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Your Definition Of A Super Hero?


Singingcrow

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Re: Your Definition Of A Super Hero?

 

1. Wolverine and the Hulk fighting in the Canadian wilderness lacks context in and of itself.

 

Tell us why they are fighting before judging their heroism.

 

2. So a cop with a bulletproof vest is more heroic than Superman who just plain is bulletproof?

 

By your logic I would be more heroic than any firefighter if I went out there and tried to save some people from a burning building regardless of training, fitness, or equipment.

 

Who cares if the building goes down, who cares if I make the situation worse due to my incompetance, who cares if everyone in the building dies because of me, it all does not matter because I was risking everything and thusly I am a hero.

 

Or would the word be "idiot?"

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Re: Your Definition Of A Super Hero?

 

Those ideals have become pretty well defined over the decades of existence of the superhero comic, and in many ways reflect the highest aspirations of American culture which birthed the superhero concept: accepting the responsibility of the strong to protect the weak; championing truth, justice, and liberty against all the forces of tyranny and destruction; supporting, and submitting themselves to, the rule of law in a just society; believing that extraordinary ability doesn't make someone fundamentally better than anyone else, and that less gifted individuals are still worthy of respect.
Isn`t this more like DC thing than Marvel thing ? In MU the government has been portrayed as increasingly corrupt and even in Silver Age there was some degree of suspicion between authorities and superheroes.

 

They submitted themselves to law, sure but it was more like "we can`t avoid it" rather than "Government is Good"

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Re: Your Definition Of A Super Hero?

 

Superman risks losing his humanity every time he uses his powers to take matters into his own hands. If he can stop natural disasters why can't he stop wars? famine, disease, etc... . He could easily lose his human perspective if he chose to be 'Superman' all the time instead of dedicating a small portion of his time to be 'Clark Kent' instead. If he ever truly loses his humanity he will become Supersomething but it won't be Superman or a superhero anymore.

 

 

 

 

SPOILER

Both the Kingdom Come Superman (in the current JSA comic) and Dr. Manhattan (from The Watchmen) are on the precipice of losing their humanity in their respective books.

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Re: Your Definition Of A Super Hero?

 

Superman risks losing his humanity every time he uses his powers to take matters into his own hands. If he can stop natural disasters why can't he stop wars? famine' date=' disease, etc... . He could easily lose his human perspective if he chose to be 'Superman' all the time instead of dedicating a small portion of his time to be 'Clark Kent' instead. If he ever truly loses his humanity he will become Super[u']something[/u] but it won't be Superman or a superhero anymore.

 

I think that was always the point of that element of Watchmen; "Here's my Superman. Watch him fall."

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Re: Your Definition Of A Super Hero?

 

Isn`t this more like DC thing than Marvel thing ? In MU the government has been portrayed as increasingly corrupt and even in Silver Age there was some degree of suspicion between authorities and superheroes.

 

They submitted themselves to law, sure but it was more like "we can`t avoid it" rather than "Government is Good"

 

There have certainly been instances in comics, as in real life, when factions of the American government have been shown to be corrupt, incompetent or just plain uncaring; and "superheroes" who decide to take the law into their own hands as a result, especially during the Iron Age of comics. In most comics series those have always been the in the minority, though. Most superheroes, like most American citizens, believe that their government, law and society are fundamentally and for the most part fair, and doing their best to serve the people. Even Batman, who operates outside the letter of the law, believes in its spirit and turns criminals he catches over to the system, rather than punish them himself.

 

And I'm not sure the excesses of Marvel Comics in recent years are the best examples to cite as to how superheroes should conduct themselves. ;)

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Re: Your Definition Of A Super Hero?

 

My definition of a superhero is a character with abilities either inborn or created that are superhuman or legendary that uses those abilities with the intent of upholding the good as they see it and righting wrongs. Traditional genre trappings include colorful (or at least distinctive) costuming and code names. The super element is pretty clear cut but the hero element is subjective and susceptible to context and setting considerations.

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Re: Your Definition Of A Super Hero?

 

I can't believe we're having this debate when there's been a well established definition for years:

 

Mr. Brown: At Diversity Today, we believe it's very easy to be a hero. All you need are honesty, empathy, respect, and open-mindedness.

Dwight Schrute: Ah, excuse me? I'm sorry, but that's not all it takes to be a hero.

Mr. Brown: Great, well, what is a hero to you?

Dwight Schrute: A hero kills people, people that wish him harm. A hero is part human and part supernatural. A hero is born out of a childhood trauma, or out of a disaster, that must be avenged.

Mr. Brown: Uh, you're thinking of a superhero.

Dwight Schrute: We all have a hero in our heart

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Re: Your Definition Of A Super Hero?

 

My definition of Superhero is two-fold

A) A superhero doesn't kill. Yes, that suggests that Wolverine, etc, aren't superheroes. Even suggests that Captain America isn't a superhero. He isn't. He's a warhero. Not that there is much difference since...

B) 'Superhero' is a subset of 'Pulp Hero', which means people who are the heroes in over the top adventures, often with powers beyond those of mortal man or gadgets far in advance of real life or the like.

 

So Cap is a Pulp Hero but not what I call a superhero. As of the movie, Iron Man is a pulp hero, not a superhero. Superman is a superhero. Batman is a superhero.

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Re: Your Definition Of A Super Hero?

 

My definition of Superhero is two-fold

A) A superhero doesn't kill. Yes, that suggests that Wolverine, etc, aren't superheroes. Even suggests that Captain America isn't a superhero. He isn't. He's a warhero. Not that there is much difference since...

 

Why do you make this distinction? It seems pointless to me.

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Re: Your Definition Of A Super Hero?

 

I'm pretty sure Batman killed at least a couple people in the early Detective Comics' date=' back when they were still mostly "Pulp" and "Superhero" wasn't really a defined genre. They've probably ret-conned that time period of his early days though...[/quote']

 

He did so in the first darn issue - uppercutted a crooked businessman into a vat of acid, remarking that it was, "a fitting end for his kind."

 

Batman was hardcore from day one. ;)

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Re: Your Definition Of A Super Hero?

 

I like to ask new players this question & so I ask you;

What is your definition of a Super Hero?

 

I've always felt that a super hero is somebody who is willing to take risks challenging villains more powerful than themselves to save others. But by this definition Superman doesn't qualify. He's immune to everything, more powerful than everyone else & thereby isn't "risking" anything. What do you think?

 

I guess I may have not explained myself enough. I didn't want to bias the thoughts I'd been "fishing" for.

My argument against Superman was that he's immune to 98% of the things out there that can hurt every other "hero". Is he really "risking" his life when 98% of the time things don't affect him? He can't even get a paper cut. Is he really taking a chance on stopping crime.

I mean I'd still appreciate it if he caught the airplane I was in when it's engines fail. But still is it a personal risk to him?

A hero risks more than just himself. Superman knows if he falls, Lois, Jimmy, Perry and pretty much the rest of the world is endangered. He risks his body to save his heart. Remember, in a lot of ways, Superman is a pacifist.

 

I'm pretty sure Batman killed at least a couple people in the early Detective Comics' date=' back when they were still mostly "Pulp" and "Superhero" wasn't really a defined genre. They've probably ret-conned that time period of his early days though...[/quote']

Not ret-conned. Different reality Batman. I believe Planetary: One Knight in Gotham showed this.

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