What if No Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a very influential work that's influenced everything from the modern superhero secret identity concept to helping inspire Raoul Wallenburg to undertake his incredible efforts to save the Hungarian Jewish population. Particularly notable is the concept of the highly aristocratic/uber-wealthy hero doing daring deeds and getting their hands dirty in "ungentlemanly" ways.

What would have happened if the book (and its sequels) had never been written?
 
One change is that I think you would not see elite plutocratic superheroes (Sir Percy, Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark) having mass appeal like they do in OTL, if they exist at all. These are ultra-privileged, powerful elites who, in the case of the first two, very much get their hands dirty and get no benefit from their hard work in terms of their reputation. I think without a Pimpernel, superheroes are almost exclusively alien/genetically altered/from the future, and you wouldn't necessarily have the one-man army/detective/commando squadron)

Zorro may or may not still happen, and even if it doesn't, a "hidden identity/masked man" trope probably continues. However, what is different is that you don't see the radical divergence in personalities between the hero and the mask.

I'm really curious as to the effect it would have (or wouldn't have) on people seeking to rescue the oppressed from behind enemy lines.
 
Top