History HeroInsurance / ComicBooks

* One issue ''ComicBook/GoGoPowerRangers'' has Zack spending his Spring Break doing volunteer work for a senator trying to pass an insurance reform bill to make the otherwise apathetic companies cover the damages caused by Rita Repulsa's monster attacks and the Power Rangers' battles against them.

* One issue ComicBook/GoGoPowerRangers has Zack spending his Spring Break doing volunteer work for a senator trying to pass an insurance reform bill to make the otherwise apathetic companies cover the damages caused by Rita Repulsa's monster attacks and the Power Rangers' battles against them.

* In ''Comicbook/{{Miracleman}}'', the title character tosses a car at the villainous Kid Miracleman in a futile attempt to stop him. Recalling the battle, Miracleman says that his defenders claim the car was empty. "I'm sorry, but that simply isn't true." Even worse, it wasn't a car. It was a school bus full of children.

* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' addresses this in the novelization. Heroes are impoverished and uncontrollable, so there's no way to deal with the destruction superheroes cause. No one owns automobiles due to the skyrocketing insurance, and public monuments tend to be left where they lie. Yes, there is [[NoEndorHolocaust suffering]].

* Franchise/MarvelUniverse:
** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by Marvel with their ''ComicBook/DamageControl'' series -- a comic book about the company which cleans up after super battles. D.C. has been shown to clean up very specific examples of property damage, enlisting the help of subcontractors. In the after-effects of the ''Civil War'', its created-for-the-story new CEO is shown to have helped cause damage so the company gets hired to fix it. And they also dealt with the aftermath of ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'', explaining why New York wasn't rubble just days after it was smashed.
*** It's mentioned a few times that New York City has a huge insurance policy specifically covering damage from supervillain attacks.
** Marvel has also at times claimed that, despite having probably caused more property damage than Franchise/{{Godzilla}}, [[NoEndorHolocaust the Hulk hasn't actually killed any civilians during his rampages. Ever.]] ComicBook/AmadeusCho even claimed that Hulk didn't kill any ''military'', either.
** In one issue, Hulk and his teammates devastated a space launching bay because they didn't want America to interfere with Hulk's son. When called about it, Banner said they killed no one, and rebuilding all of this would ''create jobs!'' (If bombing expensive high-tech construction was a good way to create jobs, terrorism [[ArtisticLicenseEconomics would fix economies]]).
* A ''ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'' series begins with the wide-spread destruction of Smallville and the surrounding farms due to the titular character's battle with Parasite. Superboy recognizes that this might very well spell doom for the entire town, as the collapse of the area farms will lead to massive unemployment, work migration and bankruptcy, so he arranges the first ever ''Superboy vs. Kid Flash Race'' to raise money for repairs.
* ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'': Supergirl usually tries to cleans up after her violent battles:
** In ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Supergirl vol. 5]] #12'' new hero Terra (now called Atlee) helps Supergirl take out a giant dinosaur; after the battle she uses her earth powers to repair the streets and even fix a fire hydrant. It is later revealed in the Terra miniseries that she apparently does this after every battle.
** In ''Comicbook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'', a city gets leveled and burned down because of a battle between two groups of Red Lanterns. Supergirl and her Red Lantern team want to help out with rebuilding it after the battle, but the frightened locals beg them to leave as soon as possible.
** ''ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}'' provides several examples: Kara accidentally blasts her bedroom's ceiling, so she fetches a paintbrush and a paint bucket and sets out to repair the damaged surface. Meanwhile, the Justice League is helping out with rebuilding efforts after the ''[[ComicBook/NewKrypton New-Krypton-Earth War]]''.
--->'''Newscaster:''' Across the planet, the Justice League has led reconstruction efforts at sites hit heaviest by the Kryptonians — including Cairo, Paris, and Metropolis.
* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
