SPOILERS for Batman volume 3 #50
In the issue, Catwoman is seized by an attack of conscience, and decides not to marry Batman, on the grounds that making him happy would destroy the “engine” that drives the Dark Knight and he would no longer be able to protect people who need him.
If this feels somewhat familiar, it is because her argument – that Batman is driven not by a need to see real justice but by the psychological damage wrought by watching his parents slaughtered as a child, so effective therapy or the right situation at home could end his reign – is one that (often half-serious) fans have made, and even creators like Frank Miller seem to at least sort of believe if you read between the lines of their work.“I think there is a difference between Batman and Superman on this level. Maybe Spider-man’s a better example,” King told ComicBook.com at New York Comic Con last year (you can see the video above). “I think when people see the marriage between Spider-Man and Mary Jane, a lot of people see the end of a story. ‘You’ve given Spider-Man happiness, so there’s sort of nowhere to go.’ That’s why you get Mephisto and you get the reversal of the whole thing. I think Batman is the exact opposite.You give him happiness and you’re creating conflict. You’re not ending conflict, you’re creating something. You can’t go darker on Batman. Everything darker has been done….Batman has been as dark as he can be, but you give a character that dark, that painful, a touch of happiness, you’re adding fuel to a fire that’s never gotten fuel on it before. I think there’s a lot more story there.”
Tom King author of Batman volume 3 #50
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Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man.I just wanted to do what I thought would be the first realistic superhero. Up until then, superheroes didn’t really have problems. They only had one problem, and that was how to beat up every villain…I told John [Romita] that I thought Peter should end up with Gwen…I thought she’d be the perfect wife for Peter…[When asked how he thinks Spider-Man has grown over the years] Oh terrifically! He started off as a shy teenager and now he’s a happily married man. He doesn’t have children yet but he may sometime down the line. He’s still got those two personalities. He’s Peter Parker and he’s Spider-Man and he still has a million problems which I think is very important to the strip. I think Peter Parker should always have problems I know I still have my share. Why should he be any different?
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