It’s so easy to sit back and enjoy a good action flick and root for the good guy while vilifying the bad guy, right? It’s a common dilemma we don’t think about when we’re in the theater with our popcorn and soda watching one hero or another go zipping across the screen to knock the villain down to size. But when you really take the time to look at what movie heroes are doing and what the ramifications of their actions should be but never are, you start thinking a little about what would happen in this world if it was all real. Would you really cheer if the Hulk was tearing apart your apartment building while trying to get to the bad guy? Or would you like to buddy up to Superman when his epic brawls end up costing you even more? The real world answer of course would be no, but considering this is fantasy it’s usually deemed okay to let the egos of the superheroes flow so that they can save the earth.
I love superhero movies as much as anyone, but looking at the messages that these movies send but never say seems a bit disturbing if you really look at them.
Heroes and geniuses have little if any accountability.
You can argue that some of the superheroes as of late have been brought under greater scrutiny as the damage they’d caused and been a part of has finally been tallied up and taken note of. From Batman vs. Superman to The Avengers to even the The Watchmen, superheroes are starting to be put to task for their actions. But that seems a temporary thing really, a slap on the wrist in light of the accomplishment that yes, they have actually saved the world from a greater threat. A lot of people would condemn a cocky, arrogant man like Tony Stark since he seems more than willing to operate outside the law and conventions that keep society together. The trade-off is that if these heroes weren’t allowed to do their jobs then the bad guys could win. That might seem too much like real life for many moviegoers.
No matter what, the ruling, elitist government becomes the enemy.
Batman said it best in the dark knight, you either die a hero or you stick around long enough to become the villain. Well as the American people already know, most of those in Congress today have stuck around long enough to be included in that assumption. If power corrupts, then prolonged power seems to corrupt to a depth that is all but impossible to root out. In the superhero world the once stable government has become little more than puppet show in which the world leaders dance to the tune of whomever is pulling their strings from behind the scenes. This is the redemptive quality of the superhero, that they act as a rebellious force attempting to stamp out and resist this unlawful and unwanted subversion of the American people. However those heroes that stick around seem to be buying into the same trap as they fight a battle that never seems to get won, while they hunker down and “do their best”.
Superhero movies are a great way to enjoy an evening at the theater, but when looked at through the lens of real life are anything but the thrilling, slightly satirical pieces they’re meant to be. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to keep fantasy where it belongs, on the big screen.
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