Analyzing the Characters of Superhero Films

The recent increase in the amount of films based on superheroes has led to a necessity to discuss the method by which they are presented. In order to determine the fundamental components for these films, I will examine Richard Donner's 1978 version of Superman, Tim Burton's 1989 interpretation of Batman, and Sam Raimi's 2002 blockbuster, Spiderman. The success of these films depends on their characters and the relationships that connect them. these characters include the superhero, his alternate identity, the woman he loves, and the villain he must face. While all three films present each character differently, there are common threads that unite them. but before we even can begin to understand how these people operate with the films, there is a necessity to make a clear distinction between the films and the comic books. While some may argue that any diversions from the comic book story takes away from the film, it is in fact a necessity for the filmmakers to compromise and consolidate in order to tell a complete story in the two hours that they are allotted. The Alternate Identity Clark Kent is described as an odd ball, Bruce Wayne as just plain odd, and Peter Parker as a freak. The three have something else in common - they are all orphans. yet each has parental figures that play prominent roles in the film. For Clark, it is Jor-El, his father, and his foster parents, the Kent's. For Bruce Wayne, there is Alfred. In Peter Parker's case, he has Uncle Ben and Aunt may. these characters play crucial roles in establishing the future superheroes that they raise. Clark Kent has his father, Jor-El, who, although his physical form dies while Clark is an infant, continues to instruct his son while Clark travels to earth and then again when Clark becomes a man and journeys into the world. by Jor-El's own words he has given his son every bit of knowledge he contains and his voice constantly reminds Clark that interfering with human destiny is forbidden. Clark is also lucky enough to have two foster parents who protect him as he grows up. when his foster father dies, Clark decides to leave his rural life behind, and to search for who he truly is. The upbringing provided by the Kent's gives Clark a solid foundation upon which his character is seen as standing for only good. As a direct opposite to the upbringing that Clark Kent receives, Bruce Wayne, as a child, watches his parents murdered, and they are never replaced. While throughout the film Alfred, Wayne's butler, does serve as an instructor and advice giver, his impact seems to be much more subtle and primarily concerned with Wayne's involvement with Vicky Vale. The impact that the loss of his parents has on Wayne is presented throughout the film. As the movie opens, Batman apprehends two criminals who attack a family in a scenario similar to the one in which Wayne's parents were killed. Burton also shows us the emotional impact the death of his parents has on Wayne when he has him place two roses at the sight of the murder. by having Vale witness this private ceremony and then discuss it later on with reporter, Alexander Knox, we are given the question point blank, What do you suppose something like this does to a kid? Later on in the film, Wayne remembers the double murder as he recalls the words of the killer, Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? In a world at the exact center of Kent's and Wayne's we find Peter Parker. his parents are never mentioned in the film, yet his Aunt and Uncle have provided a stable home life for him. this relationship is quickly constructed by Raimi and then destroyed. Uncle Ben is immediately painted as sympathetic because he has lost his job, and the reassurance that Aunt may provides presents them as an honest, loving couple. Add to this their interest in Peter's day at school and the happy home is established. What complicates Parker's relationship with his Uncle becomes the foundation up which Spiderman is created. at the point when Parker could have prevented his Uncle's death, we are shown a character whose sole concern is for himself. It is here that Uncle Ben's advice, With great power comes great responsibility begins to echo throughout the film. Later in the film, the separation of Peter Parker from Spiderman becomes necessary when the Green Goblin attacks Aunt may and the problems that Spiderman encounters cross over into Parker's life. It is here that Parker realizes that this separation is necessary to protect the ones he loves. The Superhero Each hero seems to be nothing more than a sum of the other characters that surround him. What is Superman, other than what Clark Kent can't be and what Lois Lane and Lex Luther force him to be? Surely what Clark has learned as a child, instilled in him a sense of right and wrong and a desire to stand for what is good. In Superman, when Donner shows us Superman pulling a little girl's cat out of a tree, we have no question as to how he wants us to see the hero. In Batman, Burton begins by presenting the character Batman prior to Bruce Wayne. In fact, when we first meet Bruce Wayne eighteen minutes into the film, he does not identify himself when questioned by Vicky Vale. this postponement and encounter with Vale, helps to solidify the mystery behind Bruce Wayne and the dominance that Batman has in Wayne's life. Batman is a hero of few words. Burton seems content to blur Batman into the background of the dark cityscape of Gotham City. throughout the film, Batman emerges from the shadows for only a moment, before disappearing back into them. In Spiderman, as with the other films, more time is spent exploring the possibilities of special effects when it comes to the superhero. but just as Superman rescuing the cat, Raimi sends Spiderman into a burning building to save a woman. Sure, the woman turns out to be the Green Goblin and the scene a plot device, but we still get a sense of who Spiderman is and what he stands for. The Woman So why are women included in these superhero stories? Is it so that it will be easier for men to drag their girlfriends to such films? The real answer is that without these women, the superheroes would lack the quality that makes us fascinated with them. Without these women, they would cease to be human. In Superman, Lois Lane is the object by which the character of Superman/Kent is completed. like Spiderman to follow, Kent saves Lois from a purse-snatcher and her role as helpless female victim is established. The bumbling, wet-behind-the-ears Clark Kent stands no chance with fast paced Lois Lane, but Superman does. In this way Donner uses Lois as way to reveal Superman's vulnerabilities. after their eight o'clock date, Lois writes a report that describes Superman's abilities and failings - a report that Lex Luthor uses to exploit Superman's weaknesses. Lois is also used as a way of helping Superman find his true calling. It is not until he rescues Lois from the helicopter disaster that he begins his spree of heroic actions. In Batman, Vicky Vale