Okay, so we’re getting pretty pumped about the premiere of the new Avengers movie, Endgame. The last Avengers movie, Infinity Wars, left off at such a cliff-hanger that we’ve been tapping our feet in impatience ever since. Anyways, we greatly enjoy the superhero antics (and squabbling) in the movies, but we noticed that there’s a lot of destruction that goes on – collateral damage if you will. We can’t help but wonder what would happen if we lived in the Avengers universe with the gaggle of superheroes – and supervillains – running around. More specifically, we’re wondering how much insurance the average person should carry if they shared a city with these guys. In case you forgot, New York City gets pretty trashed.
So, in honor of the release of the new movie, we’re going to break down the insurance needs one would have if the Avengers were anywhere in the vicinity. While we’re sure that these guys and gals don’t mean to wreak havoc wherever they go, it’s kind of something that happens. They’re too busy, you know, saving the world and stuff to prioritize paltry things like cars, buildings, houses, streets, and such.
Home insurance:
The first rule of living in The Avengers universe: make sure you have enough home insurance. Sure, the team might offer to pay to repair your home (and Tony Stark is definitely rich enough to handle it) but they’re superheroes. Are you really going to stick them with the bill when they’ve just saved the world?
Generally, home insurance has these different sections:
- The dwelling of your home
- Personal property
- Other structures
- Additional living expenses
- Liability
Let’s take a look at how these coverages work:
Dwelling:
It’s always a good idea to get enough home insurance to completely rebuild your home from the ground up like you’d have to do if it was destroyed by a covered loss. That means insuring your home for its replacement cost. For example, let’s say that Thor’s hammer – yes, that hammer – accidentally falls on your house and destroys it. Because it’s a fancy hammer that can do that. Anyways, if your home insurance company considers this to be a “falling object” and covers it, you should be able to rebuild your home. But you’d need enough insurance to cover all the extra costs that come along with rebuilding from scratch.
Personal property:
So, let’s say that Black Widow is flying an airplane, but she gets blasted out of the air by that jerk Loki. (Don’t worry – she’s Black Widow. She parachutes to safety.) Anyways, the plane crashes into your house and destroys your stuff – your clothes, furniture, electronics, all of that. If your home insurance covers falling airplanes, you’d need enough personal property coverage to replace all of these things, and it’s probably a good idea to cover them for their replacement value (which helps you replace your belongings at today’s prices) rather than their actual cash value (which is essentially their depreciated value.)
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Other structures:
Let’s say that something that Bruce Banner does (hey, it’s physics or chemistry or something) causes your garden shed to explode. He left his…whatever that glowing thing is…in there. Your shed is most likely covered under the “other structures” section of your home insurance, so as long as Banner-level explosions are covered by your policy you should be good to go. Generally, the amount of coverage you have for your “other structures” will be a percentage of the amount that you have for the dwelling of your house.
Additional Living Expenses:
If Iron Man were to blast something nearby and accidentally causes a fire that spreads to your house and burns it down, you’d need to leave home for a while so that the repairs can be done. If your home is uninhabitable due to a covered loss, you could get reimbursed for some of the expenses that come up due to your unplanned trip because typical home insurance policies include a section called Additional Living Expenses (or loss of use coverage.) For example, if you have to stay in a hotel, eat out at restaurants a lot, and so on. But keep in mind that your insurance will only cover costs that are in excess of your normal living expenses.
Liability:
If Captain America is running up your driveway to defeat a bad guy and he trips and falls on his face, he might get injured. (Just go with us.) He insists on going to the hospital (the baby) and then he decides to sue. Liability insurance can help you if you ever face a claim that you caused bodily injury or property damage to someone else. It can help you cover their medical bills and your legal expenses if they sue you.
Car insurance:
Okay, so when it comes to Avengers, no car is safe. Do you know how much stuff gets thrown around in those movies? If your poor, innocent car happens to be in the line of fire, you’ll need to have the right car insurance coverage.
Collision:
So, you’re driving along, minding your own business, when wham – Iron Man lands right in front of you in the middle of the road. Your instinct is to swerve, of course – it’s Iron Man – and in doing so you hit a telephone pole. (Thankfully you’re okay.) But your car…well, not so much. Collision insurance can help you repair or replace your car if it’s damaged in an accident or by another collision – i.e. if you hit a rogue telephone pole.
Comprehensive insurance:
Here’s a situation:
Loki is trying to run away from his brother, Thor. He needs a set of wheels, so he smashes the window of your car – yes, of course, your car – hops in the driver’s seat, and drives away. (He also knows how to hotwire cars because, you know, he’s Loki.) Your car is never heard from again.
Comprehensive coverage helps to cover damage to your car that’s not caused by a collision; generally, it covers theft, vandalism, animal strikes, falling objects (i.e. trees), and fire.
Liability insurance:
Liability insurance is another essential piece of the car insurance puzzle. It helps you cover your legal obligation to the other driver if you’re at fault in an accident. It can also help you cover your legal expenses if they sue.
So, let’s say that you’re cruising along when you spot Hawkeye leaping from building to building overhead. Distracted by his amazing skills, you accidentally run a red light…and smash right into Black Panther’s car. Oops. Bodily injury liability can help you cover Black Panther’s medical expenses and pain and suffering, and property damage would help you cover the costs of repairing or replacing his ride. (And it can also help you with your legal expenses if Black Panther decides to sue you.)
So, if we get transported into The Avengers universe (which would be awesome), it’s important to have the right insurance to cover your house and your car. You never know when things could get messy, what with heroes and villains running amok. If the Avengers need to save the day and your home or car happens to get in the way, don’t fret – your insurance covers plenty of losses. (Still – we always recommend reviewing your policy and reading it carefully.)
Get started with a home insurance quote or an auto insurance quote by filling out our online form, giving us a call, or messaging us on LiveChat.
Disclaimer: We are not affiliated or associated in any way with the companies listed. Each name and character is a trademark of that respective company. This article is for informational purposes only and does not supersede any language in the actual policy itself. Please refer to your policy for deductibles, exclusions, and other provisions.
