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tuftearsI've been reading through The Legion of Nothing, a superhero fiction centered on Nick, who is an inventor without superpowers but the uncanny ability to understand and develop technology, and pondering why it is that inventors like Tony Stark seem to have had so little effect on their worlds.
Let's think about it this way. What amazing inventions exist in Iron Man's suit?
* Super-tiny power plant that is nevertheless capable of fueling flight for an extended period and powering tankbuster-class weapons
* Electrically powered exoskeleton that can give superstrength
* Lightweight armor that deflects and absorbs a wide variety of types of damage
* Miniaturized rockets for flight that can lift a grown man and his armor
* An on-board computer of amazing sophistication that can identify targets, manage flight and give perfect flight, and supervise all these components so they don't tear the armor (let alone the wearer) apart
* Various weapons like repulsors that practically fit into the wearer's palms
The main thing I find strange about it is that these things aren't being mass produced. The arc reactor alone could obsolete traditional coal-burning plants and vehicles and help move the Earth toward a cleaner environment. (in fact in the comic, Stark's new company, Resilient, is producing arc reactor cars) AI computer technology could be widespread; everyone could be using fancy holographic interfaces like Stark's. And don't forget, the 21st century has always promised us flying cars. They could become a reality!
Even if Stark is reluctant to share his inventions, it seems very likely many different agencies would be trying to duplicate and mass produce them: the military, rescue services, international companies, organized crime, et cetera.
...
And then it hit me, there actually is a fictional universe where all these things have already been done.
Heard of Bubblegum Crisis? It was an anime series released in the late 80s, featuring Genom, a powerful mega-conglomerate company that manufactured 'Boomers', humanoid robots that would perform a wide variety of tasks. These robots would sometimes go haywire, necessitating that they be eliminated by the 'Armored Defense Police', who were police equipped with armored suits.
Naturally, the heroines of the saga, the Knight Sabers, wore more powerful suits-- but they don't stand out as starkly against the more technological background of the series as Iron Man and his allies and foes do against the Earth of the early 21st century.
So-- yeah, I guess I don't have to write the story of the Sane Inventor. ;)
Let's think about it this way. What amazing inventions exist in Iron Man's suit?
* Super-tiny power plant that is nevertheless capable of fueling flight for an extended period and powering tankbuster-class weapons
* Electrically powered exoskeleton that can give superstrength
* Lightweight armor that deflects and absorbs a wide variety of types of damage
* Miniaturized rockets for flight that can lift a grown man and his armor
* An on-board computer of amazing sophistication that can identify targets, manage flight and give perfect flight, and supervise all these components so they don't tear the armor (let alone the wearer) apart
* Various weapons like repulsors that practically fit into the wearer's palms
The main thing I find strange about it is that these things aren't being mass produced. The arc reactor alone could obsolete traditional coal-burning plants and vehicles and help move the Earth toward a cleaner environment. (in fact in the comic, Stark's new company, Resilient, is producing arc reactor cars) AI computer technology could be widespread; everyone could be using fancy holographic interfaces like Stark's. And don't forget, the 21st century has always promised us flying cars. They could become a reality!
Even if Stark is reluctant to share his inventions, it seems very likely many different agencies would be trying to duplicate and mass produce them: the military, rescue services, international companies, organized crime, et cetera.
...
And then it hit me, there actually is a fictional universe where all these things have already been done.
Heard of Bubblegum Crisis? It was an anime series released in the late 80s, featuring Genom, a powerful mega-conglomerate company that manufactured 'Boomers', humanoid robots that would perform a wide variety of tasks. These robots would sometimes go haywire, necessitating that they be eliminated by the 'Armored Defense Police', who were police equipped with armored suits.
Naturally, the heroines of the saga, the Knight Sabers, wore more powerful suits-- but they don't stand out as starkly against the more technological background of the series as Iron Man and his allies and foes do against the Earth of the early 21st century.
So-- yeah, I guess I don't have to write the story of the Sane Inventor. ;)
