CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERHEROES

from

SUPER HERO
MEN, NOT Goos

In order to counter the dismissal of superhero stories as

ETHICS
mere juvenile escapism, they are sometimes treated as
modern-day mythology, our version of the Greek gods
doing battle on Olympus and meddling in the affairs of

by Travis Smith
mortals. But overem­phasizing the faux-divinity of
superheroes makes them less accessible to us and less
applicable to our own lives-especially in modern times,
where we tend to reject divinities and demi­gods as role
models. These characters are generally written in ways that
humanize them. We are meant to find these fantas­tic figures
relatable in some way, even if their bodies are too perfect,
their costumes garish, and their adventures inherently
unrealistic. When Aunt May reminds Peter Parker that "there's
a hero in all of us" in Spider-Man2 (2004), we're supposed to feel
like she's talking to each one of us sitting in the movie theater.
Superhero stories no longer need nonpowered support­
ing characters like Justice League mascot Snapper Carr or
Green Lantern's mechanic Tom Kalmaku to play the role of
the ordinar y human being with whom readers could identify.
Wherever that sort of character persists, such as Team Arrow's
Felicity Smoak, the Hulk's sidekick Rick Jones, or S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agent Phil Coulson, they tend to have extraordinary talents,
too, and they are often eventually given superpowers of their
own. These days, we're mainly supposed to identify directly
with the superheroes themselves. Consider the way Man of
 INTRODUCTION
Steel (2013) ditched Superman's pal, Jimmy Olsen; audience
members are encouraged to put themselves into the shoes of
Clark Kent as he wrestles with his newly discovered identity
as Kal-El.
Some readers might object that I am giving a genre that glo­
rifies violence too much credit and that there's nothing of value
to take away from stories about freaks throwing haymakers at
each other. But this book is premised on the idea that it's not
their superpowers that make superheroes so super. It is their
extraordinary character, their inherent qualities that make
them heroic and render them worthy of praise. The powers
they possess and the battles they wage can be understood sym­
bolically, as representative of the struggles we ordinary mor­
tals face within ourselves and out there in the world, and the
means by which we strive to overcome them or cut through
them. Human ethics can be related in and through superhero
stories. Superheroes provide exaggerated and extraordinary
representations of the qualities that human beings must cul­
tivate in order to confront the quandaries of ordinary life. In
fact, the very way that the fantastical qualities of their sto­
ries distance them from real-world struggles actually makes it
easier, with a little imagination, to interpret and apply them
to a range of real-world problems and experiences. Realistic
accounts and concrete examples of the adversities that actual
people endure often seem too particularistic, too specific to
them, and therefore harder to relate to unless you share the
same traits or undergo similar ordeals.
METAPHORS, NOT MESSIAHS
Emphasizing the human dimensions of the superhuman, this
book asks: Which superheroes are better models for admi-
[ 8 ]
CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERHEROES
ration and emulation by us in our circumstances today? We
will find in the course of this questioning that some heroes
represent qualities we should avoid cultivating in ourselves .
Not every superhero is worthy of great admiration and emu­
lation-and I'm not referring only to those who are overtly
morally ambiguous, such as the Punisher or Midnighter, or
those who blatantly mock the assumption that there should
be anything morally salutary about superheroes, such as Dead­
pool or Harley Quinn.
Treating superheroes as role models is unlikely to inspire
tremendously heroic efforts from ordinary human beings.
That's probably for the best anyway; a night watch of would-be
vigilantes bedecked in hockey pads pummeling muggers is
likely to lead to more trouble than it's worth. But freedom
well used ought to spark some virtue, some relative excellence
of character. So if superheroes can encourage some everyday
ethical behavior-inspiring responsibility and integrity, living
with resolve rather than resignation-while exposing some
of our worst tendencies and misguided aspirations, then it is
worth thinking about them critically. The happiness of indi­
viduals and the well-being of a free society depend in part
upon people behaving responsibly: Too many forces in our
liberal democratic society today already inculcate irresponsi­
bility, promote narrow self-interest and hedonistic indulgence,
and foster sentimentality and wishful thinking. Our society
too often sanctions timid passivity and outsized outrage-all
in the name of compassion or justice. We either discourage
or downplay everyday bravery, moderation, restraint, resil­
ience, generosity, gratitude, decency, sociability, sacrifice, the
exercise of good judgment, and the development of intellec­
tual prowess-all of the efforts that generate and constitute
responsibility toward oneself and one's community. Personal
 INTRODUCTION

responsibility almost seems supererogatory nowadays. People

instead clamor for "collective responsibility" -by which they
too often mean "other people should do it and pay for it."
Now, a yearning for real-world superheroes, speaking lit­
erally, would concern me. We are already too eager to follow
charismatic leaders who promise to save us and fix everything
for us. But treating superheroes as metaphors turns them into
examples of power and freedom that we can use to improve
our own lives. Cultivating responsibility in others and our­
selves is our duty; and this is done not only by providing living
examples to emulate but also by telling stories to educate; we
are more receptive to analogies than commands. This is the
power of great literature, and while Stan Lee may not rest on
the same plane as Cervantes or Shakespeare, these artists are
pursuing similar goals. Despite perennial accusations of their
basic vulgarity, the present popularity of superhero stories can
be seen as heartening. Their attractiveness indicates that some
appreciation remains within us for the kinds of lessons that
they tend to communicate. There is something about their
ethical appeal that is ineradicable despite prevailing tenden­
cies within the broader culture to denigrate or dismiss ethi­
cal imperatives. Stories, in short, are powerful-perhaps even
superpowerful.

[ IO ]