Western Heroics and the Meaning of Comics

Question

Reading time: 5 to 7 minutes

Western heroics often contain destructive narratives that are directed against the individual and against change (social, economic, and other types). Consider any superheroes: Peter Parker, Barry Allen, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and so on. What do they have in common? Think about it before you continue reading.

I am shocked that almost no one questions why none of these heroes use their powers to either a) improve their own lives, or b) change the world. Often (almost always), they do neither. For example, why does Spider-Man hide his superpowers and not just tell Mary Jane, "Look how cool I am, be with me and you'll never need anything"? I won't provide an answer; I'll leave it for the reader to ponder.

Secondly, they do not use their powers to change the world and impose their will. Moreover, why does no one pay attention to the fact that any superhero is always a protector of the status quo, while any villain brings change? Isn't this a clever programming of an entire generation to believe: "If you are good, don't change anything and prevent others from changing things"? Why is this the case, and thanks to whom (or what) are such narratives embedded in comic book plots?

Examples of Comparing Villains and Heroes:
— Joker (villain) - wants to change the order in the city. Batman - stops him.
— Thanos (villain) - wants to balance the universe by destroying half of all living beings. Avengers - protect the existing order.
— Reverse-Flash (villain) - aims to alter the timeline for his own benefit. Flash - protects the current timeline and its stability.

These examples show how heroes often protect the existing order, while villains strive for change. Why is this the case, and how do such narratives shape our perception of the world?

It is also worth noting that superpowers usually fall into the heroes' laps without much effort on their part. Why does no one question what this approach leads to? Could this suggest to people that to achieve great goals, no effort is needed, and you just have to wait for fate to reward you? Think about it.

A careful reader might rightly argue that "programming" through mass culture does not work if you think for yourself. To which I respond: yes, I agree with you. However, it is worth remembering (and I wrote about this in my previous post "Was There Really a Tiger?") that humans cannot help but recognize familiar patterns. It takes a separate effort to "wash away" all the "husk" from one's consciousness that has accumulated due to such programming. Secondly, comics are often watched by children who are just beginning to understand the world and form their perceptions of it through such sources.

Think about it...

Jorge · Accepted Answer

Something to note is that a lot of these characters got their start in the 30’s and 60’s and those villains did not have as much nuance or depth as they do now and the heroes weren’t much better. They were really just the next step of the popular pulp hero which themselves are derived from folk stories and mythology about heroes (think Robin Hood or Perseus). Spider-Man was pretty revolutionary for changing the status quo quite a bit and starting off as a selfish teenager who tried to quit his superhero antics many times and in his case, he’s not omnipotent like Superman is. I would say that it wasn’t until the late 70’s when superheroes started to become deconstructed and villains given more nuance and complex motives.

For example, Thanos was just a goofy Avengers villain until Jim Starlin made him a chess master in Infinity Gauntlet. The movies Infinity War and Endgame borrow heavily from the latter and discard most if not all of the goofiness that Thanos began with.

Also: superheroes- especially in Marvel- do try to make changes to the world around them which often gets used as the plot point for some kind of disaster, typically of the kind where the villain steals or destroys their accomplishment. Once superhero movies (again, Marvel) started to implement more war drama like concepts was when superhero stories started to be a bit uncomfortable about their messaging. Even then, it was a slow evolution. In the movies you can see the superheroes trying to make change. The Avengers are fighting supervillains in other countries which leads to Civil War. I suppose we can argue that fighting a supervillain in another country isn’t the same as overthrowing a corrupt government and you’d be right. There has been a towards “business” of the genre, as if to appeal to the most amount of people as possible; this includes other countries where political change would be welcomed by a majority.

Something else to note is that comic books have tackling social issues since the 60’s. Spider-Man tackled the issue of drug use. Many modern comics are tackling LGBT and Femenist themes.

In short, it started as goofy pulp escapist stuff and it’s gotten more nuance over the years; the movies have shifted the focus towards militarism.

Western Heroics and the Meaning of Comics

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