Historically, heroes and villains have been stark contrasts. The good guy wears a white hat, and the bad guy wears a black one. In the past dozen years, there's been a wave of darkness over these themes, which has blurred the concepts quite a lot. The version of Batman from Christopher Nolan's movies follows Frank Miller's "Dark Knight" vision--a much grittier and world-weary Batman. But, that trend is reversing. Today's Marvel movies have crystal clear heroes, and the villains are pretty obvious. Considering how fantastically well these films are doing, financially, I'm betting audiences want that clarity again.
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| The great hero Odysseus confronting the sorceress Circe. |
I suppose it's no surprise that people don't want their stories to be dreary and depressing all the time. Sure, it's more realistic, but wow, what a downer. Examine stories that have stood the test of time, and you'll find heroes and villains very plainly drawn. In fact, heroes tend to be paragons of virtue, and villains are scenery-chewing monsters. Good triumphs, and evil goes down in flames, yet it's a harsh struggle to survive. Despite the foregone conclusion of the outcome, the excitement is in the heroic journey and growth of determination in the hero.
So, I believe we are yearning once again for unrealistically pure heroes. Such heroes challenge us to be better than we are; braver, stronger, more willing to risk and lose. Heroes are the ultimate role models, imbued with everything we cherish and hope for in ourselves. Sure, that's unrealistic and ridiculous, but it's fiction so why not revel in audacity? We could use a few pillars of virtue in our modern stories. As much as I admire the darker Batman's realism, I wouldn't want him as a neighbor, but I'd love Odysseus (despite his scheming ways) because I know he would always protect me.
- M
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