Super Heroes, pt 1

In popular culture today super heroes are everywhere. There have been several big-budget blockbuster films, ranging from Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” Batman trilogy to the seemingly endless stream of “Avengers” films. There have been TV programs, such as Gotham and Daredevil. Super heroes appear across all media, but are they truly heroes at all? What does the prevalence of this type of mythology in our society tell us about ourselves?

I believe a super hero is an individual who:

1.    Possesses extraordinary skills or supernatural abilities

2.    Claims to act on behalf of justice and/or morality

3.    Uses his skills or abilities to administer his perception of justice and/or morality directly and without respect to or in direct defiance of traditional law enforcement agencies and procedures.

4.    (Generally) Operates under a pseudonym or complete anonymity.

While I believe a hero is an individual who:

1.    Displays courage and selflessness

2.    Acts voluntarily to help others in spite of increased risk to his own property or life

3.    Acts within the law, so far as laws are just

4.    Operates openly

At first glance, these may seem to be very similar qualifications. Using Batman as a case study illustrates the key differences. Batman is a character that wears a costume and mask at night and uses his elite training in martial arts to attack and incapacitate criminals in Gotham. His stated objective is to “save” Gotham from the criminal element by which it is overrun. Nearly always portrayed as a vigilante, Batman cooperates with police agencies only when it suits his objectives. In fact, he is often at odds with law enforcement. His actions and motivations appear just and moral, and while his methods are far from orthodox, he seems to be accomplishing his goal.

But I argue that Batman is misguided at best and intentionally allowing the criminal underworld to thrive at worst. Batman’s alter-ego is Bruce Wayne, the wealthiest and most powerful business magnate in Gotham. He is a multi-billionaire with connections. Bruce Wayne has the capital and the influence in Gotham to affect a meaningful, systemic change to the city through the political system. It is demonstrated in The Dark Knight that Bruce Wayne essentially has the power to get anyone he wants elected. Why doesn’t he form a PAC and finance candidates that will change the city from the top down, with sweeping legislative changes? Would this not be better than spending all night every night in fisticuffs with mafia bosses’ goons and mentally disturbed criminals?

Bruce Wayne doesn’t actually want to fix what is broken in Gotham. The reason he became Batman in the first place was due to his parents’ murder when he was yet a child. In various animated iterations, Batman identifies himself by saying “I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman!” When asked by Alfred, his butler, why he chose a bat as his symbol, Bruce says “It’s time my enemies share my dread”

Batman needs a fight. He needs to frighten his enemies. He is vengeance. Batman is not actually interested in doling out justice or in saving a corrupt city. He is looking to live an absurd revenge fantasy rather than confront his own pain and guilt surrounding his parents’ death  

-continued tomorrow-