Re: This bugs me a bit That's a tough call. A very tough call. I know superhero stories shouldn't tell the audience WHAT to think, but the problem with Dark Reign is that Norman Osborne is in charge, not that the SHRA is wrong.
You know, I never really liked the SHRA, for a variety of reasons, but I think the most glaring reason is because it is government-mandated superheroes. Which goes against everything the genre has ever expounded. Superheroes are costumed vigilantes. Yes, Captain America was a government man from the beginning, and many superheroes were of course born in a patriotic fervor. However, when the idea of a superhero solidified, it was down to them being costumed adventurers and vigilantes. They did not fight because the law demanded it but in spite of it. They are the fictional representation of the individual's rights and duties in a democratic nation, doing the work that the police can't, keeping the institutions honest. Once you make them under government control, they should no longer be superheroes, but government agents. (Yes, I know SHRA is the SUPERHUMAN registration act, but they're still called superheroes) It doesn't exclude them from being heroes but the moniker of superhero is something special.