X-Men - Mutants and Self-Acceptance

The X-Men film series is based on Marvel Comics X-Men’s comic books first published in 1963. Its story was first made into a movie in 2000, but five other movies have been released since, with two sequels scheduled for 2014 and 2016.
The plot of the movies develop in a world in which some people are born with a special mutated gene, called “x-gene,” which gives them special powers and mutant abilities. Under increased anti-mutant sentiment, Professor Xavier, the leader of the X-Men, created a safe haven in his mansion to train young mutants to use their powers for the benefit of humanity and prove that mutants can be heroes. He believed that humans and mutants could help each other and coexist in harmony. Magneto, however, saw humans as the enemy. His intentions were to establish the mutants as the overruling race and fight against human’s attempts to destroy or find a cure for their mutation. He created the Brotherhood of Mutants, for those who were devoted to the mutant superiority.

 

It is obvious and it has been thoroughly discussed through various outlets that, X-Men draws parallels between the oppression of mutants and that of marginalized groups. As X-Men writer Chris Claremont explained in 1982, “The X-Men are hated, feared, and despised collectively by humanity for no other reason than that they are mutants. So what we have..., intended or not, is a book that is about racism, bigotry, and prejudice." The underlying themes have been reflective of social issues from the time that the story was first published and they are still today. These have included, over the years, racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, homosexuality and others. But beyond the primary scope of discussing the entirety of social oppression, X-Men subtly promotes self-acceptance as an important element of life.

Each mutant character suffers from some kind of differentiation - mental, physical, or behavioral. The stories focus on how each character copes, or fails to cope, with his or her uniqueness. Particularly in X-Men: First Class, mutants are for the first time assembling and exploring their individuality. We observe as each one of them deals with their process of self-acceptance. This is an issue that anyone can relate to in some point of their lives.

 

 Unlike conventional superheroes that acquire their powers through various means; the mutants of the Marvel universe are inherently born with their anomalies.  They were born from ordinary human parents and discovered their particularities as they aged. It is also noteworthy, that they were not part of any societal group in the common sense. The diversity of the X-Men school includes mutants of all races, nationalities, and economic backgrounds. Mutants could be heroes or villains, rich or poor, native or foreign, religious or not. The only thing that all mutants had in common was the fact that they were different. The series then celebrates, rather than demonize, differences - all differences!

The mutants had to choose their own path, of joining either the X-Men headed by Professor X or the Mutant Brotherhood led by Magneto. Independent of which groups mutants decided to join, just by being part of one of those they were choosing to engage on a journey of self-acceptance and exploration. This is a great message to promote to all generations, that the primary and most important step in one’s life is embracing the characteristics that make one unique.

Watchmen - Ordinary People as Superheroes

I would like to revisit and expand my previous post about the Watchmen. This time, I want to focus my attention on the main characters of the movie 

Superheroes have become a part of our lives. From a young age we hear about the stories of powerful figures, such as Superman and Wonder Women. All of these characters share a sense of justice and righteousness.  We all look up to them and wish to have their supernatural powers. Unfortunately, superheroes are extraordinary humans. Hence, they merely represent an ideological and unattainable image of the perfect individual.

 
In contrast, the superheroes of Watchmen are a group of ordinary citizens who came together to fight crime. They wore masks but had no admirable powers or abilities, were not indestructible, and did not possess unquestionable morals. They just wanted to help the city in the best way that they could. But, as regular people, they engaged in actions that were not necessarily the most appropriate. Instead, these heroes were morally tormented and even cruel at times.

I ask, why are the superheroes in Moore’s narrative different from all other superheroes? And even though they counter our expectations of heroes, why are viewers still interested in this movie? I really think that these characters trigger the contradicting emotions of fascination and discomfort because, of all the heroes, Watchmen gives us characters that most accurately mirror real life people.  They are fallible humans that struggle with their everyday decisions.

As a group, the characters could not reach an agreement on the appropriate course of action to stop crime and keep the peace. Rorschach was disgusted by the filthiness and horrors of the world, while at the same time violently killing murderers by feeding them to wild dogs. He held the truth as most sacred value and never compromised for the sake of righteousness. Nite Owl was passive, confused and scared. Most of the time, the conflicts in his head prevented him from taking any action. He preferred to alienate himself and just blend in with society.  Silk Spectre was consumed by her desperate search for love and affection. Adrian had Machiavellian beliefs and was willing to sacrifice anything and anyone as long as the end result seemed appropriate to him. There was only one character that obtained superhero-like powers, Dr. Manhattan. He became omnipotent through science, but paid the price of losing all empathy for humanity. Therefore, he was not a heroic figure as he had no inclination towards helping others.  As we can see, all of these characters vary in their personalities, struggles, and moral standards.

