TM # 179 - The End of an Empire
"What most people don't seem to realize is that there is just as much money to be made out of the wreckage of a civilization as from the up building of one… There's good money in empire building. But, there's more in empire wrecking." Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind
I hardly agree with this quote.
It was never about the money.
It was about redemption.
After Latveria, the government took away everything. We were the villains. Yet we were trying to rebuild, and make their lives better. After the years of oppression and terror that Victor caused them, it was the best possible solution. The best thing for them.
The United Nations didn’t agree. Neither did the President.
I was never a villain, but their files said otherwise.
Redemption is an interesting thing. The things that have to be done in order to achieve it are even more interesting. Such complexities are hard for many to comprehend. I have no doubt that even now, as I explain my reasoning and actions, many of you will not fully understand.
Tony came to me, us, several months before the Registration Act was first mentioned. At first my instincts lead to skepticism, however upon further investigation I found that Tony was right. There would have been devastation if the Act had not been followed. More so than anything that happened from supporting the act.
Of course one needs to examine the Act and it’s core motivation to fully understand why I aided in it’s passing and support.
The real motivation of The Superhuman Registration Act was to control the super powered population. If everyone was accounted for, they could easily be controlled if needed. It was very much meant to be the end of an empire. Destroy the lives and foundations everyone had made. Simply put, it was the end of the line.
The Act needed our support. If we showed that we understood and agreed, the government would be less inclined to force their amendments on the Act. The amendments were far worse than anything the Act itself had in it. I simply could not let it get to that point. If everyone would have agreed, there would have been no need for the prisons, no need for the trials. If we supported the act, we could stand as a whole and prevent anything terribly restricting to us.
The opposition proved the point of the Act’s institutors. The super powered community was a danger in their eyes, and at least by having some of us support it, their opinion was changed.
There’s no longer a black mark on my file. I’m no longer the villain. My family is safe, and we all have our places.
The days of unskilled, unregistered and unaccounted for individuals is over. You might say that their empire has been destroyed, but with good reason. No one profited from it, and certainly no one ever will. It’s not always about the money. It’s best to remember that.
Muse: Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic
Fandom: Fantastic Four (Marvel Comics)
Words: 435