5 ms·

In our post-shame, fact-resistant world, maybe we should recalibrate what a superhero is. Perhaps it's someone who values public good over personal profit, and

by papito 7y ago

In our post-shame, fact-resistant world, maybe we should recalibrate what a superhero is. Perhaps it's someone who values public good over personal profit, and someone who doesn't compromise their principles in the face of trolling and smearing. Children should be looking up to THAT, not being able to punch through walls. The bar is pretty low.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y ago
But superheroes provide convenient excuses why we don't do that: they're super. Oh sure, you can argue that some of them don't have magic powers, like Batman and Ironman, but that's ignoring super-wealth (and impossible engineering). What we need is a superhero who's just a guy with a crappy office job who wants to make the world a better place, and his only tools are his sense of justice and a costume he bought at a garage sale. Someone so utterly unremarkable that they just use their regular name as their superhero name. That's right, I'm saying we need an Arthur movie. ...more realistically, I think we could use more stories about regular people who made a difference just by be being good people.
- yyx 7y ago
  Reminds me of "Super" (2010) by James Gunn https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512235/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512235/
- EpicEng 7y ago
  >...more realistically, I think we could use more stories about regular people who made a difference just by be being good people. Plenty of those exist, but they scratch a different itch. People can enjoy both.
- Krasnol 7y ago
  How about a hoodie and we all watch Mr. Robot?
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  > ...more realistically, I think we could use more stories about regular people who made a difference just by be being good people. TNG-era Star Trek had a lot of that. Sure, the protagonists were not regular people, but they also didn't have superpowers. Their specialness served primarily to ensure they had lots of problems thrown at them, problems they very often solved through the strength of their character (and the character of the organization backing them), instead of trickery or violence. I miss that in today's entertainment.
- busterarm 7y ago
  "What we need is a superhero who's just a guy with a crappy office job who wants to make the world a better place, and his only tools are his sense of justice and a costume he bought at a garage sale. Someone so utterly unremarkable that they just use their regular name as their superhero name." We had that comic book and TV show decades ago, except he was a homeless guy and it was called The Maxx. People keep acting like this kind of storytelling is new or doesn't exist, but we've always had it. The people asking for it just have a really narrow perspective.
- herbstein 7y ago
  > What we need is a superhero who's just a guy with a crappy office job who wants to make the world a better place You should probably check out "Dark Waters" https://youtu.be/jvQUIt0BWcU https://youtu.be/jvQUIt0BWcU
edflsafoiewq 7y ago
Saints? What has replaced the genre of hagiography in the modern world anyway?
- fullshark 7y ago
  Press releases
EpicEng 7y ago
>Perhaps it's someone who values public good over personal profit, and someone who doesn't compromise their principles in the face of trolling and smearing. Children should be looking up to THAT, not being able to punch through walls. So... almost every single super hero then? Have you even watched any of these movies? CA Civil War is all about authoritarianism and how much freedom we should trade for safety. Dr Strange grapples with a death he caused in self defense and uses his mind to save the day. Captain America represents the pinnacle of self sacrifice, and Iron Man's entire journey is about him eschewing his old ways and becoming selfless. Beyond this, they've done a good job of making less one dimensional villians lately. And yes, there are fights and super powers. Lots of them. People like action and mysticism, and they always will. That doesn't make them dumb, get over it.
- papito 7y ago
  An actual superhero universe would be much closer to Amazon's The Boys, I would argue.
  - EpicEng 7y ago
    I agree, but why do you think that matters? "Fantasy" is a genre for a reason. We don't always need or want 'realistic' interpretations. There was no mention of realism in your comment. You argued that we should be emphasizing other traits in these movies, and I argue that we already are.
eli_gottlieb 7y ago
That's basically Spider-Man's usual character arc.

by papito 7y ago

AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y ago

But superheroes provide convenient excuses why we don't do that: they're super. Oh sure, you can argue that some of them don't have magic powers, like Batman and Ironman, but that's ignoring super-wealth (and impossible engineering). What we need is a superhero who's just a guy with a crappy office job who wants to make the world a better place, and his only tools are his sense of justice and a costume he bought at a garage sale. Someone so utterly unremarkable that they just use their regular name as their superhero name. That's right, I'm saying we need an Arthur movie. ...more realistically, I think we could use more stories about regular people who made a difference just by be being good people.

yyx 7y ago
Reminds me of "Super" (2010) by James Gunn https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512235/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512235/
EpicEng 7y ago
>...more realistically, I think we could use more stories about regular people who made a difference just by be being good people. Plenty of those exist, but they scratch a different itch. People can enjoy both.
Krasnol 7y ago
How about a hoodie and we all watch Mr. Robot?
TeMPOraL 7y ago
> ...more realistically, I think we could use more stories about regular people who made a difference just by be being good people. TNG-era Star Trek had a lot of that. Sure, the protagonists were not regular people, but they also didn't have superpowers. Their specialness served primarily to ensure they had lots of problems thrown at them, problems they very often solved through the strength of their character (and the character of the organization backing them), instead of trickery or violence. I miss that in today's entertainment.
busterarm 7y ago
"What we need is a superhero who's just a guy with a crappy office job who wants to make the world a better place, and his only tools are his sense of justice and a costume he bought at a garage sale. Someone so utterly unremarkable that they just use their regular name as their superhero name." We had that comic book and TV show decades ago, except he was a homeless guy and it was called The Maxx. People keep acting like this kind of storytelling is new or doesn't exist, but we've always had it. The people asking for it just have a really narrow perspective.
herbstein 7y ago
> What we need is a superhero who's just a guy with a crappy office job who wants to make the world a better place You should probably check out "Dark Waters" https://youtu.be/jvQUIt0BWcU https://youtu.be/jvQUIt0BWcU

edflsafoiewq 7y ago

Saints? What has replaced the genre of hagiography in the modern world anyway?

fullshark 7y ago
Press releases

EpicEng 7y ago

>Perhaps it's someone who values public good over personal profit, and someone who doesn't compromise their principles in the face of trolling and smearing. Children should be looking up to THAT, not being able to punch through walls. So... almost every single super hero then? Have you even watched any of these movies? CA Civil War is all about authoritarianism and how much freedom we should trade for safety. Dr Strange grapples with a death he caused in self defense and uses his mind to save the day. Captain America represents the pinnacle of self sacrifice, and Iron Man's entire journey is about him eschewing his old ways and becoming selfless. Beyond this, they've done a good job of making less one dimensional villians lately. And yes, there are fights and super powers. Lots of them. People like action and mysticism, and they always will. That doesn't make them dumb, get over it.

papito 7y ago
An actual superhero universe would be much closer to Amazon's The Boys, I would argue.
- EpicEng 7y ago
  I agree, but why do you think that matters? "Fantasy" is a genre for a reason. We don't always need or want 'realistic' interpretations. There was no mention of realism in your comment. You argued that we should be emphasizing other traits in these movies, and I argue that we already are.

eli_gottlieb 7y ago

That's basically Spider-Man's usual character arc.