History Main / SuperRegistrationAct

* In the background for ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', one of these was used for the Justice Society back in the 1940s. Currently, the Justice League operates under a UN Charter and is mostly allowed to police its own members, and the populace generally prefers this because the League has become international in scope and thus it would be difficult to register them all without causing a lot of legal and political problems. Luthor tries to propose one in Season 3, but faces backlash.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'' explain that all Espers have to register their identities, abilities and levels with Academy City's databases, and undergo regular testing and evaluation, in order to enter into the Esper Development Program. It comes in handy when Judgement investigates crimes: as long as they can identify the ability, they can track potential suspects. The only exceptions are "Gemstone" Espers: those who came by their powers naturally. But such espers are extremely rare (there are only fifty existing worldwide), and they often end up coming to Academy City anyway since they and their powers will be accepted there.
* Inverted in ''Anime/CrossAnge'': [[EveryoneIsASuper Most of the population can use magic]], but there are those called "norma" who can't, and in fact, disrupt magic on contact. Normas have no basic human rights, and generally the entire population is conditioned to hate and fear them and treat them as sub-humans. To add insult to injury, Normas are forced into service as [[TransformingMecha Para-mail]] pilots to fight and die against dragons for their magic oppressors.

** The series uses a fully functioning type-D. Incentives are offered to supers at every turn, and there are multiple [[SuperHeroSchool schools]] that train potential heroes to use their abilities to save people. Of course, [[EveryoneIsASuper when approximately 80% of the entire human race]] has some sort of super-power, it's no wonder this program works so smoothly.

** It also explores the role of BadassNormal heroes since they wouldn't apply to the new rules. Knuckle Duster is a big strong dude reminiscent of Marv from ''Sin City'', the Punisher and Batman. He's also a normal person who just fights with brass knuckles yet can go evenly with ''Eraser Head''. In fact, once Eraser Head sees his Quirk-nullifying Quirk has no effect on Knuckle, he stops fighting him. Since Knuckle duster has no Quirk, he doesn't fall under the hero jurisdiction of unregistered Quirk usage. Presumably, it would fall under older rules of vigilantism, but it shows that despite things changing, some stuff remains the same.

* Subversion in ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan''. Supers are not ''required'' to register, but unregistered heroes are not taken seriously by the general public. The titular character starts out as a "hero for fun" who was blissfully unaware that registration was even a thing (somehow) and does not start receiving any form of public recognition for his acts of heroism until well after he has already prevented several potentially city-destroying incidents. The registration system in play is often shown to be ludicrously wrongheaded despite the good intentions of those in charge. Many registered supers are {{Nominal Hero}}es at best; with the top ranking heroes including a MadScientist who is only interested in testing out his latest inventions (and who never appears in person, using remote-controlled robots to fight for him), a {{Bishonen}} actor/singer/model who would rather promote himself than save people, and countless others who are only looking to improve their rankings and will actively attempt to sabotage or defame others to get ahead.

* In a neat bit of historical reference, UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}} ''All-Star Comics'' series [[RetCon revealed]] the reason the ComicBook/{{Justice Society|OfAmerica}} had broken up in the '50s: they were called before a [[CaptainErsatz thinly-disguised version]] of the House Un-American Activities Committee and asked to reveal their identities. Unwilling to do so but also unwilling to go against the law, they stopped operating for a time. In a ComicBook/PostCrisis retcon, this was changed to the actual HUAC.
** In the Post-Crisis [[Franchise/TheDCU DCU's]] background (related largely in the short-lived series ''Chase''), the act passed by the HUAC actually kept any superheroes from operating openly from 1951 until at least the '80s or '90s, but by the time {{Franchise/Superman}} showed up it had been largely forgotten by the public at large and quietly abolished with no fanfare.

** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': In the [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]] feature, which takes place on Earth-Two where the aforementioned government interference caused the JSA to break up, ComicBook/PowerGirl is furious when a Gotham DA starts pushing for more government oversight of superheroes, accusing him of [=McCarthyism=] and brining up how the last time the government tried to register and control superheroes it destroyed the JSA for years.
** Darwyn Cooke's ''ComicBook/DCTheNewFrontier'' [[BroadStrokes streamlined]] much of the above together, establishing that most of the JSA willingly retired, one or two holdouts (such as ComicBook/{{Hourman}}) died trying to evade the police, Superman and Wonder Woman (who were only honorary members) willingly submitted to the Eisenhower Administration, and Batman (whose status was always... murky) managed to get the Administration to ignore him after a publicly-staged brawl with Superman.
* The ''ComicBook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew 2007'' miniseries featured the [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates United Species of America's]] government, under new President [[PunnyName Beneduck Arnold]], pass the "Collar ID" law, which was designed to neutralize the powers of the US' superhero populace, with the heroes either retiring (as the Zoo Crew did) or losing their powers. At one point, the President notes to the Crew "thanks to [the law], there are no more superheroes left on Earth!" Of course this came at Earth-C's DarkestHour -- a global flooding created by Starro -- and ignores the [[CreatorProvincialism US-centric]] nature of the law. Apparently the heroes moving to places like Earth-C's [[CanadaEh Cornada]] or [[BritainIsOnlyLondon Loondon]] to avoid the law weren't options, though simply moving out of the US rarely seems to be a considered option under this trope...

* This happened when reality got changed so that Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman never existed in ''ComicBook/{{Trinity|2008}}''. The alternate [[Franchise/TheFlash Flash]] delivers an epic WhatTheHellHero when he orders the solders trying to arrest him (in the middle of a battle against supervillains!) to do something useful and actually ''be'' heroes.
* In the critically acclaimed series ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', the rise of costumed vigilantes in the '30s resulted in Congressional legislation authorizing superhero activities -- which was repealed in TheSeventies after fed-up police went on strike nationwide and mass rioting ensued. After the "Keene Act" is passed, the only superheroes permitted to ply their trade legally are those who work full-time for the government, including the world's only genuine superhuman. The Minutemen also faced the House Un-American Activities Committee. They came up with a compromise to the request to identify themselves to the committee: Each member was to reveal their identity to ''one'' member of the Committee. That member was to put their name into the enormous stack of names they wanted the FBI to do a background check on without any flags reading 'this person is <Superhero name>'. Then they would speak to the committee as a whole in their costumed persona. As a result, the heroes were investigated in their true identities, while limiting the number of people who knew who they really were. The only member of the Minutemen to not accept this compromise, Hooded Justice, resigned. Unfortunately, it's implied that he was tracked down in his civilian identity and killed shortly thereafter (probably by the Comedian, due to a previous grudge between them).

* ''ComicBook/CivilWar'': The big 2006 CrisisCrossover from Creator/MarvelComics, centered around the Super Human Registration Act and the superhero community's reactions to it ([[LetsYouAndHimFight an all-out slugfest]]). The X-Men stayed out of the whole conflict, perhaps so that attention wouldn't be drawn to the trope's overuse. What's especially problematic here is that [[DependingOnTheWriter none of the writers could agree]] on the meaning of the SHRA (sometimes, it's just a matter of heroes registering their identities and powers with the government, but other books treat it as a sort of superhuman draft) or which side is in the right (one book will have ComicBook/IronMan stop extremist anti-reg vigilantes, only for another to have him casually imprison people in the Negative Zone without any actual criminal charge or attempt at a trial). This inconsistency and the political climate at the time (the whole thing had parallels to the freedom/security debate surrounding the Patriot Act) make the event's slogan, [[ConceptsAreCheap "Which Side Are You On?"]], much more difficult to answer. Ultimately, the pro-reg side won out but [[PyrrhicVictory at the cost of the respect of the public]], leading to [[ComicBook/DarkReign supervillains taking over SHIELD/HAMMER for a while]].
** Part of the reason for all this chaos in-story seems to be that the registration act itself is only part of the picture. At the same time, there's a general government push to co-opt the superhero community and reign in its rogue elements. So while the SHRA itself may not mean anything but "anyone with superpowers has to register with the government," you still have creepy black ops types drafting supersoldiers.
** Perhaps {{lampshad|eHanging}}ing how overblown the concept was in ''Civil War'', the spin-off series ''Omega Flight'' noted that the Franchise/MarvelUniverse's Canada had had a Superhuman Registration Act for years, but it was never a problem because it didn't involve forced outings, secret prisons, conscripting teenagers, or supervillain mercenaries. Instead, the Act created Department H, which provided training and legal support for participating Canadian superheroes and presumably paid them well as well supporting other room and board needs.

** The least strict interpretation was that you didn't have to register at all if you didn't plan on fighting crime or using your powers; otherwise, you had to register and possibly submit to some basic safety training (like gun safety training but for superpowers), but as mentioned, many other comics showed SHIELD agents bursting into people's homes at midnight and conscripting them by force. It also didn't help that writers couldn't even agree on the scope of the act's jurisdiction, as some issues showed SHIELD troops arresting Silverclaw, who, as she pointed out in the scene, was a Brazilian citizen, and also ComicBook/BlackPanther, who's not only not an American but a head of state. He, at least, was able to invoke DiplomaticImpunity.

* The Marvel storyline ''ComicBook/{{Outlawed}}'' introduces the Superhuman Welfare Act or [[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Kamala's Law]], which outlaws heroic activities or vigilantism for anyone under 21 unless accompanied by an approved heroic adult. The irony here is that the person the law is named after would never have gone with it had the girl not get injured in the first place. It's later revealed that while the Senator spearheading it meant well, [[spoiler:he had absolutely no idea this was Roxxon's plan all along and pushes to get it looked at]].

