Ive been seeing some comments lately about the Batman v Superman movie. I see people who dont really read comics asking how this is interesting because of course Superman would win. Im not particularly interested in a schoolyard discussion of which character could beat which character up, but rather a discussion off what these characters represent and what their stories mean to fans and to their place in the zeitgeist. Before we go further I think its important to get this out of the way now, Batman always needs to win for one simple reason: a story where the invincible spaceman beats a vigilante is boring. Batman beating Superman is the story, the underdog has to win because its a far more interesting, but there are other factors at play here, lets discuss what these characters represent. Superman represents hope, sure, but the kind of hope he represents is hope in the face of hopelessness. When nothing else can save you maybe Superman can. The character has almost always been a Christ figure (well not always, he was kind of a cocky jerk in 1938 but superman as we know him). Superman represents peoples need for salvation. Batman represents justice. Batman represents personal evolution, he is what people can strive to become. Batman represents a far more atheistic viewpoint, he represents the idea that nothing can protect you, no one can help you, so you need to help yourself and others. Batman represents the best that people can become, and thats another reason Batman always needs to come out in top. These characters represent something much bigger than guys in tights punching people, its modern mythology. Superman represents the good that we all can accomplish if we push ourselves, if we dig deep to become the best thing we can be while Superman represents a perfect ideal that we can try to be but ultimately fall short of. Dont get me wrong, they are both wonderful characters that ultimately represent good things, but as far as the subtext of the story goes Batman ultimately represents humanity, Batman makes mistakes and sometimes fails but thats because hes us. Superman represents a kind of moral and personal infallibility that wed all love to posses but that we really ultimately cant because were human. I hope this sheds some light on the nature of the characters if anyones actually confused. Id live to know what others think, or if these characters represent something different in your eyes.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 15:41:29 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015