It's an offer you can't refuse.
The other week, we were sitting around talking about heroes at work. (It’s the kind of conversation that takes place at Wizards; I still remember the discussion about what would be the best super power to have if you needed to move.) The question came up if there were any unlikable superheroes, and someone mentioned that these would largely be the anti-heroes.
What’s an anti-hero. Arguably, a darker version of a hero—an unlikely or unwilling hero, almost. A hero on the outskirts. That can mean someone like Kick-Ass. Or, as my wife said, it can also mean someone who does the right thing but for the wrong reasons.
Superman is clearly a hero. He does the right thing for the right reasons (truth, justice, and the American way). He is handsome, courageous, and forthright. In fact, his weaknesses (Kryptonite aside) includes his honesty—Superman literally cannot lie, perhaps embodying George Washington’s supposed trait, another of our American heroes.
Batman, on the other hand, is an anti-hero. He is dark, furtive. True, he is also handsome and courageous. (There may be unlikable superheroes, but are there any truly ugly superheroes? The Thing, I suppose). But Batman hunts after criminals more for a personal sense of justice than for the betterment of society. He cleans up the streets because it’s satisfying to him to do so. His weakness (Robin aside) includes the unwillingness to use a gun—more of a concession to the Comic Book Code than to any realistic conceit behind the character. (If there was a realistic version, he would probably be closer to The Punisher, a Death Wish-type of hero). Without a gun, Batman is left to simply beat criminals to a pulp with his bare fists. And he loves it.
There’s one “hero” I haven’t gotten to yet, but plan on discussing tomorrow. He’s definitely a strange but undeniable member of the anti-hero category.
Until then, I’d also like to go back to my Dream of Superman. This was a dream I wrote about a few weeks ago, where Superman visited me and asked if I would take over his role—for ten years, I would gain all of his powers, but at the end of that time, I would die.
A tempting offer.
What about you. Would you take it?
I would say no because taking those powers would cause more problems than they would fix. Anyone well versed in fiction knows that you create your own enemies more often than not. This is more frequently true of the villains – the hero wouldn’t be interested in defeating the villain if the villain hadn’t done X-thing that got the hero’s attention. Case in point< Harry Potter and Voldemort. Secondly, superman's powers wouldn't fix the problems I am actually faced with. Sure I could go… ah… take out pirates on the high sea? Stop terrorism? maybe? But superman's powers wouldn't give me the power to create a good job or steady income for my family, or heal the illnesses my friends are battling with. In fact, loosing my life ten years down the life makes all of the real world problems worse!
I wouldn’t become Superman because it would crush the dream we all share. Becoming Superman isn’t our dream because that entails the responsibility and persona of being the Man of Steel. He’s the leader of the forces of good for the DC Universe, the place where the buck stops, and the final wall of defense against the despoiling of earth by the forces of evil. He’s up at all hours, is forced to make agonizing choices, and his personal life is just shit most of the time. Despite having stamina and endurance of a god, he’s constantly being pushed to the point of exhausted misery. He’s all self denial and self recrimination and tortured angst. What we dream of is having Superman’s powers in a world where they exist for no other reason than our own gratification. Okay, maybe we’d be willing to fight crime if we can fly slowly through the city, cape waving in the wind while adoring fans scream our name and we bless them with a glimpse of our awesomitude!