* The ''ComicBook/XMen'' have brought this up as a plot every few years. The terms of the act weren't always consistent but they dealt with the broad idea of mutants being free to use their powers clashing with the need for ordinary humans to be protected from [[PersonsOfMassDestruction dangerous]] and/or [[BadPowersBadPeople evil mutants]]. The debate was almost always [[DebateAndSwitch slanted by anti-mutant bigotry/giant-mutant-hunting robots]]; as in the words of Moira [=McTaggert=]:
-->'''Moira:''' [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Registration today]], [[GodwinsLaw gas chambers tomorrow.]]
** The ComicBook/DaysOfFuturePast storyline featured the most extreme version of a MRA where ordinary humans with the mutant gene were barred from having kids and mutants were rounded up into concentration camps.

* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'''s "Confessions" arc, the government of the titular city starts a registration act. It does not go well. [[spoiler:It turns out the Mayor was an alien shape shifter who was trying to destroy Earth's best defenses. This was found out when The Confessor, a Catholic Superhero Vampire, shot him to death with a stake gun.]]
* In ComicBook/BazookaJules potential superheroes have seven days after their powers manifest to get registered as an official superhero. If they don't register in time they get classified as rogues, meaning they're vigilantes or villains, either one is illegal. Not only do registered superheroes get a [[ScannableMan barcode tattoo]] of their forearm but the government also takes a DNA sample from them so if a superhero goes rogue anything they do can be trace back to them.

* This is a central point in the comic series ''ComicBook/{{Powers}}''. The main characters are [[BuddyCopShow Buddy Cops]] who investigate crimes related to registered and unregistered superpowered heroes and villains. The registration is in effect from the start, and being caught unregistered has a lot of legal woes tied to it. In fact it's even illegal to own a COSTUME unless you're registered which must make fancy dress parties a nightmare in this world. [[spoiler:Things go further for awhile in some issues, when after the local version of Superman goes insane/senile and decides that he's God and tries to enforce morality on the world, the use of any powers becomes illegal.]] It then lampshades this as of course the ONLY people who follow a law as ridiculous as that are the HEROES. The psychotic supervillains still run riot, the only difference is that now only badly underqualified humans are left to try (and fail) to stop them. In the end the heroes return, realizing that justice is a lot more important than "The Law".

* ''Fanfic/CoreLine'': In the setting's {{backstory}}, the attempt by various Alternates of Tony Stark (yeah, you read that right, ''plural'') to launch the Super-Human Registration Act on The Line was a partial success... after some toil and a few random battles and everybody hating on how bad ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' got (the setting is keen on BreakingTheFourthWall, with information troves like the actual comics, Wikis and ''this very page'' available to everybody). "Partial" in that what they wanted, which was at best the S.H.R.A. as was ''exactly'' written on the Marvel Universe (with all the jack-booted {{Jerkass}}ery ''that'' would have legally allowed) and at worst a legal way to conscript all of the super-humans in the United States into the armed forces, was not approved. The Line's version of the S.H.R.A. is not legally pressing for people who don't want to be superheroes (if you have powers and saved somebody's life but you just pulled the HeroicBystander[=/=]BadassBystander act, you won't get CapeBusters after you), and those who do get benefits from registering, such as a U.N.-approved I.F.F. code for international operations and optional training plus a higher chance of being head-hunted by groups like the Justice League Unlimited and Avengers Infinity (or deputy status in law enforcement agencies/being allowed to become a member of said agencies and still use your costume as long as you identify yourself as a member) and you can use your hero identity in court.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' inverts the situation, with the superhero registration program existing to protect the Supers from the general public. The DVD extra materials make it clear that this program existed before the movie started, with the government providing logistical support to registered heroes and helping keep their secret identities secret. None of the supers seem to mind. Then, as shown in the movie, a series of successful lawsuits against Supers leads to a wave of anti-hero sentiment. The government passes the Superhero Relocation Act, granting amnesty to all the supers (and relocating them à la the Witness Protection Program), on the condition that they retire from superheroics and lead normal lives. And when Bob Parr (aka Mr. Incredible) continues hero-ing anyway (blame ChronicHeroSyndrome), his liaison with the superhero registration agency covers for him and helps Bob relocate again (and again, and again...), rather than leaving him to be prosecuted as a vigilante.

* ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', released in 2016, is a loose adaptation of the Crisis Crossover comic of the same name. The movie primarily focuses on having the Avengers answer to a multi-government authority to keep their predication towards collateral damage in check, with the act in question known as the Sokovia Accords. ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' expands on it, showing that there's a secondary registration for all those with powers, though it's limited to a protected database.

* As expected, ''Film/XMen1'' features a sub-plot in which a senator tries to get Congress to pass a mutant registration act, and though the attempt fails, the threat of such an act hangs over the characters' heads for the rest of the series. One of the opening scenes is a debate in an official place (ostensibly the Capitol Building) where both sides make compelling points, though they never firmly establish either side as completely right. Of course, the audience tends to side with the cool superheroes who save the day over the politician.

* The Ministry of Magic in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' universe, which regulates the wizarding world in the UK, forces Animagi (wizards with the rare skill of being able to transform into a specific animal) to register with the government or face prison time. Over the course of the series, we get the impression that the law is more honored in the breach than the observance, though.

* In ''Literature/KronikiDrugiegoKregu'' Lengorchian parents are required to register their magical children with the Circle, a powerful organization composed of and run by the mages themselves. Registered mages enjoy a number of legal privileges and can count on the Circle to provide them with financial support and career opportunities. Problems start if a mage becomes too independent. The Circle is not above imprisoning, torturing or even killing such individuals to maintain control.
* In Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/NightWatchSeries'', all [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals Others]] are usually required to register with the opposite Watch (i.e. Day Watch for Light Others and Night Watch for Dark Others) when they move into an area, especially if they are vampire or werewolves. For the most part, the {{Muggles}} are not aware of them, and one of the functions of the Watches and the Inquisition is to keep it that way. In fact, many new Others are initiated by the Watches themselves, as they're the ones who actively look for uninitiated Others.
* Telepaths in KatherineKerr's ''Polar City Blues'' and other books in the same universe are marked with a "P" tattoo on their jaw. No coercion or punishment is mentioned; however no telepath can go unnoticed by another for long, especially if they haven't been trained and the only place to get the training is at the school which does the branding...
* In ''Literature/{{Sanctioned}}'' all fifteen-year-olds in Scotland have their DNA tested. Those with the genetic markers that indicate they might become superpowered must undergo a Test Year to unlock and learn to control their powers, or leave the country forever. Anything else is treason, punishable by death. This is because shortly after superpowers first appeared, Glasgow was completely destroyed, with no survivors. More than 80 years later, what actually happened is still a mystery. Most people are happy to accept almost any measure to ensure there is not another Glasgow incident.
* This is one of the core elements of ''Literature/ShadowOps''. If you're a Latent (magic-using human) in the United States, you've got three basic options. the first: a fairly comfortable (or uncomfortable, if you force the military to come after you) imprisonment while having your abilities fully suppressed for the rest of your life. The second: join the military. Again, for life. Third: Bullets, lethal injection, or the electric chair, depending on area. [[DoubleStandard Unless you're rich, related to a senator, or a famous celebrity.]] And if you're unlucky enough to manifest powers in one of the "prohibited" schools (necromancy, sentient elemental conjuration, gate magic, negramancy) or use a "legal" school in an illegal way (a physiomancer ripping apart human flesh, or a terramancer controlling animals) then you've only got the former two options. The ethics and morals of this system are debated extensively over the course of the book, with security versus freedom being a core theme. Ultimately, the protagonist decides he can't support a government that effectively imprisons and enslaves its own citizens for something they have no control over, and effects an escape.
** The second book, ''Fortress Frontier'', goes more into the laws surrounding Latents, and it makes it quite clear that the laws suppressing and controlling Latents were put into place by a completely ''terrified'' administration who believe that stripping Latents of their rights and forcing them into military service is the only way to protect society from them. Counterarguments are raised that the Super Registration Act's harsh policies are the cause of the entire problem with Latents; Selfers rebel ''because'' their only options are imprisonment or military service, and many people argue against a system that strips rights from people for something they have no control over, particularly in a society that prizes individual freedoms.
** The third book in the series, ''Breach Point'', reveals that the whole thing was the product of [[spoiler: a conspiracy between corrupt Congressmen, a corrupt President, and the MegaCorp Entertech to effectively enslave anyone who could use magic]]. In a series of flashbacks, its shown that [[spoiler:the drug Limbic Dampener, which is the key to controlled magic use, was originally going to be distributed freely, which would allow any Latent full control over their powers, which would completely destroy all the justifications for the laws oppressing Latents. The head of the corporation that developed Dampener was actually a Latent herself, however, so she was arrested and her company seized so that Dampener could only be rationed to military Sorcerers to prop up the corrupt system]].

* Subverted in the two ''Literature/{{Temps}}'' shared world anthologies, in which all British "paranorms" are required to register with the Department of Paranormal Resources and, in exchange for a monthly stipend and a cheap suit, can then be called up as government operatives and penalised for vigilantism. Mostly, the paranorms view this the way most people view government interference in their lives; annoying, but not worth making a fuss over.

