reality superhero tv

I just caught up to the ending of Who Wants to Be a Superhero? the other night and I was marvelling at how a show can take 20 minutes of actual content and stretch it out to an hour-long format. Now that’s a superpower!

I was remarking at how insanely similar the winner, Feedback, was to Cyclops, one of Stan Lee’s famous creations… or at least, the Chris Claremont-era Cyke — the overly intense, gotta-prove-himself, loyal to his mentor hero. Instead of finding a father figure in Professor X, Feedback has Stan Lee himself.

But let’s be serious here, which would make a better comic book and movie: “Feedback”, or “Fat Momma”? We all liked Fat Momma, and would be proud of her as the winner, but she’s just not as sell-able of a superhero as someone who at least designed in some cool powers to go with the persona. We’d like her fictional character like we liked Snakes on a Plane — a ton at first until we had to live with it for a while and realize it really wasn’t all that good to being with.

If I went on WWTBAS?, it would be my generation-x duty to go on with as satirical and cynical a character as possible. I would modify up a suit made with camoflague into a post-modern marksman’s outfit, but instead go as “The Marxman” — that is, I would use the teachings of Karl Marx to help people in crisis. My superpower would be the Aquaman-like ability to command proletariats into action. My battle cry as I swing on a cable high above the streets: “Workers of the world unite!” — even if that is a bit Wonder Twins-esque. I would show all those that need rescue that, in fact, only they can rescue themselves from the tyrannys of fire, runaway trains and rabid dogs.

But of course, shaving off the beard would remove my powers.

Someone get the Sci-Fi channel on the phone!