WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Supergirl Season 6, Episode 15, "Hope for Tomorrow," which aired Tuesday October 12th on The CW.

Supergirl is just the latest superhero property to question how much a hero should get involved in global affairs. Comic book heroes tend to stay out of international issues like war due to the consequences that come with those actions. But there are times where heroes take the affairs of government into their own hands.

The missile crisis featured in Supergirl isn't the first time a Kryptonian got involved with missiles. The infamous Superman IV: Quest for Peace saw Superman gather warheads from nations around the world and throw them into the Sun after the United States and the then-Soviet Union threatened war. Superman did not face any consequences from the world governments due to the campiness of the film, but another version of the Man of Tomorrow did get called out for his actions.

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Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice depicted Superman being called to a congressional hearing due to the way he handled Zod, as well as  his supposed killing of a Nairomian warlord and his men. This reaction is a lot more realistic, as world leaders would certainly take issue with independent bodies of power, in this case a superpowered alien, working outside of their jurisdiction in foreign nations. As unregulated heroes can cause harm, the issue of superhuman regulation typically comes into play.

Due to their abilities, superhumans are often treated as weapons by fictional government. Hence the reason why superhumans typically need to stay out of wars. The moment Supergirl or Superman appears on enemy shores fighting soldiers, that opens the gateway for other countries to send their superhumans to war. Captain America's status as a super soldier fighting in World War II was less of a deterrent, and instead made him a goal other countries sought to achieve.

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injustice comic superman kills joker

It's not always the government that uses superhumans, however. Injustice: Gods Among Us gave Superman fans a look at what would happen if the Man of Steel took over the world's governments in order to "protect" the world. The Justice League animated series featured the Justice Lords, an alternate universe version of the Justice League that took control of the governments of the world and held humanity under their control. Superheroes without regulations, particularly those that are pushed over the edge, often seize control in an attempt to accomplish what they couldn't before: lasting peace.

The question of where the line stops for a hero is a difficult one to answer. Should they kill for the greater good or uphold a strict code of non-lethal takedowns? If a hero participates in a war, will that escalate the conflict on other side? Should heroes like Supergirl take it upon themselves to rid the world of dangerous weapons like nuclear missiles and do what humans cannot do?

Supergirl may not have provided the answers, but it did give a decent example of Supergirl working for the people instead of governing them. She never took away either country's choice in launching the missiles, but instead prevented a major catastrophe after the missiles launched. In the end, heroes can only hope that their actions resonate with people as they fight for humanity, instead of asserting control over it.

Supergirl airs Tuesdays on the CW.

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