Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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Batman, Superman, and Spider-man all have qualities that could make them ‘the best superhero,’ but it all comes down to the preference of the individual. The best superhero could be one who doesn’t need powers at all. He could even be someone who saves the day between classes. And to others, he could be the most powerful man in the universe. Each hero has to balance his life as a normal person along with his great responsibility to keep his community safe. The characteristics that are relevant in this debate are: ability to be easily relatable, powers, helpfulness in his city, and the degree of difficulty involved with defeating his enemies.
Spider-man is a favorite super-hero to many fans because he has super-human abilities that are original and exciting. His abilities though, do not take away from his being relatable to his audience. He has trivial teenage problems along with the truly tragic variety. In the movie, once Peter Parker obtains his powers, his first objective is to win money in a boxing competition so that he can buy a car to impress his crush (Raimi 2002). Now what comic-book reading teenage boy couldn't relate to wanting to impress the gorgeous girl next door? No matter what kind of evil-doers Spider-man defeats, he remains a somewhat nerdy young man.
According to marvel.com, Spider-man has the ability to climb walls and lift objects up to 10 tons. Marvel.com says, “… [Spider-man] is roughly 15 times more agile than a regular human.” He combines his web-slinging ability with his strength and agility to move from place to place quickly. One of his most interesting qualities though, is his spider-sense. Using this sixth sense he is able to evade harm more easily than the average human (Marvel 2oo7).In the movie, Peter finds himself with a magnified sense of awareness that allows him to defeat a bully (Raimi 2002).
As many super-villains as spider-man defeated in his career as a superhero, he never stopped taking care of the people of New York. He continued to capture common criminals that polluted the streets and, according to the movie, made the crime rate in Manhattan go down by a great degree. The people of New York showed Spider-man how much he appreciated him by throwing objects at the Green Goblin while the two were fighting (Raimi 2002).
Degree of difficulty, when applied comes to superheroes, can depend on many factors. For one, the various villains can be examined. Spider-man’s enemies are theatrical and improbable, but they possess depth, just as Spider-man himself does. Unlike the villains that Superman and Batman have to face, none of Spider-man’s enemies are totally evil. Marvel.com describes one of his most famous villains, Doc Oc, as a one brilliant and respected nuclear physicist. Other than being particularly ambitious, Otto Octavius was not a bad guy. A radiation accident turned him into the super villain he became (Marvel 2007). Most, if not all of Spider-man’s enemies originated in similar ways. Depending on who you ask, the fact that his enemies cannot be completely held accountable for their evil actions, makes them harder to defeat. In is obvious after viewing the movies that Spiderman’s weakness is his compassion, so fighting enemies who are multi-dimensional characters must be difficult for him. A part in Spider-man depicts Spider-man’s compassion as a weakness when he goes into a burning building to save who he thought was a screaming woman, only to find the Green Goblin there waiting to capture him (Raimi 2002). Of course we see that deed as heroic, but Spider-man’s enemies often use his humanity against him. There is a scene at the end of the movie where the Green Goblin (Osborne) asks Spider-man not to tell his son (Peter’s friend, Harry) about his evil identity. Peter feels for his enemy and keeps his promise to Osborne (Raimi 2002). People who want a hero who defeats evil without losing his ability to compassionate, even for the bad guy, may look for a hero like Spider-man.
Although Spider-man has many obvious characteristics in common with the average comic-book reader or movie-goer, Batman has many qualities that make him relatable to everyone. One of the reasons people love Batman is because he is mortal. And as much as can be said about all the human characteristics Spider-man has, a hero can’t get more human than Batman. Batman Begins focuses a lot on a less than super quality: fear. It is very easy to be sucked into Batman’s story because fear is universal. His villains are somewhat scarier in the movies because, despite all the theatrics, they possess qualities that real-life bad guys also have. In Batman Begins, his main enemy is Scarecrow, a psychiatrist who went insane. He uses a combination of drugs to induce fear in his victims (Nolan 2005). Whether these drugs are real or not is beside the point, they are more plausible than a green gas (the chemical that made Osborne into the Green Goblin) that has the ability to split a person’s personality (Raimi 2002). Scarecrow is scary because he is insane. And just as people fear insane serial killers like Manson and Bundy, it is reasonable to believe that they may fear an imaginary killer like Scarecrow. Villains like Scarecrow and the overall theme of fear in Batman media make Batman a frontrunner for best superhero based on ability to relate to audience and degree of difficulty.
Batman may be rich, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about the ‘little people’ of Gotham City. Bruce Wayne’s reason for becoming Batman was to save the city. His ability to help Gotham as both Batman and Bruce Wayne makes him best at helping his community. According to Jason Kirk, writer of Batman’s character overview on the unofficial DC universe website, “Bruce Wayne is the Batman, a man with a mission, not of vengeance but a long-term plan to rid Gotham from the evil that holds it. As a philanthropist he supports charities and bodies that seek to rehabilitate criminals while as the Batman he removes those that persist in offending. Those in the suburbs and country consider him an urban legend, yet the transient criminal population of Gotham and the country know him from rumor and experience." (Kirk)
As previously stated, Batman has no ‘super-human’ abilities. Dictionary.com lists, “ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something,” as the first definition for the word ‘powers.’ With all afore mentioned details about Batman, it is reasonable to say that Batman does have powers, albeit they aren’t of the fantasized variety (Dictionary.com).
