Something that struck me the other day...
Feb. 2nd, 2008 07:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
duane_kc...has anyone but me ever noticed that the heroes in comics are almost as outright nuts as the villains? My brain grabbed this and wouldn't let go until I posted about it.
I mean, really. The only one offhand I can think of that even comes close is Superman, and even he sometimes approaches neurosis in his obsession with keeping his secret identity.
Bruce Wayne/Batman? Apart from the clear abandonment issues and fear of committment stemming from the loss of his parents, how many people would show the appalling lack of judgment to allow not one, but a succession of teenage boys to put themselves in harm's way fighting not only the scum of Gotham, but even some of the most notorious serial killer/supervillans known to mankind? The only amazing thing is that only *one* of his "youthful wards" has manged to get himself killed so far. His continued inability to keep the Joker from killing nearly at will is odd too. Let's face it, the Joker proves that not only is Batman crazy, so is the Gotham City justice system. In any other city, the Joker would at the very least be in a straitjacket in a Supermax somewhere, not "locked" in a crumbling asylum he has continually demonstrated his ability to leave at will. (And, as an aside, his ability to plan his crimes, take action to ensure he is not caught, and execute his escapes proves that he may be insane in a clinical sense, but *not* in the legal sense.)
Hal Jordan/Green Lantern? Lacking a fear response is not a good thing. A "man without fear" is a psychopath, and look how he finally ended up; going postal and killing off his bosses and co-workers. Same goes for the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, if they were judged by the same standard. (And Guy Gardner is a vicious thug who should have been in prison, not handed what has been called "the most powerful weapon in the Universe".) True courage is being afraid, to the point sometimes where you can't control your bodily functions any more, and *doing your job anyway*. The Green Lantern Corps fails miserably.
Peter Parker/Spiderman? Lets see. Brilliant physics student, internationally known photographer, married to a *supermodel* fergossakes, and his total lack of self-esteem still has him being used as a punching bag...er, as a freelance photog for the Daily Bugle. This is a man who could make literally *millions* as a paparazzi on the West Coast, and he's still selling squalid photos to the Manhattan paper for a few hundred bucks a week. Fear of success, much?
Barry Allen/Flash? Closer to sane than many, but his committment issues and inability to consider his wife's views about running around in tights Fighting Crime nearly cost him his marriage on many occasions. In fact, of the Flash line of heroes, only Jay Garrick has a stable marriage and, now that I think about it, a somewhat sane outlook on life. (Now that I think on it further, the Justice Society of America is remarkably sane, as a rule, for superheroes.)
Iron Man? An egomaniacal alcoholic; a brilliant one, to be sure, but still not sane. Green Arrow? Dapper ex-millionaire by day, angry socialist with absolutely *no* control over his libido at night. Dr. Henry Pym? His inability to consider the future import of his actions and researches has led to suffering and death for *years*, now. The Shadow? Name me *one* story he didn't riddle at least one person with .45 calibre slugs. Captain America? Hmmm; he seems relatively normal, at least, which is probably why the bastards at Marvel killed him off.
Good Gods, have I rambled about this subject long enough? Time for an LJ-cut, I think. Any thoughts, oh involuntary audience?
I mean, really. The only one offhand I can think of that even comes close is Superman, and even he sometimes approaches neurosis in his obsession with keeping his secret identity.
Bruce Wayne/Batman? Apart from the clear abandonment issues and fear of committment stemming from the loss of his parents, how many people would show the appalling lack of judgment to allow not one, but a succession of teenage boys to put themselves in harm's way fighting not only the scum of Gotham, but even some of the most notorious serial killer/supervillans known to mankind? The only amazing thing is that only *one* of his "youthful wards" has manged to get himself killed so far. His continued inability to keep the Joker from killing nearly at will is odd too. Let's face it, the Joker proves that not only is Batman crazy, so is the Gotham City justice system. In any other city, the Joker would at the very least be in a straitjacket in a Supermax somewhere, not "locked" in a crumbling asylum he has continually demonstrated his ability to leave at will. (And, as an aside, his ability to plan his crimes, take action to ensure he is not caught, and execute his escapes proves that he may be insane in a clinical sense, but *not* in the legal sense.)