* The ''Literature/WildCards'' books had the '''S'''enate '''C'''ommittee on '''A'''ce '''RE'''esouces in the 1950s, in an alternate-history version of the anti-communist hysteria of the time. Its target was "Aces," rare people given superpowers by the Wild Card virus. In 1954, all people with super powers were required to register with the Federal government under the Exotic Powers Act, and were drafted into government service under the Special Conscription Act.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'' did a heartbreakingly thorough examination of this with the Psi Corps, a government started program and organization that registered, [[strike:brainwashed]] trained, and ''hunted down'' rogue telepaths. It seemed to work well enough that its highest-powered and most loyal members eventually got to run it themselves. In the words of Garibaldi, "The Corps got started because we were afraid of telepaths. Now they're victims of our own fears. We took away every right they had and shoved them into a big black box called Psi Corps. Now look at them. [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Black uniforms, jackboots, giving orders]]..." Telepaths had only three legal choices: imprisonment, chemical nullification of their powers (often leading to death), or joining the Psi Corps. It should come as no surprise that the Psi Corps became a cloak and dagger organization with dozens of evil schemes, eventually leading to a teep civil war. They also do things such as breeding telepaths against their will.
* ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'': In "The Truth and Nothing But the Truth", it is revealed that Senator Roland Lenhoff crafted a law forcing all 4400's to register their powers with the government.
* This seems to be part of one possible future in the Series/{{Heroes}}verse, and was the plot of an entire season. Later on ''Series/HeroesReborn2015'' it happens in the wake of the Odessa bombing, which evos are wrongly blamed for.
* In ''Series/{{Powers}}'' after [[spoiler:Retro Girl's murder]] a former hero-cum-senator starts trying to pass a bill to make the use of Powers a federal offense.

** In Season Ten, the government passes a "Vigilante Registration Act" with some help from [[spoiler: {{ComicBook/Darkseid}}'s influence]]. Several episodes later, efforts spearheaded by Senator Martha Kent get it repealed.
* Both adaptations of ''ComicBook/TheTick'' show the D-category version of this trope. In [[Series/TheTick2001 the first adaptation,]] there are no background checks, just filling out a simple form is enough to get a superhero license, so the Tick easily makes up a false name to be listed as his secret identity. In [[Series/TheTick2016 the second adaptation,]] the 28th amendment was ratified to prevent the authorities from publicly releasing a hero's SecretIdentity, and the organization behind it, [=AEGIS=], is apparently suffering from budget cuts and cops often don't bother contacting [=AEGIS=] because of [[VastBureaucracy the red tape involved.]]

* The first edition of White Wolf's ''TabletopGame/{{Aberrant}}'' had a rather underhanded variety. While there is no official law requiring Novas to register, their powers tend to be hard to control without specialized training and medical care. Both are available only from Project Utopia, so most of them end up there, policing their "unenlightened" brethren. In the process they're also [[spoiler:'''''unknowingly sterilized.''''' It should be no surprise that the setting concludes with every Nova on Earth discovering this fact and going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge that pretty much [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt wrecks the entire world]] - after which the authorities [[WrittenByTheWinners destroy all records of their crimes]], claim that [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity all Novas inevitably go insane]], and systematically kill them from that point on]]. On a lighter note, in the world of Aberrant there also exists image firms like Appellate Lexington, that will register a super identity and make up a costume for you [[spoiler: of course the next page has an anonymous Op Net user declaring the firms as a Utopia net to catch (identify/keep tabs) those Novas that evade Project Utopia's Rashoud Facilities]].

* The ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}} 5th Edition'' has a Superhuman Registration Act in its game universe backstory. It uses it in an uncommonly sensible fashion -- widespread public protests were unable to get it formally repealed, but it's now a law that the government virtually never tries to enforce, let alone use as an excuse for metahuman conscription. Several of the most prominent superhero teams of the Champions Universe have officially registered and sanctioned themselves, but many superheroes have chosen not to, with little official interference in their lives. It still remains on the books, but it's normally used only as the legal authority to demand (and record, and distribute) the true identity of any metahuman already being arrested on another criminal charge. However, the lives of registered metahumans are made easier in several ways as compared to unregistered ones -- they can testify in court without having to reveal their secret identities publically (as those identities have already been revealed to the government and are thus available to the court, if not the public), they are offered opportunities for basic law enforcement training and certification as deputies, etc. They do need to follow certain guidelines - not killing opponents unless completely unavoidable, trying to avoid collateral damage and such, however.

** The ''Paragons'' setting had an optional "Paranormal Registration Act" Game Masters could incorporate into their version of the setting. One of the Series Frameworks, "The Law Is Paramount," casts players as agents of the Paranormal Regulatory Agency, charged with the task of registering and tracking paragons within the borders of the U.S.A. and among the nation’s citizens. They must contend with an active and dedicated underground pledged to defy all aspects of the nation’s Paranormal Registration Act.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'', being an unregistered mutant is punishable by death. Since just about ''every'' player character and [=NPC=] is a mutant of some sort or another, and very few are registered, things can get interesting very quickly.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', the Imperium of Man makes a point to hunt down psykers, humans with psychic powers. The majority are killed, while the remnants are 'sanctioned' after much conditioning to serve the Imperium in various fashions, or used to [[PoweredByAForsakenChild power their giant space beacon]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that untrained psykers minds are open to the Warp, which can cause them to unwittingly summon or even create monstrous [[CosmicHorror Cosmic Horrors]] known as daemons wherever they go, as well as [[SuperPowerMeltdown other]] [[NegativeSpaceWedgie horrible]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide things]]. A single rogue psyker can cause soul-eating daemons to overrun an ''entire planet'', forcing the Inquisition to come and deliver an EarthShatteringKaboom to the unfortunate world. And if the beacon were allowed to go out, the Imperium would collapse and humanity would be eaten by {{Eldritch Abomination}}s.

* In the {{M|assivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame}}MORPG ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'', where super-powered individuals are, indeed, required to register their powers, identity, etc. with the local authorities in order to get their superhero license. This makes the superheroes official agents of the government, and gives them full rights to beat up anybody who wears gang symbols, black hats, or hooded robes. There is, however, a ShoutOut to the trope in the game's {{backstory}}: a "Might for Rights" act was passed during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, drafting super-powered individuals to "fight against communism", but it was overturned as unconstitutional after massive protests from said super-powered beings and their supporters. This lead to the formation of the Malta Operatives, who intend to kill any super who will not work for them and have developed weapons to fight them with.
** There's also a number of variations on the theme: villains are ''required'' to register their identities and powers as well, but their [=IDs=] are (depending on who you ask) either the property of the government, as all villains have to break out of prison as their tutorial, or property of Arachnos, which controls the Rogue Isles. There's also a number of references in the game to various histories of the "registered superheroes": some fought in World War 2 voluntarily as heroes, especially against German superpowered squads; a group of heroes led a harsh and ultimately controversial rampage against drugs; and so on. The latest incarnation of the Superhero Registration Act as it exists in the game today wasn't passed until the mid-to-late eighties, at which point ''sanctioned'' vigilantism in Paragon City began to skyrocket. There's also a number of logic extensions of the existence of such an act, most notably Hero Corps. After all, if vigilantism is legal...why not make a profit off of it?

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': Specifically, if you do the sidequest in the [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 first game]] where you're trying to rescue Chairman Burns from biotic extremists and he ends up dead, there will be a news feature in the second game saying that lots of people are in favor of registering biotics. If the chairman lives, Kaidan talks about the government keeping track of biotics anyway, and that he figured "why not?" and joined the military.
* As an adaptation of the ''Civil War'' story arc mentioned above, ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance 2'' has the Superhuman Registration Act as the main source of conflict, although it does not come into play until about the third stage. And the ending is altered so that [[spoiler:a Nanite-controlled Nick Fury becomes TheStarscream and both teams have to work together to beat some sense into him]]. This is also a possible ending in the first game: if you fail to save Robert Kelly in Murderworld, he will break out on his own and lobby for a law for mutant registration, which gets passed and results in mutants being sent to "reeducation" camps.
* In the third ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' game, it becomes impossible to [[TransformationSequence EM Wave Change]] without first joining up with the Satella Police and getting a "Transcode." As Geo demonstrates in the beginning of the game, trying to Wave Change without a Transcode locks up the Hunter-VG and makes it impossible to use. This is for protection, as the ''very first boss'' of the ''very first game'' is actually a normal human that became the host of one of the invading FM-ians, who made him [[FusionDance Wave Change]] in order to [[DemonicPossession take over his body]] and cause chaos, hiding inside his Transer to pass unnoticed. Actually, the same can be said of most of them -- ''including Sonia'' ([[HeelFaceTurn at first]]). Making the device lock up would make unwilling transformations impossible.

* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManUnlimited'', a Superhuman Registration Act is passed and, with Nick Fury at the helm this time around, many of the Spiders willingly unmask and accept this. No ''Civil War'' at all!
* A program similar to the above ''Series/BabylonFive'' example exists in ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', where any telepath born within Confederate space must be taken to the Confederate training centers, where they're turned into the Ghosts ([[SuperSoldier psychic commandos]]). One of the most famous being Sarah Kerrigan. This program was continued by the Dominion. The ExpandedUniverse reveals more about the Ghost Academy. For one, all new recruits undergo a memory wipe in order to start new lives in the service of the Confederacy/Dominion. The program also makes no distinction between the status of the telepath. November Annabella "Nova" Terra is the daughter of the head of a powerful Old Family of Tarsonis. Even she is not safe from the Ghost Academy, requiring her father to suppress all knowledge of her abilities, even from herself, to protect her, which grows increasingly difficult as her powers grow exponentially (her telekinetic blasts are more powerful than a tactical nuke).

* Registration in the webcomic ''Webcomic/AntiheroForHire'' exists, but is optional; Crossroads was actually ''rejected'' when she tried to join.

