How many of you are tired of 'grim and gritty' superheroes?

Question

We've all seen characters who have crossed the line and become like the criminals they fight-- humorless, excessively violent, resorting to torture to gain information. If our own military shouldn't do these things, what makes it good for comic books?

In the latest Spider Man, after Aunt May was shot, Peter breaks a guys wrist to get information about the targeting scope from the rifle. He might as well put on a Rorschach mask. Is this what we really want?

That's one of the reasons I was so sad about Captain America. That kind of hero-- noble, honest, a shining example to us-- this is what we need, more than ever, now.

There are plenty of anti heros we can live 'down' to in real life. How many of you would like to see more heroes that will inspire us to be better persons than we have been, heroes that we will have to work to live UP to...?

Good answers so far (first two) and to spark interest, I would just like to add that Batman in not necessarily over the line. Yes, he uses fear and intimidation against criminals, but he has enhanced that part of his mythos because, deep down, criminals KNOW they have done wrong and he plays on their guilty conscience.The innocent know they have NO NEED to fear the Batman.

(Consider the time Batman got permission from Gordon to interrogate a prioner in his cell. He stood there and stared at him. When the man tried to turn away, Batman followed him and kept staring at him. After an hour, the guys was so unnerved that he lost his nerve and blurted out what Batman wanted to know. Later Gordon asked, "What did you DO to him?" And Batman replied, "I didn't touch him.")

That's classic Batman. This is what makes him also a super (moral) hero. He doesn't use his martial arts skills to hurt people unnecessarily or torture them for information.

Answer 1

This is the dilemna that our country and society face these days. Heroes like Captain America, Superman (original version), even goofballs like Freakazoid have an innocence and purity that most heroes today just don't have anymore. It's sad but true - too many heroes today are based on modern society, so they reflect today's lowered moralities and values.


It would be nice if we could hearken back to the days of yesteryear, when good and bad were easy to tell apart, and heroes were the stuff of legends - but those days seem to be a distant memory.

But even if no one else will, I will cling to those old fashioned and outdated values, because they still mean something to me. As the Godfather of Marvel Comics, Stan "The MAN" Lee says.....



EXCELSIOR, TRUE BELIEVERS!

Answer 2

Yeah. Bring back the Golden/Silver Age of comics. Where Superman was SUPERMAN, and didn't NEED anything but himself to go anywhere dangerous (unless, of course, he knew beforehand that he was going to a system with a red sun, or where kryptonite was present). Now, Superman needs special suits just to go underwater or into space.

Given a choice, I prefer Super Friends over the Justice League. Although, technically, the Super Friends ARE the Justice League, I think you know what I mean.

In the 60's, there was an animated Justice League. Filmation made it. There was individual cartoons for Superman, Superboy, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Flash, The Atom, and --believe it or not-- The Teen Titans. But Superman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Flash, and The Atom would also be in cartoons called Justice League of America. (Wonder Woman never showed, although Wonder Girl was in Teen Titans, and Batman wasn't animated at that time.) The Teen Titans were Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Speedy (although Green Arrow never showed, either.)

Now, look what they've done to these heros! I especially hate what they've done with Aquaman. The Aquaman on Justice League just doesn't FEEL like Aquaman anymore. Aquaman as I know him would care about the upperworlders as well as his own people.

I guess that's why I don't buy comics anymore. The "heroes" just aren't heroes anymore.

At least, Boomerang still plays Super Friends and the old Filmation cartoons. And I have my comic-book collection, so I can still read about the "good ol' days".

Answer 3

That is so true. Look at the true heros (Cap, Cyclops, Ben Grimm) and while they may not be the shining examples of moral excellence, they try to be above the riff raff that the villains are. they fight with honor, justice and believe in goodness. Heros like Wolverine, Lobo, Punisher, and now Spiderman are little better than the criminals they face. Think about it, the only reason that Wolverine was a hero and Sabretooth was a villain was because of which team they were on (Remember what Wolverine did to the Hellfire club in their first fight?)

We need to bring back the "good" heros and not the dark knights

Morg

Answer 4

I think as far as fan interst is concerned it was a refreshing change of pace to have a more flawed superhero to reflect real life a bit more.In real life people have flaws.If people are tired of it I think the comic and movie industry will adapt and give you what you want.the box office and comic book sales will determine what they will put out there.
As far as the lowering of society's moral values I think that has something to do with it.Maybe there will be somebody who sees that there is still an audience for the old school superheroes and deliver.

Answer 5

i imagine anybody except the comic e book nerds are dropping interest of all the superheros... ;) they ought to commence doing something unique, do not get me incorrect i love the unusual superhero action picture notwithstanding it really is type of severe via the quantity they are making! My commonplace type of action picture? no longer certain, i can watch almost any type of movie yet so long through the indisputable fact that's a fantastic movie. i love particularly comedy, mystery, on occasion horror and action, like little ones/family individuals, secret, crime, romance, myth and infrequently sci-fi, the in simple terms one i won't be able to watch is Western. xx

Answer 6

Nowadays, I just go to movies not because they are good exactly or have a great story, but for some great eye candy and they give me that so I have no reason to complain.

Answer 7

All this violence causes our children to be desensitized and ignorant, it really is too bad that all the positive role models have gone to pot.