Since I haven’t been interested in superheroes since childhood, I haven’t noticed the role superheroes played within their societies until reading this novel. What strikes me particularly is not only their role as celebrities with press conferences, agents and publicity representatives, but the overall definition of what it means to be a superhero or villain. As Blackwolf describes Doctor Impossible: “if he were a normal person, he’d be Einstein” (56). So then, why isn’t Einstein given the title of a super being, a superior humanoid? Is it merely the social construct of morality and law that defines whether one can be called a superhero or super villain? Does one have to forcefully support the law regardless of its implications to become a super hero or defy it to all ends in order to become a super villain? It’s particularly interesting due to how often the law changes based upon society’s changing views on what should be morally acceptable and what should not. Not only in the case of Blackwolf himself, who has no super powers and is merely a wealthy, brilliant athlete, but Batman as well. If taken in context with our current society’s definition of heroes as those whom help society function, such as firefighters, perhaps even doctors and such, then maybe these superheroes are defined as such by becoming heroes like those, but on a larger scale.
Then again, perhaps superheroes and villains are like celebrities in that they don their gaudy costumes and masks in the same way that celebrities take on roles and personalities as given by their publicity representatives. Regarding Blackwolf, Fatale remarks that “he still patrols in costume, part-time, but it’s mostly publicity for his corporate holdings” (26). The superhero outfit then becomes just that, as a role rather than an identity. In that sense, the superheroes here seem to be merely a large scale imitation of our society’s concept of a hero.
-Kathy
1 comment:
Nevermind, disregard the first line please! :D
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