What Is a Superhero by Robin S Rosenberg & Peter Coogan

Author:Robin S Rosenberg & Peter Coogan [Rosenberg, Robin S & Coogan, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780199795277
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2013-01-15T08:00:00+00:00

CONCLUSION

Superior villains are more powerful than superheroes because they play on the super-heroes’ inner conflicts, self-imposed limits, and fear that they might become what they oppose. Magneto uses his control of a fundamental force of nature to subjugate all who stand in his way. Professor X could do the same with a stray thought, but he doesn’t because of his dedication to positive values. Magneto is a physical and psychological threat to Professor X. Magneto represents the temptations of power and moral shortcuts. Magneto uses his powers to chart the most direct (and often brutal) course toward his goals. Magneto forces Professor X to resist the temptation to use his telepathic abilities to chart an equally direct course. And therein lies the rub. Magneto has the benefit of ambiguity, of being seen by some as a terrorist and others as a freedom fighter. Magneto is redeemable. Professor X has to be unambiguously responsible in the use of his telepathic abilities precisely because his telepathic abilities have the potential to violate the fundamental human rights that he is fighting to achieve for mutants and undermine some of the basic definitions of what it is to be human, which mutancy itself puts into question. Professor X’s internal struggle is more brutal than anything that Magneto could do in the physical world. Temptation—if he gives into it, he proves the case against mutantkind. Simply put, one mistake, one stray thought, a moment of irresponsibility, and Professor X is evil, beyond redemption.

Similarly, the Joker’s penchant for wanton collateral damage forces Batman to relive perpetually the helplessness he felt as a child when he watched his parents’ murders. But the only way Batman could truly end the cycle would be to become a killer, which would violate his dedication to positive values. The Joker’s actions lead Batman to struggle with his dedication to positive values, to responsibility, in very real terms. Batman’s crusade against evil necessitates that he work outside the law to establish order. His actions are brutal and violent. The only thing that distinguishes Batman as a superhero is his steadfast dedication to positive values, to justice, to responsibility.

The superior villain is not subject to the limits that responsibility imposes on the use of force. Magneto and the Joker have no qualms about killing, collateral damage, or sacrificing their followers. The combination of this lack of a broad sense of responsibility and their abilities makes the villains superior and their threat to the heroes more credible. At the same time, superior villains offer mystery, freedom, and alternative values that compete against the superhero’s predictable, responsible, and normative values. It is not just a battle between good and evil; it’s about responsibility (restraint) and freedom, winning the hearts and minds of the readers. Although Magneto might fight for mutants, he does so at the expense of humans, putting him in direct opposition to Professor X’s dream. The Joker’s penchant for chaos, mass destruction, and mass murder calls Batman’s code against killing and zero tolerance for collateral damage into question.

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