The dramatic imperative to keep the hero singular, though, prevents even scientific superheros from being scientists. They can’t widely share their results, because that would lead to brand dilution– other scientists would take the technology that made the hero and apply it in new ways, either making more heroes or obviating the need for heroes. Super-science has to be contained, or you move out of the superhero genre and into the broader realm of science fiction.

As a result, most superhero stories either invoke outright magic– incomprehensible alien technology, or superior personal characteristics– or rely heavily on tropes that are ultimately corrosive to the general image of science. The myth of the Lone Genius is a big one– only certain special individuals are capable of comprehending or duplicating super science, so even the brightest ordinary human scientists can’t build on the work of a Tony Stark or Bruce Banner. But this feeds into the common myth that science is something that ordinary humans can’t do, which contributes to very real problems like the shallowness of public support for science, or the effectiveness of the “I’m not a scientist” dodge beloved of politicians faced with an issue like climate change.

(The Lone Genius trope frequently doesn’t hold up to close examination, though, even within the context of the stories. In the Iron Man movies, for example, some of the antagonists are Tony Starks business competitors, who don’t quite match the Iron Man suit, but come close. Which means there are other scientists and engineers out there who have figured out many of the same things Stark did. So why aren’t there robots everywhere by the time of the Ultron movie? Especially since they’re apparently cheap and easy enough to manufacture in bulk to make Ultron’s robot army…)