* The Webcomic ''Fellowship of Heroes'' offers a world with a voluntary superhero registration project to give heroes official sanction, with an organization that doesn't hunt down unregistered heroes. Still, "Indie" heroes are considered rather controversial. Word of God states that the agency is a largely declawed agency from the 50's and 60's. The government had created a superhero registration act and was trying to expand it to international law, but the heroes responded in a stunningly effective two-pronged manner: firstly they hitched their own cause with the Civil Rights movement (causing a GREAT deal of nasty surprises for the Klan, among others), and in the late sixties they resorted to deporting en masse to an independent island nation, refusing to offer any heroic aid to any nation that supported the superhero registration act. Massive public embarrassment -- and one or two hero-deprived natural disasters-- convinced most of the world governments to change their minds.

* ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'' features the Heroes Association and their National Superhero Registry, which takes in and sponsors superheroes, tests them on their capability as a hero, and assigns them ranks and classes based on their abilities. Unlike most cases, operating as an unregistered hero isn't technically illegal, but it isn't very good for PR (the protagonist only signed up because [[DudeWheresMyRespect he wasn't getting any recognition for his deeds]].)

* In ''ComicBook/{{PS238}}'' a registration program for super is in place (Atlas and most of PS 238's faculty are registered), along with the Rainmaker Program for non-combat superhumans. It's implied that one of the major reasons that The Revenant is so mistrusted among the super hero community is that he operates as an unregistered vigilante.
* ''Webcomic/SidekickGirl'' has this but it's a bureaucracy (for both heroes and villains) making it even more evil.

* {{Averted|Trope}} and discussed in ''Webcomic/{{Spinnerette}}''. The supreme court has evidently decided that superpowers fall under second amendment protection, and laws have been passed enabling superheroes to act within the legal system without revealing identities to anybody, but there are also groups that oppose this state of affairs and want to take this trope more literally. However, a number of other countries, such as Canada and Switzerland, have different laws and superheroes are government employees, while North Korea has a military SuperBreedingProgram.

* A key aspect in ''WebOriginal/TheColmatonUniverse'', is the Super Power Registry, which leads to occasional conflicts here and there between Registered and Unregistered Supers from time to time, especially early on.
* Literature/FineStructure reaches this level of conflict around year 11.

* "The Company" in ''FanFic/TheReturn'' takes a mixture of the first three options. Only author-fiat has prevented the inevitable disaster.
* This is basically the status quo in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse, where mutants are required by law to have a Mutant ID card and present it at customs or when boarding commercial flights. Students at Whateley Academy can choose to either 'voluntarily' get one or be expelled. There are separate categories of cards for Heroes, Villains, Vigilantes, Students and Civilians. Offenders are issued a "Villain" card upon release from prison since villains can't be expected to voluntarily register, [[ThenLetMeBeEvil which effectively locks them into a villainous lifestyle]] even if they want to go straight.

** Appears in the early-'90s ''WesternAnimation/XMen'' cartoon, though the "Mutant Control Agency" in that series is "a private organization, occasionally supported by the government", and the registration is seemingly done voluntarily. Later, the government tries to shut it down when they notice the X-Men breaking, determining that if mutants were taking violent action against the organization than it was getting too extreme. Apparently nobody in the government checked to notice that the control agency had plans to send giant robots out to abduct any mutants that registered, and [[HeWhoFightsMonsters likely caused more damage than the mutants they were supposed to protect the common humans from]].
** Later in ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' when Former Principal Edward Kelly is running for Mayor and one of his plans is for a Mutant Registration Act, to essentially segregate Mutants from humans and treat them like an inferior race. The X-Men are unwilling to get involved due to the way it could backfire. The Brotherhood, not so much.
** The Mutant Response Division in ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'' is charged with finding mutants and "registering" them -- this often means holding them indefinitely. The creators mention in the commentary that the "Mardies" actually have good reasons to exist (One episode featured a mutant whose powers were so dangerous and uncontrolled that even ''he'' knew locking him up was the best option), and would be a positive thing if they weren't led by a GeneralRipper and caught between Senator Kelly and Magneto's bids for all-out war. Their success rate is pretty abysmal against the Brotherhood and the X-Men until they build the [[KillerRobot Sentinels]] and Master Mold, [[AIIsACrapShoot which causes its own problems]].
* In the background for ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', one of these was used for the Justice Society back in the 1940s. Currently, the Justice League operates under a UN Charter and is mostly allowed to police its own members, and the populace generally prefers this because the League has become international in scope and thus it would be difficult to register them all without causing a lot of legal and political problems. Luthor tries to propose one in season 3, but faces backlash.

->''"Well, let me show you what is being hidden, [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Miss Grey]]. I have here a list of names identified mutants living in the United States. Here's [[Characters/XMen80sMembers a girl in Illinois who can walk through walls]]. Now, what's to stop her from walking into a bank vault? Or the White House? Or ''into their houses?'' And there are even rumors, Miss Grey, of mutants so powerful that they can enter our minds and control our thoughts, taking away our God-given free will. Now I think the American people deserve the right to decide if they want their children to be in school with mutants. To be taught by mutants! Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is that mutants are very real, and that they are among us. We must know who they are, and above all, what they can do!"''

->''"Well, let me show you what is being hidden, [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Miss Grey]]. I have here a list of names identified mutants living in the United States. Here's a girl in Illinois who can walk through walls. Now, what's to stop her from walking into a bank vault? Or the White House? Or ''into their houses?'' And there are even rumors, Miss Grey, of mutants so powerful that they can enter our minds and control our thoughts, taking away our God-given free will. Now I think the American people deserve the right to decide if they want their children to be in school with mutants. To be taught by mutants! Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is that mutants are very real, and that they are among us. We must know who they are, and above all, what they can do!"''

->''"Well, let me show you what is being hidden, Miss Grey. I have here a list of names identified mutants living in the United States. Here's a girl in Illinois who can walk through walls. Now, what's to stop her from walking into a bank vault? Or the White House? Or ''into their houses?'' And there are even rumors, Miss Grey, of mutants so powerful that they can enter our minds and control our thoughts, taking away our God-given free will. Now I think the American people deserve the right to decide if they want their children to be in school with mutants. To be taught by mutants! Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is that mutants are very real, and that they are among us. We must know who they are, and above all, what they can do!"''

->''"Well, let me show you what is being hidden, [[ComicBook/JeanGrey Miss Grey]]. I have here a list of names identified mutants living in the United States. [[Comicbook/KittyPryde Here's a girl in Illinois who can walk through walls.]] Now, what's to stop her from walking into a bank vault? Or the White House? Or ''into their houses?'' And there are even rumors, Miss Grey, of mutants so powerful that they can enter our minds and control our thoughts, taking away our God-given free will. Now I think the American people deserve the right to decide if they want their children to be in school with mutants. To be taught by mutants! Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is that mutants are very real, and that they are among us. We must know who they are, and above all, what they can do!"''

** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'': The primary location is the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' city of Amn, where all arcane spellcasters are required to be licensed. Imoen's plot-mandated stupidity sees her and the EvilSorcerer Irenicus both captured and imprisoned for spellcasting, and if the player casts any arcane spells of any kind in the city, a Cowled Wizard will teleport in. For a first offense, he warns the player not to do it again, noting they can go and buy a license in the Government district. On any time after that, unless the player has bought a license, it will summon a hitsquad of Cowled Wizards, a difficult fight that also drops the party's [[KarmaMeter Reputation]].

* Seen every so often in the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'', where arcane spellcasters (who tend to be more independent and have less of a support structure than their divine counterparts) in particular are not uncommonly required to register with the local government and play by the latter's rules. The primary examples of this are the city of Athkatla in Amn, a rather corrupt merchant-guild-run plutocracy where such authority is controlled by the extremely corrupt Cowled Wizards, who will warn a spellcaster that they must get a license once and then teleport in magical assassin squads if they're seen casting in public again (the rest of the country isn't usually policed quite as harshly, but being a non-Cowled Wizard can still get very unpleasant fast), and the more LawfulGood nation of Cormyr.

** Amn is the primary location of the second game of ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', and this trope comes into play. Imoen's plot-mandated stupidity sees her and the EvilSorcerer Irenicus both captured and imprisoned for spellcasting, and if the player casts any arcane spells of any kind in the city, a Cowled Wizard will teleport in. For a first offense, he warns the player not to do it again, noting they can go and buy a license in the Government district. On any time after that, unless the player has bought a license, it will summon a hitsquad of Cowled Wizards, a difficult fight that also drops the party's [[KarmaMeter Reputation]].
** Wolfe can absorb the powers of other powers. He later gains the ability to [[spoiler: drain them at a distance when Johnny Royale uses his brain matter to make Sway and distributes it to a huge number of Powers]].

** In the Reboot version of the ''ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}}'', people from Titan, a race of natural telepaths, are forced to wear a Saturn emblem when interacting with other species.

