History ReedRichardsIsUseless / ComicBooks

* Usually played straight in ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', as the author believes that it's important that the stories take place in our world, but the superhero Samaritan was able to stop the Challenger disaster, and there's a story dealing with a lawyer who attempts to defend his client in a mundane case by citing superhuman events -- he argues that yes, forty witnesses say that they saw his client commit the murder, but there was once a bank robbery seemingly committed by celebrities who turned out to be shapeshifters, the superheroes First Family were suspected of selling defense secrets, but it was their Alternate Universe counterparts, etc. It ends up actually getting his client off the hook.
** The lawyer example actually went meta with this trope: While the lawyer was proud of mounting a successful defense he was also very worried about the legal precedent he was setting. The same lawyer (in his role as the {{narrator}}, addressing a classroom some decades later) states that the aforementioned defense caused a major overhaul of legal praxis concerning suspected metahuman involvement and that there is no way that defense would fly in the comic's "present".
** Deconstructed in the Astro-Naut's story. Roy Virgil aka Astro-Naut developed many super-advanced inventions during his interplanetary adventures, but he refuses to share them with anyone because he's convinced that humanity is not ready for them yet (especially after encountering the [[MirroringFactions Mrevani]]). The general public is ''pissed'' when they find out that he's hoarding futuristic technology from them -- especially since the story is set at the start of World War II when said tech would've been invaluable to the Allies' war effort -- causing their opinion of him to [[HeroWithBadPublicity plummet.]]

* Another ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'' episode: Linkara asks why the scientist in ''ComicBook/BruteForce'' (who can grant human intelligence to animals and create transforming battle suits) doesn't use this technology to benefit people in wheelchairs.

* Gyro Gearloose from the ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse. Over the course of time, [[DependingOnTheWriter the many different writers]] did let him invent ''anything'', from simple mechanical contraptions which could theoretically also work in RealLife, to [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness ultra-soft science fiction stuff]] like e.g. {{Time Machine}}s. In spite of all this, Duckburg does always stay at the contemporary tech level. Same thing applies to his ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse {{Expy}}, Doc Static.

** Deconstructed in with Knuckles' ancestors, the Brotherhood of Guardians. They had the most advanced technology on Mobius, combined with potent mystical prowess and powerful allies. At no point did they try and stop Dr. Robotnik during his original decade long spree of terror, even when he was a clear threat to them, only getting involved in areas of echidna interests. It's suggested that their obsession with following their centuries-old traditions was the problem, with even their allies calling them out on it, saying that echidnas would become a footnote in Mobian history, whereas they could usher in a golden age if they got involved with other races. When Dr. Robotnik returned, now as Dr. Eggman, Princess Sally asked them for help, but they refused because she couldn't agree to using their most advanced weapons, suggested to be nuclear. Since an early issue in the Knuckles comic book established that echidnas ''do'' have the tech to fully restore an ecosystem ravaged by nuclear weapons, this wouldn't be too big a problem, but they never mentioned this to Sally makes it seem like they withheld that knowledge just to make her leave. Eventually Dr. Eggman caught up to their tech enough to attack them directly, getting most of the echidnas slaughtered, and the Brotherhood captured.

** Deconstructed in the Astro-Naut's story. Roy Virgil aka Astro-Naut developed many super-advanced inventions during his interplanetary adventures, but he refuses to share them with anyone because he's convinced that humanity is not ready for them yet (especially after encountering the [[NotSoDifferent Mrevani]]). The general public is ''pissed'' when they find out that he's hoarding futuristic technology from them -- especially since the story is set at the start of World War II when said tech would've been invaluable to the Allies' war effort -- causing their opinion of him to [[HeroWithBadPublicity plummet.]]

[[folder:Comic Books -- DC]]
!![[Franchise/TheDCU DC Universe]]:
* In [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]]'s review of ''Rise of Arsenal'' he points out the titular character getting a robotic arm transplant and wonders just how available robotic limbs are to the DC Universe's general public. Linkara also asks if the DC superheroes can clone body parts, then why is Comicbook/{{Cyborg}} still stuck in his cybernetic body.[[note]]Cyborg actually ''was'' in a cloned body at the time of Linkara's review. For a while in the 90's, he looked perfectly human, and had the ability to switch back and forth between his organic and armored forms at will. Then StatusQuoIsGod hit, leaving him permanently trapped in his armored form, which was done to make him look closer to his original, iconic appearance.[[/note]]
** Cyborg himself was a case of this, in the sense on robotic limbs being transplanted onto individuals and why it is not commonly available. Later issues address this by changing his backstory; the technology involved was BlackBox alien technology and so the specifics are very difficult to find out. (One extreme example is in the New 52 animated universe, the technology involved was from '''Apokolips'''.)
* This trope was used to justify Barbara "ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}[=/=]ComicBook/{{Oracle}}" Gordon remaining wheelchair-bound despite the ready availability of possible cures. She doesn't want to receive special treatment and therefore dishonor public servants who were disabled in the line of duty; either a cure becomes available for everyone, or she stays in the chair. That raises the question of why the numerous cures can't be made available to the public. The ComicBook/New52 reboot [[ComicBook/BatGirl2011 changed this]], having her undergo a procedure to restore the use of her legs, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Gordon#Critical_and_editorial_commentary which was still somewhat controversial out-of-universe]].
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** In the Batman story "Ticket to Tragedy" (Detective Comics No. 481), Alfred's cousin, the heart surgeon Sir Basil Smythe, develops a revolutionary heart surgical procedure. However, Smythe is so depressed with all the inhumanity in the world that he thinks about burning all his notes on the procedure. He promises to share it with the public if Batman finds the man who murdered his friend. Batman succeeds in capturing the criminal.
** A Creator/WarrenEllis story has Alfred criticize Bruce over whiskey and make a salient point about the connection between poverty and crime.
--->'''Alfred:''' Some nights, all I see is an old soldier helping a very rich man to leave his mansion at night in his expensive car to visit horrible beatings upon poor people.\\
'''Bruce:''' That's not what we do, Alfred.\\
'''Alfred:''' Isn't it? It might have been easier for you to BUY Gotham City. Instead, you scratch away at it every night. Impoverished people forced into crime or suborned by gangsters with not a hundredth of your own resources.
** Generally defied by Batman, though, as Bruce Wayne is written as being an active philanthropist, mainly through his own Wayne Foundation.
* Bobo T. Chimpanzee (aka Detective Chimp) once got a hold of ComicBook/DoctorFate's helmet (and all of its mystic powers) and quickly pondered about using his newfound powers to solve all the world's problems. However, his powers also showed him the terrible after effects of such a change in the world's balance (for example, deleting a disease from existence would open the way for a newer, deadlier disease filling the gap). Eventually he gets rid of the helmet and uses his remaining powers to help people by solving as many unsolved crimes he could while his mystical powers last.
