In class the other day, we engaged in a rousing conversation (well, others engaged, I listened intently) about what our reactions would be if Batman was real. Besides the fact that I don't usually get to discuss my DC and Marvel interests during class time (with permission) it was a really eye opening experience for one main reason:
I realized that if I were to walk down the street and come across Batman or Superman or Spider-Man or Captain America or, oh god, the Hulk, I would freak the fuck out.
I don't mean freak out in that excited fan-girlish way that we witness outside One Direction concerts, I mean I would want to run away screaming in panic and the only reason I wouldn't is that I knew the supposed hero had the potential to catch and snap me in half before I could make it to the next sidewalk square if they really wanted to. The thing is, while the idea of a superhero to help keep the streets clean is very appealing, the reality is much less so. Do you really want someone who seems to be extremely powerful, seemingly uncontrollable and untouchable, walking around? Especially if part of their powerful-ness is special magic-type shiz you've never seen or been introduced to before? Especially if their only weakness is something like Kryptonite, which you can't even get on this planet meaning you're most likely royally screwed? Oh, AND they like to wear tights around just for fun?
You'd think most people would be freaked out.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing on superheroes or anything, they are one of my hidden addictions; I'm kinda in love with Steve Rogers (he becomes so much more bad-ass in Cap 2) and I have a not-so-hidden, not-so-healthy obsession with Harry Potter. The fact that I have read all of the books 20-30 times each, read and write HP fanfiction for fun, have a dedicated Harry Potter shelf in my room for the books, spin-offs, my wand and other HP artifacts, and also based my blog title off of it (thanks Hermione) should be enough proof of that. All I'm trying to say is that if any of the superheroes were to exist in real life we would not know their back stories, or what they do while not in overly-gaudy garb, or who broke their heart back in the seventh grade. The only thing we would be aware of was that they were strong and we were not and thus we would be defenseless in comparison. This may not be the best example, but think Syndrome from the Incredibles; for all we know the superhero could just as easily be evil. And then we would be out of luck. Which would be extremely unfortunate.
I know that isn't really fair to the superhero if all they were really tying to do was help us, but that's just how it is. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, the writers for all of these superhero books and movies and cartoons seem to know that the public would not be the most welcoming to them. In the Avengers, the Avengers are blamed by the media for the destruction of New York post-battle, despite the fact that they just saved the human race from an alien invasion. In Harry Potter, Harry suffers from the Daily Prophet dragging his name through the mud. In Spider-Man (the cartoons at least) the paper bashes him over and over again because they don't think him being a vigilante in that way is good. That also happens in one of the newer Spider-Man movies with Andrew Garfield (whom I love, by the way) except I know the police have a lot to say about him and not so much the newspaper. I can't think of any specific other examples off the top of my head at the moment, but it is is a very common theme because it is human nature to be wary of those who are not the same as us.
Alas, I guess that although in my head having superheroes around would be super cool, the reality of the situation would not be nearly so pleasant.
One of the things I liked about the newest Superman installment (Man of Steel)--and I am far from an expert on comics and superheroes, but I did enjoy the early Superman movies with Christopher Reeve as a young kid--was the way they had the US military deeply suspicious of and threatened by Superman, when he first emerges. They have no way of knowing or verifying that he stands for "truth, justice, and the American way"--they treat him as a potentially dangerous terrorist, and surround him with tanks and demand that he surrender. Even at the very end, there's no harmony established, and Superman is still viewed as a dangerous "alien." Which, of course, he is.
ReplyDeleteThe statement you made saying "it is human nature to be wary of those who are not the same as us" really stuck out to me, mostly because it is true. It can also be taked a step further. As a human race, we love to follow the social norms. Most of us don't like stick out or be different, we just want to fit in. This kind of concept has led to a lot of conflicts throughout nations, races, etc. It's a concept that will probably never go away, because it will always resurface in different forms. That being said, I really loved the way you explained how scary it would be if superheros (such as Superman, Spiderman, etc) were real. I would probably run and hide...
ReplyDeleteAlthough Harry Potter is obviously the hero of his story, I never thought to put him in the superhero category. When I first read this post I thought, "What does Harry Potter have to do with superheroes?" But the more I thought about it, I realized maybe he could be superhero. Although his magical capabilities are much broader than traditional superhero powers- Harry can cast any kind of spell while Spiderman's powers for example, are limited to solely those of a spider- they are definitely superhuman. And isn't that part of the definition of a superhero, that they are somehow greater than any other good deed-doers even if they come from humble beginnings?
ReplyDeleteI agree that Harry can be considered a hero, but perhaps not for the same reasons as you think so. Sure, Harry can cast all sorts of spells, but can't most of the main characters in Harry Potter? If half of the people in Spiderman were just like Spiderman would he still be as heroic. I think Harry is more heroic because of his bravery among other things, not so much because of his magic capabilities.
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