Batman. Spider-Man. The X-Men. Each of them are superheroes, based on characters from comic books, created in the mid-1900s who are experiencing a renaissance in the 21st century in the movie theater. And all are individuals or groups who defend their worlds from evil and rise to the occasion against seemingly insurmountable odds. These characters are just a few of the double-digit onslaught of characters harvested from the comic books normally considered only the territory of adolescents and fans of graphic novels, who have dominated at the box office (especially
Spider-Man), spawning sequels and spin-offs. Closely following the revival of
DC’s Batman dynasty after a near decade hiatus and the movie version of
Marvel’s first superheroes, The Fantastic Four, there comes the news of
Superman Returns (2006),
Captain America (2007), and
Wonder Woman (2007). Why the revival of comic-related entertainment now, and what can comics possibly teach us?
Hollywood always seems to have been fascinated with comic book heroes, but post-9/11, our world seems in need of super heroes, and our American psyche needs some role models to look for in our Gothams and Metropolises. A country that has always considered itself invincible found that it was not loved by all, and driven by a longing for some comfort and encouragement, we’ve run to the movie theater for respite from reality. Here, our imaginations run wild and our longing to overcome our weaknesses as a community and as individuals can be overcome symbolically. Most superheroes stand for more than themselves, rallying the community and providing hope because of their self-less actions.
This hope takes root in the best that comics have to offer, but box office totals also show that the movie-going public prefers the pure of heart to the vendetta-driven heroes.
X-Men, Batman and
Daredevil have raked in the overall sales compared to
Punisher, Catwoman, Elektra, and
Sin City. The first set have a degree of anger to them that rises from their persecution by others, their becoming orphans, or a combination of both, and the second set has experienced the same. The difference in these characters is how they dealt with their own personal tragedies and what steps they took to make things right. Moviegoers are not without discernment though too—the big winners carried hope and community with them, as well as better scripts, star power, and better known characters, and the public shows their support in sales. Regardless of what your preference for style and character is, the inundation of movies with these heroes forces us to take note of them, as they become integral parts of society’s pop culture. Faced with so many to chose from, what can we learn from a brief study of their core principles?
Of the latest batch, the early
X-Men and
X-2 remind us that we all have different gifts that can be celebrated, but some fear what they don’t know, and as Yoda teaches us, fear leads to hate.
Daredevil learns that using your powers for good means your own agenda has to come second, even at a cost to yourself. Bruce Wayne learns that compassion is what separates the criminals from the just in
Batman Begins, regardless of what benefits cruelty might reap for him.
Hellboy proves that your nature doesn’t have to define you, but the choices you make are your own responsibility. Each superhero is faced with one or more chances to be self-sacrificing for another individual or for the whole community. Of all the movies that have found success, the overall winners (at the box office and for providing inspiration) are the
Spider-Man movies.
Spider-Man’s defining moment revolves around the death of Uncle Ben, and the flashbacks that remind
Peter Parker of Ben’s words that “with great power comes great responsibility.� The follow-up that we gain from
Spider-Man 2 comes when Peter is reminded by Aunt May that heroes inspire people to act better than they would, to rise above their situations, and to be filled with hope.
So what can be expected from the hero movies in the next few years? From a faith perspective, I would suggest that the best is yet to come. With
Nightcrawler, Daredevil, and
Constantine as previous representatives of Judeo-Christian thought in the movies,
Ben Grimm’s The Thing of the
Fantastic Four surfaces as a proponent of the Jewish faith who shares what he believes with others, but only when they ask.
Superman himself is the archetype for Christian discussion—while written by two Jewish teenagers, he represents a role model for what is right and good about Christian living.
In Richard Donner’s
Superman: The Movie, the son of Krypton is sent to earth by his parents, one of whom fears the baby boy will be alone and different, while the other says that he will be unique and powerful. Imagine God the Father and the Holy Spirit having a conversation pre-Jesus’ birth and you might have the visual picture of
Superman’s escape from Krypton. Having ‘descended,’
Superman uses his power to save, protect, and better the lives of everyone he encounters, critiquing harshly any action on his part that doesn’t benefit others. This depiction of Superman in comics, in the
Smallville and
Justice League Unlimited series, and surely in
Superman Returns, provide us with an opportunity to reflect on how we might live if we focused on ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, and your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.’
With the desire to be more than human, these movies of heroic proportions offer us more than headliner movie stars, fancy special effects, and romances that stir our emotions. They offer reminders of who we are, the gifts that we have, and the encouragement to seek good in others. While human beings may never fly unaided or lift a whole building on our shoulders, with the mindset of a hero, we might live to inspire those who we meet, to live life to the fullest and put others before ourselves.