* One of the biggest examples in the DC Universe is The Brain, of the original Brotherhood of Evil lineup (from ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol''), who remains [[BrainInAJar a bodiless disembodied brain]], despite the wide variety of cybernetic body parts. Although, back in the 1960s, he did have a body made out of pure energy for a while.
* In the JLA story "Divided We Fall", Franchise/TheFlash runs into a type of extradimensional wish-granter named Id, and upon doing so, is wowed by all the possibilities open to him on improving the world, tempted to fix all of life's problems with simple wishes. But he knows that since Id is a LiteralGenie and has seen the wishes he grants always occur in the most horrible ways (like seeing that a boy's father CameBackWrong because the kid made incorrect wording on his wish), it'd be safer just to turn him down.
* Sentient battle androids (the GI Robots) have been constructed since WWII for the Allies, yet this seemed to have ''no'' effect on consumer electronic technology.
* Likewise, the Alan Scott Franchise/GreenLantern was outright terrified of his ring in a few continuities. In a ''Batman: Black and White'' story, he joins Batman in searching for a group of gangsters who nearly burned down the Gotham Broadcasting Building. In it, he effortlessly turns Batman invisible, travels back in time to save the gangsters (with zero timeline repercussions), uses the standard Green Lantern constructs, and more. He confesses that he eventually came to fear the sheer power of the ring, and that was the precise reason he abandoned Gotham -- the city needs a hero... not a god.
* In the ''Hawkworld Armageddon'' 2001 annual, the corporate backers of the Chicago PD offer to build ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} and Hawkwoman more efficient jet packets. In order to do this, the company says that they need access to Thangarian technology. Hawkman says that Earth is [[YouAreNotReady not ready for Thangarian technology]].
* ''ComicBook/HeroesAgainstHunger'' was a one-shot charity book aimed at raising funds to fight African famine. At the end of the story [[spoiler:Luthor produces a device which will fertilise the soil so that food plants can be grown. It doesn't work and the heroes reluctantly conclude that there is no magic solution... just as in the real world]].
* The biggest examples of this trope in DC, or even comics in general, have to be Johnny Thunder and his successor, Jakeem. Here are two guys who had a [[OurGeniesAreDifferent Genie]] at their command, with no limitations on the number of wishes, and they only ever used it to fight crime? There was a storyline where he started to feel bad that he wasn't doing more to solve people's non-crime-related problems and -- against the advice of his elders in the ComicBook/{{Justice Society|OfAmerica}} -- he decided to start granting wishes for anyone who wanted his help. Lines formed around the block, near riots broke out if he tried to take a break; it soon occurred to him that if he kept it up, he would be spending the rest of his life granting other people's wishes 24/7 (hey, he can wish to not have to sleep, right?). The people waiting in line for wishes considered this an acceptable sacrifice; Jakeem, not so much.
* ''ComicBook/{{Justice}}'': The Legion of Doom start using their skills to help humanity, such as Captain Cold creating oases in the Sahara. They call out the superheroes for not doing the same. [[spoiler: Turns out they're controlled by Brainiac and are just using their humanitarian aid as a vector for his mind-controlling bots.]]
* The ComicBook/{{Justice Society|Of America}} was unable to stop the attack on Pearl Harbor because they had been transported to another dimension by an Axis sorcerer during the attack. However, no convincing reason has been given as to why the Justice Society was unable and/or unwilling to stop the Soviet conquest of Eastern Europe.
* Explored in Dennis O'Neil's writing of Justice League of America back in the late 1960s/70s where the titular characters discuss the ethics of participating in the research study of this one psychology professor.
* In the above-mentioned ''JLA/Avengers'' crossover, Superman notes how civilian technology in the Marvel Earth was substantially behind that of DC Earth. At the time of the story, Metropolis was a futuristic city built on Brainiac technology, a rare, non-handwaved example of this trope being inverted in the DC Universe (at least until it was undone in 2004).
* Lampshade hung with Comicbook/{{Manhunter}} (2004 series, Kate Spencer version) in which the titular character tells her technical support and former supervillain weapons designer, Dylan Battles, to imagine what would happen if he focused his talents on curing cancer.
* In ''ComicBook/TheNew52FuturesEnd'', the Justice League really take it up a notch. Dr. Yamakaze resents the Justice League, his wife died in a building collapse when she and others could be safely rescued by Justice League teleporter technology -- which they refuse to share. So Yamakaze is doing research on making his own which he intends to release commercially. The Justice League actively oppose him and keep telling him to shut down the research, including Yamakaze's assistant Jason Rusch (the other half of Firestorm). Things happen and there's a teleporter mishap (because it was used on Firestorm - which it wasn't calibrated for), leading to the creation of the superhero Firebird and [[AntiVillain Dr. Polaris (Yamakaze version)]].
* In ''ComicBook/TheSpectre'' #7 (third series) ComicBook/MadameXanadu asks the Spectre why he doesn't cure his HIV-positive friend Amy Beiterman. The Spectre responds that if he cures Amy, then there is nowhere to draw the line in curing the millions of sick people worldwide. At that point, the Spectre asks "Where do you draw the line? Abolish death itself?"
* Lampshade hung, and almost subverted in James Robinson's ''ComicBook/{{Starman}}'', where the original Starman (the title character's father) dedicated his later years to turning his cosmic rod into a more general energy source that would revolutionize the world. Although a visitor from the future claimed his success led to him becoming a scientific hero on the level of Einstein, it never actually happened in the present day DCU.
* Nightshade from the ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' has lent her ability to transport instantly through the dark dimension. This power could revolutionize space exploration but most people are scared senseless if not driven insane by passing through this dimension.
* Franchise/{{Superman}} in general has often wrestled with the fact that he can't use his superpowers to simply force away wide-ranged problems plaguing humanity. Attempts to bring about world peace by disposing of nuclear weapons [[ILoveNuclearPower didn't fare too well]] in ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace'' or [[AlienInvasion the premiere]] of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''. His attempt to cure starvation in poverty-stricken countries is detailed in the graphic novel "Peace On Earth". This results in AnAesop being that these are things that will only be solved when all of humanity chooses to solve them. There are often short-lived AlternateUniverse depictions of him going too far in forcing humanity to follow his ideals to solve these problems, thus becoming a KnightTemplar.
