Favourite "What if supers were real?" fiction

[Relish in Chaos]

What is your favourite "What if superheroes were real" piece of fiction? Watchmen? The Incredibles? Kick-Ass? Chronicle? Something else?

Personally, mine is Watchmen. It's one of the few books I can read multiple times and still find something new in each reading.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

"What if supers were real?" scenarios don't appeal very much to me. The material usually ends up treating them like ordinary supers anyway, give or take a more cynical worldview. But I'd say I've enjoyed The Incredibles the most. Watchmen was too full of itself, Kick-Ass was like watching Epic Spiderman-y Movie Spoof 4 . Don't know what Chronicle is.

 

[Daniel Janhagen]

Chronicle is the one I think fits under this particular umbrella best, but my favourite would be Super by James Gunn, even though I'm not sure it fits (no superpowers for one thing, but then that's sort of true for Kick-Ass as well). I liked all the ones you mentioned!

 

[DkLnBr]

My favorite would be The Incredibles. Its interesting to see how super heroes would adjust to regular human life

The material usually ends up treating them like ordinary supers anyway, give or take a more cynical worldview.

Ya they really do, don't they? They always end up fighting crime or another super person... It would be fun to see a world where most supers are everyday people. Imagine a show like friends or somthing, but where they all have super powers, but otherwise go about their daily life. It could lead to some interesting new situations or different twists on existing ones

 

[Manoose47]

Ever read "The Boys" by Garth Ennis? It's a perfect marriage of gritty violence and comedy; and features some of the best or worst (depending on your perspective) depictions of super heroes.

 

[GodzillaGuy92]

Watchmen, hands down. The Incredibles was fantastic even by latter-day Pixar standards, Chronicle was easily among the best movies of 2012, and Super was a treat for those of us who like stories full of thematic complexity, but Watchmen is one of those pieces of art that comes around once in a lifetime.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Chronicle is the one I think fits under this particular umbrella best, but my favourite would be Super by James Gunn, even though I'm not sure it fits (no superpowers for one thing, but then that's sort of true for Kick-Ass as well). I liked all the ones you mentioned!

The dude from Kick-Ass is resilient and largely immune to pain due to some nerve damage that happens into the film. That's pretty close to a super power.

 

[Little Woodsman]

Wild Cards. Given the love for George R. R. Martin that suffuses this site my mind constantly boggles that no-one here besides me seems to have read it.

 

[ecoho]

Chronicle because lets face it if people got super powers they would abuse the hell out of them. (personally id attempt to take over the world, you know for shits and giggles

 

[Daniel Janhagen]

Chronicle is the one I think fits under this particular umbrella best, but my favourite would be Super by James Gunn, even though I'm not sure it fits (no superpowers for one thing, but then that's sort of true for Kick-Ass as well). I liked all the ones you mentioned!

The dude from Kick-Ass is resilient and largely immune to pain due to some nerve damage that happens into the film. That's pretty close to a super power.

He is, and I agree. That's why I put "sort of" true instead of just true as I originally did. As far as I know (and I've only read a little of it and only seen the first movie) he's the only one and it's pretty weak as superpowers go.

 

[the darknees abyss]

Some of kick ass could actually be real people doing good on street.

 

[Klaflefalumpf]

My favorite would be The Incredibles. Its interesting to see how super heroes would adjust to regular human life

The material usually ends up treating them like ordinary supers anyway, give or take a more cynical worldview.

Ya they really do, don't they? They always end up fighting crime or another super person... It would be fun to see a world where most supers are everyday people. Imagine a show like friends or somthing, but where they all have super powers, but otherwise go about their daily life. It could lead to some interesting new situations or different twists on existing ones

There was something a little like that called "My Hero", starred Doogle from Father Ted.

It was terrible.

 

[Proto Taco]

Unbreakable

Hands down

Seriously, nix the 'what a twist!' jokes and just go see it. Then you'll understand.