* Used in the ''Manga/SoulEater'' universe, and practically the plot of its prequel, ''Manga/SoulEaterNot''. Weapons must attend the DWMA until they are deemed capable of controlling their abilities, in an effort to stem the FantasticRacism that used to run rampant. This law is the reason why Soul, who came from a wealthy family, ever joined the DWMA in the first place. Meisters, on the other hand, are not required to train there, since they're not by definition anything but regular people who learn how to use weapons. Even the weapons are not required to ''fight'' anyone as most of the cast of ''Soul Eater'' do; only the NOT class (which teaches weapons to control their own powers) is mandatory, while the ones who fight evil for [[BigGood Lord Death]] and try to become Death Scythes volunteered for and were accepted for the EAT class.
* A positive version appears in the manga and anime ''Manga/SomedaysDreamers'', where in current-day Japan, magic users are registered with the government, trained to control their abilities and use them responsibly, and licensed to offer their skills for hire.
* Used as part of the setting of the anime/manga ''Manga/PsychicSquad''. Schools regularly scan students for psychic powers and give mandatory psychic power suppressing limiters to those who have them (which marks them as espers to the general populace, who often discriminate against them). For the people too powerful to be completely limited, it is illegal for them to attend school unless they're part of a military organization that guarantees that they're under control. Presumably this extends to adult society as well, although it's never shown. Unlike the other examples, registration is portrayed as a good thing, or at least as the best compromise that can be achieved when there's both humans and espers advocating genocide. Espers with future predicting powers have predicted that this will directly cause the downfall of humanity, by inciting a muggle vs esper civil war (which the espers will win, by destroying everything). A major ongoing plot is whether it can be averted via positive relationships between the main characters (the 3 strongest espers and their muggle "handler")
* The Super Registration Act has been implemented in the ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' universe for at least several decades and generally works without a hitch. The Justice Bureau approves all heroes and allows them to sign up with a sponsor company and serve as private law enforcement/celebrities (technically, it's possible to be a free agent without a sponsor, but it's almost unheard of). While only NEXT have been shown to be active as heroes, presumably anyone without a criminal record has the opportunity to become one. Any hero under investigation for criminal behavior is suspended until they're cleared of all charges. Damages are handled either by the sponsor company or, if a judge rules that property damage was necessary in order for a hero to do their job properly, by the state. However, the execution is marred by [[spoiler: the very influential (the Mayor seems unwilling/unable to disagree with him) Maverick's collusion with Ouroborus to 'promote' [=NEXTs=] as superheroes, and the fact the [[HangingJudge judge]] that oversees hero-related cases is himself secretly a vigilante and [[SerialKillerKiller killer]]]].

* Subversion in ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan''. Supers are not ''required'' to register, but unregistered heroes are not taken seriously by the general public. The titular character starts out as a "hero for fun" who was blissfully unaware that registration was even a thing (somehow) and does not start receiving any form of public recognition for his acts of heroism until well after he has already prevented several potentially city-destroying incidents. The registration system in play is often shown to be ludicrously wrongheaded despite the good intentions of those in charge. Many registered supers are {{Nominal Hero}}es at best; with the top ranking heroes including a MadScientist who is only interested in testing out his latest inventions (and who never appears in person, using remote-controlled robots to fight for him), a {{Bishonen}} actor/singer/model who would rather promote himself than save people, and countless others who are only looking to improve their rankings and will actively attempt to sabotage or defame others to get ahead.

* Inverted in ''Anime/CrossAnge'': [[EveryoneIsASuper Most of the population can use magic]], but there are those called "norma" who can't, and in fact, disrupt magic on contact. Normas have no basic human rights, and generally the entire population is conditioned to hate and fear them and treat them as sub-humans. To add insult to injury, Normas are forced into service as [[TransformingMecha Para-mail]] pilots to fight and die against dragons for their magic oppressors.
* In ''Anime/MarvelFutureAvengers'', Norman Osborn tricks the United States into adopting one by making the Hulk go berserk. He does this mostly so that he can get away with committing crimes without those pesky superheroes getting in his way. With the aid of Spider-Man, Future Avengers Adi and Chloe expose Osborn as the Green Goblin and the law is repealed.

* Back during the ''ComicBook/ActsOfVengeance'' CrisisCrossover, a Super Registration Act was proposed, though it was defeated by the political power of the ComicBook/FantasticFour and ComicBook/TheAvengers; this was pointed out later as something that eventually led to...
* ''ComicBook/CivilWar'': The big 2006 CrisisCrossover from Creator/MarvelComics, centered around the Super Human Registration Act and the superhero community's reactions to it ([[LetsYouAndHimFight an all-out slugfest]]). The X-Men stayed out of the whole conflict, perhaps so that attention wouldn't be drawn to the trope's overuse. What's especially problematic here is that [[DependingOnTheWriter none of the writers could agree]] on the meaning of the SHRA (sometimes, it's just a matter of heroes registering their identities and powers with the government, but other books treat it as a sort of superhuman draft) or which side is in the right (one book will have ComicBook/IronMan stop extremist anti-reg vigilantes, only for another to have him casually imprison people in the Negative Zone without any actual criminal charge or attempt at a trial). This inconsistency and the political climate at the time (the whole thing had parallels to the freedom/security debate surrounding the Patriot Act) make the event's slogan, [[ConceptsAreCheap "Which Side Are You On?"]], much more difficult to answer. Ultimately, the pro-reg side won out but [[PyrrhicVictory at the cost of the respect of the public]], leading to [[ComicBook/DarkReign supervillains taking over SHIELD/HAMMER for a while]].
** Part of the reason for all this chaos in-story seems to be that the registration act itself is only part of the picture. At the same time, there's a general government push to co-opt the superhero community and reign in its rogue elements. So while the SHRA itself may not mean anything but "anyone with superpowers has to register with the government," you still have creepy black ops types drafting supersoldiers.
** Perhaps {{lampshad|eHanging}}ing how overblown the concept was in ''Civil War'', the spin-off series ''Omega Flight'' noted that the Franchise/MarvelUniverse's Canada had had a Superhuman Registration Act for years, but it was never a problem because it didn't involve forced outings, secret prisons, conscripting teenagers, or supervillain mercenaries. Instead, the Act created Department H, which provided training and legal support for participating Canadian superheroes and presumably paid them well as well supporting other room and board needs.
** Another big problem with ''Civil War'', that again varied between writers, was the pro-reg side being led by people who actually had means to make normal law enforcement and military agencies less than near-helpless against metahuman criminals and de-facto private armies (never mind the diverse array of alien, extradimensional and time-travelling conquerors threatening the Earth), which meant not requiring dangerous experiments on people or production of notoriously difficult to control robots, [[ReedRichardsIsUseless but pointedly refusing to do so]]. So you get the situation of Iron Man agonising over the moral quandary of him and War Machine being the only ones who have access to his incredibly advanced crime-fighting armour, whilst refusing to provide them to law enforcement so that he doesn't have to be.
** The least strict interpretation was that you didn't have to register at all if you didn't plan on fighting crime or using your powers; otherwise, you had to register and possibly submit to some basic safety training (like gun safety training but for superpowers), but as mentioned, many other comics showed SHIELD agents bursting into people's homes at midnight and conscripting them by force. It also didn't help that writers couldn't even agree on the scope of the act's jurisdiction, as some issues showed SHIELD troops arresting Silverclaw, who, as she pointed out in the scene, was a Brazilian citizen, and also ComicBook/BlackPanther, who's not only not an American but a head of state. He, at least, was able to invoke DiplomaticImpunity.
** Another issue was what constituted a superhuman. By strict definition, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica isn't superhuman. He's just as physically fit as a human being is capable of becoming. ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} doesn't even have that, yet each were subject to registration. Is wearing a costume to fight crime a condition of registration?
* In ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'' tie-in ''The Accused'', the trial of [[spoiler:Hawkeye for the death of [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]]]] was being pushed incredibly heavily to get it up and running way sooner than it should. ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} discovers that this was a conspiracy to get a ''second'' S.R.A. passed by getting a guilty verdict. [[spoiler:Daredevil becomes a SpannerInTheWorks by getting Hawkeye acquitted.]]

** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': In the ComicBook/{{Huntress}} feature, which takes place on Earth-Two where the aforementioned government interferance caused the JSA to break up, ComicBook/PowerGirl is furious when a Gotham DA starts pushing for more goverment oversight of superheroes, acussing him of [=McCarthyism=] and brining up how the last time the government tried to register and control superheroes it destroyed the JSA for years.
** Darwyn Cooke's ''ComicBook/DCTheNewFrontier'' [[BroadStrokes streamlined]] much of the above together, establishing that most of the JSA willingly retired, one or two holdouts (such as Hourman) died trying to evade the police, Superman and Wonder Woman (who were only honorary members) willingly submitted to the Eisenhower Administration, and Batman (whose status was always... murky) managed to get the Administration to ignore him after a publicly-staged brawl with Superman.
* In the critically acclaimed series ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', the rise of costumed vigilantes in the '30s resulted in Congressional legislation authorizing superhero activities - which was repealed in TheSeventies after fed-up police went on strike nationwide and mass rioting ensued. After the "Keene Act" is passed, the only superheroes permitted to ply their trade legally are those who work full-time for the government, including the world's only genuine superhuman. The Minutemen also faced the House Un-American Activities Committee. They came up with a compromise to the request to identify themselves to the committee: Each member was to reveal their identity to ''one'' member of the Committee. That member was to put their name into the enormous stack of names they wanted the FBI to do a background check on without any flags reading 'this person is <Superhero name>'. Then they would speak to the committee as a whole in their costumed persona. As a result, the heroes were investigated in their true identities, while limiting the number of people who knew who they really were. The only member of the Minutemen to not accept this compromise, Hooded Justice, resigned. Unfortunately, it's implied that he was tracked down in his civilian identity and killed shortly thereafter (probably by the Comedian, due to a previous grudge between them).
* This is a central point in the comic series ''ComicBook/{{Powers}}''. The main characters are [[BuddyCopShow Buddy Cops]] who investigate crimes related to registered and unregistered superpowered heroes and villains. The registration is in effect from the start, and being caught unregistered has a lot of legal woes tied to it. In fact it's even illegal to own a COSTUME unless you're registered which must make fancy dress parties a nightmare in this world. [[spoiler:Things go further for awhile in some issues, when after the local version of Superman goes insane/senile and decides that he's God and tries to enforce morality on the world, the use of any powers becomes illegal.]] It then lampshades this as of course the ONLY people who follow a law as ridiculous as that are the HEROES. The psychotic supervillains still run riot, the only difference is that now only badly underqualified humans are left to try (and fail) to stop them. In the end the heroes return, realizing that justice is a lot more important than "The Law".
* A ''ComicBook/DarkwingDuck'' comic where several superheroes led by a [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Mr. Fantastic]] CaptainErsatz arrived in St. Canard City and tried to enforce a Super Registration Act. Darkwing, of course, didn't like this. In the end, he turned out to be right, as Mr. Wonderful's boss turned out to be Steelbeak in disguise, making the whole thing a FOWL plan to keep track of all their enemies. This comic [[HilariousInHindsight became much funnier]] after ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' came out.
* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'''s "Confessions" arc, the government of the titular city starts a registration act. It does not go well. [[spoiler:It turns out the Mayor was an alien shape shifter who was trying to destroy Earth's best defenses. This was found out when The Confessor, a Catholic Superhero Vampire, shot him to death with a stake gun.]]

