Have you ever thought about the subtleties hidden in the phrase “for the greater good”? It appears to be uttered by every superhero before they make a life-altering decision — a decision that is beneficial for most but adversarial for the remaining few.
Is the catchphrase greater good something that is preached but not practiced? Does it shed light on the duality of superheroes? Or does it define their own version of pursued virtue? Read the blog in full to uncover the truths.
Virtue: A Complex Spectrum
Complexity is woven intricately within every superhero character crafted to date. To think of it, the dual nature of these heroes seems to be the force behind their decision-making skills — and, most importantly, their ‘virtue.’
Now, ‘virtue’ is not something that could be perceived as ‘goodness’ only. Virtue often depends upon the worldly and moral perception of the superhero character. It has fluidity within itself, never concrete but strong enough to settle disputes or bring wrath upon.
Spoiler ahead! In Marvel’s Endgame (2019), you can relate the characters of Hawkeye and Black Widow fighting with each other (for getting the soul stone from Red Skull). The audience knows that this was not a normal fight, for both of these heroes were best friends for years, and they were willing to die for each other — so the one who lives could help save the people in its prequel, Infinity War (2018). Here, we can see that their goodness was not selfless but also selfish. Hawkeye did not want Black Widow to die for him, and vice versa — and not for the world either.
Similarly, from Patricia Ruth‘s superhero-centric novel Liquid 5, we can relate to Glynn’s character painting a spectrum of virtue throughout the events of the story. She starts off quite well; however, despite being naturally gifted, she made an inaccurate assessment, which had the potential to make its way towards catastrophic ecological collapse.
Becoming one of the superheroes, her natural abilities grew stronger — and she made it her goal to correct all the wrongs in her world with the help of her four friends. From Glynn’s character, readers may observe various shades of virtue’s spectrum.
Dual Nature: An Essential for Superheroes
Bruce Wayne by day andBatman by night — the concept is not that alien or ambiguous. The same character, who appears to be a billionaire, is the masked angry man who seeks justice, void of lawful means. The same superhero whose goal is to save everyone makes difficult decisions that end up challenging his own beliefs. All in all, a superhero is a multi-layered and multi-faceted entity, with many truths existing within his very being.
We believe that duality serves as a necessary medium for superheroes to act beyond what they are usually capable of. Suppose if there was an absence of duality, then superheroes would be no different than a common man.
The dual nature incorporated within superhero characters allows them to build a dynamic audience and cater to the storyline. Ruth‘s Liquid 5 excellently showcases the strong character of Iris Carmichael. Her character is portrayed as a ‘no-nonsense’ financial broker, and regarded as an ‘antithesis’ of ‘stay-at-home mother’ by her colleagues. However, Carmichael is shown to have defied the odds and performed wonderfully at her job as a broker, as well as a mother.
‘Superheroes’ and the Real World
Not sinners nor saints — but in the universe of superheroes, every villain has a past, and every hero has a future. One must wonder — what amount of pressure before the superhero finally succumbs to the virtues or vices around him?
Fictional superheroes teach us some valuable lessons. Their powers may be far from reality, but the insightful messages expressed through such characters’ actions have a profound impact on the audience. To experience the journey of superheroes that resonate with the contemporary world, we recommend you to pick up Patricia Ruth‘s “Liquid 5,” available on Amazon now!