The Avengers is a blast from start to finish, that rare summer film that is both funny and touching, and both tender and thrilling. In shrt, The Avengers is everything we hope our summer blockbusters will be, and know that they can be, but so often find them not to be.But since I haven’t seen it yet (I have tickets for Friday night), this is not a review of The Avengers. Instead, it’s a brief exploration of why superhero stories remain so popular.
. . .Let’s not mince words. The Avengers is not only the best comic-book movie ever made (your move, Chris Nolan), it is one of the best action/fantasy/sci-fi movies ever made. It is, in fact, a minor miracle — a blockbuster with both brains and muscles, a popcorn flick that enchants the eye while warming the heart.
For example, were I looking for an example of justice I would turn to Batman Begins, which addresses justice, mercy, and vigilantism. Were I looking for an exploration of the problem of evil in the soul, I would cite Dark Knight. Spiderman explores power and responsibility. Iron Man address humility (a great man being humbled) and purpose. Captain America also explores humility, but by showing a humble man being made great. X-Men considers our treatment of those different than us. And (not quite in the same genre as the others, although it remains my favorite Pixar movie) The Incredibles teaches the importance of working together.
But under all those themes lie two larger ones. First, is the matter of power. In The Republic, Socrates engages with the story of Gyges, who finds a ring that makes the bearer invisible. Able to get away with anything he wishes with no fear of getting caught, Gyges falls from one vice to another in his lust for greater power. Ultimately, however, Socrates argues that power or no, the best thing is to have a virtuous and just soul.
Superhero stories address this same dilemma. We are told (in politics), that power corrupts. But these characters are heroes precisely because, despite power’s very real corrupting temptations, they resist and overcome.
And they not only overcome, but all (or nearly all) do so in the similar way - through sacrificing their happiness, their safety, and their very lives for the innocents they protect. Bruce Wayne stands between the Joker and Gotham and, at the end of Dark Knight (in a remarkable imagery of substitutionary atonement), even takes upon himself the guilt of Joker’s sins. Thor must sacrifice his own happiness by breaking the link between him and earth. Steve Rogers crashes, putting himself into a decades-long coma, to protect others. And the list goes on.
We’re initially attracted to these heroes because of their strength and power. But they are compelling because they resist the temptation to use that power for themselves, and instead sacrifice themselves for those they protect. Although super-human, they teach us profound things about being human.
So yes, I’m greatly looking forward to this.
Superheroes are the mythology of modern times. I've said it many times. Good post. :-D I can't wait for the movie to come out! My friends in New Zealand have already seen it and said it was a great movie!
ReplyDeleteOne minor correction: Captain America was in a coma for more than a decade. It was more like 50 years (1944ish to nowish). So perhaps you meant "decades long." :-)
Thanks for comment, and I've corrected the length of Captain America's coma.
DeleteEnjoyed the post, J, :) Something that has also been brought to the forefront in superhero movies, more recently, is the spiritual-physical world totality. When I think back on Spiderman 3, Ironman 2, Dark Knight, and Thor as the most pertinent example, there has been an emphasis on the "more than this world," and the desire to touch what lies beyond that divide. I don't think Stan Lee chose a church bell haphazardly as the means of releasing Peter Parker from the alien that creates Venom. Thor is perhaps the best example, where they portray very well on screen that there are not two separate worlds, but one connected world.
ReplyDeleteThis is a striking move for Hollywood, and with Thor being brought back into the picture in Avengers, I am looking forward to seeing how they reestablish this with the bridge being broken. I have high hopes for the movie, and look forward to seeing it!
@Centaur, Nicholas wrote this. Can't you tell? It hearkens back to his wildly popular post, "The importance of orcs" http://www.yespeak.com/2011/04/importance-of-orcs.html
ReplyDelete@ Centaur, I also agree regarding the church bell. In fact, if you want to get really symbolic, the very next scene is Peter showering (which could be considered reminiscent of baptism).
ReplyDeleteOne of the primary differences I find between fantasy and science fiction is that fantasy involves the spiritual (open system), while science fiction is usually just focused on the material (a closed system). However, the developments you noted show that these stories are expanding out of mere science fiction and into true fantasy.
Interesting take, you're reading a bit much into the spirituality of Marvel films though, the morals are very real, but any religious symbolism is purely coincidence. Stan Lee is not religious.
ReplyDelete@Century: Take a look at all of the comic worlds (Marvel, DC, Darkhorse, etc.). Most, if not all, acknowledge the existence of a variety of worlds ranging from the demonic, to magical, to spiritual, to space and even alternate dimensions. There is no doubt there are multiple worlds in comics, but they typically represent all of science and nearly all religions. It is the exploration of human imagination.
ReplyDelete@Nicholas: My big beef is that we seem to have two very strict dichotomies that do not exist for normal beings. Either you are a super being that helps others and sacrifices yourself and are a super hero OR you do not do that and are a super villain. There does not seem to be any exception for super beings who do neither. There is no such dichotomy within the normal world. Most people do the majority of what they are able to do to support themselves in one way or another. Some may sacrifice for others and some will take advantage, but the majority are in the middle. Why can't super heroes be in the middle? That is one of the reasons I side with super villains. Why should they be forced to live one way just because someone drew such a strict dichotomy?
If you actually look at many of the stories of super villains, not all are or would be evil. Some are just the kids who got bullied too much and stood up for themselves. That, and I would totally be a super villain.
A college professor of mine indicated that one of the other fascinations with super heroes in our time is it allows us to grapple with the potential consequences of new technology. The first cause of spiderman's powers was a "radioactive spider," which happened to be around the time when atomic energy was one of the most promising and dangerous scientific capabilities of its time. The more recent Spiderman films have edited this to be a "genetically modified super-spider," which harkens to today's experiments with genetic engineering. With the exception of heroes who didn't receive their powers from a scientific accident (Batman, Iron Man, Thor, or Superman), the origin of powers for superheroes appears to be the result of technology.
ReplyDeleteTo comment on Joe's thought on super villains, though, I think the three Spiderman movies we've seen indicate the "not purely evil" drive for super villains (Doc Ock and the Sand Man as key examples). At the same time, it is "not who we are underneath but what we do that defines us." The fact that super villains turn to theft or terror instead of trying to use their powers/gifts in more edifying means is probably the "strict dichotomy" that is drawn. If a character's actions violate the stated laws of society, they're going to be characterized as a villain by the populace in the story (be they a traditional super villain like Doc Ock or a mis-represented super hero like Spiderman). We as readers hold a character to be a hero or villain based on what we read in the story, not always how the populace at large within the comic views them.