David Godwin - The Superhuman: Wolverine, Hancock, the Watchmen, & More - (Topic of Choice #1)

Since our trip to see the Watchmen, I’ve been thinking about the role of “superhero” in American culture. I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of superheroes. As a kid I would get up early to watch the X-Men cartoons on TV. Today, I still indulge in the fantasy as I watch episodes of “Heroes” on NBC. What is it about these people with super powers that so fascinates us?
Will Smith just recently starred in a film that I think answers this question nicely. In the film Will Smith plays the role of Hancock, a disenfranchised superhero with a bad attitude. Later in the film, we discover that Hancock is one of two remaining super humans on the earth. These super humans have been alive since the beginning of time, and have lived throughout history. Before they became known as superheroes, according to Charlize Theron’s character (who is the other super human), they were known as gods. Throughout history, man has changed their names, but they’ve remained the same since the beginning. It’s an interesting concept to think about, the fact that the earliest superheroes were actually gods. For instance, Hercules (who was a half god) had superhuman strength much like Superman. The fact that we create these super humans in our mythology I think reflects our desire to be transcendent ourselves. What I appreciated about Watchmen, though, is that it shows that even superheroes have to be watched. No man, not even a super-man, is perfect.
When looking at the gods of the past (those of the Greeks, the Egyptians, etc.), none of them were ever really self-sufficient and perfect. They were all in some ways created and formed. Man himself created them in order to imagine themselves in this transcendent role. Only a few gods, specifically the Abrahamic God, claim not to be formed by the human image, but to have formed man in the image of God. Whereas the Abrahamic God claims perfection, the Greek gods of the past and our modern superheroes today have very apparent weaknesses. For Zeus it was lust; for Superman it is kryptonite. Perhaps we have manufactured these weaknesses to comfort ourselves. Creating a super human that is still weak allows us the opportunity to be weak at times as well. Perhaps it also serves as a reminder that we have created these gods ourselves, and they are nothing more than myths that have their loopholes.
This past weekend I watched the new X-men Origins film about Wolverine. In his story, it is very apparent that his super powers are, in some ways, due to the handiwork of man. Wolverine’s natural claws are replaced by the government with an indestructible metal. Not only was he partially created by man, but he was meant to be used by man as well. They called him “Weapon X.” Another superhuman in the film, Deadpool, was completely comprised of other heroes’ powers and parts, making him the most powerful super human. He became like a Frankenstein monster that was controlled by his “master.” However, his synthesis is obviously abhorrent. He is the evil arch-nemesis who must be defeated. Perhaps his place in superhero myth is to warn us of our superhero creations. If we try to make them too powerful, they will harm us. The idea of elevating man to an absolute position of power seems to be blasphemous, even from the non-religious, atheistic standpoint. Instead, we must settle with a middle man, like Wolverine, who has transcendent ability but is still only human.