If the clothes make the man, does the costume make the hero?
My wife and were having a very interesting conversation last night about a new story I was working on and it drifted off into the concept of heroes and their secret identities. I also had just watched Batman Begins on DVD so the thought was fresh in my mind… which lead me to a realization: the main difference between a Marvel Superhero and a DC Superhero is not their powers, but the importance of their secret identity.
In Kill Bill, David Carridine’s character had a speech about Superman; he said that Clark Kent was the costume that Superman put on to fit in. In Batman Begins Katie Holmes’ character told Batman that Bruce Wayne was his mask and his real face was the one that criminals now feared. If you go down the line, you’ll find that most of the DC falls into the same category. Aquaman is the king of Atlantis and has no secret identity. Wonder Woman only had a secret identity to fit in and since got rid of it. The Green Lanterns give up their lives for the most part to be protectors of their sectors. Hawkman is a reincarnation of… Hawkman. Martian Man-Hunter does the same thing as Superman.
You go over to the Marvel Universe and you find characters like Mr. Fantastic, who most people call Reed Richards and need him more for his brain than his powers. Peter Parker has to struggle with guilt and daily life and occasionally putting on his Spider-Man costume. Matt Murdock is a top-flight lawyer who moonlights as a superhero. Iron Man is all about Tony Stark, his inventions, his drinking problems, his love life and his tin britches when he needs them. And the Hulk is all about Banner not wanting to be the Hulk.
Now, the difference here is when the characters were created and by whom. The golden aged characters created in the 30s and 40s were all about the heroic side. Marvel’s heroes from that era are the same way. Captain America and The Submariner fit more into the DC Universe’s style because they were created around the same time as most of the main DC characters. What Stan Lee did when he created his characters was he put a lot of effort into who wears the costume and why. His stories were more about the angst of being different than about being heroic. He wrote tales of drama with a sprinkling of action. At times the fight scenes seemed to only be there because of a requirement to make it a superhero comic.
Now, DC comics is going through their Infinite Crisis and one of the things Dan Di Dido said in an interview was that secret identities have been lost in the DC Universe and this was going to bring them back. I wonder if he had the same realization that I did? I also wonder if this is a good idea? When reading a Superman story, I tend to rush through the Clark Kent stuff to get back to Superman. Same with Batman and the other DC characters. Will a new emphasis on their non-costumed sides improve the comics or will it just take away from what makes a DC book what it is? DC has never been about the drama, but about the heroes and their deeds… and I hope they stay that way.
My wife and were having a very interesting conversation last night about a new story I was working on and it drifted off into the concept of heroes and their secret identities. I also had just watched Batman Begins on DVD so the thought was fresh in my mind… which lead me to a realization: the main difference between a Marvel Superhero and a DC Superhero is not their powers, but the importance of their secret identity.
In Kill Bill, David Carridine’s character had a speech about Superman; he said that Clark Kent was the costume that Superman put on to fit in. In Batman Begins Katie Holmes’ character told Batman that Bruce Wayne was his mask and his real face was the one that criminals now feared. If you go down the line, you’ll find that most of the DC falls into the same category. Aquaman is the king of Atlantis and has no secret identity. Wonder Woman only had a secret identity to fit in and since got rid of it. The Green Lanterns give up their lives for the most part to be protectors of their sectors. Hawkman is a reincarnation of… Hawkman. Martian Man-Hunter does the same thing as Superman.
You go over to the Marvel Universe and you find characters like Mr. Fantastic, who most people call Reed Richards and need him more for his brain than his powers. Peter Parker has to struggle with guilt and daily life and occasionally putting on his Spider-Man costume. Matt Murdock is a top-flight lawyer who moonlights as a superhero. Iron Man is all about Tony Stark, his inventions, his drinking problems, his love life and his tin britches when he needs them. And the Hulk is all about Banner not wanting to be the Hulk.
Now, the difference here is when the characters were created and by whom. The golden aged characters created in the 30s and 40s were all about the heroic side. Marvel’s heroes from that era are the same way. Captain America and The Submariner fit more into the DC Universe’s style because they were created around the same time as most of the main DC characters. What Stan Lee did when he created his characters was he put a lot of effort into who wears the costume and why. His stories were more about the angst of being different than about being heroic. He wrote tales of drama with a sprinkling of action. At times the fight scenes seemed to only be there because of a requirement to make it a superhero comic.
Now, DC comics is going through their Infinite Crisis and one of the things Dan Di Dido said in an interview was that secret identities have been lost in the DC Universe and this was going to bring them back. I wonder if he had the same realization that I did? I also wonder if this is a good idea? When reading a Superman story, I tend to rush through the Clark Kent stuff to get back to Superman. Same with Batman and the other DC characters. Will a new emphasis on their non-costumed sides improve the comics or will it just take away from what makes a DC book what it is? DC has never been about the drama, but about the heroes and their deeds… and I hope they stay that way.
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