The Superhero Critique

So how many of you enjoy Quentin Tarantino movies? I am assuming a lot of you because I am assuming you have a good taste in movies (by good I mean similar to mine). So as a Tarantino fan you have noticed a few things; Uma Thurman seems to be in a lot of his movies, he is pretty under-appreciated among the “Hollywood Elite” and he knows more about contemporary culture than Wikipedia.

Don’t believe me? Look at the fact that he not only creates about half of it, and keep looking at one of the final scenes in Kill Bill Volume two. Bill seems to like Superheroes (Tarantino is an open fan of comic books). Now I know what you are asking yourself: “Why do I care, person writing this article?”. That is a stupid question, but I’ll answer it anyways. In this scene, Tarantino presents an interesting idea: Who is the only super hero every one knows that doesn’t wear a costume while fighting crime? Superman is the answer I am looking for here (If you have another person in mind you may be right, but I don’t care). Superman is Superman. Clark Kent is his Costume. The S on his chest is what Superman really wears. The suit and glasses are his disguise to not stand out.

So if Clark Kent is Superman’s disguise that allows him to blend in with the rest of society, what does Clark Kent say about how an objective viewer would see Humanity. It is apparently as weak, timid and uncertain.

Superheroes are normally seen as being the best version of humanity, but in the case of Superman it is really showing us what we dream Humanity could be instead of what it is at its best. Captain America shows us (particularly Americans) that we have pride and integrity, and when we act with it, we can change the world. Batman can be used to show what Humanity is capable of. Batman is a morally infallible figure to himself, allowing him to fight crime on his own terms without guilt. He does not worry about what is popular, but only what is right. He is unmoving in his positions, something that doesn’t describe many of us. These figures can be seen as our guide through Darkness, while Superman can be seen of what we want to be while Clark Kent is what we actually are. This way of seeing Clark Kent lends itself to being able to critique society better than most books.

Perhaps this is only a new way for you to see your favorite super hero. Maybe it is a way you can justify a comic book’s merit to people who don’t read them. Maybe this was only something you read because you were bored, but it hopefully was at least entertaining.