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.
-
Long summer days in Iceland's highlandsThe Week Recommends While many parts of this volcanic island are barren, there is a 'desolate beauty' to be found in every corner
-
The Democrats: time for wholesale reform?Talking Point In the 'wreckage' of the election, the party must decide how to rebuild
-
5 deliciously funny cartoons about turkeysCartoons Artists take on pardons, executions, and more
-
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
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 winsspeed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughterspeed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