Superman cannot be easily related to like Batman and Spider-man can. In some circles though, he possesses something greater. He gives an idealistic picture of what a superhero should be. In other words, what makes him likable is the fact that he is so fantastical. Superman (the movie) is entertaining because of the totally unreal things Superman can do. There is a scene near the end of the movie where he flew around the world in the opposite direction of the earth’s normal spin. This action managed to reverse time so that he could save Lois Lane (Donner 1978). As impossible and ridiculous as that task was, it was fun to watch. According to captain.custard.org, Superman possesses, “Vast super strength, speed and stamina,” and he is, “Almost invulnerable - he can easily withstand a nuclear explosion. Hyper senses allow him to see the entire electromagnetic spectrum and to see through solid objects.” He also has the ability to, “…fly by sheer effort of will and can project intense heat from his eyes.” (Captain Custard). No other superhero can do all the things Superman can; he is truly an ideal superhero.
Superman is a great help to his community in that he can prevent huge disasters with little effort. There is a scene Superman where he prevents a flood by dropping tons of rocks in the path of the raging water from a broken dam. He also picks up cars, planes, and buses in the movie (Donner 1978). He has the ability to save large quantities of people, while Batman and Spider-man can only save a few at a time. For the most part, Superman rarely has much trouble protecting metropolis from the shenanigans of Lex Luther, but to some that’s why he is such a great hero.
Batman is the most realistic and helpful hero, Spider-man is most easily relatable and compassionate, and Superman is the most powerful and entertaining. The three heroes are all equally super because they all possess the qualities that define a super-hero. One is no better than another one because they each have abilities and personality that make him perfect for defending his world.
References:
Batman Begins. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes. DVD. Warner Bros Pictures, 2005.
"Heroes and Villains." DC Comics. Warner Bros. 20 Apr. 2008.
Kirk, Jason. "The Unofficial Batman Biography." The Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe. 20 Apr. 2008.
"Spider-Man." Marvel. 2007. Marvel Comics. 20 Apr. 2008.
Spider-man. Dir. Sam Raimi. Perf. Toby McGuire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco. DVD. Columbia Pictures Corperation, 2002.
"Superman: Abilities and Equipment." Captain Custard. 20 Apr. 2008 .
Superman. Dir. Richard Donner. Perf. Christopher Reeves, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder. DVD. Alexander Salkind, 1978.
Spider-man is a favorite super-hero to many fans because he has super-human abilities that are original and exciting. His abilities though, do not take away from his being relatable to his audience. He has trivial teenage problems along with the truly tragic variety. In the movie, once Peter Parker obtains his powers, his first objective is to win money in a boxing competition so that he can buy a car to impress his crush (Raimi 2002). Now what comic-book reading teenage boy couldn't relate to wanting to impress the gorgeous girl next door? No matter what kind of evil-doers Spider-man defeats, he remains a somewhat nerdy young man.
According to marvel.com, Spider-man has the ability to climb walls and lift objects up to 10 tons. Marvel.com says, “… [Spider-man] is roughly 15 times more agile than a regular human.” He combines his web-slinging ability with his strength and agility to move from place to place quickly. One of his most interesting qualities though, is his spider-sense. Using this sixth sense he is able to evade harm more easily than the average human (Marvel 2oo7).In the movie, Peter finds himself with a magnified sense of awareness that allows him to defeat a bully (Raimi 2002).
As many super-villains as spider-man defeated in his career as a superhero, he never stopped taking care of the people of New York. He continued to capture common criminals that polluted the streets and, according to the movie, made the crime rate in Manhattan go down by a great degree. The people of New York showed Spider-man how much he appreciated him by throwing objects at the Green Goblin while the two were fighting (Raimi 2002).
Degree of difficulty, when applied comes to superheroes, can depend on many factors. For one, the various villains can be examined. Spider-man’s enemies are theatrical and improbable, but they possess depth, just as Spider-man himself does. Unlike the villains that Superman and Batman have to face, none of Spider-man’s enemies are totally evil. Marvel.com describes one of his most famous villains, Doc Oc, as a one brilliant and respected nuclear physicist. Other than being particularly ambitious, Otto Octavius was not a bad guy. A radiation accident turned him into the super villain he became (Marvel 2007). Most, if not all of Spider-man’s enemies originated in similar ways. Depending on who you ask, the fact that his enemies cannot be completely held accountable for their evil actions, makes them harder to defeat. In is obvious after viewing the movies that Spiderman’s weakness is his compassion, so fighting enemies who are multi-dimensional characters must be difficult for him. A part in Spider-man depicts Spider-man’s compassion as a weakness when he goes into a burning building to save who he thought was a screaming woman, only to find the Green Goblin there waiting to capture him (Raimi 2002). Of course we see that deed as heroic, but Spider-man’s enemies often use his humanity against him. There is a scene at the end of the movie where the Green Goblin (Osborne) asks Spider-man not to tell his son (Peter’s friend, Harry) about his evil identity. Peter feels for his enemy and keeps his promise to Osborne (Raimi 2002). People who want a hero who defeats evil without losing his ability to compassionate, even for the bad guy, may look for a hero like Spider-man.