** A famous [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]] story by Creator/ElliotSMaggin, "Must There Be A Superman?" involves the [[Franchise/GreenLantern Guardians of the Universe]] subtly hinting to Superman that there is a real danger of his doing too ''much'' for humanity, and stunting our society by making us too dependent on him; he sees the wisdom of it and reluctantly takes their advice to heart, resolving not to try and solve some problems people are better off fixing with their own two hands. The theme is revisited a few years later in "Superman's Day Of Destiny," when Destiny himself shows up to reiterate the point.
** It was revisited in ''ComicBook/WhoTookTheSuperOutOfSuperman'', too. Tricked into believing he's undergoing some sort of psychological breakdown, Clark Kent commits himself to not be Superman for one week. He almost breaks his promise as soon as he stumbles upon an emergency, but the issue's swiftly and efficiently solved by the fire department, and Clark reminds himself that "the world always got along fine before there was a Superman".
** A similar point is brought up in the {{Elseworld}}s story "Last Family of Krypton", where Superman's parents also escape Krypton's destruction. Jor-El uses his advanced knowledge to help humanity, but the Guardians point out that he's stifling human progress by making them reliant on him. They also mention that the House of El's interfering in human events has robbed Earth of three great heroes (Franchise/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/GreenArrow, and Franchise/TheFlash) by preventing the events that lead to their genesis[[note]]Lara saved the Waynes, Jor-El's satellites rescued Oliver Queen from the desert island almost immediately, and their twin children prevented the lightning storm that gave Barry Allen his powers[[/note]].
** In ''ComicBook/JLAAvengers'', Superman privately admits that he fears the JLA may be stunting humanity's growth and they're doing too much for the world. (ComicBook/CaptainAmerica's fear is the opposite--that the Avengers can't do enough.)
** In the ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} story arc ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Way of the World]]'', the titular heroine attempts to find a cure for cancer to save a little child's life. She refuses to listen when other heroes warn her that she is over her head and even their powers have their limits, and argue they should be more proactive, but ultimately she fails.
--->'''Franchise/WonderWoman''': Amazon, alien, human--the ray can heal almost any wound for any of us in seconds. It's an amazing, world-changing technology... and it can't cure cancer, Kara. You're in above your head.\\
'''Supergirl''': I'll find a way. I know I can do it. [...] What if we've all been wrong? What if we've all been fighting crime and saving dozens--when we could have been saving billions? Saving '''everyone'''?
** Discussed when Lex Luthor dated Matrix. Lex noted that if Supergirl's shapeshifting molecules could be duplicated, then it would ruin the fashion industry.
** Also discussed and played cruelly straight prior to the start of the New 52. Superboy (Conner Kent) learns of Lex's sister, Lena, who is infected with a disease that rendered her almost a vegetable. Conner, who is hoping that the other half of his DNA has some good in him, gets Luthor out of jail and wants him to heal her. Luthor proceeds to do that, getting Conner to gather up various items to make a cure for the illness. He injects her with the cure and she's up and active for the first time in years. Just as she's celebrating, Luthor ''immediately'' reinfects her. To Conner's horror, Luthor gloats that he can do so many wonderful things, but while Superman is still alive, humanity will ''never'' get any of that. This finally forces Conner to accept that Luthor will never be good.
** Subverted in ''ComicBook/AMindSwitchInTime'' when Professor Lewis Lang asks Superman to go back in time to ascertain the accuracy of his theories regarding the nomadic routes of Neanderthal tribes.
* ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'' has a double subversion: When Perry White contracted cancer after years of smoking, Superman scoured the galaxy for a cure. While he did manage to find several alien races who had cured cancer themselves, unfortunately none of their treatments work on humans.
* In the last issue of Creator/AlanMoore's run on ''ComicBook/SwampThing'', the title character contemplates using his powers to restore the ecologically damaged areas of the world. However, Swamp Thing states that if he would heal all of humanity's wounds, humans would further abuse the environment to maximize profit, knowing full well that Swamp Thing was there to correct all the mistakes.
* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'': Averted utterly, as the Vietnam War was won because of the influence of supers, and technology made by supers has changed the world's economy and outlook.
** The discussion of this trope by the Comedian at the first (and last) [[SuperTeam Crimebusters]] reunion is what [[spoiler: sets the whole plot]].
** In ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'', Ozymandias levies this accusation at Batman, noting ''he'' tried to tackle the major global issues, such as oil dependency, nuclear disarmament, and easing famine and disease, while Bruce wastes his time beating up criminals and tossing them in {{Cardboard Prison}}s.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': '''Averted''' during Marston's run on the comic. Paula von Gunther's teleportation device causes space transportation to start becoming more common, with the Emperor of Saturn and Queen of Venus making alliances with the US and having ambassadors in Washington DC and badly wounded civilians regularly being transported to Science Island or Washington DC to be healed with the Purple Healing Ray. This was promptly dumped by the wayside in favor of playing the trope straight after Martson died and Creator/RobertKanigher took up writing duties.
* Stories set during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII explained why the superheroes didn't just Blitzkrieg into Berlin and end the war: Adolf Hitler had acquired [[PublicDomainArtifact the Spear of Destiny]], which he could use to control any supernaturally-connected or magic-vulnerable superpowered being that entered the boundaries of the Reich (and the same was true of Imperial Japan and the Holy Grail). Since many of the Golden Age heavy hitters (Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Doctor Fate, the golden age Green Lantern, Superman, even Hawkman and Hawkgirl [reincarnated lovers bound by an ancient curse that had nothing to do with their powers]) fell into these categories, it limited the impact the heroes could have on the course of the war. Later, Hitler's belief in the Spear's power was discussed in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited''.

!!Creator/{{Wildstorm}} Universe:
* Creator/WarrenEllis and his successors examined the trope in ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'', which was Jenny Sparks' attempt to fill the shoes of both a disbanded ComicBook/{{Stormwatch}} and The High's group. At the end of the first story arc, after defeating a teleporting clone army of {{Flying Brick}}s from the island of Gamora, team leader Jenny Sparks states that the Authority is going to [[CutLexLuthorACheck present Gamora's captured tissue replication and teleportation devices to UN inspectors]]. She hopes this will pressure the inspectors to make the technology available to the public after 5-10 years of testing. Later, Creator/MarkMillar's "The Nativity" arc explicitly asks the question "Why do super-people never go after the real bastards?". The Authority, like the Stormwatch superhumans, did devote their time to solving the problems of humanity, The Engineer in particular. She developed a cure for a certain strain of leukemia and spent her spare time developing renewable energy. Jack Hawksmoor led his endorsements to companies who promised to pay their workers a decent wage. The Authority are also pretty thorough about addressing the crimes perpetrated by humans rather than superhumans, such as totalitarian regimes. However, this backfires: they are accused of presenting "unfair competition" for medical and industrial companies, and blamed for mass redundancies. Moreover, after the "Coup D'Etat" storyline The Authority become the unelected government of the USA. In the process, the Authority unintentionally causes mass civilian casualties in fighting the armed resistance. Furthermore, the Authority unsuccessfully tries to legalize hemp production and require all auto engines to run on bio-diesel by the end of the year. Amidst these failures, the Authority steps down as unelected rulers of the United States.
