Superhero retirement plans
Filed under Trends & Tropes on December 30, 2008
Tagged: Batman, Bruce Wayne, comic books, superheroes
Bruce Wayne is hanging up the cape and cowl in 2009. I haven’t read comic books with any regularity since I got married, and only just heard about this event a couple months ago when it hit mainstream media. My immediate reaction was cynical, born of too many “death” events and the cold, hard business logic that the iconic Bruce Wayne-Batman is a cash cow TimeWarner has no intention of abandoning. I’m less interested in how and when Bruce will return (you know he will) than I am in the concept of retiring superheroes, and why the big 2 publishers can’t seem to let go.
Comic book editorial staff tread a thin line between maintaining the familiarity of an iconic character and preventing staleness from setting in. If a character doesn’t grow, it eventually dies–at least, in terms of reader interest. Yet, real change in comic books is rare. Eventually, it all gets reset or retconned in some fashion.
Now, I’m not advocating the permanent deaths of Superman, Batman, or Spiderman, but I don’t see why the editors don’t embrace the evolution of the characters, including the retirement and passing of the mantle. Let’s examine the possible consequences of such a decision in the case of Bruce Wayne and Batman.
At the end of Batman RIP, Bruce disappears as his helicopter crashes into the river, after he was shot by the villain. His body is not found, in classic comic book tradition. We’ll assume he returns at some point in the future, but in the meantime, one of his proteges takes on the role of Batman. When Bruce does resurface, he has come to terms with the childhood trauma that drove him to become Batman. He’s tired of the fight, mentally and physically. He sees his replacement is handling the job and decides that part of his life is over.
This scenario has several advantages, both in terms of character growth, story potential and business practice. Bruce Wayne’s new role provides a sense of progress while his continued presence in the setting acts as a familiar anchor to old and new readers. The new Batman is more accessible to new readers because he lacks the years of baggage. The man behind the cowl also brings different motivations and desires, opening new paths for character development.
Are you interested in this kind of retirement plan for superheroes? Does it work for iconic heroes like Batman, or are they too tied to their mythos to be able to separate the man from the mask?
December 30th, 2008 at 8:29 am
The problem for these characters is that the alter ego is inexorably tied to the masked persona. Superman without Clark Kent is not ‘Superman’, he’s another schlub from Krypton with a cape and some cool powers. It’s the personality of Clark Kent that feeds Superman stories with their energy. It’s the personal histories of Peter Parker, Steve Rogers, and Tony Stark that decide what actions Spider Man, Captain America, Iron Man take on the page. When your replace them you don’t have the real characters anymore, you have Kraven the Hunter, Bucky, and Rhodie standing in their place and doing things differently. That means you have a different character.
Not that that is a bad thing, it’s just the way it is. I think the definition of ‘iconic character’ is one that cannot be changed. They always have to reset to their basic roots. Captain Kirk can never be portrayed as a granola eating tree hugger no matter how many space hippies he picks up along the way. (Spock, I’m not so sure about.)
So I guess the answer to your question is ‘no.’ Bruce Wayne can etire all he wants to but he will always be reinvented and reintroduced just like Superman was a while back when they changed his origin story to 1950′s Kansas instead of back in the 30′s. Then the TV show with Dean Cain and Miss Too-Hot-For-Network-Prime-Time came along and presented his origin story as in the 70′s. I don’t watch Smallville but they probably did the same thing. Comics eventually follow suit.
December 30th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Myths and legends frequently get recast in the image and cultures of the times. I think comic books represent a type of myth telling, which is why the icons don’t die.
December 30th, 2008 at 11:43 am
An excellent point, Chgowiz, especially considering how rooted superheroes are in classical mythology.
December 30th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
This is undoubtedly sacrilege, but I am so ready for the superheroes to retire. Especially Superman. And, after the rather insect-like unblinking gaze of the last SpiderMan, who totally makes me shiver in yuckiness, Spider Man as well. Bat Man, too.
I would like some new, totally kick-butt super heroes though, who are born into this current world, understand it, and are motivated by things we face.
On the other hand, watching Go-Go Greenie save an old stand forest just doesn’t have the same grip… and the old corporate nemesis is so has-been, old-school. What are the new Supers gonna save us from? Gov’t Bailouts? Sheesh.
I was really hoping for some strong female leads these last few years, but most of those movies (Cat Woman, V for Vendetta, Ultraviolet, Underworld, etc) were 2-D in plot & character development — and often just an excuse to show skin.
So what say you, Writers? Wanna create a new Icon?
December 31st, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Hey Kameron!
I watch a Comic book related video podcast named iFanboy that is really good. They talk about this subject in their latest episode. You might find it interesting.
Here is the link:
http://www.ifanboy.com/content/video/ifanboy_-_episode__103_-_death_and_comics
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:30 am
I really dig your idea, Kam. I’m not a hardcore comic geek (though I do read a series now and then), so maybe I don’t represent the pulse of comic readers, but if I were reading a series and torch were passed in that way I think it would get me really immersed into the story by turning my expectations on their ear.
Kind of like how Supreme Power did it (in the Max version, comics 1-18).
I also really like Chgowiz’s comment. If other myths and such can evolve, why not comics?
January 7th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
There’s always the “Dread Pirate Roberts” approach.
Bruce Wayne takes Alfred’s Place as he helps another youth deal with his own childhood demons. This idea worked for the Zorro movie and Superman Returns hinted at it, as well.
Even Heroes rings with this theme. One generation finally matures to the point (or dies in the attempt) that they can give rise to a new generation of superheroes.
Wasn’t that the whole point of the academy Professor Xavier set up, anyway? The mechanism is there to retire and refresh the stories seamlessly. It just needs to be used.
January 9th, 2009 at 7:20 am
They’ve pulled off some types of stories like you’re suggesting. Robin did grow up to be Nightwing. Batgirl grew up to be Oracle (and ended up in a wheel cheir if I remember right).
The cartoon for Batman Beyond had a young batman aided by an older scarred Bruce. I didn’t care for the new younger Batman, since he felt more like a slightly older Robin, but having an older new Batman would work. Dick Grayson (Nightwing) feels like the logical replacement for Bruce.
I stopped reading comics a long time ago. I think the last X-Men I read was the Age of Apocalypse storyline. It’s end feltl like a good place to stop and I haven’t looked back since. Though I did check out the Ultimate X-Men series lately, which is basically a reboot.
January 9th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Heh, I stopped reading X-Men with Age of Apocalypse, too. The last Batman was Knightfall. I stopped Superman at #100, though I picked up the issue where he became an energy being and when he got married to Lois.
I agree with Chris and Stuart that some superhero books are probably better setup for retiring the man behind the mask and replacing him/her with another. Batman and Iron Man spring to mind, and they have toyed with the notion (Robin to Nightwing; Terry Rhodes as Iron Man then War Machine). Captain American falls in this category as well. And using a school premise like Xavier’s Academy would certainly allow for the retirement of one cast and the induction of fresh blood. They did it once when the original team was replaced with Wolverine and company. And a less-successful spin-off with the New Mutants. Organizations like the Green Lantern Corps or the Nova Corp also provide a similar opportunity.
As I mentioned, editors have toyed with the idea of replacing/retiring superheroes in several of these titles, but always revert back. Why? Fan outcry and a sudden loss of revenue as a result?