SRA, what do we really know about it?

[Alan2099]

It's been talked about before, by the characters, and we've seen some of it in action, so, what I'd like to do is compose a list here of what we actually do KNOW about the Super Human registration Act.

No personal intepretations, please.

For starters, it's been suggested that it could be used to draft retired heroes out of action in an exchange between Jessica and Tony.

She-Hulk has shown that it can draft heroes into SHIELD agents with little to no warning.

Howard the Duck shows that it applies to aliens as well as human, although admittedly that's an off the wall source.

What else do we really know?

[TotalWorldDomination]

It's been talked about before, by the characters, and we've seen some of it in action, so, what I'd like to do is compose a list here of what we actually do KNOW about the Super Human registration Act.

No personal intepretations, please.

For starters, it's been suggested that it could be used to draft retired heroes out of action in an exchange between Jessica and Tony.

She-Hulk has shown that it can draft heroes into SHIELD agents with little to no warning.

Howard the Duck shows that it applies to aliens as well as human, although admittedly that's an off the wall source.

What else do we really know?

We actualy know precious little and most of our hard and fast details come from editorial sources or interviews with creators. This ambiguity extends to what it's abrviation should be. Half of the comics call it the SRA, the other half the SHRA. Here's some of what we do know-

We know there are two forms of license under the SHRA- One for people who just have powers and one for people who want to be superheroes. They were labeled as a Class A and Class B license, though for the life of me I can't remember what is what.

We've been told by Tom Brevehort that the Act is not a draft, but could theoretically create a backdoor draft.

We know that it allows superheroes to be removed from there position in the field for psychological reasons as shown in recent issues of Iron Man.

We know it allows for measures to be taken to remove a persons powers if they cannot use them responsibly.

[Tobias Drake]

We know that it allows superheroes to be removed from there position in the field for psychological reasons as shown in recent issues of Iron Man.

We also know that this applies not only to field agents, but even people as high up as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[bulbasteve]

She-Hulk is just as off the wall of a source and Howard I would imagine :p

The only evidence I have ever heard for a SHIELD draft is Tom B's comments, but those were later pretty much taken back by Tom B himself to pretty much mean "illegal draft" (as in what we saw with Wonderman).

The exchange in the actual NA 22 does not go that far or anywhere near it. All Tony says is "we will cross that bridge when we get there". Which could also be taken to mean "that part of the law hasn't been written yet".

It's certainly an interesting idea as we saw in the NA: Illuminati special that the original proposal for registration and even the idea talked about in CW itself is nothing like we have now. Tony talked about a "New SHIELD world secruity task force", obviously Camp Hammond and the 50SI sure ain't that! (in fact the 50SI was "revealed" in CW7). So it seems that it is quite possible that amendments were made to the SHRA in light of both Tony (and of course Caps!) opinions or actions during CW.

The problem with the She-Hulk example is that we don't know what she signed. If She-Hulk signed up to be a SHIELD agent then we shouldn't be surprised. We also don't even know when it really took place or the status of the law at that time! Did Camp Hammond exist then?

Because Gyrich has said to War Machine that SHIELD has no say over what happens in Hammond or the 50SI. So it would seem absured to think that while SHIELD has no say on the base but Tony could literally simply draft everyone into SHIELD and take away all rights to American supers away from the American government.

Sometimes it seems we have to assume what happens in the SHRA based on what would make sense not even terms of what a moral law would be, but what the U.S. would allow. And SHIELD legally being able to draft superheroes just doesn't seem to work. Unless of course the reason why She-Hulk was drafted was because of some special emergency powers that SHIELD gets if a hero is the ONLY one able to stop a certain threat (as in Hulks badguys), that is certainly seems possible. But see, this is all turning into rampant speculation, we may want to wait until we see what PAD does with Tony and Jen in a few issues to talk about her situation.