* Century child Gaia Rothstein of the 21st century was said to have the power to reverse global warming or make famine history, but had such attempts subverted by the apocalyptic destruction of World's End. As a result, Gaia sought refuge by bonding herself with the planet Earth.
* Deconstructed in ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}''. The world is run by a secret cabal headed by a thinly veiled version of the Fantastic Four, and the Reed analog purposely keeps their discoveries and inventions from the world (and purposefully seek and confiscate/cover up the technology, magic and similar of others) for personal gain [[spoiler:and to keep humanity weak in preparation for a highly advanced alien race to take it over]]. Planetary itself was founded because this really pissed certain other beings, like the Fourth Man, off, and is dedicated to excavating as much weirdness, lost technology and similar as possible with the aim of sharing it with humanity.

!!Comicbook/New52 Universe:
* After Comicbook/CaptainAtom cures a boy's brain tumor, our titular character offers to cure the wheelchair-confined Dr. Megala. Megala declines, saying that having full possession of his physical faculties would distract him from his subatomic research. Megala also states that there are other ways to get out of the chair. Atom [[spoiler:eventually undoes the cure, feeling that it puts him on a slippery slope towards power abuse]].
* In the first issue of David Walker's ''Comicbook/{{Cyborg}}'', a group of disability activists are shown protesting outside S.T.A.R. Labs, asking why the scientists haven't shared the tech that saved Victor's life with the public. It turns out that Congress hasn't approved the use of cybernetic technology to replace lost limbs, though there are back alley surgeons willing to provide cybernetic prosthetics for a price.
* Comicbook/{{Deathstroke}} assassinates a philanthropist who is reverse engineering super-villain technology for benevolent causes (e.g. using freeze guns to reverse polar ice cap melting). No reason is given for Deathstroke being hired to kill the philanthropist.
* In ''Comicbook/DetectiveComicsRebirth'', Batwing uses his engineering know-how to create an arsenal of advanced, non-lethal weapons to be used by Gotham's police force. Comicbook/{{Batwoman}} quickly points out that while the weapons are effective, they're so expensive to produce that no police force on Earth could actually afford them.
* ''ComicBook/ResurrectionMan'': One anti-ballistic personalized force field costs $2 billion to make and $500,000/day to operate. Not something the normal person can afford.
* Similarly to the page image, ''ComicBook/SuperSons'' reveals that the Justice League has access to universal translators that are designed to work across dimensions. They still haven't distributed it to the public and Robin actually pilfered one for his own use.
* Upon regaining his human form, ComicBook/SwampThing (Alec Holland) tries to replicate the eco-restorative formula that originally gave him his superpowers. Alec then decides to destroy the formula, believing (from his own experiences as Swamp Thing) that the plant world is quite violent and that submerging the Earth in it would be a bad thing.
* ''Team 7'': A floating (seemingly inescapable) prison, powered by inertial fusion, is created to hold metahumans. The alternative energy is prohibitively expensive, and the prison fails to protect its workers and inmates from an Eclipso infestation.

!!DC's Animated Universes:
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' has the seemingly retired, former Blue Beetle convincing the current Blue Beetle to help put the alien technology that gives him his powers to greater use via a fleet of perpetual-energy machines and robots that'll irrigate the Sahara, end world hunger and turn the world into a paradise. It doesn't work out that way, but neither Batman nor the Blue Beetle stops to wonder if such a plan really wouldn't be better than just using it to beat up crooks. [[spoiler:The former Blue Beetle was actually dead; this guy was an impostor, and he planned to use the robots to conquer the world.]]
* The beginning of the animated movie ''WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday'' lampshades this, as it shows Supes unsuccessfully trying to cure cancer; he comments how odd it is that, even with all of Kryptonian technology at his disposal and all of the unbelievable things he's done, he's never been able to help Earth beyond "being its resident strong man". His immediate reaction to every threat the movie throws at him after that is "hit it with my fists until it stops moving", so maybe that's his own fault. Contrast with ComicBook/LexLuthor in the film, who is shown having completed a one-dose cure for any type of disease... then starts working on a way to make it a life-long treatment for a specific disease so he can get more money for each dose.
* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' both the heroes and the villains (most visibly, Lex) have super-advanced technology coming out the wazoo, and there are only two attempts made by any character to use their technology and/or abilities to make the world a better place in a way that doesn't involve hitting things until they stop moving. The first is Wally running a new heart across the US for a transplant (and that was the only time it was ever even considered, and even then only because [[spoiler:the recipient was a ''Queen'']]) and the other is the Reach, who are only doing it to soften up Earth for an invasion.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books -- Marvel]]
!!Franchise/MarvelUniverse:
* Naturally, all of Marvel's brains turn up useless [[IdiotPlot if the plotline calls for it]]. In ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'', none of Marvel's brains were able to prevent Aunt May's death from a simple '''''bullet wound''''' (or remember the things which have healed much worse injuries). Including Comicbook/DoctorStrange, who (totally removed from his ability to alter the fabric of the universe at will, being the Sorcerer Supreme), was a ''neurosurgeon.'' Enter ComicBook/{{Mephisto}}. And at the end of Creator/JossWhedon's run on ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen'', Cyclops said that he had contacted Reed, [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]] and the other brain trust members, who were unable to rescue Kitty from the giant bullet. In both cases, the writer wanted to set up a specific plot resolution which wouldn't have been possible if Reed Richards (and the other brains) weren't useless.
* Guardian (James Hudson) of ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight'' was originally a petrochemical engineer who developed his exoskeleton for mining purposes. Once he learned that his boss intended to sell his invention to the American military to be used as a weapon, he proceeded to destroy the plans, steal the prototype, and keep the control helmet for himself, as he'd created it at university. Hudson is then able to get the Canadian government on his side, and he went to work for the Ministry of Defence, leading to the creation of Alpha Flight.
* A non-sensical attempt to justify this trope was given in Amazing Spider-Man 698. The titular character was with the Fantastic Four in an alien world. Spider-Man says how this world's superscience gives him plenty of things to invent for his job at Horizon labs. Reed Richards says that Earth's science must advance at its own, natural rate (whatever that means). [[spoiler:Of course, by that point, that was actually ''Otto Octavius'' inside Peter's mind...]]
