Batman V. Superman - Why Do We Care?

This week, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters. Presuming you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that comic book movies have become a huge trend over the last two decades. Just last year, we had four major comic book movies, and this year’s looking to set records with eight, count them, eight comic book blockbusters scheduled for release.

What is fueling this recent obsession with superhero stories? Superheroes have been around since the 1930’s, but they’ve never been as popular as they are today. Why now?

I’d argue that high quality CGI drove the superhero movie boom. Special effects finally caught up to the point that the over-the-top antics of comic book characters could be portrayed on the big screen without looking ridiculous. The massive success of two early 2000 films, Spider-Man and X-Men, opened the eyes of studio heads to the potential goldmine of superheroes. At the same time movie studios realized the potential for comic book movies, studios began to shy away from risky movies with original concepts and rely more on the safer bet of movie adaptations of material with pre-established fanbases. Comic books provided the perfect market for adaptations since the comic industry has been testing out different heroes and concepts for nigh eighty years and building a devout following in the process. The long history of comics assures that these characters and movies have multi-generational nostalgic appeal, and Disney’s acquisition of Marvel in 2009 made it much easier to produce comic book movies with a shared universe which paved the way to the massively successful Avengers franchise which in turn pushed demand for superhero movies to new heights. In addition to all this, let’s not forget the simple fact that while the real world is coming apart at the seams and many Americans have reasonably lost all faith that their leaders will sacrifice their own interests for the public good, superhero movies provide an excellent dose of escapism that restores some faith in the potential goodness of humanity.

This last point indicates that there is more to the superhero obsession than just the visceral thrill of seeing people with amazing abilities and colorful costumes punching each other in the face. Superheroes stories operate on a deeper level by representing principles, struggles and heroic ideals. Spider-Man speaks to guilt, responsibility and redemption, Hulk speaks to the beast inside all men’s hearts that can be harnessed for good and Captain America speaks to a noble and principled form of patriotism.

So what do Batman and Superman represent?

In many ways, Batman and Superman stand as mirror images of one another. Though both heroes, they exemplify differing approaches to heroism which sometimes compliment and sometimes contradict one another.

Bruce Wayne suffered immense tragedy when a mugger murdered his parents right in front of his eyes. Rather than fleeing the darkness and pain that filled his heart, Bruce embraced it and vowed on his parents’ grave that no other children would ever have to lose their parents to violence. Using his righteous anger and learning how to control it, the young man honed his body and mind to a fine edge reaching the pinnacle of his human potential through sheer force of will and intellect. Having no superpowers as a crutch, Bruce gave himself an edge by becoming a figure of the night and releasing the darkness bottled inside him to inspire terror in the hearts of the cowardly and foolish criminals who prey upon the weak. Bruce hides his face behind a mask and similarly shuns humanity in his personal life keeping even those closest to him at arm’s distance sacrificing all for his grim yet noble quest. He can be cut, stabbed, burned, shot, beaten, bloodied, bruised and broken, but Batman always gets back up and triumphs.

In contrast, Kal-El never suffered tragedy. He lost his parents and his whole planet when Krypton exploded, but being sent to Earth as a baby, he suffered no trauma. Rather than being motivated by a desire for vengeance, Clark’s actions are motivated by a desire to live up to the simple, small-town values instilled in him by his goodhearted, adoptive parents, the Kents. Clark didn’t have to earn his superpowers; they were his birthright, so Clark’s is not a story of tragedy and triumph but of power and how to use it wisely. In a world where an Ubermensch could reshape the globe for a selfish cause, Clark chooses to serve others by being a figure of light, hope and inspiration. Clark doesn’t hide his face from the world. His Superman persona may be more bold than mild-mannered news reporter Clark Kent, but he strives to do what is right in all situations and his goodwill is always on display. He doesn’t hide from those he loves but embraces them fully without reservation. Rather than imposing his will on others, Clark always offers the best of himself and seeks to bring out the best in others. Superman may have the power to lift mountains, but it’s his willingness to make the hard decisions which make him a true hero.

Batman and Superman work as a complimentary yin yang typology. Batman is a figure of dark justice geared towards bringing retribution on the guilty whereas Superman is a figure of bright hope who does all in his power inspire everyone to be their best. Batman teaches us that through determination, dedication, endurance, and industriousness mankind can overcome obstacles and achieve greatness whereas Superman teaches us that true greatness of power is meaningless without an equal share of greatness of charity, hope, kindness and faith. These characters carry weight for us because they tell us something about ourselves and show us who we should strive to be. That is why we care about Batman V. Superman.

Also, it’s fun to watch people with amazing abilities and colorful costumes punch each other in the face.