After his uncle Ben is killed, Aunt May is having trouble making ends meet. To help out, Peter Parker gets a job as a pizza delivery man. Unfortunately, Peter is not very dependable. He is always late because he constantly runs into “disturbances” on the way to work that require the skills of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
In this clip we see Peter trying to make good on his boss’s on-time guarantee. At first, he adopts the strategy of rushing through New York City traffic, but that isn’t going to get him there on time. So, in order to hopefully save his job, Peter rushes into an ally and comes out as Spider-Man. It looks like he might make it, but this is New York City, and disturbances are bound to pop up. Will he or won’t he? And if he doesn’t will he be the unemployed Spider-Man?
This raises some interesting questions. Should superheroes be able to use their powers to make a living? Is that fair to the non-powered? Should heroes be forced to do jobs inefficiently by not utilize their powers? Why must superheroes work regular jobs in the first place?
The questions of fairness and efficiency are debatable, but in many cases, the crime fighting activities of superheroes fall into the category of a public good. It benefits all law abiding citizens equally so it is non-rival in consumption. Crime fighting is also non-excludable because the hero isn’t going to allow the villain to wreak havoc on the citizens who do not pay them for their services. That’s also part of the hero code. So, if the financially bereft hero wants to pay the rent, they are going to have to get a job. Just like Peter Parker.
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