Suddenly, Supers!

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

This is a great motivation for deciding to become a 'superhero', of course, even apart from simple altruism or being a nerd who's always wanted to be one, pioneered in the X-Men comics (although still as just one motivation among several) - trying to put a good PR spin on the existence of superhumans before public opinion calls for you all to be put in camps or laboratories.
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That's the reason why, in Wearing the Cape, the protagonist's team did initially decide to model themselves on comic book superheroes. Not only did the merchandising make it a good living, but it mean they could manage their public image in a way that would protect them from being "interned" or "drafted" or whatever.