On the occasion of Batman’s 75th birthday, Thomas Fiffer explores the duality that defines superheroes.
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I also read DC Comics at Smaley’s barbershop where an old man named Del who smelled like Barbicide butchered my hair and occasionally my left earlobe.
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As a kid, I grew up watching Batman on television—not the cartoon but the show with real actors: Adam West and Burt Ward as the dynamic duo and Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, and Frank Gorshin as the villains. I also read DC Comics at Smaley’s barbershop where an old man named Del who smelled like Barbicide butchered my hair and occasionally my left earlobe. My favorite comic book hero was Green Lantern, and naturally I ordered a power ring from one of the tiny ads in the back of the magazine, as well as a pen radio, some practical joke props, and other gadgets I don’t remember that broke soon after they came in the mail. When the League of Justice cartoons hit the Saturday morning lineup, I was hooked—up early, glued to the screen, and eager to see the whole gang in action.
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Why the need for a second skin that stays masked? Why not be out there nailing the bad guys 24/7?
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Batman was in his mid-thirties back then, and reflecting now as he turns 75 on the caped crusader and his counterparts—a bunch of superhuman, super-righteous, super-crime-fighting saviors, I find myself pondering how many have alter egos. Batman has Bruce Wayne. Superman has Clark Kent. Wonder Woman has Diana Prince. Spiderman has Peter Parker. And Captain American has Steve Rogers. Why the need for a second skin that stays masked? Why not be out there nailing the bad guys 24/7? While the reasons behind their second identities are different (Wayne invented himself as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are aliens, Parker was bitten by an arachnid, and Rogers is the result of a military experiment), the underlying narrative is the same: the superhero hides his or her true power from the public, pretends to be one of us, and walks right under our noses, until a crisis erupts, serving as the catalyst for rapid transformation. And I believe we find this sequence of events so compelling because it plays on two deep-seated and primal human psychological needs.
We know there’s a best, and we define our modern-day superheroes as those who have pushed to become better than the best.
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One is our need to believe that we, as ordinary humans, can transcend our physical limitations when circumstances demand it, that we are a little more like God and a little less like men. This is why we love examples that validate the belief: baseball players who break home run records or make Willie Mays catches, runners who run shave a fraction of a second off the mile, muscle-bound weightlifters who clean and jerk hundreds of pounds. We know there’s a best, and we define our modern-day superheroes as those who have pushed to become better than the best, and we give them the garland until someone pushes harder to strip them of their glory. The superhero’s alter ego alludes to the corollary: if a superhero can transform into an average person, then an average person can transform into a superhero, which enables us to believe that we ourselves might someday find superhuman strength, superhuman endurance, and superhuman courage when we need to summon these qualities to save the world, a person in distress, or our own child from harm or embarrassment.
The second need the alter ego satisfies is our need to believe that when things hit rock bottom and the fan starts spewing excrement, we will somehow be saved, because superheroes, like guardian angels, will appear miraculously when we need them, because they’re already everywhere—we just can’t see them. This drama plays out in countless action and adventure movies as well as in Judaism and Christianity with the concept of the messiah, and many biblical heroes had superhuman abilities. The alter ego also makes superheroes more believable and accessible to children, by hiding them in plain sight in the form of a real person.
Pediatricians who make shots not hurt. Store clerks who take back and replace broken toys and mend a child’s broken dreams.
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OK. Enough analysis. Where does this all leave us? It leaves me thinking about everyday superheroes—fathers and mothers who show up, interact with their kids, and serve as positive role models. Teachers who devote their days to educating and socializing young people, then spend their evenings grading papers, chaperoning dances, or directing the school play. Bus drivers who stop and wait for little boys and girls to tramp down their driveways on cold winter mornings, help them with their heavy backpacks, get them to school safely, and do it all with a smile. Pediatricians who make shots not hurt. Store clerks who take back and replace broken toys and mend a child’s broken dreams. Grandparents who make the effort, when age is already getting the better of them, to travel to their grandchildren and stay present and relevant in their lives. Leaders who show the way and mentors who pave it. Big brothers and big sisters who expand their definition of family to help kids who need it most. And anyone who can step back in difficult situations and be the bigger person every time. These superheroes don’t wear cowls or capes or spider suits. They don’t fly invisible planes or carry invincible shields. But they do live and walk in our midst, mostly unnoticed, often unrecognized, and generally unappreciated.
So let’s hear it for the unsung superheroes. For one day, this day, let’s sing their praises. Let’s sing them loud and clear.
Photo—Adam Bailey/Flickr
Hello Mr. Fiffer: Many of the superheroes had secret identities for a very big reason- to protect their loved ones from becoming targets from the hero/ines assorted enemies. Re. Need #1: The need you mention here isn’t limited to comics. The idea of an average joe or josephine who discovers that have powers, noble status, wealth, etc. has been found in many varities of narratives. Many kinds of pop therapy/self-help authors use this idea to market their wares. It’s understandable, though- most everyone wants to think that, underneath an ordinary exterior, they’re special. The thing is, they are. Finally, on… Read more »
Batman is a vigilante. A Better question is why does the rich Bruce Wayne not use his wealth to get non-corrupt politicians elected? Maybe run for office himself?
I assumed they were given alter egos to humanize them. It allowed us to relate to them as people. Some of the most captivating story lines were the relationships between the characters. Green Arrow and Black Canary was a romance in an action thriller. Peter Parker struggled with his finances and had a demanding boss, but still saved JJ’s butt from the Man Wolf. Even Dr. Doom’s humanity was on display when he teamed up with Dr. Strange to free his mother from the clutches of Mephisto. Look at titles like Superman Family and Batman Family. You can be the… Read more »