Now what we DO know (maybe you should edit the first post to have some real solid list of what everyone agrees the SHRA includes...and yes it's the sHra :p)

Heroes can retire (Loners)
There are two options in retirement, one is learn how to use your powers properly in Hammond and be able to use them publically the other is a promise to never use your powers in public. (Howard the Duck)
Superheroes can work in the public secter (Damage Control/She Hulk law firm)
Superheroes can work for local/State government (Two Gun kid - NYS).
You can be an "Idependent Superhero" (Falcon, FF, Heroes for Hire)
You can work for SHIELD (Scorpian)
You can work for the CSA (Thunderbolts)
You can be part of the Department of Superhero Resources (or was it defense?) uuh what Gyrich is in charge of. (everyone at Hammond)

We don't seem to know who the 50SI teams are actually under, if anyone. In Iron Man, Tony only talks to Captain Ultra the team leader. Certainly we haven't seen the MA answer to anyone, but how the heck does a team work when both of it's leading members are members of SHIELD? Heck The Order is run by Tony too, does that mean it's a "SHIELD Team" or is every team just considered independent? We know from Iron Man that the CSA has oversight power over supers but we have not seen any cases of direct control over supers in a state team like we have at Hammond itself.

[Alan2099]

The Thunderbolts are the official tea of ... some state. I forget which. Has it specified that they are an exceptional case, or have they just been assigned a specific duty in addition to the standard hero work, or perhaps they're just appraoch "standard hero work" in a different way?

[Tobias Drake]

The Thunderbolts are the official tea of ... some state. I forget which. Has it specified that they are an exceptional case, or have they just been assigned a specific duty in addition to the standard hero work, or perhaps they're just appraoch "standard hero work" in a different way?

They're the official team of Colorado. Osborn was given a list of known metahuman vigilantes and told "This is your job. Start chopping."

[TotalWorldDomination]

They're the official team of Colorado. Osborn was given a list of known metahuman vigilantes and told "This is your job. Start chopping."

I still think it's strange that they are the Official Colorado team, but don't answer up to the FSI. It sort of makes it the 49 state initiative doesn't it?

[bulbasteve]

We also know that this applies not only to field agents, but even people as high up as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Although it seems from the issue itself that it is the CSA itself that was able to do that. So we shouldn't think that just any shrink can say a superhero is crazy! :p

On that note they seem to have a pretty wide oversight responsibility concerning any well...activity by superhumans :) Seeing as how they not only did make him go on leave but they made him report to them about his investigation. I would imagine if there could be some sort of emergency drafting powers it would have to go through them.

Though an interesting question is what there relation is to Gyrich's "Superhuman Armed Forces". And you know...why there is a superhuman armed forces and what they do...and who is a member....are the state teams?

[XPac]

I still think it's strange that they are the Official Colorado team, but don't answer up to the FSI. It sort of makes it the 49 state initiative doesn't it?

My understanding (and I could be wrong) is that the TBolts are accountable to the Initiative... just not to Stark or SHIELD.

TBolts are under the jurisidction of the CSA. That's Gyrich... who also handles the Initiative. Or maybe he switched departments, or Marvel is just lavy and didn't want to invent another corrupt government burocrat.

[bulbasteve]

My understanding (and I could be wrong) is that the TBolts are accountable to the Initiative... just not to Stark or SHIELD.

TBolts are under the jurisidction of the CSA. That's Gyrich... who also handles the Initiative. Or maybe he switched departments, or Marvel is just lavy and didn't want to invent another corrupt government burocrat.

I think Gyrich is still in the CSA, at least it said that in Battle Damage Report. But he is also the Secretary of the Superhuman Armed Forces...but then again Cooper is also in charge of O*N*E. Which is I guess is...yeah just Marvel being lazy and having fairly unrealistic politics >>

Heck isn't Stark still the head of the "Presidential Superhuman Task Force"?Whatever THAT is.

[mcgaffer]

Mutants don't have a choice. There automatically registered. But we'll only really see this starting to be enforced if mutants start popping up again as most of the mutants left after M-Day were already registered. Though it seems new mutants will have a choice, Initiative or X-Men.

[TotalWorldDomination]

Mutants don't have a choice. There automatically registered. But we'll only really see this starting to be enforced if mutants start popping up again as most of the mutants left after M-Day were already registered. Though it seems new mutants will have a choice, Initiative or X-Men.

I think the X-Registration was simply a matter of them already being registered with the O*N*E, not that they are forced into it as part of the law- though it dose seem like the X-men are going to become more integrated to the "Heroes" side of the MU (Colossus being on the Defenders for instance).

[Soundrave]

They're the official team of Colorado. Osborn was given a list of known metahuman vigilantes and told "This is your job. Start chopping."

