I might be a nerd. Never read comicbooks. Can’t debate the superpowers of obscure characters. Have no loyalty to one franchise or another. However, nerds are people “extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a particular subject.” And I can admit to being super enthusiastic about superheroes and the questions they present within a fictional world and its culture.
It’s the question you ask to break the ice, the fantasy of nearly every child. “What superpower would you want?” Growing up with the golden age of Marvel movies and countless DC tv shows, I had a wealth of research to pick a special ability. Diving back into The Boys more recently, I realized there’s so much more to the discussion than freezing oceans and blasting bad guys. So, welcome to my rambling thoughts as I break down what I consider to be the three popular superhero franchises.
A Culture of Hope and Promise
My brother INSISTED we watch every single Marvel movie since the beginning of Phase 1. Entertainment has been forever ruined by the after credit clip. Someone else may have done it first, but Marvel capitalized on it. Nowadays, the movies and shows are bland and predictable. Nevertheless, the golden age of Marvel still has a place in my heart.
Heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow have brought us into worlds of hope and promise. Within Marvel, anyone can be a hero. Captain America praised the patriot while Iron Man inspired redemption. None of these were perfect people. They made mistakes, fell short. Yet they continued to fight. They were good people doing good things.
Would I want to live in a world getting decimated by sentient robots and Norse gods? Heck no. Being a normal person in such a world was probably horrific, as hinted to in Endgame. But shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D revealed a side of the general culture that I find wonderful. Heroes were admired, desired, and respected. Most saw them as people, especially those closest to them. The line of stardom wasn’t crossed, the Avengers and others remaining in the lane of altruism.
The more recent phases have attempted to bring in different questions, but I would say Marvel’s underlying query is “what motivates you?” Characters like Steve Rogers fought for love of country while Starlord stood his ground in order to live another day. No matter the character, there’s some motivation driving their action and need to fight the good fight. Black Widow is perhaps the greatest to me, trying to wipe her ledger clean. If only the next universe had people motivated by such hopes.
A World of Degenerates and Sin
If Marvel is the cheery, go-lucky side of superheroes, then The Boys is the depths of debauchery and manipulation. Excuse my righteous rant; I truly have no words for this show. The concept intrigued me, the characters drew me in, and the plot twists dragged me in by my ankles. It’s a horribly graphic show and I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone, but I can’t stop watching. Mainly because I want to see at least one character be redeemed.
Imagine your lovable Captain America or Black Widow going into the corporate world. They save the day for love and admiration. They’re idolized daily on social media, news networks, and books. These wonderful heroes gain a power so many wish to achieve: worldwide fame. What does such power do to them? To the people behind their executive decisions and marketing? Well, that’s The Boys. Humans with special abilities gorging themselves on the love and attention of complete strangers.
The cultural dynamic within this world is very skewed. On one side, you have the hopefuls who cheer and cry at the appearance of Homelander or A-Train. On the other, you have casualties. The series literally kicks off with a man watching his girlfriend die in his arms because a speedster ran right through her (I died inside, and she’d only had 5 minutes of screen time). Even the heroes have their own struggles, vying for attention so they keep making money and being relevant. Some think they’re untouchable and can do whatever they want to people. One lost all humanity and is now a psychotic shell.
Within this truly awful world, there’s one question: How far will you go? Each episode presents the characters with new stakes, be it achieving a childhood pursuit or avenging a loved one. And every individual has to choose how far they are willing to go and who they’re willing to risk in order to achieve their end goal. It’s baffling how well it’s written, though my sanity sits better in our last universe of the day.
A Universe of Morality and Boundaries
While I enjoy Marvel movies and cringe with The Boys, the DC universe is my bread and butter. Despite having no cable, I could catch a random episode of the Justice League on Saturday morning by flicking through a couple channels. Library visits and Blockbuster runs brought Teen Titans and animated Batman shows into the house. It’s a world I explore in my downtime.
Marvel and DC have very similar hero styles. There’s the non-powered who enhance themselves in some way, the semi-powered who have several weaknesses, and the over-powered who could tear a bus in half without breaking a sweat. Marvel has very few in the over-powered category, and even such heroes like Thor are dumbed down. DC goes all out. Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and others have significant abilities that make them unearthly.
Same goes for the villains, which isn’t touched on in Marvel (at least in the movies). You got non-, semi-, and over-powered trying to keep up with the amassing “army” that is the Justice League. Mindsets are split, law enforcement seeking prosecution and the common man in awe of their heroism. With such a culture, people can be swayed to either party based on their experience and situation. This aligns with the concept in The Boys, though the Justice League is made up of altruistic heroes.
My love for DC comes from the question they try to answer: could vs. should. Batman and Robin are my favs because they’re the moral backbone for each of their teams. Being non-powered and broken by loss, they have compassion and understand the intricacies of humanity. Something an over-powered individual can forget, simply because he/she never lived with human limitations. In this universe, the difference between a hero and a villain is the slim line between could and should.
Final Thoughts
I doused you with a ton of thoughts, but here’s the gist: we can always learn something from fiction. In the case of superheroes, three different universes have presented wildly different questions. What motivates you? How far will you go? Could you vs. should you? The culture each world developed has its bright and blight: the hyper fans that worship heroes and the bruised who despise their existence. Each has different levels of admiration and hate, just as they have varying depth in the heroes.
I dive into questions like these all the time when writing, trying to find the truth that people need to recognize. Writers for these franchises probably have different takes and ideals than me, but it’s interesting to think through these and find the moral.