* The ''ComicBook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew 2007'' miniseries featured the [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates United Species of America's]] government, under new President [[PunnyName Beneduck Arnold]], pass the "Collar ID" law, which was designed to neutralize the powers of the US' superhero populace, with the heroes either retiring (as the Zoo Crew did) or losing their powers. At one point, the President notes to the Crew "thanks to [the law], there are no more superheroes left on Earth!" Of course this came at Earth-C's DarkestHour---a global flooding created by Starro---and ignores the [[CreatorProvincialism US-centric]] nature of the law. Apparently the heroes moving to places like Earth-C's [[CanadaEh Cornada]] or [[BritainIsOnlyLondon Loondon]] to avoid the law weren't options, though simply moving out of the US rarely seems to be a considered option under this trope...

* A ''ComicBook/SheHulk'' comic has She-Hulk, a lawyer, naturally, use this as a benevolent purpose, not to exploit anyone but so that superheroes can simply be legally licensed.
* ''ComicBook/LegendsOfTheDeadEarth'': In ''[[ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes Legionnaires]]'' Annual #3, Overlord Nevlor, the dictator of Almeer-5 in the 100th Century, introduced a law that all superbeings must be licensed in order to use their powers. Nevlor refused to grant licenses to those whom he could not control. If an individual uses their powers without a license, they are either downsized ([[ShrinkRay literally]]) or imprisoned. They are then replaced with artificially created beings with the same powers who are loyal to Nevlor.
* The Marvel storyline ''ComicBook/{{Outlawed}}'' introduces the Superhuman Welfare Act or [[ComicBook/KamalaKhan Kamala's Law]], which outlaws heroic activities or vigilantism for anyone under 21 unless accompanied by an approved heroic adult. The irony here is that the person the law is named after would never have gone with it had the girl not get injured in the first place. It's later revealed that while the Senator spearheading it meant well, [[spoiler:he had absolutely no idea this was Roxxon's plan all along and pushes to get it looked at.]]

* As expected, ''[[Film/XMen1 X-Men]]'' features a sub-plot in which a senator tries to get Congress to pass a mutant registration act, and though the attempt fails, the threat of such an act hangs over the characters' heads for the rest of the series. One of the opening scenes is a debate in an official place (ostensibly the Capitol Building) where both sides make compelling points, though they never firmly establish either side as completely right. Of course, the audience tends to side with the cool superheros who save the day over the politician.
* ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', released in 2016, is a loose adaptation of the Crisis Crossover comic of the same name. The movie primarily focuses on having the Avengers answer to a multi-government authority to keep their predication towards collateral damage in check, with the act in question known as the Sokovia Accords. ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' expands on it, showing that there's a secondary registration for all those with powers, though it's limited to a protected database.

* The ''Literature/WildCards'' books had the '''S'''enate '''C'''ommittee on '''A'''ce '''RE'''esouces in the 1950s, in an alternate-history version of the anti-communist hysteria of the time. Its target was "Aces," rare people given superpowers by the Wild Card virus. In 1954, all people with super powers were required to register with the Federal government under the Exotic Powers Act, and were drafted into government service under the Special Conscription Act.
* After the emergence of the psychic Talents in Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''Literature/ToRidePegasus'' books, the first thing the psychically gifted people do is preempt what they see as the inevitability of this by creating their own registration organization and making sure it's used only for good.
* Telepaths in KatherineKerr's ''Polar City Blues'' and other books in the same universe are marked with a "P" tattoo on their jaw. No coercion or punishment is mentioned; however no telepath can go unnoticed by another for long, especially if they haven't been trained and the only place to get the training is at the school which does the branding...
* Subverted in the two ''Literature/{{Temps}}'' shared world anthologies, in which all British "paranorms" are required to register with the Department of Paranormal Resources and, in exchange for a monthly stipend and a cheap suit, can then be called up as government operatives and penalised for vigilantism. Mostly, the paranorms view this the way most people view government interference in their lives; annoying, but not worth making a fuss over.
* Imagers (basically mages) in Creator/LEModesittJR's ''Literature/ImagerPortfolio'' are required to join the Collegium. This organization is run by and filled with Imagers, and occupies a venerable but somewhat precarious place in the local power structure. It trains imagers, keeps them out of trouble, and acts as something of a special ops/intelligence/research agency for the governmental council.

** The third book in the series, ''Breach Point'', reveals that the whole thing was the product of [[spoiler: a conspiracy between corrupt Congressmen, a corrupt President, and the MegaCorp Entertech to effectively enslave anyone who could use magic]]. In a series of flashbacks, its shown that [[spoiler: the drug Limbic Dampener, which is the key to controlled magic use, was originally going to be distributed freely, which would allow any Latent full control over their powers, which would completely destroy all the justifications for the laws oppressing Latents. The head of the corporation that developed Dampener was actually a Latent herself, however, so she was arrested and her company seized so that Dampener could only be rationed to military Sorcerers to prop up the corrupt system]].
* In Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/NightWatchSeries'', all [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals Others]] are usually required to register with the opposite Watch (i.e. Day Watch for Light Others and Night Watch for Dark Others) when they move into an area, especially if they are vampire or werewolves. For the most part, the {{Muggles}} are not aware of them, and one of the functions of the Watches and the Inquisition is to keep it that way. In fact, many new Others are initiated by the Watches themselves, as they're the ones who actively look for uninitiated Others.
* Creator/LilithSaintcrow's ''Literature/DanteValentine'' novels have the Hegemony's Parapsychic Act, which in theory legitimizes psions and grants them legal rights and citizenship (prior to its passage, slavery of psions was commonplace). However, it also requires them to be formally trained and accredited to work legitimately and given a cheek tattoo of their Talent (in Danny's case, a modified caduceus because she's a Necromance), and they're subjected to FantasticRacism.

* In ''Literature/{{Sanctioned}}'' all fifteen year olds in Scotland have their DNA tested. Those with the genetic markers that indicate they might become superpowered must undergo a Test Year to unlock and learn to control their powers, or leave the country forever. Anything else is treason, punishable by death. This is because shortly after superpowers first appeared, Glasgow was completely destroyed, with no survivors. More than 80 years later, what actually happened is still a mystery. Most people are happy to accept almost any measure to ensure there is not another Glasgow incident.
* In ''Literature/KronikiDrugiegoKregu'' Lengorchian parents are required to register their magical children with the Circle, a powerful organization composed of and run by the mages themselves. Registered mages enjoy a number of legal privileges and can count on the Circle to provide them with financial support and career opportunities. Problems start if a mage becomes too independent. The Circle is not above imprisoning, torturing or even killing such individuals to maintain control.

** A running sideplot of the first two books is some extremists trying to get a law passed that will not only require all people with powers be registered, but that their powers and locations be constantly available on a public database. There already is a limited registration in place; anyone who wants to work as a Crisis Aid and Intervention hero has to register with the government; even if they have a SecretIdentity, they have to disclose it to the government, though actual secret identities are rare and usually don't last long. Part of the Dark Anarchist's goal is to pass this law--not because he thinks it's a good thing, but to "rip the band-aid off" and push past it as fast as possible, giving the world a few years of enslaved superhumans rather than decades. The Teatime Anarchist thinks it's better to avert the whole situation entirely.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'' did a heartbreakingly thorough examination of this with the [=PsiCorps=], a government started program and organization that registered, [[strike:brainwashed]] trained, and ''hunted down'' rogue telepaths. It seemed to work well enough that its highest-powered and most loyal members eventually got to run it themselves. In the words of Garibaldi, "The Corps got started because we were afraid of telepaths. Now they're victims of our own fears. We took away every right they had and shoved them into a big black box called [=PsiCorps=]. Now look at them. [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Black uniforms, jackboots, giving orders]]..." Telepaths had only three legal choices: imprisonment, chemical nullification of their powers (often leading to death), or joining [=PsiCorps=]. It should come as no surprise that [=PsiCorps=] became a cloak and dagger organization with dozens of evil schemes, eventually leading to a teep civil war. They also do things such as breeding telepaths against their will.
* This seems to be part of one possible future in the Series/{{Heroes}}verse, and was the plot of an entire season. Later on ''[[Series/HeroesReborn2015 Heroes Reborn]]'' it happens in the wake of the Odessa bombing, which evos are wrongly blamed for.
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'':
** The government agency "Checkmate" is attempting to do this in Season 9, willing to use kidnapping and murder to try to force superheroes under their thumb.
** In Season Ten, the government passes a "Vigilante Registration Act" with some help from [[spoiler: {{ComicBook/Darkseid}}'s influence]]. Several episodes later, efforts spearheaded by Senator Martha Kent get it repealed.

* ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'': In "The Truth and Nothing But the Truth", it is revealed that Senator Roland Lenhoff crafted a law forcing all 4400's to register their powers with the government.

* The Moore Act in the "[[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Iron Age]]" setting of ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' made superheroes illegal in Freedom City. Named after Mayor Franklin Moore (who, in turn, was named after Creator/AlanMoore, creator of the Keene Act in ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'').
** The ''Paragons'' setting had an optional "Paranormal Registration Act" Game Masters could incorporate into their version of the setting. One of the Series Frameworks, "The Law Is Paramount," casts players as agents of the Paranormal Regulatory Agency, charged with the task of registering and tracking paragons within the borders of the U.S.A. and among the nation’s citizens. They must contend with an active and dedicated underground pledged to defy all aspects of the nation’s Paranormal Registration Act.
* The first edition of White Wolf's ''TabletopGame/{{Aberrant}}'' had a rather underhanded variety. While there is no official law requiring Novas to register, their powers tend to be hard to control without specialized training and medical care. Both are available only from Project Utopia, so most of them end up there, policing their "unenlightened" brethren. In the process they're also [[spoiler:'''''unknowingly sterilized.''''' It should be no surprise that the setting concludes with every Nova on Earth discovering this fact and going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge that pretty much [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt wrecks the entire world]] - after which the authorities [[WrittenByTheWinners destroy all records of their crimes]], claim that [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity all Novas inevitably go insane]], and systematically kill them from that point on]]. On a lighter note, in the world of Aberrant there also exists image firms like Appellate Lexington, that will register a super identity and make up a costume for you [[spoiler: of course the next page has an anonymous Op Net user declaring the firms as a Utopia net to catch (identify/keep tabs) those Novas that evade Project Utopia's Rashoud Facilities]].
** The second edition, by contrast, does away with the spoilered element, as part of the general lightening of the setting.
* Seen every so often in the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'', where arcane spellcasters (who tend to be more independent and have less of a support structure than their divine counterparts) in particular are not uncommonly required to register with the local government and play by the latter's rules. The primary examples of this are the city of Athkatla in Amn, a rather corrupt merchant-guild-run plutocracy where such authority is controlled by the extremely corrupt Cowled Wizards, who will warn a spellcaster that they must get a license once and then teleport in magical assassin squads if they're seen casting in public again (the rest of the country isn't usually policed quite as harshly, but being a non-Cowled Wizard can still get very unpleasant fast), and the more LawfulGood nation of Cormyr.
** The generally lawful good-ish nation of Cormyr also requires ''all'' adventuring parties to register and get a proper charter in order to operate within its borders, although in this case it's less this trope as such and more an effort to keep tabs on freelance mercenaries (the definition of "adventurer" not necessarily including superhuman powers and all).
** Amn is the primary location of the second game of ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', and this trope comes into play. Imoen's plot-mandated stupidity sees her and the EvilSorcerer Irenicus both captured and imprisoned for spellcasting, and if the player casts any arcane spells of any kind in the city, a Cowled Wizard will teleport in. For a first offense, he warns the player not to do it again, noting they can go and buy a license in the Government district. On any time after that, unless the player has bought a license, it will summon a hitsquad of Cowled Wizards, a difficult fight that also drops the party's [[KarmaMeter Reputation]].
** Wolfe can absorb the powers of other powers. He later gains the ability to [[spoiler: drain them at a distance when Johnny Royale uses his brain matter to make Sway and distributes it to a huge number of Powers]].

* A program similar to the above Babylon 5 example exists in ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', where any telepath born within Confederate space must be taken to the Confederate training centers, where they're turned into the Ghosts ([[SuperSoldier psychic commandos]]). One of the most famous being Sarah Kerrigan. This program was continued by the Dominion. The ExpandedUniverse reveals more about the Ghost Academy. For one, all new recruits undergo a memory wipe in order to start new lives in the service of the Confederacy/Dominion. The program also makes no distinction between the status of the telepath. November Annabella "Nova" Terra is the daughter of the head of a powerful Old Family of Tarsonis. Even she is not safe from the Ghost Academy, requiring her father to suppress all knowledge of her abilities, even from herself, to protect her, which grows increasingly difficult as her powers grow exponentially (her telekinetic blasts are more powerful than a tactical nuke).
* In the third ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' game, it becomes impossible to [[TransformationSequence EM Wave Change]] without first joining up with the Satella Police and getting a "Transcode." As Geo demonstrates in the beginning of the game, trying to Wave Change without a Transcode locks up the Hunter-VG and makes it impossible to use. This is for protection, as the ''very first boss'' of the ''very first game'' is actually a normal human that became the host of one of the invading FM-ians, who made him [[FusionDance Wave Change]] in order to [[DemonicPossession take over his body]] and cause chaos, hiding inside his Transer to pass unnoticed. Actually, the same can be said of most of them -- ''including Sonia'' ([[HeelFaceTurn at first]]). Making the device lock up would make unwilling transformations impossible.
* ''VideoGame/{{Poptropica}}'' has this in effect on Super Power Island.

* The Webcomic ''Fellowship of Heroes'' offers a world with a voluntary superhero registration project to give heroes official sanction, with an organisation that doesn't hunt down unregistered heroes. Still, "Indie" heroes are considered rather controversial. Word of God states that the agency is a largely declawed agency from the 50's and 60's. The government had created a superhero registration act and was trying to expand it to international law, but the heroes responded in a stunningly effective two-pronged manner: firstly they hitched their own cause with the Civil Rights movement (causing a GREAT deal of nasty surprises for the Klan, among others), and in the late sixties they resorted to deporting en masse to an independent island nation, refusing to offer any heroic aid to any nation that supported the superhero registration act. Massive public embarrassment-- and one or two hero-deprived natural disasters-- convinced most of the world governments to change their minds.

* In [[http://www.theheroesofcrash.com/ HeroesOfCrash]] registration is an optional thing that helps superheroes get assistance from the government if necessary. It's possible to be a non-registered superhero, but [[http://www.theheroesofcrash.com/2008Filler11-13.htm it involves trade-offs]].

* In ''Webcomic/{{Pacificators}}'', people with [[ElementalPowers powers]] ''must'' become T-Pacificators, or otherwise they'll be labelled as renegades, and chased down to be impounded. There's no TakeAThirdOption at all.
* ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'' features the Heroes Association and their National Superhero Registry, which takes in and sponsors superheroes, tests them on their capability as a hero, and assigns them ranks and classes based on their abilities. Unlike most cases, operating as an unregistered hero isn't technically illegal, but it isn't very good for PR (the protagonist only signed up because [[DudeWheresMyRespect he wasn't getting any recognition for his deeds]].)
* In ''ComicBook/{{PS238}}'' a registration program for super is in place (Atlas and most of PS 238's faculty are registered), along with the Rainmaker Program for non-combat superhumans. It's implied that one of the major reasons that The Revenant is so mistrusted among the super hero community is that he operates as an unregistered vigilante.
* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': [[http://grrlpowercomic.com/archives/955 Discussed]]. Superhumans aren't required to register their powers if they are just living as civilians and using their powers for normal daily living, but they must register if they intend to use their powers to fight crime. Otherwise, they'll be charged with the crime of vigilantism just like normal humans would.

* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': Active {{magical girl}}s are strongly encouraged, though not legally required, to register with the City Defense Department's Board of Magical Girls. As it cannot force these girls to register, the CDD instead runs extensive PR campaigns, using the image of successful magical girls as {{celebrit|ySuperhero}}ies to extol the many benefits of registering. True to their word, they offer numerous benefits in order to entice girls to comply -- registered magical girls are eligible for an [[ExtranormalInstitute exclusive private education]], have access to their own personal counselors, and, as one recruitment poster cheerfully states, [[DisturbingStatistic have a 70% lower risk of being killed or seriously injured]].

* This is basically the status quo in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse, where mutants are required by law to have a Mutant ID card and present it at customs or when boarding commercial flights. Students at Whateley Academy can choose to either 'voluntarily' get one or be expelled. There are separate categories of cards for Heroes, Villains, Vigilantes, Students and Civilians. Offenders are issued a "Villain" card upon release from prison since villains can't be expected to voluntarily register, [[ThenLetMeBeEvil which effectively locks them into a villainous lifestyle]] even if they want to go straight.

* In the backstory of ''[[http://mmreset-project.deviantart.com/art/Magnet-Magnus-Reset-Premise-330598474 Magnet Magnus: Reset]]'', superpowers are outright banned, which causes the Heroes to go underground. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome However, this doesn't stop the supervillains, who then take over the USA.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': The Guild of Calamitous Intent effectively runs what can be described as ''supervillain'' registration act. The organization provides insurance, henchmen, and protection from law enforcement as well as making sure its members don't get killed by the superheroes they "arch". However, things like rape and harming civilians are against their code of conduct, as shown by King Gorilla being forced to remain in prison after he murdered and raped (InThatOrder) [[Music/MotleyCrue Vince Neal]] on national television.

Any law that requires {{Super Hero}}es (or, really, [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual anyone with superpowers]]) to be registered with the government in a national database (including the name and residence of each hero's SecretIdentity) or face penalties. This [[TropeCodifier was codified]] with the Creator/MarvelComics' ''ComicBook/XMen'' in the form of the "Mutant Registration Act", where it provided a [[FantasticRacism metaphor for discussing racial and/or communist themes]]. Since then, it has been used and re-used, often as a metaphor for UsefulNotes/AmericanGunPolitics; after all, ''villains'' don't have to register with a WeirdTradeUnion in order to start robbing banks or [[ChainedToARailway tying women to railroad tracks]], any more than a criminal needs a licensed weapon to commit a crime.

