The Real Truth about Batman and Superman
Now in these days everyone one likes to read comic books since they became part of our society. What makes them interesting is how entertaining they could get giving us different points of views on different stories of superheroes. Many of us believe that “Classic superheroes stories are wildly fun, suspenseful and exciting” (Tom and Matt Morris) forgetting the idea of what really makes a hero. Different perceptions of superheroes are considered based on their wrong actions and way of thinking. Frank’s Miller Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is one of the comic books that make us “rethink the conception of the superhero and press each of us to reconsider some of the fundamental moral principles that have traditionally underwritten our appreciation for superheroes” (Morris 29). According to our English class definition a hero is someone who performs good and noble deeds. After reading Frank Miller’s comic book the meaning of a hero is not reflected on Batman and changes our perceptions as readers. However, after reading Frank’s Miller book I made the conclusion that Batman acted evil forgetting his heroic personality becoming a non hero and Superman as a hero from their morals and ethical actions.
Happy endings on superheroes stories changed the motives of Frank Miller to write Batman different as a dark character as long as Superman as a great superhero for the government. Both of these characters had played important roles in American Culture. Today, Frank Miller’s Batman “continues to shine as one of DC Comics’ greatest stars, with his adventures highlighted in a half-dozen comic books every month” (Gresh 35). What has make Batman and Superman different from each other are their powers...
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...s, Bruce. World’s got no room for…
Clark: It’s like this, Bruce. Sooner or later, somebody’s going to order me to bring you in. Somebody with authority.
A true hero like Superman will take any dangerous missions to do what it takes to please the orders from others and save human lives.
Therefore, in Miller’s comic book Batman and Superman showed different types of heroes based on their actions. Concluding Batman’s actions different from Superman based on their moral and ethical values against crime. The problem of Batman in the Dark Night Returns was making the wrong decisions and taking everything to the extreme by his revenge. Only superman could demonstrate and prove to others that he deserves to be called a hero. I think heroism has to be real and it has to come from within to act correctly without giving others the opportunity to judge from our actions.
Although not every hero shouts “Avengers Assemble” before a worthy deed, heroism is shown in all aspects of the everyday world. Webster Dictionary has exactly 5 definitions under the word hero and still no two people explain heroism the same. Superman and Captain America are a glimpse of the fictional characters society titles a hero. Firefighters and Military portray heroism each day in the lives of every civilian. As Sullivan and Venter stated “individuals are referred to as ‘heroes’ for seemingly different reasons” and even through endless studies the adjectives referring heroes is ever changing. Among the various ideas of what it means to be a hero, boldness and valiance capture the essence of heroism.
Batman and Superman are superheroes whose qualities are exaggerated in a way that is reminiscent of the gods and heroes in The Odyssey. In Fact, the superheroes from comic books emerge from the epic tradition. Epics, as you know, celebrate the great deeds of one or more legendary heroes. This epic hero is generally involved with a quest to overcome hardship, and he (and it usually is a "he") succeeds. The hero performs superhuman exploits in battle, often saving or founding a nation or the human race itself. Sound familiar? And even in terms of the superhero's body, with his bulging muscles and larger‐than‐life qualities, such figures evoke the images of Baroque masculinity. What Becomes important in these retellings, then, is how the hero makes the journey, how he faces his obstacles, and what he learns in the process.
The definition of a hero is subjective. Accordingly, Robert Ray believes the hero is able to be divided into three categories: the outlaw, official and composite hero. In most cases, a hero can be categorized into one of these categories. Through the examination of Jekyll and Hyde, the Batman movie from 1943, and film of Batman in 1989, qualities of the hero will be depicted as a function of time.
