Fantastic Four #572

[lordultimus]

Comments

How much is enough?

[blue_bolt]

This issue hit home for me because it reminded me of my mother and sister.

My mom used to do pro bono cases for the disabled and at one point was doing +60 hours a week of pro bono work. She was still doing 40 hours a week of paid legal work so I rarely saw her from age 10-15.

My sister is currently working as a manager for the PHS in the DTES in Vancouver, BC. She works 40-50 hours a week, mostly saving people from Fentanyl overdoses. We talked once about how when she's not working she feels like she should be, because the more people on call the quicker the response to overdoses. A couple months back she responded to 4 ODs in the same week and was unable to sleep for 2 days after. When I asked her how she felt she said she felt guilty because if she'd worked 60 hours that week, she might have saved a 5th life.

Basically, Peter Singer would love my mom and sis, but I wonder how much is enough?

Obviously, Reed can save trillions of lives since he can fix problems in different universes. If he takes a month long vacation and a random earth dies that he could have saved, was spending more time with the wife and kids really the right call?

Re: How much is enough?

[wizardru]

So many writers tend to forget that Reed isn't an emotionless computer, that he is a father, a husband and a compassionate man. He chose to be Mr. Fantastic for the same reason he climbed into a rocket, defied the rules and rushed into space...because he thought he was helping mankind for the greater good. Too many writers go the 'road to hell is paved with good intentions' part, forgetting Reed is also the guy who defeated the first Superhuman Registration act because of his fear of the slippery slope (one of many things Millar ignored/forgot/never knew).

Given how some of the Reeds end up becoming essentially super-villains without the balancing force of their families...well, it's a more complicated ethical question. What the Legion of Reeds here do to Dr. Doom, for example, is pretty NOT COOL. The greater question of what to do about parallel realities that Reed doesn't actually belong to and his responsibility to them is a tricky one...especially given what's coming later under Hickman's run.

Re: How much is enough?

[nyadnar17]

This kills me. I see so many good people drive themselves into the dirt. Its like how the story of most alcoholics is depressingly similar.

Take care of yourself, take care of your family. The world gets whats left over, not the other way around.

This issue struck home with me as well, as well as the issue of Superman that deal with similar themes.