Hal Jordan/Green Lantern? Lacking a fear response is not a good thing. A "man without fear" is a psychopath, and look how he finally ended up; going postal and killing off his bosses and co-workers. Same goes for the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, if they were judged by the same standard. (And Guy Gardner is a vicious thug who should have been in prison, not handed what has been called "the most powerful weapon in the Universe".) True courage is being afraid, to the point sometimes where you can't control your bodily functions any more, and *doing your job anyway*. The Green Lantern Corps fails miserably.
Peter Parker/Spiderman? Lets see. Brilliant physics student, internationally known photographer, married to a *supermodel* fergossakes, and his total lack of self-esteem still has him being used as a punching bag...er, as a freelance photog for the Daily Bugle. This is a man who could make literally *millions* as a paparazzi on the West Coast, and he's still selling squalid photos to the Manhattan paper for a few hundred bucks a week. Fear of success, much?
Barry Allen/Flash? Closer to sane than many, but his committment issues and inability to consider his wife's views about running around in tights Fighting Crime nearly cost him his marriage on many occasions. In fact, of the Flash line of heroes, only Jay Garrick has a stable marriage and, now that I think about it, a somewhat sane outlook on life. (Now that I think on it further, the Justice Society of America is remarkably sane, as a rule, for superheroes.)
Iron Man? An egomaniacal alcoholic; a brilliant one, to be sure, but still not sane. Green Arrow? Dapper ex-millionaire by day, angry socialist with absolutely *no* control over his libido at night. Dr. Henry Pym? His inability to consider the future import of his actions and researches has led to suffering and death for *years*, now. The Shadow? Name me *one* story he didn't riddle at least one person with .45 calibre slugs. Captain America? Hmmm; he seems relatively normal, at least, which is probably why the bastards at Marvel killed him off.
Good Gods, have I rambled about this subject long enough? Time for an LJ-cut, I think. Any thoughts, oh involuntary audience?
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-03 03:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-03 04:11 am (UTC)Janet Van Dyne/The Wasp: Maneater who also has commitment issues. Sort of a female version of Green Arrow, actually.
Diana Prince/Wonder Woman: Female version of Superman. No particular neuroses I can think of.
Jen Walters/She-Hulk: Again, nothing I can point to, manages to keep a regulat job as an attorney, so obviously doesn't have her cousin's anger management issues.
Supergirl: Teenage girl who obviously can't get any. (Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex: same issues but from female/horny teen perspective. Potentially will *never* have a normal sex life...come to think of it, neither will her cousin, unless the long-rumored romance with Wonder Woman comes around...)
Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle: Locks herself up in a tower ringed with as many defenses as possible. As far as I can tell, *never* leaves it. Only visitor she sees is a man who was one of Batman's "youthful wards", years younger than herself, who literally has to break in every time he sees her. Not healthy.
Sue Storm/Invisible Woman: My theory on the entire Fantastic Four is, that their innate powers stem from their basic personalities. Therefore, a woman who sees herself as invisible and whose major power is the ability to push people away from her, cannot have a particularly healthy outlook on life. (As an aside, the fact that she was married to a man who can do *anything he wants* with *any part of his body*, and left him for a time for a man who can *breathe underwater*, does not speak of a healthy sex life, either.)
The X-kids have their problems as well; Kitty Pryde seems to have self-esteem issues similar to Peter Parker's, Illianya Rasputin had to be locked up in an alternate dimension to keep her from destroying the Universe, Rahne Sinclair, similar self-esteem problems but to a higher degree, Psylocke I don't know well.
Black Canary: Stayed with Oliver Queen for *way* too long, but seems to be recovering.
Zatanna: Not seen much these days, but seemed relatively normal.
Power Girl: what kind of woman goes into combat wearing only a one-piece swimming suit, gloves and a belt?
Rogue: Again with the sexual issues. Becoming a Genosian citizen would have been the best possible thing for her, given their ability to neutralize mutant powers.
All I can think of, offhand...
no subject
Date: 2008-02-03 04:19 am (UTC)and you left off one of my personal faves, the White Queen, who seems to have issues with desiring that which she cannot have. Ya gotta love that.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-03 04:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-03 04:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-04 05:52 am (UTC)Hey - question for you re: gaming. Would it be acceptable for Matt to come play as a guest? I don't know how easy it would be to work him in (and if it's not easy or you'd rather not, then don't worry about it - my boyfriend and I are not joined at the hip). If you wanted to have him run the little asian dude - i.e., if that could make your life as a gm easier, is that a possibility? I'm just tossing it out as an idea. Matt's interested in the game and the system, but doesn't want to join the group full-time.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-06 10:22 pm (UTC)