the philosophy of the end of steelheart

[Peng the Just]

Major spoilers for steelheart and possibly firefight ahead. You have been warned.

So, the other day I got thinking about who really killed steelheart. Yes, steelheart activated the trap, but David set it. David is the one who directly took action to cause steelheart's death. Certainly from a legal standpoint, that would be classified as David murdering steelheart, not a suicide. Does steelheart's powers not trace back intent like that? If so, what would have happened if steelheart had stepped into the path of a bullet? Would that count as coming from whoever shot the bullet, and is probably terrified, and thus be prevented or caused by steelheart and thus hurt him?

Another similar situation is at the beginning of the book with David's dad. He certainly didn't mean to hurt steelheart, but succeeded nonetheless. From what I can tell, steelheart's weakness seems to follow the following rule:

If whoever most recently took action that would hurt steelheart, regardless of knowledge or intent, is scared of him then that harm is prevented.

By this rule, the aforementioned situation with stepping into a bullet would hurt him.

Thanks for reading my ramblings! Let me know your thoughts.

[king of nowhere]

epic superpowers don't follow much the laws of logic. not the strict kind of logic at least.

[Curious Anamaximder]

You sir, get a up vote for that.

[Blackhoof]

That is indeed an interesting question. 

 

I cannot think of a reason it necessarily wouldn't work that way, but we know normal crossfire doesn't work. Surely he walked into the path of many bullets that day? and before, willingly walked into attacks from other Epics, confident in his invulnerability? So I think it can be indirect intention of harm, but only when the instigator of that harm doesn't fear Steelheart. So David didn't "instigate" the harm, because he didn't trigger the explosives himself. It isn't a distinction that the courts would make, but it must be one that the "weakness judge" makes.

[Voidus]

I think it traces intent back to the last person who intentionally or unintentionally set the damaging source in motion, stepping into a bullets path exposes Steelheart to a danger he might not have otherwise been exposed to but the source of danger itself is the person who fired the gun.

[Peng the Just]

I think it traces intent back to the last person who intentionally or unintentionally set the damaging source in motion, stepping into a bullets path exposes Steelheart to a danger he might not have otherwise been exposed to but the source of danger itself is the person who fired the gun.

 

This seems to make the most sense.