit less of an issue, especially the normies with utility belts. Not to cross universes or anything, but what Batman does is illegal. This is pretty much accepted in canon. If a government wants to make a way to "legitimize" superheroes in some way, both the govt and the hero in question need to weigh whether the benefits of registration/collaboration outweigh the negatives, and accept the consequences of their choice either way.

 

[Covar]

Yep, Civil War when it comes down to it was more an attack of the genre than anything else.

 

[AshburnerX]

Yep, Civil War when it comes down to it was more an attack of the genre than anything else.

This was more the fault of the writers than the actual event. They apparently didn't bother to see where their writers stood before the event went down. If they had, they could have gotten some guest writers that might have portrayed the pro-registry side in a better light. That they didn't really showed how little faith Marvel had in their team.

 

[@Li3n]

Most of the world's most notorious tyrants and monsters agree with you.

While all the saints where totally into guns...

 

[GasBandit]

While all the saints where totally into guns...

Last I checked, saints were into dying painfully. If that's what you want out of life, go for it, bud.

 

[AshburnerX]

Last I checked, saints were into dying painfully. If that's what you want out of life, go for it, bud.

Not all saints are martyrs. Quite a few died of natural causes.

 

[GasBandit]

Not all saints are martyrs. Quite a few died of natural causes.

Hey, I was just keeping the wild, sweeping generalization train a'movin.

 

[@Li3n]

Last I checked, saints were into dying painfully. If that's what you want out of life, go for it, bud.

You're confusing them with martyrs... (damn you ashburner for getting there first)

But i'm sure having guns would have totally saved them from all those evil empires...

 

[GasBandit]

You're confusing them with martyrs... (damn you ashburner for getting there first)

But i'm sure having guns would have totally saved them from all those evil empires...

You're mixing up what I said. I said tyrants like gun control. I didn't say saints should be required to carry guns.

 

[@Li3n]

You're mixing up what I said. I said tyrants like gun control. I didn't say saints should be required to carry guns.

No, you just said they die... it was my fault for thinking you wanted that to have some sort of connection to the discussion instead of an interesting aside...