The Politics of Heroes

I like superheroes. I really do. So when faced with the challenge of deciding which hero to stand behind, I am at a loss.

As you probably know by now, the two major superhero comic book and graphic novel companies are DC and Marvel.

They both have their niche areas:

DC is more dark and gritty and is not afraid to dig out the dirty details of the heroes' past. On TV, the cartoons appear cute and innocent (e.g. Teen Titans) enough until you are horrified by the actual truths about those characters when you grow older. They make great TV franchises but sub-par movies (with occasional exceptions like The Dark Knight trilogy). They keep rebooting Superman and Batman until the audience are forced to recognise and accept their existence.

Honestly, I really liked The Justice League cartoons and had hoped for a Justice League movie for a long time. I even went ahead to read other DC comic series and coincidentally chanced upon The Legion of Superheroes series after catching the animated series on TV. At present, I actually want a Legion of Superheroes movie more than a Justice League one because I want to hear and see the stories of the unsung and wannabe heroes rather than Superman and Batman all the time.

Unfortunately, they are inflexible and rigid in their TV or movie franchise of their heroes. Thus, the chances of seeing Triplicate Girl and Bouncing Boy on the big screens anytime soon are slim to none. Heck, even in the Justice League, my favourite Hawkgirl (Shayera) and The Flash (Wally) get marginalised most of the time either because they are seen as weak or a complete joke. The weak heroes are often made to be scapegoats taking the blame for the mistakes of the heavyweights. Only the strong survive in the DC world (i.e. Brainiac).

Marvel has a light-hearted feel to it and even their heroes are portrayed as the regular hero-next-door. They seem fun, down-to-earth and genuine. They are great at making hit movies but not so good at making good TV series. I love heroes like the X-men, Fantastic Four, Spider-man, The Avengers and even the new faces on the big screens like the Guardians, but their animated series rarely make a splash with exceptions like X-men Evolution. They are not afraid to experiment with new ideas and have proven themselves capable of making decent films, yet they still receive flak for being all fun but no depth. Like the Guardians, the Marvel heroes often laugh off their mistakes (except for the Avengers) and live life by the day.

So, if forced to pick between DC or Marvel heroes like The Flash or Thor, it boils down to a choice of values and principles.

The common majority (especially the older generation) would probably pick The Flash without knowing much about his background or that there have been more than one character donning the costume because:

1. The Flash is a friend of Superman and Batman.

2. The Flash has an incredible reputation and long legacy because the League has contributed much to the nation and the world.

3. The Flash has the moral justice, incorruptibility and would do the right thing for the League and the nation.

On the other spectrum, we have ardent Thor fans who would pick him because:

1. Thor looks good and has a strangely attractive accent.

2. At the end of the day, after all the battles have been fought, Thor's concern is still for plain Jane.

3. Thor's battle strategies may be brash and simple-minded, but inside, he is a patriot to Asgard as well as Midgard.

I really love both The Flash and Thor, so it's a tough pick. Both are heroes in my book. By association, the Justice League would probably have better funding since they have Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen among them and additionally, access to public funds due to their vast connections in their public identity as well as official public recognition. The Avengers woud probably have a more limited pool, seeing as Tony Stark is a little more erratic and capricious in his spending. Viewed as vigilantes, they are unlikely to be granted public funding, accept maybe from Nick Fury.

Sigh... perhaps I'm thinking too much into this dilemma.

Anyway, whether one picks the DC or the Marvel character, he/she should not be ridiculed or marginalised for picking either side by either companies, especially since presented with the available choices.