Ugh, how I hate that line of thinking.  I hear it from too many people,  usually excusing a previously noble character being written badly. Honestly,  it is deeply depressing to think there are that many shitty people in the world that they would admit to being jerks and criminals if they had actual power. No wonder the world is in the state it's in. 

The guys over at Red Letter Media on YouTube recently reviewed the tv series "The Boys," and while they seemed against Superman being portrayed as he had been in "Man of Steel" (the film), they still trotted out the line about how they would act badly if they had powers. Whenever people say that, there seems to be the suggestion that everyone thinks like them about that matter.

Call me crazy, but I like to think someone out there would actually use powers for good. 

***

Gee, whatever will he do if he works for DC?

Rick W: "...rehash/retell old Marvel stories with DC characters"

Superman: "Father, they are only human, but they are important to me..."

Jor-El: "Silence! By the bristling headband of Jor-El, ye must stop the menace of Black Zero, Kal-El!"

Guardian of the Universe: "You have never encountered a threat such as Galactus. He will destroy you planet, and none have ever turned him back."

Robin: "He's never faced US before! Titans, Together!"

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Someone out there who would actually use powers for good doesn't preclude the notion that many would not. Super heroes are better than most; they are exceptional. The conceit of super hero comics is that it is this exceptional person who happens to get the powers and that's fine.

In real life, people tend to comprise bad and good impulses and consequently different actions will surface according to situation rather than disposition.

I would submit as evidence most riots in history, but in particular I would point your attention to the Murray-Hill riot in 1969, when the Montreal police went on strike and the normally non-criminal populous went ape-shit, and also to the LA riots after the acquittal of the four LA policeman  in the Rodney King case, when the LA police made it clear they wouldn't intercede. 55 deaths and a billion dollars damage later, the National Guard stepped in. No matter how outrageous the verdict, six days of rioting that had to be forcibly stopped doesn't speak much to the natural goodness in people's hearts.

And it contains what might be my new favorite Batman panel of all time. (No spoilers.)