But Superman Is So Powerful!
The Superhero Question of the Day is:
Are
superheroes an essentially fascistic idea?
As usual, the answer is: it depends. What do we mean by
"fascistic" anyway? If by that we simply mean "violent," then,
yes, I can see how superheroes are supposed to be fascistic since most
of them solve problems by beating up bad guys. If, however, by
"fascistic" we mean (as Tim O'Neil apparently does)
"characteristic of a system of government marked by centralization of
authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls,
suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and
typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism," then, no, I
don't think superheroes are essentially fascistic. Yeah, I know
there have been superhero stories that explicitly play up the
superheroes as (political) fascists angle (
Squadron Supreme,
Miracleman, the upcoming
Superman/Batman
arc), but isn't a more common complaint about corporate superhero
comics that the heroes almost never intervene in the political affairs
of humanity? (I'm thinking of the Dini/Ross oversized tabloid
books especially.)
Furthermore, many superheroes (especially those in the 60s Marvel mold)
seem to struggle regularly with doubts about the rightness of their
actions. Spider-Man in particular strikes me as a character who
wrestled frequently with bouts of self-doubt or second-guessing
himself. Of course one could point out that the quality of such
self-examination was often more indulgent than illuminating, but at
least the characters were shown engaging in something approximating
critical reflection. Such tendencies toward checking one's
behavior and beliefs seem foreign to the mindset of the fascist.
For the fascist, isn't everything permitted in the pursuit of one's
goals?
I guess I've never thought that superhero comics were about
"[u]ncritical acceptance of powerful authority figures." In fact,
superhero comics were never about
my perspective toward heroes,
but about trying to understand the perspective
of the
heroes. So for me, superhero comics were generally about certain
morals: Try to do the right thing even when it's inconvenient or
costly for oneself. Use one's abilities to help others.
When you meet another hero, attempt to resolve any misunderstanding
that might spring up by punching first and asking questions
later. (Just kidding about that last one, but it did seem to be a
common theme in many superhero comics from my childhood. I think
the important point was that the heroes always resolved their
misunderstandings before anyone was seriously injured. Perhaps
the whole cliché of heroes mistaking each other for villains was
meant as a metaphor for how in life there will be people you butt heads
with at first but come to regard amicably in the end, but I admit I may
be stretching here.) Then again, I was only a little kid when I
thought I'd figured this stuff out, so maybe I was just being a
simplistic moron.
