Ah, yes, Memorial Day! The day where we are all suppose to cut back, grill some burgers, and reflect on the sacrifices made by our forefathers (well, speaking to the Americans of course). But we aren't going to dwell on sappy BBQ, ants at the picnic, or rainfall. Today we are going to do this conversation some justice, SuperHeroStuff.com style. We are going to have some fun discussing the most 'patriotic' characters, so we invite you toss in your two cents. Free speech is a beautiful thing, and what better way to exercise this right then to use it on the massive series of tubes some may call the 'internet'.
I suppose first and foremost the character that comes to mind when the word patriotism is mentioned is Captain America. The dude is absolutely coated in American regalia. He started kicking Nazi ass before America was even involved in World War II, some may even go as far to say that he may have helped to shift American sentiments towards the war effort, but that is probably a discussion for another day. What about the Mutant Registration Act? Captain America, the poster child of the USA, went against his own government because of an issue of freedom! What is more epic then that, standing up against something you're sworn to protect because of a morale conviction! That's true patriotism there; there isn't any rolling over for Captain America. We either have unabridged freedom or none at all. Oh, and by the way, to hell with you Red Skull.
Well, if Captain America didn't pop in your head first, I'm sure that Superman did. It is funny that Superman has essentially become a symbol of America to the world. The irony is what and who Superman is. Think about it, he's an ALIEN from another planet that crash lands in Kansas and essentially assimilates into the American culture, standing for freedom and unity. Interesting look on society, wouldn't you say? Superman even works in the journalism field, which was really one of the first symbols of a free American culture. If you have read the Elseworlds series, "Red Son", you can really see how glaring the Superman persona is. Superman as a Soviet during the Cold War? I think some would give a knee-jerk reaction to the tune of "BLASPHEMY!" but the story truly does Superman justice. He still cares about everybody and everything, regardless of nationality. He doesn't play to any political side; he just wants to help the people of the world. Perhaps we should revise the idea to Superman being patriotic to the entire planet, but I'll leave those fine details for you guys to pound out.
Now we get to have some fun with our imagination! How many of you would consider Iron Man a patriot? He may not be as noble and chivalrous as the Man of Steel or the Sentinel of Liberty, but he does possess his 'American' traits. Iron Man is self assured, charismatic, and highly driven. We could even go as far to say that he embodies the spirit of capitalism, fighting crime but at the same time producing weapons (that may or may not be used to create more crime / violence / death). It is a complicated time we live in, and being able to see the grey areas of patriotism gives a character a bit more depth. What's a superhero without some inner turmoil?
Are there any other characters you guys think you could flag as 'patriotic'? We here at SuperHeroStuff.com run into some interesting theories. The Batman? What about the Green Lantern? The X-Men? What about Spiderman? All of these characters could be viewed as patriotic, but not nearly as straight forward as our first two contestants. So while we meander about this train of thought give pause and think about the true heroes that have given us such tremendous rights. This world has its share Captain Americas and Supermans – you just have to open your eyes!