** In one issue, Superboy has a nice big fight scene with a robot, and then attempts to fly away. Lex Luthor of all people calls out from the crowd, asking why he thinks he can just leave Metropolis with the cleaning bill. Superman arrives and actually sides with Lex, saying that he always sticks around to clean up after battles.
** Superman himself has actually been ''shown'' cleaning up after his particularly destructive battles. After Superman got his powers back post-Infinite Crisis and he and Lex Luthor had a huge smash-up in Metropolis, Supes was shown clearing debris and doing minor construction work (i.e. welding some support beams to the side of a slightly-damaged building to prevent it collapsing) potentially saving the city millions of dollars and months or years of work fixing the damage. In the Golden and Silver Age stories, more often than not, he would repair even minor damage with super speed after he caused it.
** ''Comicbook/KryptonNoMore'': After defeating an AlienInvasion, Superman, Supergirl and Krypto helped clean up the devastation caused by the battle.
** In one ''ComicBook/SupermanBatman'' storyline, Smallville is trashed in a superfight at the climax. The next storyline begins with the entire Justice League pitching in to rebuild the town.
** In ''Action Comics'' #700, most of Metropolis is reduced to rubble after Lex Luthor's missiles are set off. In the aftermath, Superman promises Lois he will help rebuild the city, brick by brick. He has already begun on his promise by starting with the Daily Planet globe which he and Perry White view as a symbol of hope for the city.
** A [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' story has Superman being charged with, and convicted of, incredibly minor crimes that add up over the issue until they ''almost'' keep him in jail long enough for his accuser to perpetrate his evil plan.
** In ''ComicBook/MarvelVersusDC'', Franchise/{{Superman}} and The ComicBook/IncredibleHulk are teleported to the Grand Canyon. Superman is relieved since it means no one will get hurt, and no collateral damage will occur. The Hulk doesn't care, with a "Let's just get ON with it" punch.
** This issue comes up in ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman''. Without Superman to help clean up the aftermath, everyone in Metropolis is left trying to figure out what to do with the mess that was left. Flash and Green Lantern did help to repair the house of one family that was leveled in an early part of the battle.
* This was a major plot point in a ''Flash'' storyline where Wally gets legally barred from Keystone City because of all the collateral damage that results from his everyday crime fighting. In order to make their case the city authorities even have accountants following him around and calculating the damage done in front of him. Also explained in another issue... where's it's pointed out that Wally is GREAT at construction... as he can build a bridge in minutes. Though, he does note that it's 'quick and dirty'... but, well... he could fix it up later.
* In an earlier of Comicbook/TheAvengers where accountants were talking to the team, trying to account for all the damage caused during a fight with elemental golems. Most of the Avengers were dismissive about it, Thor left a bag of gold, ComicBook/IronMan reminded them that he was Tony Stark and could pay for it, and Cap... Cap handed over the parking ticket and the badge number of the officer who had ticketed the Quinjet when he'd made an emergency landing in an illegal zone. And the paperwork for having taken something out of a prison without filling in forms beforehand. The accountants loved him. An Avengers annual had the heroes touring a construction site. The employees knew villains would not be far behind (it ''is'' a construction site) and indeed, they showed up. Without the heroes knowing, the employees put the smack down on all the bad guys.
* In an issue of ComicBook/MarvelAdventures: Avengers the team [[LetsYouAndHimFight fights itself]] because of a hate ray, throwing some cars around and inflicting minor damage in the process. Once they are done the mayor of New York scolds them, sentencing them to... community service. Well, they ''are'' the Avengers. Fighting the next threat probably counts.
* In the "Guardian Devil" arc for Marvel Comics character Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}, DD mentions that New York City has a billion-a-year insurance policy on damages caused by superheroes.

* ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'', which takes a rather cynical view of superhero conventions, actually has the Authority helping out before and after supervillain attacks. Also somewhat unique in that the Authority often acknowledges that what they're doing will cause property damage and probably cost civilian lives. The characters justify it with the excuse that the bad guys would have done much worse if nobody had stopped them, but the fact that they ''openly acknowledge'' the cost of what they do is unique in itself.

