Deconstruction Of Superheroes, Specificly Reed Richards Is Useless

So any issues a healing factor could have, at one point M Artin's going to have his arms rebroken because they knitted wrong.

Any surgery also gets difficult really quickly, given that the body is trying to close itself up. Not sure why they'd have to get surgery, but that's there.

If the Healing Factor includes high processing rate of poisons, then any legal amount of painkillers would probably do about zip.

Also, anything where they get something under their skin—I'm thinking of a novel I read where a werewolf jumped through a window...and suddenly had a bunch of glass under his scalp because he healed so rapidly.

The x-rays must be interesting.

Your Healing Factor is essentially increased metabolism, right? So they'd work something beneficial out of their system just as quickly as something detrimental.

It's more complicated than that, for one thing Shuster's don't scar.

That makes sense, since a scar is essentially a body's way of saying, "I can't heal this (yet)." So they can fully recover from any blow that doesn't kill them?

Yep. Also they're bodies reject any artifical stuff, so they're shit out of luck if they need a pacemaker.

edited 30th Oct '11 6:10:17 AM by Zolnier

Can they get organ transplants of any sort? Ignoring the complications of surgery on someone with a Healing Factor this aggressive, for a moment.

Nope, different organs.

must really mess up blood donation

They don't. Although when the school starts asking for vacinations...

why not?

Let's see their blood is utterly different, they would be found out when the blood is anaylzed, and needles have a habit of breaking on their skin.

Let's see their blood is utterly different, they would be found out when the blood is anaylzed, and needles have a habit of breaking on their skin.

which isn't good for making or receiving a blood donation

what time period is this anyway? What kind of analysis would be put to bear. IIRC it was set in WW 2 so if they can’t donate blood wouldn’t there be some kind of social repercussion.

Perhaps I'm dense but why? if it's instant healing wouldn't the needle just be pushed out? If it’s because their skin is super tough why did the medical staff try to push it?

It's set in the 60's.

never mind then, closed one can of worms opened another.

Wonder why the family is keeping a super intelligant child in a normal school.

I recall a Byrne era Superman story in which Superman is shot with a kryptonite bullet; doctors are able to remove the bullet, but have to keep Superman exposed to kryptonite so his body doesn't immediately start healing itself before they can set the wound.

Speaking of kryptonite, can anything break through the Healing Factor?

Atomic radiation.

Painkillers might not work, but what about breaking their spinal cord? You'd probably need a really expert surgeon, but they could probably have their spine surgically severed so that all their nerve endings below a certain point go dead. Just slide a piece of metal 'tween the two pieces of spine to keep them from reattaching, do the surgery, then remove the metal and let the spine heal itself.

In order to sever the connection you'd need super technology.

So, what, if you jam a piece of metal through their spine, their body will just force the metal out or something?

That's assuming you can get the metal in.

If that's the case, then why would they ever need painkillers in the first place?