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If you ever wondered why superheroes have been increasingly likely over the years to beat the crap out of each other rather than super villains, you're not alone. What was once the occasional story to satisfy "What if?" questions among loyal fans has now become a common occurrence. It's a result of a cultural change that's happened under the radar---and it's not good.
These days, even non-comic fans are familiar with The Avengers and the X-Men. There was a time when I was a kid, however, that referencing Cyclops…was not cool. Wolverine’s claws were not instantly recognizable. The name Tony Stark was not something Hollywood executives were dropping in connection with possible summer blockbusters. Comics have come a long way, but not necessarily for the better. Although, truthfully, it’s not the comics, but us, that there is something wrong with. Notice anything interesting about some of the big events from the last few years?
- Avengers Disassembled: The Scarlet Witch (an Avenger) loses her mind, resulting in the death of Hawkeye and generally wreaking havoc across the Marvel Universe.
- Marvel’s Civil War: Heroes fight each other over the government’s “Superhero Registration Act,” an allegory of the Patriot Act that brings about the “death” of Captain America.
- Avengers vs. X-Men: The two huge superhero teams are pitted against one another over the return of “Phoenix Force,” and what it means for earth.
If you wondered what the super villains were doing while the superheroes were beating the hell out of each other, then send me your address and perhaps I’ll send you a cookie. If you wondered why I didn’t mention Captain America targeting the Tea Party movement, then kudos—it’s related to what I’m talking about, but that’s more a result of liberal writers and editors than the overarching cultural problem I see reflected in the stories.
While fans have always had debates (e.g., Who would win in a fight, Captain America or Wolverine?), and writers have sometimes satisfied the demand to know, in general the stories flowed naturally. It would be logical for more traditional heroes to possibly come to blows with those known for vigilante justice. Today, it appears that the “good guys” are much more inclined to fight each other—and by extension ignore the “bad guys”—than ever before. The good guys are more inclined to make deals with (for all intents and purposes) the Devil. The lines have been blurred so much between characters who used to be good and those who used to be evil, that comics are more character studies than any sort of vehicle from which we can teach right from wrong.
For Avengers vs. X-Men, what can we expect? Marvel’s executive director, Tom Brevoort tells us (h/t Four Color Media Monitor):
“We’re definitely going to get to more punching and hitting very quickly…There will be a significant amount of eye gouging and knee biting.”
Do you know what, Tom Brevvort? I don’t want to see Captain America gouge out Cyclops’s…eye…or visor…(you get the point!) for months on end. I don’t want to see Wolverine tear apart guys who should be his allies for any extended period of time. It’s weird. It’s also another reason why guys like me don’t buy your product like we used to.
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