* This trope is either [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] or parodied in the Marvel ComicBook/WhatIf story ''Comicbook/ThePunisherKillsTheMarvelUniverse''. In short, Frank Castle's family is killed in the crossfire of a superhuman battle and he, with the financial support of a group of people who've been similar victims of "collateral damage", goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge on the [[KillEmAll superhuman community]].
* Subverted with Franchise/{{Batman}} as, being rich, he actually ''can'' afford to pay for damage. Was mentioned in the video game of ''Film/BatmanBegins'', in which Batman damages a large section of water mains to chase away some corrupt cops from a scene. As he makes his plan, Alfred notes that Wayne Enterprises will likely be making a donation to the water board the next day.
* In the after-effects of the ''Franchise/GreenLantern ComicBook/SinestroCorpsWar'', the dozens of alien lanterns who ended up on Earth decide to stick around for a bit and clean up their messes. John Stewart, a long-standing human GL -- and more importantly, an architect in his day job -- cleans up the skyscraper damage in Coast City all by himself.
* Discussed again in the first ComicBook/{{New 52}} issue of ''Green Lantern Corps'', when Guy Gardner can't get a job as a high school football coach, largely because simply having him on school grounds on a regular basis would send the school's liability insurance rates through the roof. In the same issue, it's played with a bit again in John's scene, where he tries to convince the company that hired him to design a new building to incorporate expensive measures to minimize damage if it happens to get caught in a supervillain attack or real knock-down-drag-out hero/villain fight. They disagree about whether the added expense is worth it.

* The first incarnation of Marvel's ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'' finished winning the hearts of [[BigApplesauce New York City]] in their first issue by staying behind to repair the damage to [[MonumentalBattle the Statue of Liberty]] caused in one of their battles. It was specifically mentioned that everyone was so happy to see a new team of heroes, that the metalworkers unions weren't going to sue their pants off for doing union work. Citizen V even alludes to the fact that superheroes cleaning up after themselves is usually ''not'' appreciated by those who would otherwise be paid to do it. Definitely a bit of lampshading for this trope.
* The ComicBook/FantasticFour had a storyline that began as something of a HumiliationConga. First, [[IncrediblyLamePun their financial wizard disapparated with all their money]], then New York "thoughtfully" let them off the bill for all the damage that's been inflicted to New York during their battles ''on the condition they handed over their HQ''.
* ''ComicBook/SheHulk'':
** There was a comic in which She-Hulk decided the Thing needed some stress relief, so she took him out to a bar for a few drinks and started a fight with him. However, the city block destroyed in the process was scheduled for demolition (and she knew it). In fact, the workers hired to demolish that city block spent most of the comic sitting on the bar roof cheering -- their contract said they got a hefty bonus if demolition was completed early, it didn't say the workers had to be the ones doing the demolishing.
** In another story, She-Hulk works as a volunteer for Green Cross, an organization dedicated to cleaning up the damage caused by [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]] and other gamma-radiation cases. The Green Cross leader and founder later reveals that he was the one who dared [[{{Sidekick}} Rick Jones]] to sneak into the gamma-bomb testing area, so he feels responsible for the very creation of the Hulk.
** Similar, in the first issue of ''ComicBook/JMSSpiderMan'', Spidey ''levels down'' a building scheduled for demolition, to work out some anger issues, and the wrecking crew just call it a day.
* Deconstructed in ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'', where one of the Hulk's massive rampages results in many deaths and millions of dollars in property damages -- and Bruce Banner on trial for crimes against humanity.
* In the Comicbook/DoctorStrange miniseries ''The Oath'', after Night Nurse finishes operating on Dr. Strange after he is shot by an intruder, Strange jokes that he might still be covered under the Defenders' group health insurance plan. For reference, the Defenders were a somewhat mismatched superhero team-up that included the Silver Surfer, the Hulk, and Namor the Sub-Mariner.