* In one story of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'', a group of Avengers enter a secret US Government facility in search for answers towards a mysterious contagion that started in Mount Rushmore. As they're looking through computers, [[ComicBook/AntMan Scott Lang]] finds out that only a few scientists knew the truth of what they were making, that the others thought they were making a cure for HIV and he sadly laments that, with so much money poured into it, they could have.
* Deconstructed in ''ComicBook/AvengersForever''. Humanity has so many inventions and resources that it could easily become a galactic empire, but it doesn't because Immortus, GuardianOfTheMultiverse, subtly influences everybody so that Earth remains at its present state.
* The first arc of ''Avengers Assemble'' has the Comicbook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy explaining that were it not for the constant string of global crisis and superhuman-related catastrophes, Earth would be a much more advanced civilization. In effect, the superhero/supervillain dichotomy keeps humanity from reaching its true potential.
* Toyed with in ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'', where the Phoenix-powered Phoenix Five (ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}, ComicBook/EmmaFrost, [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]], ComicBook/{{Colossus}}, & [[ComicBook/IllyanaRasputin Magik]]) use their powers to make the world a better place by ending war, starvation, disease, etc. However, the Phoenix Five eventually let the power get to their heads, and their fellow Mutants ultimately turn on them. Furthermore, the Phoenix Five grow increasingly naive, such as Colossus, in wanting to make lives better for the whales, endows them with the ability to walk on land (forgetting that these sea mammals cannot breathe outside of water). Meanwhile, the members of ComicBook/TheIlluminati (which contains people like Reed Richards and ComicBook/BlackBolt) justify not getting involved in the conflict by stating that the X-Men might be right, and thus helping the Avengers defeat them could prevent a whole lot of good from being done.
* In ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'', it turns out that Wakanda has a galactic empire of their own. Meanwhile many parts of the Marvel Earth would be awestruck at seeing a toilet for the first time.
* The presence of ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and ComicBook/TheInvadersMarvel didn't make UsefulNotes/WorldWarII turn out any differently, even though the Invaders routinely decimated Axis forces. Nowadays it's assumed that those super-heroes mostly served to cancel out the efforts of the equally fantastic ComicBook/RedSkull and other Axis supervillains, resulting in a war that played out exactly as though neither of them had existed. Later on in the Marvel Universe, it was implied that the US did not use any superhuman soldiers in real-world wars, out of threat of retaliation from other nations' superhuman forces. It is worth mentioning that in ''Dark Reign'', ComicBook/{{Bucky|Barnes}} (the Captain America at the time) claims that he killed Adolf Hitler. The circumstances and consequences of this are never elaborated on.
* Averted in a story arc for [[ComicBook/CarolDanvers the Captain Marvel comics of 2020]]. Set after a mysterious alien invasion had slaughtered most of the heroes including Thor, humanity launched nukes globally. The surviving superheroes were able to use their powers to get to X Mansion and make a survivable habitat there: Armor used her force-field to shield their home from radiation and incoming attacks for over a year, Spider Woman's radiation immunity allowed her to scavenge supplies, Magneto (though it cost him his life) made underground living quarters and Hazmat drained off rad zones. The Atlantean/Asgardian hybrid villain Ove learnt about this and kidnapped heroes to make a paradise city. He and his mother Amora the Enchantress took Armor and used her to make a force field arcology, Jolt from the Thunderbolts powered the city, Crystal provided permanently good weather and Magik was taken to provide quick transportation and an endless supply of demons for security.
* The graphic novel ''The Death of ComicBook/CaptainMarVell'' hung a lampshade on this by claiming that every (mortal) sentient race has a disease similar to cancer, and many of the races had already found a cure for their race's version of the disease. Furthermore, when Rick Jones appeals to the superheroes who are scientists and doctors to find a cure for Mar-Vell's cancer, they find themselves uncomfortably realizing they could have made this kind of effort beforehand for others. The superheroes do manage to develop a tunic that slows down Captain Marvel's cancer by 20%, although no explanation is made if they developed a similar device for humans. There is a HandWave that this was a special, magical cancer, so research on it is not necessarily helpful for normal medicine.
* During the ''Comicbook/DarkReign'' storyline, ComicBook/NormanOsborn reveals that he has the cure for cancer, too. Except he decides to use it on ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}[[note]]Since curing Deadpool's cancer would cause his HealingFactor to go out of control and kill him.[[/note]] after the Merc With A Mouth goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge over Osborn stealing his thunder at the end of ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion''.
* Back in the 90s, ComicBook/DoctorOctopus attempted to cure the AIDS virus to save a former flame. However, Spidey thought he was trying to turn it into a superweapon after he stole a few vials of it. Octavius is able to hold off Spidey until his tests are complete, but when he finds out that they were a failure, he heartbreakingly shuts down and allows his defeat, befuddling Spidey immensely.
* Before he became the Sorcerer Supreme, ComicBook/DoctorStrange was a brilliant yet arrogant neurosurgeon. When one charity approached him to help them cure a disease, Dr. Strange refused as there was little if any money involved.
* The {{Trope Namer|s}} is Reed Richards, better known as ComicBook/MisterFantastic, leader of the ComicBook/FantasticFour. A certified super-genius and one of the smartest people in the whole universe, he regularly invents mind-bending devices that tell physics where to shove it, but almost never devotes his considerable talents to anything other than superheroics. While Marvel has attempted to justify his lack of [[BuffySpeak world-changiness]] in various ways, including that his inventions are too expensive and that nobody else can understand them, the real reason is that allowing him to make a real difference would make the world far too different to reality. The justification being used in Jonathan Hickman's run on Fantastic Four and F.F. and by Bendis in the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe, is that it's his family which prevents Reed from putting all his efforts into changing the world. He has to choose between being a loving father and husband and devoting himself to advancing humanity (although why Reed can't take a middle ground has yet to be explained). It’s implied that the world is ''lucky'' when Reed takes the first option since, if he doesn't or if things don't work out between him and Sue, he becomes a KnightTemplar (Hickman's books) or full on villain (the Ultimate 'verse).
