Stephen Colbert started out his interview with billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk on Wednesday's Late Show by comparing him to Tony Stark, the fictional billionaire tech mogul who is also Iron Man, asking, "Are you really trying to save the world?" Musk said that "he's trying to do good things." Colbert pointed out that he's trying to do good things and he's a billionaire, which "seems a little bit like either superhero or supervillain —you have to choose one." Musk demurred.
But Colbert wasn't finished. They talked about Tesla, and then Colbert asked Musk why he thinks people should live on an uninhabitable planet like Mars. Well, Mars "is a fixer-upper of a planet," Musk concedes, but humans can make it into a habitable Earth-like planet, by making it warmer. There's a fast way and a slow way to do that, he added, and the fast way is to "drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles." Aha! Colbert pounced: "You're a supervillain, that's what a supervillain does." Musk doesn't disagree. Watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
7 drinks for every winter need possibleThe Week Recommends Including a variety of base spirits and a range of temperatures
-
'We have made it a crime for most refugees to want the American dream'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Was the Azerbaijan Airlines plane shot down?Today's Big Question Multiple sources claim Russian anti-aircraft missile damaged passenger jet, leading to Christmas Day crash that killed at least 38
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
