From: efj1@quads.uchicago.edu (The Crafty Trilobite)
Subject: Re: XMEN: Forge is not an inventor
Reply-To: efj1@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Distribution: rec
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 18:31:18 GMT


>>>What other marketable inventions are being ignored by the superhero populace?
>>There are a lot of them in the Marvel Universe:
>>	The von Doom time cube
A state secret of Latveria, for the simple reason that Dr. Doom doesn't want 
the Kingpin or Nick Fury or someone buying a copy and writing Doom out of ex-
istence. Or, since it now seems to be more of a "visit alternate universes
cube", because he doesn't want anybody else getting Blackbeard's treasure
or the like.  Why he himself doesn't use it more, I don't know.

>>	Reed Richard's unstable molecule "cloth"

Probably expensive as all hell - pointless except for superheroes who really 
need it.  Then again, maybe it's not expensive, and Reed's making a mint off 
of it. How could we tell if the average man on the Marvel street was wearing 
u.m. clothes? 

>>	The Iron Man armor

Tony Stark's paranoia stops this from being marketed - see Armor Wars. But he
does sell components of the armor, if he has advanced beyond them in his latest
version of the armor.

>>	The Multiple Man's unbreakable Mayo jar

But that _is_ sold! How else could MM have bought it? :)

>>	Adamantium

Is sold, but only to rich power-mad dictators. It's too bloody expensive, and 
omnium or even titanium will do just fine for most purposes. Or even 
molybdenum for, like, buildings.

>>	Vibranium

State treasure of Wakanda, carefully doled out to a very few select buyers, 
because all vibranium on earth comes from one large meteor thta crashed there
a Long Time Ago, and when it's gone, there ain't no more, and Wakanda goes back
to being a dirt-poor African state.
Why the USSR, Doc Doom, etc. never invaded Wakanda and took all the magicmetal
I'll never understand.

>>	Force Fields

I think they are sold - everybody seems to have them who wants them.

>>	Antigravity

No excuse on this one. If the Wizard can afford it, anybody can. It oughta be
out there on the market.

>>	Cloaking devices

But they _are_ being marketed.  Didn't you see the invisible gorilla in every 
panel of the last five years of FF? You didn't? See, that proves he's 
invisible :)

>>	Mach 4+ jets

I have the impression that they are in as common use on Marvel Earth as the 
Concorde is on ours.  This doesn't change life significantly, for reasons that 
Karl marx explained in depth.

>>	Mutant inhibitor fields

Well, yeah, sounds like a great Chanuka gift, but once you've got it, what do 
you _do_ with it?  Not a lot of market there. And the inventors were mutants.
They might not want to spread this one around too much.

>>	growth/shrink formulas

Perhaps (just randomly guessing) they're unstable - people get stuck at 11 feet
tall, objects suddenly returnto normal size at inconvenient moments (honey? Did
you just pull out or something? ;) ), etc.  Could easily be a very buggy 
technology (just ask Ant-Man :) )

>>	artificial intelligence

Generally developed by a random, "I'll never be able to reproduce these 
remarkable results" accident, or alien technology, or something.

>>	personal jet packs

If you're thinking of Wonder Man, his are powered by his body's ionic energy.
A normal person would have to carry around a jet engine to power them. 

>>	phasing ability

A biological talent - and union regs prevent Kitty from exploiting it 
financially, leaving her with nothing to do but save the world and attempt
to lose her virginity.

(Vision was created by Ultron, and even Ultron never figured out how.)


This list of excuses provided free by Manny "No, I _haven't_ got a life, 
what's it to you" Jacobowitz.



Xref: sparky rec.arts.comics:20843 rec.arts.comics.misc:323