No, I don't think they are. Various sources have labeled them as a special team of superhuman federal agents who go all over the U.S. hunting down the C.S.A.'s most wanted unregistered super heroes. Although Thunderbolts Mountain happens to be located in Colorado, they're not the official team of that state.

I remember the first page of Battle Damage Report went into some specifics of the SHRA. One thing was that they took a "broad" definition of the term "superhuman," to include normally non-powered individuals who just happen to use exo-suits and exotic technology for their "powers."

Presidential "Task Forces" are just temporary bureaucracies assembled by the U.S. executive branch to investigate and solve a certain problem, like the President's Task Force to Improve Health Care Delivery for Our Nation's Veterans (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/05/20010529-5.html) or the Presidential Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities (http://www.workworld.org/ptfead.html). So I think that's all the "Presidential Superhuman Taskforce" was, just a temporary fact-finding and problem-solving bureaucracy. I think a lot of readers not familiar with the workings of the U.S. government assumed the "Task Force" was some sort of super-team based on their ignorance, which led to some of the confusion.

[bulbasteve]

At the very least the first issue of the run stated that Colorado voted to have the team there, so I gotta assume they are the state team as well.

But I was actually thinking of something else with the Task Force stuff. First we gotta remember that the CSA itself is actually a Presidential Task Force (as unrealistic as that is, it sure does more than oversight!). So my question was more is this like the CSA but all metahumans or something? But actually as I recall it isn't temporary either, Tony describes himself in Battle Damage Report as looking for a permanent chairmen for it.

[matthewaos]

Something that most people forget about is the damages that the super hero fights do. In sensational Spider-Man it was stated by a guard that they have to call a number if a fight is happening with damages. Who are they calling? And who is this fixed? Is it paid by the hero or by the government? The most fair would be to judge the hero involving if he could do any better (though that is debatable) and charge him and the villain, when he will be caught.

[Alan2099]

Damage Control is a company set up to deal with the damage left over after superhero battles.

It's also been shown a time or two in books that people can get superhero insurance, but it's never really specified anything about what that covers or how it works.

[matthewaos]

Well, in the road to CW it's shown like this is the reason they want the SHRA in effect, but who pays for the damage? Also another problem is with the imprisoned heroes/villains. Who are on the negative zone, who on the vault, who in Thunderbolts mountain (and why?). Why Cap was on the vault?

[vitruvian]

The only evidence I have ever heard for a SHIELD draft is Tom B's comments

Well, no, it actually happening in She-Hulk is pretty good evidence, I would think.

My general rule is that what actually is shown to happen in the books takes precedence over anything said external to the books by writers or editors. You wrote and draw it that way, guys, that's what happened.

[vitruvian]

"that part of the law hasn't been written yet".

Considering that at that point the bill was either up for a vote, or had actually been passed and there was just some delay in it's being effective, it would seem rather strange to me if it hadn't all been written. Sure, sometimes there are amendments and riders in things, especially when being reconciled between House and Senate, but that's a pretty big detail to be unsure about....

[vitruvian]

If She-Hulk signed up to be a SHIELD agent then we shouldn't be surprised. We also don't even know when it really took place or the status of the law at that time! Did Camp Hammond exist then?

Presumably as a lawyer, Jen would read anything before she signed it; she represented herself as having simply registered to be a recognized superhero, and seemed surprised. We also *do* know that the law was passed at that time; if there have been actual changes or amendments to it since, it hasn't been mentioned in any book, and remember that it would require another vote on any such changes in Congress.

[vitruvian]

Well, in the road to CW it's shown like this is the reason they want the SHRA in effect, but who pays for the damage?

Presumably, if you live in NYC in the Marvel universe, it's wise to carry superhero insurance. No word on how steep the premiums are, or if it's federally backed or anything. Otherwise, you would have to pay out of pocket or wait to recover damages from the guilty parties (either hero or villain or both, although heroes could usually argue that they were trying to limit property damage) in a civil suit.

As stated, Damage Control gets a lot of this business - which is why unscrupulous executives from that company actually powered up Nitro with MGH (mutant growth hormone) to increase their business. When you actually look at the facts as presented in the comics, there's no reason to assume that things would have gone any better had it been the Avengers (including Iron Man) going after those villains rather than the New Warriors. I certainly don't see much evidence that they've taken that much more care than 'Nita and the others did to prevent collateral damage in similar confrontations.