SupermanHawaii.com

by Lawrence E. Pacheco

Being a superhero fan also frequently gets me heavily involved in philosophical discussions with my friends. Whether it's what a hero's "Code of Ethics" should be or what would or should a certain hero do in certain circumstances.

With that said, I was understandably excited when Carus Publishing Company released their book entitled "Superheroes and Philosophy" this Spring. Little did I know, however... I was in for a surprise.

Each chapter of the book is written by a different author. Many chapters rang loud and sounded great like Jeph Loeb and Tom Morris' "Heroes and Superheroes" or Dennis "Denny" O'Neil's "the Crimson Viper versus the Maniacal Morphing Meme." The chapter I had a problem with, however, was the very first in the book written by comicbook writer Mark Waid. Best known for his great work on Superman: Birthright, Waid's chapter, entitled "The Real Truth About Superman: and the Rest of Us Too", painted a portrait of superhero ethics I could not get myself to agree with.

Here is an excerpt from the chapter where Mark Waid talks about a meeting with his boss:

"Why does Superman do what he does? What are his reasons? What moves him to take on the role of everyone’s protector and defender? Why does he invariably seek to do the right thing?" " 'Why? Because,' I responded with a telling stammer, 'because doing the right thing is...is...is the right thing to do...'"

" 'I’m hiring you to re-imagine harder than that,' my boss insisted...'"

This truly concerns me...

What this apparently implies is that "doing the right thing is the right thing to do" is considered, by some, to be shallow thinking these days.

For example, if an elderly woman drops her groceries in front of you, would you help this stranger pick it up? If so, then why? Is it because you want to help and that it's the "right thing to do", or is there some deeper meaning like, "if I don't other people may think I'm not a nice person."

On to excerpt number two:

"In helping others, Superman helps himself. In helping himself, he helps others. When he comes to the aid of other people, he is exercising his distinctive powers and fulfilling his authentic destiny. That, of course, benefits him. When he embraces his history and nature and launches out in the one set of activities that will most fulfill and satisfy him, he is helping others."

Let us return to the woman with the groceries, which are scattered all over the sidewalk... If you were to help this woman gather the items as best as possible, would you assist because you truly wanted to, or would you help only if you were sure that you would receive praise by doing it?

It's a case of cause and effect. When you help someone (the cause), it is understandable that there is a measure of satisfaction that follows (the effect). This is perfectly fine. The concern is that the chapter in this book implies that Superman seeks out the effect through the cause. Morally... this is not correct at all.

My steadfast belief is that "doing the right thing is the right thing to do" is not shallow thinking. It's just the opposite! It takes greater thought and effort to help others for the sake of helping. Not to obtain accolades or because you are worried others may be watching or any other excuse one may have.

If this chapter were called, "The Real Truth About Superman: and the Rest of Us Too: AN ELSEWORLDS TALE" then I'd be okay with it. However, the fact is that this chapter claims that the mainstream character of Superman has strange, premeditated reasons for doing what he does. This makes no sense to me.

If Mr. Waid, or his "boss", wish to challenge this belief... we have years of radio programs, reels of Fleisher cartoons, two motion picture serials, a 1951 Superman film, 104 episodes of The Adventures of Superman, a Broadway play, four motion pictures, a second television series, numerous animated series episodes, and nearly 70 years of comicbooks that would prove otherwise.

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