Should superheroes be called out on their privilege?

[QuinnFillory]

For years, superheroes like Batman have bee called out on their privilege, stating that people like him should be using their wealth and status in helping their cities as opposed to just beating up bad guys and criminals. A lot of articles and blogs have been putting a lot thought into this argument. Now, this doesn't apply to all superheroes, like Spiderman (who is poor), or Superman and Wonder Woman (who mostly fights cosmic aliens and gods). But it does affect a lot of them. So, should they be called on it? Or, is a lot of thought being put into nothing?

Here is an article about Batman's privilege:

https://www.avclub.com/matt-reeves-t...yne-1848661503

[babyblob]

If this were the real world Bruce is a failure on trying to help Gotham.

But this is a comic book, this is fantasy. Why are people so upset on how a fantasy character spends his money?

[Kirby101]

I dunno

[Jim Kelly]

One of the big influences on Batman was the Scarlet Pimpernel, created by Baroness Orczy in 1905. Lord Percy Blakeney, being a member of the British aristocracy, had a fair amount of scratch. But what good was that in revolutionary France? During the Terror, when aristocrats were losing their heads, it seems unlikely that Blakeney's money could have done much to stop what was happening across the Channel. The best application of his resources was to become a mystery man who could enter Paris in disguise and free the unfortunate from Madame Guillotine. "Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

[The Cool Thatguy]

I dunno

Probably not the best example, this page.

Given that Hal saves the world on a regular basis, and they have Green Arrow right there, who is a millionaire who fights street criminals with money and trick arrows.

[ed2962]

Probably not the best example, this page.

Given that Hal saves the world on a regular basis, and they have Green Arrow right there, who is a millionaire who fights street criminals with money and trick arrows.

I'm pretty sure that during this run Ollie lost most of his money, this inspired him to be an activist for the little people. When he's in his civilian role, he lives in just a regular apartment.

And the old dude is calling out Hal cuz yeah...he saves the world, but it's a world that treats certain people as second class citizens. This was literally what was happening when that comic was published.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I'm pretty sure that during this run Ollie lost most of his money, this inspired him to be an activist for the little people. When he's in his civilian role, he lives in just a regular apartment.

And the old dude is calling out Hal cuz yeah...he saves the world, but it's a world that treats certain people as second class citizens. This was literally what was happening when that comic was published.

So Hal's supposed to stop saving the world, galaxy and everyone in it, to fight social issues, while Green Arrow gets a free pass...because reasons?

[LordMikel]

For years, superheroes like Batman have bee called out on their privilege, stating that people like him should be using their wealth and status in helping their cities as opposed to just beating up bad guys and criminals. A lot of articles and blogs have been putting a lot thought into this argument. Now, this doesn't apply to all superheroes, like Spiderman (who is poor), or Superman and Wonder Woman (who mostly fights cosmic aliens and gods). But it does affect a lot of them. So, should they be called on it? Or, is a lot of thought being put into nothing?

Here is an article about Batman's privilege:

https://www.avclub.com/matt-reeves-t...yne-1848661503

The article is strictly talking about the movies. I'm sure there are other articles that focus on the comic however.

Comic book wise, let's look at Cataclysm. It has been a few years, but I do remember this scene. I don't remember who the character was, but he wasn't concerned about his family, because the building they were in was built by Bruce Wayne's construction company and they made sure all of their buildings could survive a high magnitude Earthquake. That to me was always a perfect example of Bruce Wayne helping people.

[babyblob]

The article is strictly talking about the movies. I'm sure there are other articles that focus on the comic however.

Comic book wise, let's look at Cataclysm. It has been a few years, but I do remember this scene. I don't remember who the character was, but he wasn't concerned about his family, because the building they were in was built by Bruce Wayne's construction company and they made sure all of their buildings could survive a high magnitude Earthquake. That to me was always a perfect example of Bruce Wayne helping people.

That was Fox. he was looking out at gotham. I forget who he is talking to but they ask if he is scared for his family. He said no they live in a building built by Bruce Wayne. They are fine."

[Mister Mets]

It's been done before, and it can be done well.

An important thing is that it should raise questions that make a superhero uncomfortable, but that isn't obvious what the right thing to do is, because that's how it is in real life.

It's easy to screw up given how comics is a medium reliant on shorthand, which makes nuance difficult, and some comics fans are immature idiots online (Comicsgate on the right and rose twitter on the left) when it comes to their perception of politics in a work of fiction which suggests potential headaches for the creative team.

[babyblob]

At the end of the day we want to see Bruce Wayne dressing as a bat and beating up a crazy clown.
I didnt picture a series of comics where the lead give a huge speech on childhood poverty rates relating to crime and three pages of him going over a budget and writing checks to youth centers and going over blue prints for low income housing would sell very well.

That is not why we read comics. Touch on it fine, make some references yea. but make it the main focus? No.

I do like the run in the 70's where Bruce moved to the penthouse and had that charity he helped people but he still had to become batman to solve most of the people's problems.

[ed2962]

So Hal's supposed to stop saving the world, galaxy and everyone in it, to fight social issues, while Green Arrow gets a free pass...because reasons?

Well, I wasn't trying to give one character a pass over the other, I was just pointing out the premise of this particular run by O'Neil and Adams. The point was that the heroes did face social issues and Hal would be the more conservative guy and Ollie the liberal ( and Ollie wasn't a millionaire at that time). And yeah, the Guardians of Oa did lessen the power of his power ring when he told them he wanted to deal with America's problems.

And really, it's not one thing ( saving the galaxy) vs the other (address social issues). There's plenty of super comics over the years where the heroes have done both.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Well, I wasn't trying to give one character a pass over the other, I was just pointing out the premise of this particular run by O'Neil and Adams. The point was that the heroes did face social issues and Hal would be the more conservative guy and Ollie the liberal ( and Ollie wasn't a millionaire at that time). And yeah, the Guardians of Oa did lessen the power of his power ring when he told them he wanted to deal with America's problems.

And really, it's not one thing ( saving the galaxy) vs the other (address social issues). There's plenty of super comics over the years where the heroes have done both.

They can do both, and writers of those stories have addressed it well.

But that page and the story that goes with it, isn't a great example. Especially when you consider that, in the story itself, the villain just happened to be mobbed up, so that the hero could actually do something.

[Captain Nostalgia]

No. If we start calling heroes out on their wealth (Bruce Wayne, Tony stark) than it's only a matter of time before it seeps into issues of patriotism, race and gender, and characters like Superman and Captain America become walking bulls eyes for people with political agendas.

I don't mind if there is a progressive or conservative writer, who wants to input their message into comics from time to time, but otherwise I'd prefer to keep politics out of comic books alltogether.

[Agent Z]

So Hal's supposed to stop saving the world, galaxy and everyone in it, to fight social issues, while Green Arrow gets a free pass...because reasons?

It wasn't that black and white. O'Neil showed Hal could learn and grow when it comes to social issues. Oliver meanwhile, is the guy who threw Roy out on his ass when he found out about his drug addiction.

Hell, most Hal antis ignore that Hal helped Roy get clean.