While sometimes the act can take the benevolent, unobtrusive form of a government-sponsored HeroSecretService complete with HeroInsurance, in most cases the law is an antagonist in and of itself, whose only purpose is to prohibit superheroes from using their powers recklessly (if '''at all'''), or in the worst case scenario, is the first step to full-scale SuperHumanTrafficking. Of course, no super''villain'' in their right mind would bother obeying the terms of this law, however registration would allow for identification of Supers that later become villainous or the prosecution of Supers that attempt to conceal their powers with the assumption that such an act would be later used for criminal or nefarious purposes. "Failure to register" could even be used as a charge of last resort in the absence of other evidence, much in the same way gangsters have been charged with tax evasion.

* White Wolf's ''TabletopGame/{{Aberrant}}'' had a rather underhanded variety. While there is no official law requiring Novas to register, their powers tend to be hard to control without specialized training and medical care. Both are available only from Project Utopia, so most of them end up there, policing their "unenlightened" brethren. In the process they're also [[spoiler:'''''unknowingly sterilized.''''' It should be no surprise that the setting concludes with every Nova on Earth discovering this fact and going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge that pretty much [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt wrecks the entire world]] - after which the authorities [[WrittenByTheWinners destroy all records of their crimes]], claim that [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity all Novas inevitably go insane]], and systematically kill them from that point on]]. On a lighter note, in the world of Aberrant there also exists image firms like Appellate Lexington, that will register a super identity and make up a costume for you [[spoiler: of course the next page has an anonymous Op Net user declaring the firms as a Utopia net to catch (identify/keep tabs) those Novas that evade Project Utopia's Rashoud Facilities]].

** The Mutant Response Division in ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen'' is charged with finding mutants and "registering" them -- this often means holding them indefinitely. The creators mention in the commentary that the "Mardies" actually have good reasons to exist (One episode featured a mutant whose powers were so dangerous and uncontrolled that even ''he'' knew locking him up was the best option), and would be a positive thing if they weren't led by a GeneralRipper and caught between Senator Kelly and Magneto's bids for all-out war. Their success rate is pretty abysmal against the Brotherhood and the X-Men until they build the [[KillerRobot Sentinels]] and Master Mold, [[AIIsACrapShoot which causes its own problems]].

* In the backstory of ''[[http://mmreset-project.deviantart.com/art/Magnet-Magnus-Reset-Premise-330598474 Magnet Magnus: Reset]]'', superpoweres are outright banned, which causes the Heroes to go underground. [[RealityEnsues However, this doesn't stop the supervillains, who then take over the USA.]]

* The Marvel storyline ''ComicBook/{{Outlawed}}'' introduces the Superhuman Welfare Act or [[ComicBook/KamalaKhan Kamala's Law]], which outlaws heroic activities or vigilantism for anyone under 21 unless accompanied by an approved heroic adult. The irony here is that the person the law is named after would never have gone with it had the girl not get injured in the first place.

* Back during the ''ComicBookActsOfVengeance'' CrisisCrossover, a Super Registration Act was proposed, though it was defeated by the political power of the ComicBook/FantasticFour and ComicBook/TheAvengers; this was pointed out later as something that eventually led to...

* Back during the "Acts of Vengeance" CrisisCrossover, a Super Registration Act was proposed, though it was defeated by the political power of the ComicBook/FantasticFour and ComicBook/TheAvengers; this was pointed out later as something that eventually led to...

** One notable aspect of the registration act is there are a number of laws that greatly limit the usage of Quirks in public. This was done in order to stop the chaotic turmoil that occurred when superpowers first appeared. However, some people were not happy with the regulations on Quirk usage, as they believed that the free use of their superhuman abilities should be a basic human right. Enter the Meta Liberation Army. Led by Destro, this organization fought against the government for several years over the passing of Quirk restriction laws, but they ultimately failed. Eventually, a new incarnation of the group led by Destro's son, Re-Destro, emerged and began plotting to bring a new world order, where Quirk users would be free to use their powers as they see fit.

** One aspect of the registration act is that greatly limits the usage of Quirks in public to avoid the large scale disasters that happened when those powers began to manifest in the general population. Some people were not happy with the regulations on Quirk usage though, as they believed that the free use of their superhuman abilities should be a basic human right. Enter the Meta Liberation Army. Led by Destro, the organization fought against governments of a number of nations for several years over the passing of laws that would restrict the use of Quirks but they ultimately failed. Eventually, a new reincarnation of the group led by Destro's son Re-Destro surged and put several plans in motion in order to bring a new world order were Quirk users would be free to employ theirs power as they see fit.

** It also explores the role of BadassNormal heroes since they wouldn't apply to the new rules. Knuckle Duster is a big strong dude reminiscent of Marv from ''Sin City'', the Punisher and Batman. He's also a normal person who just fights with brass knuckles yet can go evenly with ''Eraser Head''. In fact, once Eraser Head sees his Quirk-nullifying Quirk has no affect on Knuckle, he stops fighting him. Since Knuckle duster has no Quirk, he doesn't fall under the hero jurisdiction of unregistered Quirk usage. Presumably, it would fall under older rules of vigilantism, but it shows that despite things changing, some stuff remains the same.

->''"I have here a list of names identified mutants living in the United States. [[Comicbook/KittyPryde Here's a girl in Illinois who can walk through walls.]] Now, what's to stop her from walking into a bank vault? Or the White House? Or ''into their houses?'' And there are even rumors, [[ComicBook/JeanGrey Miss Grey]], of mutants so powerful that they can enter our minds and control our thoughts, taking away our God-given free will. Now I think the American people deserve the right to decide if they want their children to be in school with mutants. To be taught by mutants! Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is that mutants are very real, and that they are among us. We must know who they are, and above all, what they can do!"''

->''"[[Comicbook/KittyPryde Here's a girl in Illinois who can walk through walls.]] Now, what's to stop her from walking into a bank vault? Or the White House? Or ''into their houses?'' And there are even rumors, [[ComicBook/JeanGrey Miss Grey]], of mutants so powerful that they can enter our minds and control our thoughts, taking away our God-given free will. Now I think the American people deserve the right to decide if they want their children to be in school with mutants. To be taught by mutants! Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is that mutants are very real, and that they are among us. We must know who they are, and above all, what they can do!"''

** The Mutant Response Division in ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen'' is charged with finding mutants and "registering" them-this often means holding them indefinitely. The creators mention in the commentary that the "Mardies" actually have good reasons to exist (One episode featured a mutant whose powers were so dangerous and uncontrolled that even ''he'' knew locking him up was the best option), and would be a positive thing if they weren't led by a GeneralRipper and caught between Senator Kelly and Magneto's bids for all-out war. Their success rate is pretty abysmal against the Brotherhood and the X-Men until they build the [[KillerRobot Sentinels]] and Master Mold, [[AIIsACrapShoot which causes its own problems]].

* In the short-lived, live-action sitcom version of ''Series/TheTick2001'', superheroes are required to have a hero license to operate within the City. However, the application process for such is simple and requires no background check, so the Tick easily makes up a false name to be listed as his secret identity. Furthermore, the consequences for not having a license are nonexistent.
* ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'' in one episode mentioned that a politician crafted a law forcing all 4400's to register their powers with the government.

* Both adaptations of ''ComicBook/TheTick'' show the D-category version of this trope. In [[Series/TheTick2001 the first adaptation,]] there are no background checks, just filling out a simple form is enough to get a superhero license. In [[Series/TheTick2016 the second adaptation,]] the 28th amendment was ratified to prevent the authorities from publicly releasing a hero's SecretIdentity, and the organization behind it, [=AEGIS=], is apparently suffering from budget cuts and cops often don't bother contacting [=AEGIS=] because of [[VastBureaucracy the red tape involved.]]
* ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'': In "The Truth and Nothing But the Truth", it is revealed that Senator Roland Lenhoff introduced the legislation requiring the 4400 to register their abilities with the US government.

* Used as part of the setting of the anime/manga ''Manga/ZettaiKarenChildren''. Schools regularly scan students for psychic powers and give mandatory psychic power suppressing limiters to those who have them (which marks them as espers to the general populace, who often discriminate against them). For the people too powerful to be completely limited, it is illegal for them to attend school unless they're part of a military organization that guarantees that they're under control. Presumably this extends to adult society as well, although it's never shown. Unlike the other examples, registration is portrayed as a good thing, or at least as the best compromise that can be achieved when there's both humans and espers advocating genocide. Espers with future predicting powers have predicted that this will directly cause the downfall of humanity, by inciting a muggle vs esper civil war (which the espers will win, by destroying everything). A major ongoing plot is whether it can be averted via positive relationships between the main characters (the 3 strongest espers and their muggle "handler")

* Subversion in ''Manga/OnePunchMan''. Supers are not ''required'' to register, but unregistered heroes are not taken seriously by the general public. The titular character starts out as a "hero for fun" who was blissfully unaware that registration was even a thing (somehow) and does not start receiving any form of public recognition for his acts of heroism until well after he has already prevented several potentially city-destroying incidents. The registration system in play is often shown to be ludicrously wrongheaded despite the good intentions of those in charge. Many registered supers are {{Nominal Hero}}es at best; with the top ranking heroes including a MadScientist who is only interested in testing out his latest inventions (and who never appears in person, using remote-controlled robots to fight for him), a {{Bishonen}} actor/singer/model who would rather promote himself than save people, and countless others who are only looking to improve their rankings and will actively attempt to sabotage or defame others to get ahead.