So, it's been a very long while (a month) since I posted anything. Honestly, I have no clue how I posted what I did last month. I was so freaked out by the prospect of my final exams that I don't remember anything about May except watching Iron Man 3 twice and Bombay Talkies.
Tbh, I'm looking forward to Avengers 2 after Iron Man 3 (No spoilers for anyone, sorry). But before that, I'd love to see Captain America 1 and 2 (yes, I haven't seen Captain America 1. I'm missing out on all the Steve Rogers goodness D:). I'll probably get the first part from one of my friends (ARE YOU READING THIS, SIDDHANT?). I've never exactly been interested in Thor, mostly because he's an alien (I'll come to why I don't like alien superheroes in a while). But I'd like to read the comics at least. He's a part of the Avengers. I should really watch Thor 1 and 2 before Avengers 2.
So, about why I don't like alien superheroes- I think it's because I like to think of superheroes in a very different way. For me, superheroes don't only have superpowers. They've also got a certain depth and it is that depth that makes them use their powers the way they do. For example, I dislike Batman (No hate please) because I feel that witnessing the murder of his parents does not justify his silent vigilante persona completely. I could understand him trying to avenge the death of his parents. But the fuel does run out, you know. Trying to keep a watch over a city so that 'good' and 'justice' can prevail is something that I cannot imagine without a reason. I will also inform the readers that I have not seen the Nolan trilogy.
For me, superheroes are ordinary people with extraordinary powers and it is what happens to them as ordinary people that affects what they choose to do with their powers. For example, Batman might be the justice system himself, but a guy robbing a woman of her jewellery is not personal to him. On the other hand, the villains that Iron Man have always attacked him very personally. I can't imagine anyone fighting for 'good' or 'right', but I can imagine people fighting in accordance with what is right for them at a personal level. I don't think that this makes Iron Man less of a superhero than Batman because a superhero is supposed to stand for an overarching sense of morality. But in today's world, every one has their own moral code and it's hard to label one particular thing as good or evil. That's why superheroes like Batman and Superman (read DC superheroes) don't work for me.
However, I feel like I'm doing an injustice to Thor by saying that he's not exactly a superhero because he's an alien (and not a human). He might be from outer space, but what gives me the right to say that he's not human? Seeing his and Loki's relationship and how hard he fights for it (because Loki matters to him), I feel that he's perfectly capable of feeling and understanding human emotions. He might be from a great warrior race, but his reasons for fighting are pretty much personal.
Some people might also attack me from the point of view of Captain America. Captain America has an overarching sense of right and wrong, what with being from the 1940s. But I still think that his reasons for fighting in 2012 are perfectly personal. He fights because that's all he knows that hasn't changed in the 70 years he's been down below. He fights because it gives him a sense of familiarity, even though his enemies seem to be chosen by S.H.I.E.L.D. However, thanks to the dialogues in Avengers, Captain America does not appear as a brainless automaton. He acknowledges that 'Fury has the same blood on his hands as Loki does', but he chooses to eradicate the bigger threat to the lives of people. His choice comes from what he knows to be 'right', and his kind of 'right' is pretty much redundant in today's world. I like the fact that the other characters seek to provide other kinds of 'rights' for the viewers and establish that no 'right' is superior or inferior to any other. Captain America's morality, in this case, becomes just one of the many. That's why I like the 'man out of time' plot of his story :D
I wrote a message to one of my friends during exams about superheroes. It was quite a general statement, but if I find it someday, I'll put it up here. It was very good :P
Till next time, lovelies!
No comments:
Post a Comment