I lost my superpowers, I was invisible

[mmcirvin]

Via Jamelle Bouie: Preferred superpowers of polled Americans.

I agree with Bouie that these results are really quite odd. Mind-reading and time travel seem like the most potentially dangerous of these superpowers by far; do people really prefer them? I suppose I do fantasize sometimes about being able to go back and fix mistakes, or have more hours in a day. But if I were really offered time-travel powers, I would be terrified by all sorts of science-fictional worries.

None of the powers really gets a majority.

For me, I think it'd be a close call between flight and teleportation. I'd probably pick teleportation because of its immense practical utility. Of course, a lot depends on how it works. Do you have to apply Besterian mental disciplines to avoid teleporting into a wall?

And it's odd that the poll doesn't offer super-strength or physical invulnerability, which are sort of the baseline superhero powers. Flight becomes much more useful if you also have invulnerability, of course, and I suppose immunity from temperature extremes and asphyxiation would help as well.

Comments

[ckd]

If the poll had offered Wolverine-level healing factor, I'd be sold.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Wolverine isn't such a happy guy, though. Maybe if you could keep it secret from people who want to do squicky things to you as a result.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

See also: Cap'n Jack Harkness (who was so much more happy-go-lucky before he got the power) and that poor girl on Heroes.

[factitiouslj.livejournal.com]

I like that the younger you are, the less likely you are to be unsure about your favorite power.

Mind reading seems like it would have some strong disadvantages. Either you have to keep it secret from everyone you know, or you have to live with knowing exactly how uncomfortable they are being around someone who can read minds. (My guess: really uncomfortable.)

Teleportation is definitely the one of these I've fantasized about having the most. Even if it came with a line-of-sight limitation, it'd be my top pick. And yet it's surprisingly unpopular. Don't other people get annoyed by the process of moving from one place to another? Am I the lone voice crying out against the burden of passing through intermediate locations?

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

There's the question of whether you have to deal with velocity-matching issues. If it's taken care of, then teleportation is almost as good as flight. Teleport to a spot about a thousand feet up, fall for a while and go home, or keep teleporting back to your original destination to effectively hover.

[ikkyu2.livejournal.com]

Seriously? Only 8% for teleport? First of all, yo, if you can teleport frequently enough, you can frickin' fly. If your apport comes with a built-in velocity or momentum vector - which it really has to if you teleport any distance, otherwise you're crushed or flung by Coriolis-type forces - you can pretty much fling yourself into the sky with abandon.

Secondly, there are like 2 reasons to have invisibility: to steal stuff and to totally perv out. It is without merit to totally perv out; therefore, one wants to be invisible to steal stuff. Here is a tip; stuff worth stealing is kept in vaults and museums, places like that. Places into and from which one could TELEPORT. Yo. Wake up people.

Thirdly: 28% to read minds? Yo? Who cares what these peons are thinking? THINK LIKE A SUPERVILLAIN YO kthxbye

[skapusniak.livejournal.com]

I concur invisibility is a sucky power, but disagree that it's even much use in the perversion stakes, even aside from the moral issues. The 'they can't see you but they can still trip over you and/or hear you' gets the invisible super-voyeurs every time, and being an invisible guy or gal is not going to help a putative pr0n career in any way shape or form -- if they can't see you they can't film you. Even flight is better for that.

No, for that sort of thing you want generalised shapeshifting, stretch powers, or just cut straight to the chase and go for the extra tentacles.

...

I agree that the survey is rather odd in terms of power selection. I'm quite pleasantly surprised they didn't bother with any 'fire beams of $SPECIALFX from $BODYPART and blow stuff up' powers -- mostly useless outside a military career -- but no healing powers (self or other)? No telekinesis? No clairvoyance? No resurrection of the dead? (Yes that always always goes wrong, but permadeath is a long standing friend of nobody) The already mentioned Shape-Shifting? Haste/Superspeed? And okay lets put Super-Strength on that list as well, tho' it wouldn't be one of my top picks.

That's before you get to stuff that could be really useful but aren't really standard super powers, like having a maxed out luck stat, portable holes, access to hammerspace/bags of holding, being able to summon the most useful tool or device for your current situation at any time (no more lost keys!), matter duplication (think star trek replicators) etc. etc.

And yes the seeming unpopularity of teleportation and popularity of time-travel is inexplicable.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

See also this detailed argument as to why Martian Manhunter should be everyone's fantasy lover. (http://io9.com/#!5759457/5-reasons-why-i-want-to-make-love-to-the-martian-manhunter) Of course, the same properties that make him a relatively safe partner as telepathic shapeshifters go would also likely make him difficult for any random kinky nerd to seduce. Martian Manhunter has self-respect!