Lesson One
Personal Cost
With great power comes great responsibility.
Before we jump into the first of many things superheroes face, we have to ask ourselves, what exactly is a superhero? There are as many definitions as there are experts or people who consume superhero stories. In short, a superhero is someone who defends the less fortunate, vulnerable, innocent, powerless, weak, and oppressed. They fight for fair play, truth, justice, law, and order. Or even simpler, they are defenders of right against wrong. Their action is based on charity and they see that certain, deemed villainous, behavior must be controlled if order is to be maintained.
As such, their personal lives and people a part of it are often at great risk from their adversaries. Our first example deals with the quote at the beginning of the lesson, which achieved an immortal status in superhero genre and is present in almost every existing superhero story. A conscious decision from a superhero to use their powers for the benefit of the society, which is what makes these individuals real heroes. With this, questions arise. Should super-powered individuals always use their powers for good? What if they choose to lead normal lives and are they morally in the wrong by doing so?
A superhero most commonly faced with this issue is the one who is the recipient of the famous "With great power..." quote, Peter Parker a.k.a. Spiderman. He needs to keep his superhero identity secret in order to protect his loved ones, work for the same man who pushes the "Spiderman is a menace" agenda to make ends meet and continuously save people who believe in such nonsense. In Sam Raimi's movie Spider-Man 2 (2004), Peter Parker's powers start to disappear and he decides to quit being Spiderman. He finds out that his life improves immediately. He becomes a better, stress-free, content and reliable person, strengthening his relationship with Mary Jane, his aunt May, his friends and chance encounters. A lot of people think that this case is a great metaphor of what can happen when you pursue something out of obligation rather than passion. However, in the end his thinking that he is obligated to help people prevailed and his powers returned with Peter Parker becoming Spiderman once more.
This leads us to third-party punishment, a core feature of superheroes, which explains why they have secret identities. Often criminals do not handle being beaten very well, therefore superheroes need to disguise themselves to protect loved ones from retaliation. Because superheroes themselves are too formidable and powerful for ordinary (and super-powered) villains to beat, they sometimes target their loved ones instead.
Spiderman says that "No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, the ones I love will always be the ones who pay." In Batman Begins (2005) this issue is raised as well. When Bruce Wayne and Alfred are talking about the bat symbol, this exchange happens between them.
- Alfred: "This
symbol is a persona to protect those you
care about from
reprisals?"
- Bruce: "You're
thinking about Rachel?"
- Alfred: "Actually, sir, I was thinking of myself."
Sometimes, having a secret identity helps, but other times, even a mask is not enough. Spiderman's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, was killed by the Green Goblin in now the iconic Spiderman issue "The Night Gwen Stacy Died". Similarly, three of Daredevil's lovers ended up the same way, most notably Karen Page and Elektra.
I would also like to mention "loyalty" or a better term, needed impartiality. Superheroes often demonstrate this by turning on their friends in response to what they perceive is a moral violation. Bruce Wayne turns on his mentor of several years, Ra's al Ghul, in Batman Begins (2005), when he is asked to show his commitment to justice by executing a murderer. When he turns on al Ghul, they battle and Wayne leaves the League of Shadows.
We have a similar situation in the X-Men franchise with now famed duo, Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr (known better as Magneto). They have known each other for decades, but they differ on how mutants should deal with humans when it comes to the latter hating the former. Magneto is very militant and believes that the conflict between mutants and humans will result in an out-right war, so to ensure mutant safety, he does not shy away from violent methods. On the other hand, Xavier believes that the conflict can be resolved peacefully, so he teaches his mutant students to only use their powers for good and to help humans whenever they can. The tension is captured in one of the final scenes of X-Men (2000) where Xavier visits Magneto in prison. Magneto says that he will escape and that "the war is still coming, Charles, and I intend to fight it, by any means necessary." To which Xavier replies "And I will always be there, old friend."
Lastly, there is money. Not all superheroes are rich as Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne and a lot of them live just above the poverty line and need to get a job to make ends meet. Weapons and costumes are not cheap, after all, and most get damaged during the fights with supervillains. Not to mention their homes are sometimes under attack as well, and property is very expensive. Peter Parker works as a pizza delivery man, then photographer at a newspaper that often print anti-Spiderman articles, while Superman is a reporter with The Daily Planet. Overall, ordinary superheroes, especially vigilantes, have little to no payment for their superhero duties. Thus, some become part of teams, which have a couple of wealthy backers or are acting as an extension of the government.