Last year there was word that a Damage Control television series was in the works. For those who don’t know, Damage Control is the name of the company that cleans up after the heroes of the Marvel Universe save the day. It was originally owned, 50/50, by Tony Stark and Wilson Fisk. It has appeared in a few main Marvel titles and has also had a couple of short-run comics series of its own (they were even mentioned on a recent episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

Anyway, hearing about the company again got me to thinking about just how much of a hassle it would be to live in a superhero universe, especially if you’re in a major city. Looking at the comics, movies and shows, it seems like battles between the heroes and villains happen virtually every day. Sure, a lot are small fights in enclosed areas, but someone still needs to repair that hole in the wall or that broken window. I suppose that would mean good money for the handyman and blue collar professions.

But the big battles? Chunks of buildings breaking off or buildings being destroyed completely… roadways being damaged or blocked (by said huge chunks)… government services being shut down. How do they have enough people to clean up these messes, to rebuild the roads and buildings, to get everything up and running again? And the amount of money it takes, from private and public sources? Sure, there’s insurance to cover things, but what would the rates be like? And just the general hassle for everyone living and working in the city (trust me, I work smack in the middle of downtown and I know how much trouble it causes when there is relatively minor street construction).

It does make you wonder about accountability though. In a “real” superhero universe, the heroes would need to be accountable for every bit of damage they do. Sure, they are heroes saving the day and the citizens are grateful and blah, blah, blah, but someone needs to pay for the repairs. That’s fine for the billionaire heroes like Tony, but what about the street-level ones like Luke Cage or Matt Murdock who actually need day jobs to get by?

The comic series The Boys, by Garth Ennis, is set in a world of superheroes and follows a government squad charged with monitoring the egomaniacal heroes who recklessly put the safety of the world at risk. Property is damaged, people are killed, but they defeated the villain so all is well… as far as they’re concerned, at least. Given the writer, it’s incredibly violent and in your face, but it brings up a lot of “what if” scenarios and real world issues. It also brings to mind “who watches the watchmen?”, again coming back to accountability.

Sure, living in a world of superheroes could be cool, if it stays on the “no consequences” level. But, as with anything, you’d have no choice but to take the bad with the good. So no thanks. The real world is messed up enough without all the extra baggage that would come with superheroes trying to keep everyone safe!