TheIntellectual said:
to the government equate to the public knowing as well? It's wierd to me that they've never revealed what exactly "registering with the government" means. Does this mean they've got to go in front of the media and take off their marks, or just the President himself? This is a simple question with hopefully a simple answer... maybe I just missed it or something. Thanks.
Basically, CIVIL WAR at its core is an allegory about the dangers of "allowing government intrusion into your life in the name of security". As such, it sometimes blurs the rules of their own SHRA law in the name of telling a more dramatic story to that end.
You're correct; the letter of the SHRA says that a superhero has to identify themselves to the government. NOT the media, and NOT the public; essentially like undercover cops, agents, and intelligence spies do. You'll notice that a good number of the heroes who are pro-SHRA are heroes who either lack a "civilian" family, have had their identity public before, or their only family are conviently other superheroes (such as the case of Mr. Fantastic and the Four, and Yellowjacket and his wife, Wasp). However, at least according to FRONTLINE #1, apparently in the eyes of the media, a superhero who endorses the SHRA yet still keeps secret from the public (which ISN'T illegal) is somehow "hypocritical". Because, well, its a shocking thing when superheroes are hypocrites, because surely elected politicians sure aren't. Or celebrities or pro atheletes, who unlike superheroes or even corruptable politicians, do absolutely nothing for the public good besides distract us from what's REALLY important.
Anyway, to alleve this "hypocrisy", Iron Man revealed his identity again (FRONTLINE #2 had some in the media claim it was "little surprise" after his past reveals), and part of why Spider-Man (coincidentally, the only pro-SHRA hero so far who has a civilian family to worry about) did his reveal (although he only went through with it when May gave him his blessing; MJ was skeptical and he was going to run out on even Stark before May claimed it was the right thing to do).
Revealing your identity to the feds as a superhero is a dangerous step in itself, as others have stated. Firstly, it makes it much easier for that secret to be leaked; one FBI agent selling his ID to a tabloid turned Daredevil's life upside down, for instance. Plus, villians can either hack into gov't computer files or bribe/threaten some agent or stooge into revealing someone's ID. Secondly, it gives the government more control and leverage over superheroes, which is a core reason why the SHRA was passed in the wake of the Stamford Incident (the gov't felt after the "recklessness" of the New Warriors, that superheroes needed to be regulated and held accountable). The government "can tell you who the supervillians are" or outright blackmail a hero into doing their bidding (or punishing them when they won't, like Speedball is suffering). Thirdly, the American gov't in the Marvel Universe is incredibly corrupt and untrustworthy, a fact that was true before Pres. Bush was elected and before Joe Q was EIC (of couse, to be fair, the 80's had them "nasty demons", Reagan and Bush Sr, so there was plenty to rebel against). The MU U.S. gov't has been willing, for instance, to impose draconian rules and laws against mutants, even at times authorizing, or at least looking the other way, when hulking robots fly out and attack them in city streets. The gov't has also been willing to allow any supervillian, regardless of their past crimes, to get a badge and become an agent if they agree to play along and be a stooge (of course, this rarely lasts as the villian usually does it for their temporary convience; the Thunderbolts so far are a notable exception). Examples include Mystique and her then "Brotherhood of Evil Mutants" (Blob, Pyro, Avalanche, and Destiny), Sabretooth, Puppet Master, and even Venom. The SHRA is an act that does a lot to punish honest superheroes who just want some privacy, while doing nothing against actual supervillians, and in fact gives the villians MAJOR advantages because it either makes it easier for them to learn the ID's of their enemies or even captitilize on the anti-superhero emotions to purge their criminal records and "make a deal".
Basically, it sort of blurs the line between hero and villian, which in philosophy is very dangerous, because it seems to pretend that "real" evil doesn't exist.
And yes, Spider-Man is being set up as the big "cautionary tale" of the SHRA. He'll suffer some new loss and pain and whatnot, to prove to the world that SHRA won't work. As a character, he should know better by now to have gone down this far, but "the story must go on", after all.