comes to Gotham City in search of wildlife.like, bats. when she first meets Bruce Wayne, he plays the mysterious role that begins her fascination with him, and he lets her into his world by inviting her to dinner. He could have easily kept his distance from her at dinner, but instead brings her into the kitchen where they have a more comfortable dinner and Alfred shares a story from Wayne's youth. Alfred makes comments throughout the film, trying to get Wayne to allow Vale deeper into this life. In fact, it is Alfred who brings Vale into the Batcave to meet Bruce Wayne, thus revealing what Wayne himself could not. The complication occurs when the Joker takes an interest in Vale. now the worlds of Batman and Bruce Wayne are forced together. Batman must save Vale from the Joker at the museum, Bruce Wayne takes a bullet trying to protect Vale from the Joker, and Batman again, at the end of the film, must save Vale when the Joker tries to kidnap her. this complexity produces a connection that creates an understanding as to why Wayne allows Vale full access to his world. For Peter Parker, Mary Jane is the ideal woman, an object that, like Lois to Superman, he is not able to attain until he becomes his super-self. Also like the relationship between Superman and Lois, Mary Jane first falls in love Spiderman, but then by the end of the film realizes that her true feelings are for Peter Parker. The relationship between Mary Jane and Peter Parker is the first thing that Raimi establishes by way of Parker's voice over at the beginning of the film. when Parker uses his Spider-senses to save Mary Jane from slipping in the cafeteria, the event foreshadows the role she will play throughout the film as the damsel in distress. The Villain In our discussion of the villain we encounter the same problem that we do when we try to separate the superhero from his alternate identity. Except for Lex Luthor, the Joker and the Green Goblin, originate from a normal man. but the core values that connects these characters are their excessive egos and ambitions. Donner's introduction of Lex Luthor is anything but endearing. The first thing we see of Luther is his hand as he presses a button that causes a police detective's death. after this introduction we see how Luthor considers himself when he asks Eve Teschmacher, How do you choose to congratulate the greatest criminal mind of our time? by this and similar lines throughout the film, Luthor demonstrates his egotism. So what causes the encounter between the diabolical Luthor and Superman? after hearing the news report about Superman, Luthor states, It all fits somehow, this [Superman] coming to Metropolis and at this particular time and To commit the crime of the century, a man wants to face the challenge of the century. It becomes clear that Luthor considers an encounter with Superman as part of his destiny. The final showdown between Luthor and Superman occurs in Luthor's lair, underneath the city. Luthor, as is his egotistical nature, reveals to Superman the outline of his plan to use the missiles in his real estate endeavor. here Luthor tricks Superman into exposing himself to Kryptonite. by using two missiles, he presents a dilemma of choice, to Superman. With Jack Napier and the Joker, we have another character consumed by ego and ambition. like Donner with Lex Luther, Burton quickly establishes the core of Napier's personality. when speaking of his boss, Napier states, He's a tired old man. He can't run this city without me. Then when he checks himself in the mirror and Alicia Hunt tells him, you look fine, he responds in all his egotistical charm, I didn't ask. The meetings between Wayne/Batman and Napier/Joker are complicated because of who the characters are when the encounters are made. I have already discussed their first meeting, when young Wayne witnesses Napier murder Wayne's parents. The second encounter occurs at Axis Chemical when Napier and the Batman collide. Through this reunion the Joker is created. this leads to a who made who discussion during the final showdown between the Batman and the Joker. The relationship between the Green Goblin and Spiderman is perhaps the most complex of the three. this difficulty is primarily caused by the fact that Norman Osborn, unlike Lex Luthor and Jack Napier, is not an evil man. He is ambitious though, which causes the creation of the Green Goblin. The psychological complexity that occurs because of Osborn's benevolent nature towards Parker and the Green Goblins hatefulness towards Spiderman, creates a fascinating character, much more full than that of Luthor or the Joker. The relationship between the Green Goblin and Spiderman becomes even more complex when the Green Goblin learns Spiderman's true identity. Like Superman, Spiderman is also presented with a dilemma of choice during his final confrontation with the Green Goblin. To use the Green Goblin's own words, this is why only fools are heroes. Because you never know when some lunatic will come along with a sadistic choice let die the woman you love or suffer the little children. Of course Spiderman saves Mary Jane first, and still manages to save the children. While the Green Goblin tries to exploit Spiderman's weakness as he hangs onto a cable car full of children, the people of New York comes to Spiderman's rescue by throwing debris at the Green Goblin. The Conclusion The Dilemma of choice  In the end, when it looks like the villain will have the upper hand, all hope seems lost and the hero is reeling. but then the villain makes the mistake of threatening, or in the case of Lois Lane, ending the life of the woman that the hero loves. but final confrontation with the villain pales in comparison to the dilemma of choice that each hero faces with regards to the women that they love. While in Superman, the final battle is against two missiles that Lex Luthor unleashes, the nemesis is still Luthor. but Superman's real dilemma of choice occurs when he finds Lois Lane dead, and he must decide whether or not to follow the command from his father, It is forbidden for you to interfere with human history. The dilemma of choice is less obvious in Batman, especially since Alfred has already brought Vicky Vale into the Batcave. What can then be viewed as Batman's dilemma of choice occurs when Bruce Wayne is not there to meet Ms. Vale at the end of the film. One might assume that having defeated the murderer of his parents would have cured the vengeance bug that plagues Wayne, but that is not the case. The decision for Wayne to remain Batman is spite of the death of the Joker, and having found a woman he loves, is his true dilemma. as for Spiderman, his dilemma of choice comes at the end of the film when Mary Jane professes her love for Peter Parker and he conceals his true feelings for her. The decision is all the more meaningful because of the love story built by Raimi throughout the film. Of course, each hero chooses to protect the woman that they love, yet still manages to save the world. Analyzing the Characters of Superhero Films [l]