* Subverted in a barfight between ComicBook/{{Colossus}} of the ComicBook/XMen and the ComicBook/{{Juggernaut|MarvelComics}}, where Cain actually pays for damages afterwards.
* Speaking of X-Men, ''ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}'' always advises the team to avoid collateral damage (i.e., no throwing random cars at bad guys), or at least cut a check to affected parties afterwards, since a mere diversionary tactic could mean years of debt for a civilian.
* Also sort of lampshaded by ComicBook/{{Rogue}} in an issue of Xtreme X-Men, where she comments that "the X-Men may cause more collateral property damage than God," but they don't kill innocents.
* ''Comicbook/AstroCity'':
** Periodically {{lampshade|Hanging}}d. Characters will sometimes make passing references to the city's "great public works" program, usually in the wake of yet another superhero battle. The introduction to the "Local Heroes" TPB includes a newspaper clipping that mentions Honor Guard using alien AppliedPhlebotinum to repair damage after one of their fights.
** Likewise, the first issue of the Homage run, "Welcome to Astro City" shows that years of these events have actually caused much of the city's populace to bond together in an extremely intense way, to the point that few (if any) avoid pitching in for clean-up and rebuilding.
** Supersonic came out of retirement to bring down a robot in a clumsy manner of pure force, causing lots of collateral damage; he's angry because he wouldn't have done that in his prime, but he was indeed the only one available, no one was killed, and Astro City is great at coping with damage, so he can live with it.

* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the ''ComicBook/{{Sleepwalker}}'' comics when a city accountant is examining all the property Sleepwalker has bent and twisted with his [[EyeBeams warp beams]] and trying to determine how much money Sleepwalker's efforts are costing the city. Detective Cecilia Perez, head of the NYPD task force assigned to investigate Sleepwalker, justifies the trope when she points out that crime is down 70% in the areas Sleepwalker patrols, and notes that getting rid of him might cause more problems than it solves.

* Shortly before the death of ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'', the Shield pointed out how dangerous an uncontrolled Spider-Man was when a battle between him and Boomerang did almost one million dollars in damages, when Boomerang was just robbing a jewelry store for a few dozens of thousands of dollars.
* On parting ways with the new Ultimate Spider-Man ComicBook/MilesMorales at the end of ''ComicBook/SpiderMen'', main universe Spider-Man gives him advice on being Spidey, which includes ''not'' sticking around after battles so as to avoid clean up duty. While this may be surprising for two such responsible-minded characters, it should be noted that if asked both would feel obliged to help no matter what else is going on, and considering the general crap-tastic time constraints a Spider-Man usually has on the average day, they just simply don't have that kind of time to burn.

* Played straight in an issue of ''ComicBook/IronMan'', when Tony Stark and Sasha Hammer have an all-out brawl in the middle of a busy highway, destroying a few passing cars in the process. Made absolutely hilarious when Pepper shows up and smacks Sasha with one of the destroyed cars, saying the owner gave her permission to use what was left of his car to beat the crap out of Sasha.
* Consciously averted in Marvel's OfficialParody book ComicBook/NotBrandEchh, in a story where [[ComicBook/FantasticFour the Thing]] and [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]] fight for six pages before an angry inspector from [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode the Comics Code Authority]] comes and chews them out, listing all the damage they have caused. Because the Hulk reverts to Bruce Banner just before the inspector shows up, the Thing ends up taking most of the blame, and gets stuck with the responsibility for repairing the damages.

* A problem in ''ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentAvengers'' as Tony Stark, by this point, isn't the financial powerhouse he once was, thus the team has to go easy on smashing villains across town. Ms Marvel is ''horrified'' when Nova decides to smother a fire by bringing down the entire building, especially since it's on her turf.