By creating superheroes that are conflicted ordinary people instead of non-achievable extraordinary humans, the story places the responsibility of the world’s condition on individuals. As the Watchmen heroes’ morals and actions dictated and affected the conditions of the world, it is also an individual responsibility to take action in order to make changes. In this sense, anyone can be a hero. Like them, we are flawed and unsure of how to achieve righteousness. But we should use moral reflection to guide our actions. Nite Owl and Rorschach had a discussion in which Nite Owl accuses Rorschach of hiding behind his mask. To that, Rorschach replies that at least he is not the one hiding in plain sight. The message seems clear to me. We must step up and be responsible for creating changes in the world.

Villains - Why do we Love Villains?

The basis of all storytelling is a plot that involves the fight of good versus evil. Without conflict, there are no stories. And without stories, there are no movies. This is established by creating a dividing line between good and evil with the representation of a protagonist and its nemesis. The villain of a story drives the narrative, giving the hero something to fight against and demonstrate, by contrast, how heroic he/she can be. However, the protagonist’s course of action is often too predictive, which can be tedious. On the other hand, a character that it is extremely unpredictable, such as a villain, can bring great deal of amusement and entertainment.

 
The audience is meant to root for the underdog. The hero is presented as a form of underdog by being part of an unconventinal, outclassed, or misunderstood group. For example, Superman is an alien that doesn’t belong on Earth and Captain America is originally an embarrassingly weak soldier. The heroes’ disadvantages and assumed likelihood of failing makes them sympathetic. It makes viewers cheer and hope that they will overcome the odds and rise above all. However, the heroes’ underdog image is a façade, as protagonists are irrefutably destined for success.  The true real underdog of any story is the villain, who is, no matter how clever their plan is, destined for failure.

In the traditional format of a superhero tale, everyone must love the hero, which limits their personality to a certain number of easily likable traits, such as a combination of brave, just and handsome. On the other hand, villains are meant to be hated. Since villains are meant to lose anyway, they have much more freedom to act and have bigger personalities. This alone, often makes them more interesting than heroes. The creators of these fictional characters can make them as twisted, cynic, sarcastic and absurd as they want. Hence, there’s an infinite variety of ways that a character can be evil, from making coats out of Dalmatians puppies, and blowing up Gotham city to stealing Christmas from Who Ville.

From a psychological point of view, Travis Langley, author of “Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight,” argues that villains are attractive to audiences because they satisfy some of our unspoken desires and needs. These include: freedom, enjoying power, facing fears, achieving justice through revenge, and exploring the unknown.
Indeed, villains enjoy a degree of freedom that we, ordinary people, just don’t. Not even heroes can delight in as much free will as their antagonists do. While the heroes must always act properly, villains get to run unconstrained from rules and regulations. In this sense, heroes represent what we are supposed to be, while villains are what we wish to be. Further, villains are free to desire power. As Langley points out, “stories like the Watchmen […] show how heroes become menaces when they try to take control.” In general, society looks down on those who openly and eagerly seek power. We must always be humble and content, like superheroes. But villains can desire riches, strive to have more power, and control other people’s fears. For those of us who hold ambition as valuable trait, villains give us the comfort of being able to relate with someone else that dreams of power without being judged.

I believe that admiring villains does not necessarily translate into one having a sick and dark personality. In the end, it is understandable to be drawn to characters that are boundless to any pre-established societal norms. There is something fearless about them. Maybe when people look at fictional villains, they might see a version of themselves gone wrong. Maybe these bad guys were once just ordinary people. Maybe they were turned by one regrettable choice, or were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Audiences know that this can happen, and so by cheering on to the so called villains in films, they are cheering for the real struggling underdog. No matter if you love them or hate them, villains are entertaining simply for the reason that they are completely unpredictable. Because of that, villains often end up stealing the scene.

Captain America - The Embodiment of the American Dream

The American dream entails a set of ideals that represent the nation, in which freedom includes equal opportunity for prosperity and success. Undoubtedly, no other fictional character embodies those ideals better than Captain America, one of Marvel Comics’ super heroes.
Captain America, created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, was first published as a comic book during the 1940s. It was, of course, an intentionally patriotic creation as part of the American propaganda and war efforts of World War II. Simon affirmed that the character was created primarily because both creators were morally repulsed by the actions of Nazi Germany in the years leading up to the United States' involvement in the war. As war seemed inevitable, they set out to make a statement about the American power.

 

There have beeen several Captain America publications and movies throughout the years. Most recently, in 2011, Marvel Studios created the movie Captain America: The First Avenger based on the Captain America’s comic books.
In this narrative, Steve Rogers was initially a sick and weak man. During World War II, he tried to enlist but was repeatedly rejected due to his frail condition. Even after being denied several times, Roger still eagerly wanted to fight for his country and tried to find a way to overcome his situation. A scientist notices his unstoppable determination and allows him to be accepted for military service. Dr. Abraham Erskine, the scientist who was in charge of a government project, recruited him for the Scientific Strategic Reserve. Rogers would be the first individual to participate in the Project Rebirth, an experiment intended to create super soldiers. Colonel Chester Phillips, who was also in charge of the project, was unconvinced and unimpressed with Rogers and humiliated him at every chance he got. However, Rogers compensated for his lack of physical strength with a noble inner character. Proving his extraordinary courage and virtue, Rogers underwent the experiment and was enhanced to maximum human potential, which would aid the United States government's efforts to win the war.

