When I say the importance of comic book heroes in the modern era I am referring to their cultural significance in western society, particularly in the United States, for the 20th and now the 21st century. I was an avid comic book collector when I was young. I collected almost every significant title from the DC and Marvel canon. I also grew up on the Superman and Batman films of the 70s, 80s and 90s. I , with the host of the 21st generation, watched superhero films take complete control of the box office receipts since Spider-man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-man 3 (2007), The Dark Knight (2008), Iron Man (2008), The Avengers (2012), The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Iron man 3 (2013) has passed the billion dollar mark. Man of Steel (2013) has also done quite well. The success of comic book films make it clear that these films enjoy some measure of cultural significance in contemporary society having been adapted from the comic books that preceded them. Is it because these superheroes plastered on the pages of the comic books, and in film, are super powered and so are able to perform extraordinary feats that ordinary humans can only dream of? Is it because they represent some set of ideals we should all aspire to? Do they represent the potential of mankind to develop its bodily functions to a point that the laws of physics are defied thereby creating new laws related to matter and energy? All of the above will necessarily apply however there have been heroes from the old myths and fairy tales that represent the very same thing as these modern day comic book heroes. Greek myth, for instance, presented us with a plethora of ‘superheroes’ such as Hercules, Theseus and Achilles (I think I can include Kratos from the God of war series). Fairy tales have given us brave knights, wizards etc that rescue the damsel or defeat the dragon or a dark lord of magic. Norse Myth presented us with Thor and his mighty hammer that had grand adventures and defeated mighty creatures with his great hammer. The Lord of the Rings trilogy presented us with super powered individuals ( in their own right) that were able to do extraordinary things in their quest to defeat the owner of the ring of power. What then is the true difference between these heroes and those of today? The culture of capitalism, that’s what.
Most of the superheroes in comic books
emerged within the sphere of the capitalist culture. The notion that the bourgeoisie is the
dominant class is a major theme in the comic book world. This is made more apparent
when most of the superheroes originate in the great capitalist nation empire,
the United States of America. For instance you have the Justice League of
America and the Avengers, which represent the collective might of superheroes
in the DC and Marvel universe respectively, where all super powered individuals
reside in America, even if they are aliens. All of these so called superheroes
represent, primarily, American virtues which are dictated by the capitalist
mode of production. This mode of production involves the few that own the means
of production that extract surplus value/ unpaid labour time (based on the
length of the working day) from the working class. This mode of production
requires high levels of labour productivity, advanced technology and the
production of a vast # of commodities for exchange in the various markets. The middle class/petty bourgeois which
includes, mostly, professionals acts as the moral buffer and the centre of
bourgeois ideological activity. The superheroes fall either within the group
that control the means of production or the middle class. This is why
superheroes do not necessarily resonate with people from a primarily peasant background
or those individuals of the working class thoroughly brutalized by the
exploitation of capital. The superheroes come, primarily from these backgrounds
because it is these two classes that represent the hegemony of political and
civil society in capitalist society. The primary role of these two classes in
modern society is the maintenance of social order or as a detterent to anything that would
disrupt commerce.
Previous heroes from old mythology, fairy tales etc existed in slave or feudal economies. This is why they rode horses, travelled primarily on foot or were transported by a magical apparatus. The primary weapons were swords, spears, clubs, bow and arrow, shields and magical weapons whose origins cannot be explained from a scientific point of view. Their primary foes were magical beings or abnormal natural creatures such as dragons, lions, snakes, tigers etc. They also fought nature itself where the villains would inhabit the natural elements and use it as a force against them (the gods of Olympus). They emerged in a time when the mode of production was inferior because labour productivity was low and the pace of technological innovation was slow. The heroes of those myths relied more on their ability to relate with nature. The physical strength of the heroes was tied into mysticism or religious beliefs, therefore Hercules or Thor could not have powers if they did not have some filial relationship with the gods of that particular culture. Hercules was the son of Zeus, King of the gods in Greek myth and Thor was the son of Odin, King of the gods in Norse myth. Patriarchy was an important feature of these old cultures because women figure as individuals who were either vixens that cajole their husbands or use witchcraft (Medea is the most outrageous embodiment of these values in Greek myth) or those women that support the male hero and ennoble his manhood. Saving the damsel in distress was a prominent feature of this old lore (See Perseus and Andromeda). When Hercules was punished by being sentenced to three years of domestic servitude under Queen Omphale, where he had to dress like a maid, he considered it a worse trial than his famous twelve labours.
Due to the poverty associated with
the feudal and slave based economies, which were primarily agrarian, conquest
was vital in supporting the drive for enrichment. Conquest was not always
plunder for one cannot plunder the entire earth leaving nothing in your wake. After
conquest of a new territory it would be assimilated within the conquering
empire or nation. Tribute would be paid to the conqueror and the conqueror
would expand the opportunities for the exploitation of whatever wealth resided
in the conquered nation (gold, slave labour etc). The conquering nation would
be able to facilitate an improvement in the terms of trade and there would be a
more smooth transfer of goods because of the new avenues of settlement for the
conquering nation (See the Roman Empire and the development of the extensive
road network. See also Egypt, China, Indus Valley region and Mesopotamia). This tradition of conquest saw the emergence of a warrior class who were
the primary offenders or defenders
depending on the situation. This class of heroes relied on their
expertise in warfare to be successful. This led to the creation of legends
surrounding the famous warriors. Most heroes in Greek myth were involved in
some form of warfare of this type. Hercules went on several raids with a band
of warriors, including the first sack of troy and the exploits of Achilles are
famously documented in Homer’s account of the Trojan War. These elements
associated with conquest have passed over into today but within the context of
the bourgeois economy which emphasizes the valorization of capital. The
plundering associated with conquest is seen as retrograde in the comic book
world of today because instead of conquering let’s make money. Villains are
normally seen as conquerors (See General Zod in the most recent Man of Steel).
