Tanya Batson-Savage, Staff ReporterTHOUGH IT has not been formally so named, there is a worldwide battle of the superheroes being waged. The ring of choice is a cinema or DVD near you.
The latest contenders are Spider-Man and Catwoman, who are currently duking it out at box offices. In this battle of the superheroes Catwoman may purr as she might but Spider-Man, armed with his web and witty quips, is clearly the victor so far.
Other superhero contenders who have jumped into the ring to see who is the 'superest' of them all include Batman, The Hulk, The Punisher, Daredevil and The X-Men. Though he has not been on the big screen for several years, Superman has been making his presence felt on television.
BOYHOOD YEARS
The latest is the WB's Smallville, which tells of Superman's boyhood years. Like Batman and The X-Men, Superman has also been featured in animated series. Indeed, according to characterproducts.com Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman are the only characters in continuous publication since 1940.
In many cases, for example, The Punisher and Catwoman, the heroes walk the tightrope between villainy and heroism, often being introduced as a villain in one series then launching out on their own. Spider-Man and Batman have always been declared heroes. However, spurred by the media's refusal to accept them as simply heroes, the public also sees them as both villainous and heroic.
Superman, however, has had an unequivocal position with the public. He is the essential hero. Indeed, when the Superman animated series was relaunched on the WB in 1996 his adopted mother, Martha Kent, urged him to give interviews to the press, stating "It's not like you're that freak from Gotham City."
LACK OF FREAKINESS
Indeed, his lack of freakiness separates Superman from other heroes and would-be heroes. Superman's difference is clearly explained at the end of Kill Bill: Volume 2. Bill theorises that Superman is the ultimate superhero because he is always who he is. As Bill explains, unlike other superheroes, Superman is not an alter ego. He is the ego. Clark Kent is the creation to allow him to fit in the world.
Having been rescued by his father from the planet Krypton, his costume is a mere symbol of his difference, but without it he is still Superman. He needs no additives or preservatives, gadgets or costumes. Though it looks pretty on him, his cape is not necessary for flying as he simply defies gravity. With or without his Kellogg's breakfast he remains the man of steel, faster than a speeding bullet.
Batman has no superpowers and as such is defined by his costume, of which his gadgets are a part. Stripped of his car and other trinkets, The Dark Knight is merely a man with an unhealthy obsession for black leather and a burning desire to squash evil. Spider-Man was just your normal average geek until a radioactive spider bit him. However, even that was not enough to complete him as a superhero. All superheroes need to be able to get around quickly and, as amazing as his 'spidey sense' is, it did not allow him to fly. In keeping with the nature of the character then, Peter Parker invented the sticky webbing to help him swing from one building to the next.
REPRESENTING THE US
Either way, costumes are an intrinsic part of all superheroes and in some way help to define them. It is no mistake that Spider-Man, Wonder Woman and Superman all wear red and blue, the dominant colours of the American flag. Their 'superdeeds' represent the United States. Despite having come from another planet, Superman (not Clark Kent) is your average All-American. He is clean cut and clean shaven, his hair is never rumpled and only one lock ever falls out of place.
Superman is the antithesis to rebellion.
Interestingly, Spider-Man 2 played on the fact that Spider-Man was no Superman. Despite his great strength, his humanity and limitations were brought to bear when he tried to stop a train from going off track. Superman would have (and has) simply hoisted the train from danger and put it down elsewhere. However, Spider-Man, who remains Peter Parker even when in costume, is far more vulnerable. At the end of the feat he is left spent and his costume looks more like it belonged to Bruce Willis in Die Hard than a superhero.
Additionally, Spider-Man remains plagued by the mundanities of life which sometimes gets the better of him, with even snooty ushers being able to thwart him.
Though his affinity to a spider makes him an unlikely hero (given that the creepy crawlers are so vilified), Spider-Man is the most human of the superheroes. Unlike Superman who fights crime from a sense of duty and Batman for revenge, Spider-Man works from a point of guilt. These traits seemed to have endeared Spider-Man to audiences all over the world, in a time when the war on terror seems to be an incubator for terrorists. Ordinary bravery is something that can be deeply admired. When Spider-Man is stripped of his mask in a crowded train and reduced to a kid in a costume, he is shown to be just an ordinary man doing extraordinary things.
HIGHEST GROSSING MOVIES
According to the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) Spider-Man 2 is one of the highest grossing movies, worldwide, for 2004. Having grossed US$647,740,594.00 and climbing, Spidey has swung past Jesus with the The Passion of the Christ, though he has yet to outmanoeuvre the magic of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and the green ogre and his furry talking pals in Shrek 2.
According to the listing, Spider-Man 2 is poised at position 22 in the all-time worldwide ranking. Its predecessor, 2002's Spider-Man has webbed its way to number 11, having grossed US$806,700,000.00. This makes Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 the highest grossing superhero movies of all time.
Other superheroes have made their mark on the worldwide top 200 listing.
The other unlikely hero, Batman, has also found much favour at the box office. Batman (1989) has grossed US$413,200,000.00, holding position 61. Batman and Robin (1997), Batman Forever (1995) and Batman Returns (1992) have all made it on the top 200 listing. So too have X2: X-Men United (2003), X-Men (2000) and Superman (1978).
By its third instalment, however, Spider-Man will have to battle for world box office domination with a much mightier hero than Catwoman. Superman Returns is scheduled to hit box offices in 2006.
DEMANDING HUMANITY
Created by Joe Schuster and Jerome Siegel, Superman was first published by DC National (now DC Comics) in 1939. Two years later the man of steel flew on to television screens with his first cartoon in 1941, Bud Collyer being the voice of Superman. When he returns, Superman is likely to be a very different kind of character and not merely because he is now the spokesman for American Express. Phone booths are no more and today's audiences seem to be demanding humanity from their superheroes. Is it possible that this time around he will be more like Neo of The Matrix, who flew quite close to the Superman image in The Matrix Reloaded, or will he have more flaws?
Superheroes are great not simply because they live in unique places like Gotham City or Metropolis, like really tight costumes and can either defy gravity or swing around as though they can. Superheroes so eloquently capture the imagination because they not only represent the continued fight of good versus evil, but they also show how thin the line between the two is.
Superheroes could be anybody and many of them walk around like the boy (and occasionally the girl) next door. Additionally, the villains they fight are simply exaggerated versions of the evils that are fought every day. They hold out the hope that we really do not have to be trapped by our smallness; we, too, can be great.
