| abstract
| - Any law that requires Super Heroes (or, really, anyone with superpowers) to be registered with the government in a national database (including the name and residence of each hero's Secret Identity) or face penalties. This originated with the Marvel Comics' X-Men in the form of the "Mutant Registration Act", where it provided a metaphor for discussing racial and/or communist themes. Since then, it has been used and re-used, and needs a fresh twist thrown in to be usable at all. While sometimes the act can take the benevolent, unobtrusive form of a government-sponsored Hero Secret Service complete with Hero Insurance, in most cases the law is an antagonist in and of itself, whose only purpose is to prohibit superheroes from using their powers recklessly (if at all), or in the worst case scenario, is the first step to full-scale Super Human Trafficking. Of course, no supervillain in their right mind would bother obeying the terms of this law, which makes it comparable to American Gun Politics in that the "outlaws" know in advance that their victims will be forbidden to defend themselves. In fact, enforcement of the act often permits the supervillains to do even more damage than usual, giving the 'real' heroes a chance to defy the act by stopping the Big Bad the registered crimefighters missed and hit the Reset Button on the whole thing without exploring the long-term consequences of registration. It's not often that the law comes about purely as a result of normal civil processes, intelligent debate, or genuine public outrage, even though there's not a government in real life that would tolerate unregistered crime fighters with concealed identities, especially superhuman ones. This is because comic books, like most serial works, operate on Rule of Fun, being escapist fiction where the stakes depend on one lone individual or a small group, which is hampered when your favorite character punches a clock and answers to The Man. Actually implementing such a system is of course a tricky proposition, given the fact your targets can do things like erase your memories or blow up tanks by pointing at them, and depends on whether you're registering super humans or super heroes. Options include:
* A: Create a non-superpowered combat force with top-of-the-line training and the best equipment money can buy. Sometimes these agents act as a special crimes unit; other times, it's a superspy/black ops agency.
* B: Recruit a group of right-thinking, like-minded Supers to enforce the system.
* C: Recruit a group of evil, criminal-minded supervillains to police the heroes. The local Tailor-Made Prison filled with the heroes' Rogues Gallery should provide no shortage of potential Boxed Crooks for your Badass Crew. Some of the less bloodthirsty and more sympathetic ones might pull a Heel Face Turn from the allure of working on the side of the angels; for the rest, it would be a smart idea to secure their loyalty with an Explosive Leash implanted in the base of their spinal columns.
* D: Create a PR campaign and outreach program that emphasizes the perks of registration: Hero Insurance to repair collateral damage and protection against civil lawsuits, a possible government salary and training to develop your powers and people-saving skills. Works best to draft/enlist the top tier superheroes, so that second and third stringers that look up to them will be inspired to register. However, if any of the A-listers decide to go against it, the hero community could be embroiled in a Civil War that makes both sides look bad.
* E: Don't make a big deal out of it; trying to force a large number of superhumans into doing something is a pre-emptive measure. Instead, wait until you have a suspect safely under the Power Nullifiers, then ask if he has registered his powers. It works for the cops in Powers. Examples of Super Registration Act include:
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