NBC PRESENTS - MEET THE PRESS, OCTOBER 1ST 1963
ANNOUNCER: Meet The Press, press conference of the air and winner of every major award, is a public affairs presentation of NBC News.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed by panelists or guests do not necessarily reflect those of NBC.
SCREEN: [A black and white TV screen shows a man in early old age with thinning, slicked back hair and prominent ears, wearing a suit and a bowtie.]
BROOKS: This is Ned Brooks, your moderator, inviting you to Meet The Press. Our guest today is Professor Reed Richards, leader of the superhero group The Fantastic Four, who is coming to us live from the Baxter Building in New York City.
SCREEN: [A tall, athletic man with brown hair that is beginning to grey at the temples, wearing a tight-fitting costume with a prominent "4" symbol on the chest.]
BROOKS: He's agreed to appear on Meet The Press to answer questions regarding the current state of superhumans in America from our panel of journalists, which include Tom Vicker of the New York Times, John Jonah Jameson of The Daily Bugle, and John Chancellor of NBC News. We'll begin our questions with Mr. Vicker.
SCREEN: [A slightly overweight man with neatly combed hair, wearing a black suit and tie.]
VICKER: Dr. Richards, in recent years, the United States of America has seen a virtually explosive increase in the population of superpowered individuals. As the nations foremost expert, what is your explanation for this, as some would say, dangerous increase of costumed vigilantes?
RICHARDS: Well, first of all, I'd like to state that calling me the foremost expert is somewhat misleading, my credentials lie in astrophysics, not social studies.
VICKER: But you are the leader of the Fantastic Four, one of, if not the only superhuman group to operate under public identities, and your co-operation with the U.S government on matters of national security makes many look at you for advice on this issue.
RICHARDS: I suppose one could make such a case. As for your original question, it's an intriguing trend. Superhumans are nothing new, and individuals wearing costumes to fight crime are even older, though the earliest confirmed report only goes back to 1936.
VICKER: You're refering to Thomas Halloway, The Angel?
RICHARDS: Exactly. While there are some uncomfirmed rumors about Halloway possessing the ability to fly under his own power, the first confirmed appearance of individuals with superhuman abilities were the debut of The Human Torch and Namor The Sub-Mariner in 1938, though it's certainly possible that other powered individuals existed prior to this, but either did not make themselves as widely known, or were simply better at hiding. Legends and tall tales have spoken of people with extraordinary powers for virtually as long as there has been a human civilization, but without proper records, it's all conjecture. But as of why there has been a dramatic increase in superhumans, there are any number of possibilities. Increasingly sophisticated technology and globalization may simply record more of them than they found before, previously inactive superhumans may choose to use their powers in public for the first time, and there's been some study into the possible effects of radiation on the human body that may be a contributor.
VICKER: You're saying that the increase of radioactive particles is somehow to blame for this trend?
RICHARDS: Not exactly, but it may be a contributing factor. The usage of radioactive elements have increased drastically in the past decade alone, and the full effect of this is still being studied. I myself am such an example, along with my teammates, as we were exposed to a previously unknown energy during our trip into space that gave us our abilities. But as I said, it's all conjecture, it could be any one of them, or a combination of causes.
BROOKS: Thank you for that, Dr. Richards. Our next question is from John Jonah Jameson, editor and publisher of the Daily Bugle.
SCREEN: [A thin, almost gaunt older man with grey-black hair, and a bushy moustache, wearing a white dress shirt and a tie.]
JAMESON: Thank you, Mr. Brooks. As you viewers at home hopefully know, my newspaper The Daily Bugle recently published the first interview with The Avengers, the most recent team of unsanctioned vigilantes to join forces in our backyard. As an official liason to the U.S Government, what is your opinion on the group?
RICHARDS: While I do feel that they should have stronger ties to official law enforcement, I do recognize that their origin is somewhat different from my own team. They previously operated on their own, with the exception of Mr. Sunshine who I've found no earlier record of, and presumably have some private reason for why they'd prefer to keep their real identities private.
JAMESON: Speaking of Mr. Sunshine, by far the most reader response the Bugle recieved concerned his speech and behavior during the interview, most notably his profanity and criticism against General Thaddeus Ross. Many who wrote us consider this kind of action, especially from a self-proclaimed hero, to be un-patriotic, or even signs of communist sympathies. Do you believe it is appropriate for someone who claims to be a hero to behave so reprehensibly, especially towards a respected member of our armed forces?
RICHARDS: While I certainly do not support Mr. Sunshine's opinions in any way or form, I do believe even public figures have a right to express their opinion, regardless how little I agree with it.
JAMESON: And you do not consider someone wearing the American flag like a mask while insulting a military officer to be un-American?
RICHARDS: I-
BROOKS: Mr. Jameson, please, this is not appropriate behavior for this program.
JAMESON: Sorry, Mr. Brooks, I got a bit carried away.
BROOKS: Certainly. Mr. Chancellor, your question?
SCREEN: [A middle-aged man with receeding hair and a large pair of glasses, wearing a suit and tie]
CHANCELLOR: Dr. Richards, there's been a great deal of controversy over the past year concerning the technological resources employed by several superhumans, most notably the Iron Man, who is sponsored by Stark Industries using technology that Tony Stark has flat-out refused to provide the government even in the name of national security. In fact, the same criticism has been levelled towards you and your team, with accusation that you simply hoard these discoveries and inventions for your own use. What is your response?
RICHARDS: While I can't speak for Tony Stark or his motivation from keeping the Iron Man armor for his employee, in my own case, it's mainly because many of the technologies my team have discovered during our adventures are often unfeasible for wide adaptation on Earth, many of them require extremely rare resources that are difficult to find. Some of them flat out can't be used here at all due to wildly different physical laws. There's also been several complaints from the private sector that my research and access to otherwordly resources constitute unfair competition.
CHANCELLOR: You're saying that other producers are preventing you from sharing your inventions?
RICHARDS: There's no real basis for their claims, but it does constitute enough of a legal headache that it's not worth pursuing. My expertise lies in research and theory, not business.
CHANCELLOR: And you believe the same issue affects others?
RICHARDS: It would not surprise me. Many underestimate the difficulties in patenting and selling your inventions, especially as we as a society are currently undergoing a very tumultous time in history, and our technology progressing quickly even without superhuman intervention. A dependable business model can be rendered obsolete overnight. When faced with the loss of their livelihood, I'm guessing some would rather supress new technologies rather than be left behind.
BROOKS: Very interesting, Dr. Richards. We'll be right back after these messages...