** Other justifications given (making this both the {{Trope Namer|s}} and the UnbuiltTrope) is that while a lot of Reed's stuff does get patented, he avoids making a lot of dangerous superhero stuff like the death rays and portals to hell that can't be trusted to the general public available on the free market. Also, many companies pay him explicitly '''not''' to patent his stuff because they know they can't keep up with his inventions, which would put millions of people out of work. Writer Mark Waid, for instance, showed that Reed had developed a state of the art Personal Digital Assistant that would revolutionize the industry but he kept it for his own personal use thanks to a generous payment from Sony. He also had developed a cure for most forms of acne that Revlon was paying him to keep off the market. In ''Comicbook/UncannyAvengers'', it's revealed that prior to his [[Comicbook/SecretWars2015 apparent demise]], Reed had been involved in numerous lawsuits regarding the unauthorized use of advanced technology he'd been developing. It's stated that the combined amount of money he'd gotten from his patents and lawsuits was well over 5 billion dollars. Although it doesn't exactly paint this "hero" in a good light if he can be so easily ''bribed'' out of helping humanity, especially when he isn't exactly lacking for cash in the first place.
*** Although, it could be that he simply doesn’t want to destroy the economy by making technology that make it impossible for other companies to keep up. So not selfish exactly. And Reed has other reason for not wanting to patent his technology as shown below.
** ComicBook/DoctorDoom has a healing ray machine that can regenerate full-body third-degree-burn patients to full health in a day. Being the bad guy, he hasn't released it. But Reed hasn't even tried to duplicate or reverse-engineer that project... and Reed not only knows about the device (it appeared in ''Fantastic Four vs. X-Men'') Reed's had possession of Doom's castle at least twice since that story arc. This gizmo appears to have been derived from Battleworld technologies that can revive people to full health so long as any remote spark of life still exists in their body, which makes the lack of creation of similar technology by Richards look even worse by comparison.
** In the [[WesternAnimation/FantasticFour 1994 animated series]], the reason given for the Wizard's grudge against the FF is that he once built high tech devices for the fabulously wealthy, only to fall from notoriety after Reed Richards came along with "free patents and affordable inventions for the common man." Despite the implication that Reed's low cost devices rendered the Wizard's work obsolete, most of the consumer grade technology seen in the series isn't noticeably different from the real world tech of the time.
* Tony Stark a.k.a. ComicBook/IronMan is, depending on the invention, one of the more justified versions of the trope. Regarding his signature invention, he constantly has to struggle between the potential good of releasing or mass-producing his Iron Man suit and all the related technological advancements behind it for the good of the world, with the potential harm it would do if all the supervillains out in the world reverse-engineered it and turned it on its head. (The ''Armor Wars'' storyline actually dealt with the ramifications of the latter.) Several ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' stories have dealt with the trade-off and it rarely is as much of a HandWave as with most heroes capable of producing such revolutionary inventions. Although, when the series started in the sixties, technology still used transistors and vacuum tubes. Iron Man's armor worked with a set of miniaturized transistors. What is a set of miniaturized transistors? A microchip. We owe modern computers, cellphones, and almost all the electronics that we have now to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kilby Jack Kilby]]... er... Tony Stark.
** As [[http://zak-site.com/Great-American-Novel/superscience_technology.html this page]] points out, the same thing happened with the {{Trope Namer|s}}. Because the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' is such a {{Long Runner|s}}, Reed Richards actually invented [[BoringButPractical X-Ray machines, metal detectors, microwave ovens, solar panels, and dishwashers]] years before any of these appeared in the real world.
** The AU ''ComicBook/SpiderManLifeStory'' by Creator/ChipZdarsky states that Reed's think-tank have marketed and implemented many of Reed's breakthroughs and achievements such as mobile communications, advanced prosthetic, and safe dimensional travel but Reed keeps the real high level bleeding edge stuff off the market. In issue #2, Peter finally gets fed up with hiding all of the marvels that could really make a difference from the world and wants to use them for the good of all. Reed Richards warns him that even one of their creations could end up destroying the economy, and create a situation where superheroes end up ruling the world.
---> '''Peter Parker''': Why do you always act like you're from some other planet? Like you can't -- can't interfere with "humans"? There are our people, Reed. We're human!\\
'''Reed Richards''': But Pete... I'm not. And neither is Giant-Man or Iron Man or any other "super hero" with "man" in their name. Like they're trying to convince the world they're still just like them. [[TheSingularity Things have changed. The wellspring of powers, the growth of mutants. We need to be careful or we'll end up ruling the world]], creating a massive level of inequality.
* One of the biggest examples of this trope in the Marvel Universe if not superhero comics in general is the original ComicBook/{{Human Torch|1939}}, a sentient superpowered android created in 1939 America. Never mind the countless scientific advances needed to create such a device, such creation had NO effect on consumer electronics technology. The android Human Torch was made up of synthetic flesh and not a machine, although once medicine reached the point of organ transplants it would have made the need for organ donation unnecessary and eliminate the need for waiting lists for organs.
* ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'' begins to address this around Issue #25: [[spoiler: After Bruce/Hulk takes over the organization meant to kill him, he begins formulating a new sort of plan, one that he gives some of the basics to ComicBook/AmadeusCho. Namely, in that he declares war against the "world's leaders" or more specifically, the individuals and groups such as Dario Agger, the CEO of Roxxon (and a minotaur). According to Bruce, the reason people like Reed, Tony and Adam Brashear (ComicBook/BlueMarvel) have failed to make an impact is because of powerful people like Agger manipulating the world and thus Bruce takes it upon himself to tear down the establishment with the hopes of entrusting the younger folk to fix it]].
* Averted in ''ComicBook/JonathanHickmansXMen'', the mutants were able to leverage pharmaceutical and technological trade into being a globally recognized nation (outside of a few holdouts like Russia) and upending the old world order. Mutants have also become immortal through BrainUploading technology that Death itself was in danger of dying in ''ComicBook/JaneFosterValkyrie''.
* Originally, the Legacy Virus (a diseased specifically engineered to exterminate mutants) was created by writers as an analogy to the AIDS virus (which, according to a real-world UsefulNotes/{{conspiracy theor|ies}}y, was designed to exterminate homosexuals/drug users/people of African decent/communists/liberals/criminals/veterans/whatever else). The Legacy Virus was going to remain uncured until a real-life cure for AIDS was discovered. However, numerous fans complained that the inability of Marvel's supergeniuses to cure the Legacy Virus made them look incompetent, and Marvel decided to go back on its original decision, and instead ended with Colossus pulling a HeroicSacrifice to release a airborne cure ([[DeathIsCheap he eventually got better]]).
* Lampshaded, and perhaps averted in the Comicbook/MarvelNOW ''[[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Indestructible Hulk]]'' series, which opens with Bruce Banner lamenting the fact that all the years he spent trying to cure himself of the Hulk could have been used to fight problems like famine and disease. He then agrees to join ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} on the condition that they give him funding to work towards bettering mankind while not in his Hulk form.
* In ''Comicbook/NewAvengers'' # 9, some AIM agents stole some of ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s blood to manufacture bio-weapons. Iron Man then replied, "Do you realize how far we would advance as a technological species if we didn't have to put up with this every ten minutes?"