Now why are the comic book heroes of
today important to the culture of capital, particularly as it is expressed in
the West? They reinforce the capitalist culture primarily the culture of
America. Europe or the Old world, more readily embraces the myths of a bygone
era. Sophocles, Homer, Virgil, and Shakespeare all come from this tradition.They embodied these great ancient myths of the ancient
heroes in tragic style and their works are important in schools today. Due to the inadequacy of visual aids they appealed to the imagination by rendering the
tales in dense poetic styles. This is incompatible with the bourgeois mode of
production which is more direct and less superfluous and we see this with the
development of the film and comic book industry. The Asian countries,
particularly China and Japan also have a distinct fabled heritage supported by mythology.
They too have their famous warriors with supernatural abilities but within the
context of agricultural development just like Europe. See the Samurai of Japan,
the martial artists of China where the myths are embodied in films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero. Old European and Asian culture is
exported in this form due to the age of their respective civilizations. These
countries carry with them the burden of long dead traditions despite operating
in a more modern context. These cultures are still marketed with more modern
visual aids such as film. America on the other hand only knows the bourgeois
mode of production although there was a slave economy shattered by its civil
war. The myths of American heroes are myths primarily for the capitalist mode
of production.
I will
just outline briefly why these superheroes embody the capitalist culture of
America. Firstly the superheroes must emerge
within a capitalist context. Either the heroes are members of the capitalist
class (Bruce Wayne/Batman, Tony Stark/Iron Man) or they are simply middle class
representatives (the majority of superheroes. They don’t have money but they
have the power). The heroes from the capitalist class have enormous resources
at their disposal and use the technology to aid them in their fight. Their
primary weapons, therefore, are based on technology. The middle class
representatives must get their powers from something that enhances their
physical capabilities (Spider man bitten by a radioactive spider and Superman
benefiting from earth’s atmosphere. The mutants from X-men are born with their powers). Within
the capitalist context these powers have to be scientifically explained (Spider
man bitten by a radioactive spider etc). If not the powers must come from some
energy in the universe (Green Lantern). Even heroes from past myths make an
appearance within the capitalist culture and (Thor, the amazon wonder woman)
they appear condescending with a grandiose tradition riding at their heels yet
backward because of their origins and it is similar to how Europe and Asia is perceived as representatives of the Old
world with America representing the New world mentality with capitalism as the historical basis for its mode of production. Some modern heroes still use old means of fighting (Green Arrow, Huntress, Hawkeye) but with a more modern approach.
Secondly, the heroes must represent
bourgeois ideals particularly from an American perspective. Even cowboys are
seen as settling the frontier for the basis of capitalist economic
expansion. The slave based economy of the
American south operated within the bourgeois context of the American North and
the development of capitalism in Britain during the 19th century. Superman
is a classic example of bourgeois ideals having been reared on a peasant farm
and standing for truth Justice and the American way. His main villain is a
rabid capitalist, Lex Luthor and most of his villains are technologically
based. He is an alien from a advanced planet which seemed to have embodied capitalist
virtues and so his presence as an orphan from that planet makes him seem so
advanced and aware of the need for the growth of capital because his dead
planet embodied those same virtues. He only has to resolve the great crises of
capital. Over production, technology failure, swindlers, speculators etc. Superman
is a great harmonizer. Heroes such as Captain America emerged when America entered
World War 2 and there was a great drive to encourage the citizenry to buy war
bonds. After World War 2 he is conveniently frozen and when he returns his main
villain is still the Nazi, red skull. The Justice league of America and the
Avengers are based primarily in America with outposts in other countries like
the United Nations and the IMF. Most of the heroes of comic books originate in
America. It is a prerequisite.
Lastly the superheroes must
represent various facets of bourgeois society. Batman and iron man represent philanthropic
capitalists who use their wealth to resolve crisis through welfare activities.
This will allow them to protect their wealth from criminals. Batman’s great goal is to protect capital investments from
criminals. (I will elaborate when I speak of the role of comic book villains).
Superman, and Spider man are classic representatives of the middle class/petty
bourgeois and their great role is to ensure that capital runs smoothly even
though they do not have capital themselves. The majority of superheroes fall
within the middle class. They embrace
the system wholeheartedly. Crisis is represented by destructive elements even
if they are revolutionary and so these heroes are determined to resolve the
crisis created by the villain.
This concludes my discussion on the
value of comic book heroes and what they represent for western, particularly
American, culture. These comic book heroes are the legitimate cultural response
of capital to the old myths of the ancient societies of Europe and Asia and
reflect capital’s position as the most advanced society in history. *
*I will follow up when I speak of
the role played by comic book villains.
apologise for the typos. was in a hurry to transcribe it
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