Heroes and Villains: The Unintended Consequences of Their Battles
It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but heroes can be just as destructive as villains, even though they don’t intend to cause the damage they do. In the heat of battle, it’s difficult to focus on preserving the surroundings, especially when facing an enemy who couldn’t care less about collateral damage. In some cases, it’s nearly impossible to prevent destruction, but there are instances when the devastation could have been minimized, yet it wasn’t.
Many might argue that extenuating circumstances justify the collateral damage caused by heroes, such as bringing down buildings or endangering innocent lives. However, the sheer power that many heroes possess makes it nearly impossible to use their abilities in populated areas without causing some level of destruction. In open countryside, heroes and villains can battle without significant consequences, but as we’ve seen in movies and TV shows, these fights often occur in the heat of the moment, wherever they may be.
Heroes, Villains, and the Fine Line Between Saving and Destroying
There have been battles that took place in less populated areas, resulting in less damage. However, it’s all too common for fights to cause enough destruction to make people question the benefits of having heroes around. The devastation caused during these battles can be so severe that one can only hope that those with the means, like Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne, would help rebuild. Those with the power to destroy could also be utilized in reconstruction efforts, as seen in the comics.
Determining who causes more damage, heroes or villains, is a challenging task. Many villains are hell-bent on destruction, while others seek to rebuild the world in their image. Heroes, on the other hand, strive to save civilization and prevent it from crumbling, often literally. It’s easy to conclude that villains cause more damage than heroes when it comes to willful destruction. However, heroes often create collateral damage that they’re blamed for, as people expect them to minimize destruction while saving lives. This expectation is the essence of a hero: to save the day and keep the world from falling apart. Unfortunately, as seen in comics, movies, and TV shows, the raw power needed to combat villains often results in significant collateral damage.
Should Heroes Be Held Accountable for Collateral Damage?
Expecting heroes to cause minimal damage during battles is unrealistic, especially when fights occur in cities or areas with large populations. Blaming the Avengers for the extensive damages to New York in the first Avengers movie is absurd, as they couldn’t have asked the Chitauri and Loki to move the fight elsewhere. Loki was determined to wreak havoc, and the team had no way to redirect the battle to a less populated area. The same can’t be said for the Superman vs. General Zod fight, where the Man of Steel contributed to the destruction of a town and a large part of Metropolis, even if unintentionally. The fact remains that heroes, despite their noble intentions, can cause significant damage.
Does this mean heroes should be kept in check? The simple answer is no, as heroes need to be strong to protect those who can’t defend themselves from supervillains. However, the reality is that heroes sometimes cause as much damage as villains, if not more. This seems to be a common hazard associated with the presence of heroes, but it’s not something that can be entirely avoided. The silver lining is that, hopefully, heroes can help rebuild and restore what they inadvertently destroy.
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