* In the [[ShortRunners short lived]] ''ComicBook/NFLSuperpro'', the protagonist's armor was designed to be the safest and most durable football uniform ever built. When Superpro points this out to the suit's creator, he explains that the superstrong materials needed to make it cost millions of dollars, [[AwesomeButImpractical making it totally impractical for mass production.]]
* In an issue of ''Comicbook/OldManLogan'', Silver Samurai reveals that he possesses high-tech nanites that allow him to survive seemingly-fatal injuries. He then casually mentions that actually producing the nanites is far too expensive to market the tech to the public.
* In ''Avengers of the Wasteland'' which is set in the world of ''ComicBook/OldManLogan'', Dr. Doom who's cured individuals of all kinds bizarre sci-fi maladies and created various technological wonders like time machines, he can't cure his own terminal cancer.
* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8k-PHnfIe8 this video interview with Garth Ennis]], the author says that one of the advantages of writing ComicBook/NickFury or ComicBook/ThePunisher for [[Creator/MarvelMAX the Max line]] (separate from the regular Marvel Universe), is that if you have incredibly powerful super-beings then it makes many of the wars and events of the real world look unnecessary.
* Project Pegasus, a division of the US Department of Energy devoted to discovering alternative energy resources, has a method of converting solid radioactive waste into harmless material. This invention alone should revolutionize nuclear power and earn billions of dollars. The ramifications of such technology among the world has yet to be explored.
* Franchise/SpiderMan's webbing. Real life spider silk is, pound for pound, stronger than steel, tougher than Kevlar, as flexible as yarn, and incredibly lightweight. It's also prohibitively hard to manufacture, as spiders don't "farm" well. Peter Parker somehow has managed to manufacture synthetic spider silk that's cost-effective enough for him to always be in supply; while it does dissolve after about an hour, no adhesive company seems interested in buying the formula and tweaking it to last longer.
** Parodied in ''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy'': Spidey explains to the students in class how [[AmbitionIsEvil he was wrong for trying at first to use his powers for financial gain]] instead of [[ComesGreatResponsibility helping people]] and the students ask why he didn't just patent his webbing and make millions that he could donate to needy charities. Spidey counters that he'd have to give up his secret identity to patent it, but one of them points out he could have used proxies in the form of shell companies to hide the source of the webbing[[note]] It's justified for his youth since when he was starting his career as a hero he was a poor student without the money, connections or knowledge of business law to be able to pull it off. Now he rubs elbows with the likes of Tony Stark and [[ComicBook/ImmortalIronFist Danny Rand]], both highly competent businessmen[[/note]].
** He did once attempt to sell his webbing to an adhesive company early in the comics history, but they turned him down when it dissolved. He even tried to explain that he could tweak the formula to last longer, but they wouldn't hear it and sent him on his way.[[note]]This isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. There are many, ''many'' RealLife examples of companies [[ItWillNeverCatchOn turning down brilliant inventions and product innovations (usually to be snapped up by a competitor) for really stupid, shortsighted reasons]]. For example, Blockbuster refused to buy Netflix, a decision which would not only see the company that once offered to sell to them wiping them out, but wiping out their entire industry.[[/note]]
** The film adaptations went three different ways with this: the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' averts it, with director Sam Raimi downright stating that organic web makes more sense than a teen discovering an industrial-strength adhesive; and as pointed out in the Film section below, ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' makes the web ''shooters'' Peter's invention, but the MCU incarnation is more straightforward.
** The 9-11 attacks were a tricky issue to touch. On one side, it would seem unlikely to happen in a fantastic world with so many superheroes with fantastic powers who could have stopped things immediately; but on the other, a character so New-York centric could not simply go on with his wacky adventures as if nothing had happened. So yes, they made a special issue, and a pair of random people saw Spider-Man and asked him an ArmorPiercingQuestion: "Where were you? How could you let this happen?". His answer? None. He has no answer, no explanation, no excuse. "I have seen other worlds, other spaces, I have walked with gods and wept with angels. But to my shame I have no answers."
** Spidey himself lampshades this trope in an X-Men crossover when he points out to Sauron that if he's smart enough to rewrite people's DNA and turn them into dinosaurs, he could use the same technology to cure cancer.
--->'''Sauron''': But I don't want to cure cancer. I want to turn people into dinosaurs.
** Amazingly, in the ''ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel'' era, Peter is actually ''averting'' this trope via his Parker Industries. So far, we know that he's developed a watch that acts like a much more hi-tech iPhone which is incredibly popular around the world. This aversion is also present in the Horizon Labs period, where many of the inventions Parker creates to fight supervillains are turned to civilian use, like cryo-cubes for organ transport. He created the cryo-cube technology for use against Hydro-Man.
** In ''Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2019)'', Peter learns that [[TheTopicOfCancer Aunt May has cancer]] and, lost in his grief and confusion, accidentally breaks a kid's arm when he gets him to stop stealing a car. When he takes the kid to Dr. Strange and begs him to heal him, he also tells Strange about Aunt May. Strange instantly recognizes this and cuts him off, telling him that there are things he should and should not do, [[SelfDeprecation suggests not taking up deals with interdimensional demons (which Peter agrees with)]], and that he should just accept the time Peter has left with her. As much as it hurts, Peter accepts.
* ComicBook/SquadronSupreme of Earth-712 did try to remake their world into a utopia with their powers and technology. The end result was a totalitarian dystopia, and the battle that finally forced the Squadron to acknowledge this resulted in the deaths of several members, as well as the deaths of some of those who fought against them.
* In the case of ComicBook/{{Storm}} and other characters with WeatherManipulation powers, it's been suggested that continual use of their powers would destabilize weather patterns (as demonstrated in one battle between the X-Men and ComicBook/AlphaFlight where Shaman's blizzard spell wreaked havoc on the weather cycle). Most weather controllers aren't creating weather out of nothingness, they're manipulating the existing environment, and drawing resources such as airborne moisture towards one location simply draws those resources away from other areas in need.
* In an issue of ''Comicbook/SuperiorSpiderMan'', the vigilante Cardiac breaks into the Boneyard, the warehouse where the confiscated weapons and gadgets of supervillains are stored. While searching for a specific item, Cardiac angrily states that all this technology should be out there making the world a better place, not wasting away on shelves. However, at one point one of Spidey's co-workers at Horizon Labs is concerned about all the time being spent on developing new weapons, and Spidey provides a list of all the revolutionary civilian applications his weapons offer, leaving the co-worker astonished.
