EDITORIAL: Should Heroes Lead Personal Lives?

EDITORIAL: Should Heroes Lead Personal Lives?

Death and destruction aren’t unfamiliar to comics. But couldn’t they be toned down by choices our heroes could make? I’m here to find out

Editorial Opinion
By comiccow6 - Jul 07, 2013 09:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Other

Let’s talk about Injustice.



The game’s story mode shows an alternate dimension where Lois Lane and Metropolis were destroyed. Because of this, Superman went rouge. This is a great starting point for my article. The question is: Should superheroes lead personal lives?

As we talked about Injustice, it seems fitting to talk about Superman and Lois Lane first. They are one of the most famous couples in comic book history. However, is this the smartest decision on Superman’s part? I mean, Lois isn’t exactly a stranger to death.





So why would Superman stay with Lois after her death(s)? Yes, he has saved her many more times than she has died. She’s even come back from the dead. However, is it still worth the risk? I would say no. It brings pain and misery to Superman, and might bring an Injustice-verse to DC.

Wonder Woman is the other side of the coin. She doesn’t lead a personal life, but people around her still get hurt. Steve Trevor has already been hospitalized in the Justice League comics. So do having personal lives even matter in helping the people heroes care about?

Let’a go back to Superman. His personal life involves a 9 to 5 job. why? Yes, food and water, I know. But this keeps him from stopping crimes and saving lives. He also has to abandon his job, giving the risk of being fired. The job keeps him from doing good.

Another example is Spider-Man. The whole point of Spider-Man is his personal life, so I’m going to look at a What If? comic. What If Spider-Man Didn’t Marry Mary Jane?



In this comic, Spider-Man wasn’t able to protect Mary Jane Watson from a Spider Slayer. Because of this, he doesn’t feel that he is able to protect Mary Jane. Thus, he decides not to marry MJ. This is what would happen if heroes weren’t able to protect the people they love.

So after reviewing these examples, what do I think of superheroes having personal lives? I do think that they should be able to lead these lives, and lead them however they choose. But they should be responsible with what they do, and who they are with. And, ultimately, their personal lives are what defines these heroes as truly believable people that we can relate to.

Also, a poll:

Should Heroes Lead Personal Lives?



Until next time,
Comiccow6.
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LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 7/7/2013, 1:25 PM
Yes.
TheManFromMars
TheManFromMars - 7/7/2013, 1:56 PM
That Ms. Marvel drawing (at least, I think it's Ms. Marvel) on the "What If..." cover is kinda creepy.
NBAfanaddict
NBAfanaddict - 7/7/2013, 2:05 PM
Personal lives provide balance for their regular insane other life.
WYLEEJAY
WYLEEJAY - 7/7/2013, 3:14 PM
I think Amazing Spider man 2 will do a great job addressing this issue. If Gwen dies we will see Parker go through real grief. I'm happy to get to see one of my favorites evolve on screen in a natural way. That was my problem with the original trilogy. The emotion was ridiculous. His confusion in the second film, his anger in the third. Done bad in my opinion. I hope this knew franchise doesn't drop the ball.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 7/7/2013, 9:35 PM
Superman wants to retain the humanity he was raised with. Sure, his job at the Daily Planet helps him stay up to date with global events, and he can keep an eye out for trouble without arousing too much suspicion, but the big thing is - he's doing what other humans do.

I've mentioned this on other articles, but I've been reliving the late 90s with the entire Pretender series on dvd.

The premise of the show, if you don't know about it, is that Jarod was a child stolen from his parents by an evil organization known as the Centre, and they used this child prodigy to his fullest potential, running day to day simulations as well as experiments. Through their work, Jarod became a chameleon of sorts, with the ability to become anyone he wants to be, and swiftly learn how to operate in any profession. In his early 30s, Jarod escapes the Centre and becomes something of a superhero.

He goes all over the country assuming different identities in (usually) different professions to catch criminals and help those who are being victimized. It gives him a great deal of satisfaction helping people, but in doing so, he feels increasingly empty because he doesn't have a childhood, doesn't have a family - his very identity was stolen from him.

Superman needs to be Clark Kent to feel human.
thebebop
thebebop - 7/8/2013, 3:47 AM
Yes, also don't forget a character like (barry allen) The Flash since his life as a superhero and as an ordinary person could be considered one and the same.
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