Although Spider-man has many obvious characteristics in common with the average comic-book reader or movie-goer, Batman has many qualities that make him relatable to everyone. One of the reasons people love Batman is because he is mortal. And as much as can be said about all the human characteristics Spider-man has, a hero can’t get more human than Batman. Batman Begins focuses a lot on a less than super quality: fear. It is very easy to be sucked into Batman’s story because fear is universal. His villains are somewhat scarier in the movies because, despite all the theatrics, they possess qualities that real-life bad guys also have. In Batman Begins, his main enemy is Scarecrow, a psychiatrist who went insane. He uses a combination of drugs to induce fear in his victims (Nolan 2005). Whether these drugs are real or not is beside the point, they are more plausible than a green gas (the chemical that made Osborne into the Green Goblin) that has the ability to split a person’s personality (Raimi 2002). Scarecrow is scary because he is insane. And just as people fear insane serial killers like Manson and Bundy, it is reasonable to believe that they may fear an imaginary killer like Scarecrow. Villains like Scarecrow and the overall theme of fear in Batman media make Batman a frontrunner for best superhero based on ability to relate to audience and degree of difficulty.
Batman may be rich, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about the ‘little people’ of Gotham City. Bruce Wayne’s reason for becoming Batman was to save the city. His ability to help Gotham as both Batman and Bruce Wayne makes him best at helping his community. According to Jason Kirk, writer of Batman’s character overview on the unofficial DC universe website, “Bruce Wayne is the Batman, a man with a mission, not of vengeance but a long-term plan to rid Gotham from the evil that holds it. As a philanthropist he supports charities and bodies that seek to rehabilitate criminals while as the Batman he removes those that persist in offending. Those in the suburbs and country consider him an urban legend, yet the transient criminal population of Gotham and the country know him from rumor and experience." (Kirk)
As previously stated, Batman has no ‘super-human’ abilities. Dictionary.com lists, “ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something,” as the first definition for the word ‘powers.’ With all afore mentioned details about Batman, it is reasonable to say that Batman does have powers, albeit they aren’t of the fantasized variety (Dictionary.com).
Superman cannot be easily related to like Batman and Spider-man can. In some circles though, he possesses something greater. He gives an idealistic picture of what a superhero should be. In other words, what makes him likable is the fact that he is so fantastical. Superman (the movie) is entertaining because of the totally unreal things Superman can do. There is a scene near the end of the movie where he flew around the world in the opposite direction of the earth’s normal spin. This action managed to reverse time so that he could save Lois Lane (Donner 1978). As impossible and ridiculous as that task was, it was fun to watch. According to captain.custard.org, Superman possesses, “Vast super strength, speed and stamina,” and he is, “Almost invulnerable - he can easily withstand a nuclear explosion. Hyper senses allow him to see the entire electromagnetic spectrum and to see through solid objects.” He also has the ability to, “…fly by sheer effort of will and can project intense heat from his eyes.” (Captain Custard). No other superhero can do all the things Superman can; he is truly an ideal superhero.
Superman is a great help to his community in that he can prevent huge disasters with little effort. There is a scene Superman where he prevents a flood by dropping tons of rocks in the path of the raging water from a broken dam. He also picks up cars, planes, and buses in the movie (Donner 1978). He has the ability to save large quantities of people, while Batman and Spider-man can only save a few at a time. For the most part, Superman rarely has much trouble protecting metropolis from the shenanigans of Lex Luther, but to some that’s why he is such a great hero.
Batman is the most realistic and helpful hero, Spider-man is most easily relatable and compassionate, and Superman is the most powerful and entertaining. The three heroes are all equally super because they all possess the qualities that define a super-hero. One is no better than another one because they each have abilities and personality that make him perfect for defending his world.
References:
Batman Begins. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes. DVD. Warner Bros Pictures, 2005.
"Heroes and Villains." DC Comics. Warner Bros. 20 Apr. 2008
Kirk, Jason. "The Unofficial Batman Biography." The Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe. 20 Apr. 2008
"Spider-Man." Marvel. 2007. Marvel Comics. 20 Apr. 2008
Spider-man. Dir. Sam Raimi. Perf. Toby McGuire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco. DVD. Columbia Pictures Corperation, 2002.
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