* Invoked in ''ComicBook/UnstoppableWasp''. When Nadia is in the throes of her first major mania episode, she starts writing notes down concerning people she knows, particularly her friends within G.I.R.L.. When one of those girls, Taina, catches sight of a note wanting to fix her cerebral palsy, she's furious that she thinks she really wants to "fix" that as that's a part of her and she has no right on what she should or shouldn't fix. It takes about a week and Nadia seeking help for the young heroine to confront Taina and admit that that wasn't her at all, but her bipolar disorder talking. After admitting she also wanted to try to fix her bipolar disorder as well under that drive, Taina calms down considerably and reaccepts Nadia's friendship.
* The fictional African nation of Wakanda is, due to a surreptitious abundance of {{Unobtainium}} as a natural resource, more advanced than even first world nations. This does not extend to any other part of Africa we see, though this is probably why writers don't show it very much, although to their credit from fairly early on they attempted to justify it by having the Wakandans have a policy of isolation that goes back centuries, due to a belief that TheWorldIsNotReady and would only use their tech for evil. Fair, but that doesn't explain why they refuse to share non-harmful inventions. For example, the Wakandans have also cured cancer but are holding out on the rest of the world; when Captain Mar-Vell was dying of cancer, the [[ComicBook/BlackPanther Wakandan King]] was there and said he could do nothing due to the long term effects of Mar-Vell's nega-bands... but that still doesn't explain why Wakanda withholds its cancer cures from the rest of the world. During Creator/GeoffJohns' ''Comicbook/TheAvengers'' run, Black Panther and Iron Man were seen signing documents to allow portions of their tech to be shared with the world for the betterment of mankind; nothing ever came of this, and the documents were never mentioned again.
** Regarding the cancer thing, the council discussing notes that if the rest of Earth really wanted to deal with cancer, they wouldn't sell items with carcinogens or something of the like. So they may think that the rest of the world could actually develop things like a cancer cure if they wanted to (at least regarding the macro-level.) Additionally, the reveal they did have a cure came a decade after Mar-Vell's death (and whether it would've worked in him, given he's an alien, especially a genetically-modified supersoldier). Of course, the fact that many kinds of cancer come from a multitude of sources including dumb luck (Sunlight can cause cancer after all) or even occupational is never brought up, which only raises further questions as to the extent of Wakandan science.
* This premise is partly explained by the Marvel Universe's Watchers' intention not to interfere in the affairs of other races. Their first attempt to help others involved them sharing their knowledge of the atom with a less advanced alien race. While most of the aliens used their newfound knowledge of nuclear energy for peace, some used it to create destructive nuclear weapons which led to a massive atomic war and then to an attack on a neighboring planet whose inhabitants managed to retaliate with their own nuclear missiles, leaving both worlds devastated and both civilizations in ruins, with a surviving member of the first race blaming the Watchers for giving them the knowledge before they were ready for it. This led the Watchers to being non-interventionists.
* Over the years, dozens of supervillains and government agencies have invented {{Power Nullifier}}s that essentially allow them to turn superpowers on and off with a flick of a switch. At no point does anybody suggest using this technology to help the many Marvel characters suffering from crippling PowerIncontinence. Especially noticeable in ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen'', where the Mutant Response Division has developed collars which suppress all mutant powers. Despite the series including characters like ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} and ComicBook/{{Rogue}}, two of the most iconic examples of “I can’t turn my powers off”, nobody even suggests stealing a few and either picking the locks, or modifying/streamlining the devices so the users could take them off at will.
* Unlike Oracle, no-one wonders why the ''ComicBook/XMen's'' ComicBook/ProfessorX is still in a wheelchair. This is because he doesn't seem to really ''care''. He was moved to a healthy clone body under highly unusual circumstances, but his spine was broken later. Originally, Professor X used his telepathy to prevent himself from feeling pain coming from his injured legs. This in turn, caused his clone body to receive the same injury. He hasn't been in a wheelchair for years, thanks to a combination of BlessedWithSuck and CursedWithAwesome.
* In ''X-Men Legacy'' #242, Hellion, angrily, invokes this trope when, after witnessing many incredible events during his run with the X-Men, they are just trying to replace his lost hands with robotic hands instead of finding a way to grow new ones for him.
-->'''Hellion''': Seriously. We bring people back from the dead. FROM THE DEAD! So how hard can a pair of hands be?

!!ComicBook/UltimateMarvel:
The trope was both averted '''and''' played straight, according to circumstances. That's because Reed Richards is usually useless in universes with steady and ongoing publications with no defined closing date; and he's usually [[AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome awesome]] in alternate universes. Ultimate Marvel is a rare case of an alternate universe with ongoing publications during 15 real-world years.
* Before Professor X and ComicBook/{{Magneto}} founded the X-Men, they offered their mutants to help government/industry solve numerous problems (i.e. the energy crisis, ending world hunger etc.). Government/industry declines the offer, not wanting to upset the status quo.
* Upheld with the lack of superhuman involvement in political affairs. When the Ultimates assisted the US government in the overthrow of a rogue Middle Eastern regime, it resulted in an invasion force of a Chinese/Russian superhuman task force against the USA.
* Deconstructed in ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'' with Reed Richards himself; the governmental think-tank he belongs to keeps him focused predominantly on military technology and restrains release of his successful creations. The frustration at not being able to change the world despite knowing his technology could provide incredible advances to humanity eventually drives Reed ''insane''. So insane that he takes up the mantle of the now-deceased Ultimate Doctor Doom and becomes a supervillain known as the Maker, whose actions lead to the annihilation of [[spoiler:Germany and Asgard]]. Furthermore, Reed [[BreadEggsMilkSquick then tried to turn Earth into a utopia whose plans included distributing free energy, the sentient seed, and blowing up the Iranian Parliament.]] After that, he turns into a multiversal scale menace, reappearing in ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'' and ''ComicBook/TheUltimates2015''.
* Upheld in the Hunger mini-series, where Captain Marvel, right before he can give final approval for NASA's human colonization of Mars, is distracted by the arrival of Galactus (Earth-616 version).
* Tyrone Cash, who perfected the Hulk serum so the user does not lose his intellect when hulking out, was called out on this by both Nick Fury ''and'' War Machine. He could have used his genius to help the government in the [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke superhuman arms race]] or even turned his refined Hulk formula towards the greater good in medicine. Instead, he operates in a third-world country living a [[Film/Scarface1983 Scarface]]-inspired life. [[ItsAllAboutMe And that's how he likes it]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books -- Other]]

* Played with in ''The Uniques''. The eponymous super-beings played a major role in all of their world's events since they emerged in the late 1930s, but in the end, no matter how many divergences they created, the end results weren't that different from the real world.
[[/folder]]