Composite Heroes are defined by Robert Ray as a hero shown to be a combination of both categories of heroes. When the audience is first introduced to Batman, he is introduced along with his faithful sidekick, Robin. This is an example of Batman being able to work well along with a sidekick, which is a quality of an Official Hero. However, soon after this scene, we are shown that Batman does not work well with the authorities, as the authorities do not know anything about the identity of the two heroes. The authorities also seems to be annoyed by Batman’s existence. The fact that Batman is not working well with the authorities is an example of Batman having some Outlaw Hero qualities. Another example of Batman having Official Hero qualities is that his alter-ego, Bruce Wayne works well with the authorities. In one scene, the audience learns that Bruce Wayne is working for the government in trying to figure out some information about Dr. Daka. Since Bruce Wayne is Batman and is working for the authorities, this is an example of Batman having Official Hero qualities. Later in the film, when Batman captures Dr. Daka with the help of Robin, Batman decides that he will make Dr. Daka un-brainwash people Dr. Daka has brainwashed. He chooses Linda Page to be un-brainwashed first, which shows some selfishness. Selfishness is a quality of an Outlaw Hero. Soon after this scene, when Batman and Robin confronts Dr. Daka, Robin accidentally presses a button that ends up killing Dr. Daka. Batman tries to hide this fact when the police shows up, proving another Outlaw Hero qualities since he is lying to the authorities. However, since Batman called the authorities to take in the rest of the antagonists, it shows that he does have some Official Hero qualities. Since this Batman possesses many qualities of
Have you ever wondered who the man is under the dark knight mask? Bruce Wayne, is a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, and owner of Wayne Enterprises, who after witnessing the murder of his parents Dr. Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne as a child, he swore vengeance against criminals, an oath tempered by a sense of justice. Bruce Wayne trains himself physically and intellectually and crafts a bat-inspired persona to fight crime. But the man riddle to this amazing “Cape Crusader” is brought along with many interesting facts about this dynamic crime fighter, such as, while Bruce was growing up, he learn he had an older brother, or that Batman is actually afraid of something, how about Bruce Wayne’s no drinking alcohol diet, or even batman’s
Miller’s version brings with it many mixed responses from fans and critics, which makes it interesting to explore whether Batman in Miller’s version is an American monomythic hero as presented by Lawrence and Jewett. Even though there is some evidence of how The Dark Knight Returns follows the monomyth, overall Batman cannot be defined as a monomythic hero.
Somebody who had established higher power in their community. Somebody who tried to run from fate, and has the moment of recognition and understanding of their destiny. Batman. Even though he is considered the strong and powerful superhero of Gotham City, Batman's characteristic features show that he relates strongly to that of a "tragic" hero. In the beginning, the Batman is presented at a higher state of appreciation, even though the police see him as a vigilante. Despite his wealth, Batman, otherwise known as Bruce Wayne, is easily relatable to audiences, which makes it easy to sympathize and empathize with the character. Batman is in a constant battle within himself, trying to be the good guy, while defeating the bad guys. His morals prove true when he admits that he won't kill any of the many villians that cause destruction for Gotham City. But, because of this moral, sometimes the villians end up escaping and doing more harm then good. In the end, this interal chaos and internal battle is seen interally and externally through Batman. At the end of the most recent Batman series, The Dark Knight, his exit at the end of the movie is, in essence, his figurative death. Bruce Wayne wants to keep Gotham City safe. And with the "Batman" gone, villians will be least likely to continue to destroy and conquer. As an audience, we cling to the edge of our seats and feel dismay for our beloved superhero and what is to become of
In conclusion my expectations were met because we all want to be a certain hero in our everyday lives but sometimes don’t know which one is actually the better and more positive one. Strength, power, intelligence, and authority are the most important things the outlaw hero and official hero will bring even if they are above a certain rule or really beneath it. Outlaws are not always the bad guys, but are not always the good guys either. In this case Batman is the good guy disguised as the bad guy. Official heroes are always the good guys no matter the circumstance. Superman in this case is the good guy disguised as the actual good guy. Being above the law or against it, official heroes and outlaw heroes will always paint the picture that you can be strong, powerful, intelligent, and have the authority you deserve.