 

 
Meanwhile, Johann Schmidt, head of a German science division known as HYDRA, feared the success of the American project. Schmidt knew that if the experiment worked, it could mean the downfall of the Nazis. He then sent one of his agents to infiltrate their base and murder the scientist in an attempt to stop the Americans. When Dr. Erskine was assassinated, Rogers became a mere U.S. war drive propaganda tool, under the title of Captain America. He quickly became a joke and not the hero that he was supposed to be. However, when his friends’ unit was captured, Rogers promptly went out to rescue them and his war against Nazi Germany begun.

Not surprisingly, Captain America was one of the most popular characters during the 1940s wartime period. But, after the war ended, the character's popularity fell and the comic was discontinued for a while. However, Captain America’s comic books and movies have been consistently published and re-created throughout the years. He has gained popularity with the new generation through the movies Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers series. The reason for that is because Captain America is much more than a war propaganda messenger. He is a mythical representation of American societal values.  In this sense, he is timeless.

As any other myth, such as the tales about Pandora, Captain America’s story will be continuously told over the years to perpetuate the core ideals of this nation. The story’s premise is perfect for its purposes. A sickly underdog with high moral standards, engages in determination and perseverance until he is highly rewarded. In other words, an unprivileged individual uses determination and hard work to achieve success, also known as the American dream. So what began as war propaganda will perpetually exist throughout generations as the personification of the values promoted by the American Dream.

Watchmen - A Dark World and a Moral Lesson

Watchmen is one of my favorite movies. At first I was not sure what factors attracted me to such an unusual and dark plot. But the more times that I have watched it, the more I have learned to appreciate it. A first time viewer (and even a careless second or third time one) might feel a bit overwhelmed with its hard to digest messages.  But I believe that is because, to fully appreciate this narrative, one must be doubtful of happy endings as they do not reflect reality.

The plot takes place in an alternative version of history, during the most critical time of the Cold War. When Alan Moore created Watchmen, he was mirroring the fears and anxieties surrounding a generation that had to live with increasing fear and the constant threat of nuclear destruction. The comic book was published in 1986, when the tension between the Western world and the Soviet Union were rising. Much later, in 2009, the story was made into a film by director Zack Snyder.  The fact that the comic book was transformed into a film so many years after its first publication makes me wonder about any intentions of commenting on how our current society should or shouldn’t be.

  

 The city of Manhattan, in which the story takes place, is not represented as a normal urban setting. Instead, it is constructed to be overly hostile, filthy and obscure. From the beginning, we see the city as extremely violent and quite literally stained with blood. The Comedian is brutally killed and thrown out of the window of a building, leaving his vital fluids splashed all over the pavement. Further, the weather of Manhattan is constantly gloomy, dark and sinister. In the same scene in which the Comedian is killed, we see outside the window a dark and rainy city. Throughout the movie, the scenery is somber and unwelcoming. There is no ray of sun at any moment. The city reflects the world’s emotions, where fear and violence predominate.

Meanwhile, the Doomsday watch shows the proximity of the end of the world, close to reaching midnight. The audience experiences anxiety as the tension rises. The world could be vanished at any second.  At the end, our fear becomes reality, as nuclear energy is used to destroy the largest cities around the globe. But the destruction was not from nuclear bombing. Adrian Veidt had used a machine to simulate Dr. Manhattan’s energy so he would be blamed for the mass destruction. Veidt’s plan was designed to create utopia, by killing millions to save billions.  His plans worked, as world leader’s put aside their differences and focus their attention on fighting against who they believe to be the humanity’s new enemy. However, we are given to understand that peace will only be momentary. Before being killed, Rorschach had sent personal journals that revealed the truth to a local newspaper.

  
The ending scene, works in the narrative powerfully summarizing the message of the movie. Although the story is filled with themes of violence and destruction, its actual purpose is to promote anti-war ideals. It suggests that war should not be used as a tool to resolve the world’s problems, as it can only bring greater damage to humanity by taking countless lives.

Adrian justified his murderous ways as a mean to achieving peace, in the same way that many world leaders justify engaging in war. Even though the world seems a little brighter at the end of the movie, when peace is temporarily achieved, the audience is left sure that it would not last. Eventually old conflicts would be rekindled all over again.  In this way, the dark world of Watchmen is fascinating and terrifying at the same time. The story shows us a world that could quite possibly be our own reality, if we are not willing to engage in mindful moral reflection of our use of war and thirst for power.