Everyone dreams of being a hero however the path is narrow. The mantle of responsibility is important aspects and the presence of the heroic traits must be shown in some form. However, there will always be outliers and deemed delusional who attempt to be heroes. In Watchmen, Moore creates an omnipotent hero who lacks humanity in the portrayal of the Dr. Manhattan as a psychopathic anti-hero.
In our society, certain ideals are held in high regard. Individuals relentlessly pursue these ideals to achieve a perceived perfection. These principles are often depicted in media that further glorifies and establishes a desire to pursue these paragons. In a medium such as comic books, however, these standards and perceptions are heavily distorted by the characterizations and settings. Particularly, the superhero genre absorbs the ideals we strive towards and regurgitates them in an extreme and unrealistic manner. The superhero genre is often reflective of societal changes in ideas and morals. These ideals are then molded into misleading representations that influence the behaviors of viewers. Comic books absorb elements of our society and transform them. For example, as the enemies of America change, so do the enemies of our superheroes. However, the enemies are transformed into supervillains that are extremely dark and villainous. Such characterizations cloud people’s understanding of real threats and enemies affecting our society. Also, to cater to the value that American society places on intelligence, attractiveness, and physical strength, comic books create characters that epitomize these characteristics. Though the represent society’s ideals, these characters manipulate the ideas and convey them back to the audience in an unrecognizable manner. In developing such distorted representations, the superhero genre affects human behavior and perceptions of these ideals.
The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with an insight into the Super Hero Series Batman. This crime fighter originally appeared in Detective Comics issue #27 in 1939. It later became a comic book series, a TV series and a movie series. The character Batman is second only to Superman as a Super Hero. Amazingly Batman has no super powers, but he does have a lot of neat crime fighting gadgets. In this paper, we will explore the creation of Batman, his supporting cast of characters both good and bad and the gadgets he used.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, and Persepolis all question what is right and what is wrong while still balancing the duality of the two. They make you wonder who the bad people really are and if the supposed good people are actually good. With the utilization of icons and color, they also emphasize the ever-present question of morality and human life. Batman utilizes duality and creates closure to show that there is always another side of the coin and all you have to do is flip it to see it. Watchman uses character development to build tension in the narrative and create duality in the characters and their moral codes. Persepolis uses a child's view of the world to present a childlike sense of justice and right and wrong.
Superman and Batman are two superheroes that strike fear into the evil. Fighting evil is one of their similarities. Superman and Batman dedicated their lives to serve and protect the innocent people. They both lost their parents at an early age and that shows that each one of them suffered as little kids. Both Superman and Batman have double identities. Superman has a hidden identity as Kent Clark, a journalist, in the same way Batman is living his real life as Bruce Wayne, a rich playboy. They hide their identity in order to protect themselves.
Being a hero means that one can show courage when it comes to facing a problem. It is a person who helps others in many ways, such as a person in danger. In the modern era, the creation of superheroes have become popular when it comes to producing films. Viewers can choose their favorite heroes due to the idea that there a many of them. However, most fans argue which superheroes are better. Two of the most popular superheroes are DC’s Batman and Marvel’s Iron Man. Although Batman and Iron Man are loved by many viewers because of how they help people in danger, they still demonstrate imperfections which can cause viewers to dislike them. However, both superheroes share similarities and differences between themselves. Batman and Iron Man have
The Lone Ranger, Zorro, Batman, Superman are some of the characters that we stereotypically constitute as heroes. They are known to fight with courage without fear of death. They destroy the enemy within a blink of an eye. They fight using their own body strength, superpower, or some kind of weapon. They come to the rescue miraculously and leave without a trace. They are mysterious. We are unable to identify who they are underneath the masks and disguises. Yet, we praise them and ignore the real heroes that surround us regularly, ordinarily. “All of us …like to believe that in a moral emergency we will behave like the heroes of our youth, bravely and forthrightly, without thought of personal loss or discredit” (O’Brien 39). In other words, we are quite oblivious to the ordinary people of the world that are, in fact, the true heroes.