04/20/2004 Archived Entry: "QT's Wrong"

Don't worry, no spoilers of any sort here, for real. In Kill Bill 2, in a Kevin Smith on drugs kinda way, one of the characters goes on a long monologue about superheroes and secret identities. The thrust of it being that all Superheroe identities are alter egos and the person under the mask is the real personality. All except for Superman who was always Superman while Clark Kent is the one who's made up, the flawed, shy human through which Superman relates to us.

But that's wrong! From my 10 or so years of reading, Superman doesn't see himself as the all powerful, first amongst superheroes; when he looks in the mirror he sees himself as mild-mannered, farm boy, reporter Clark Kent. The self-assured Superman is the mask, the personality and the costume are a necessity for the job he does. If Clark could go around saving lives without the costume I think he would, and if there were no crimes to fight and there was no need for Superman, Clark would gladly hang up his tights and live a happy, normal life with Lois.

Batman, on the other hand, is Batman. Bruce Wayne is just an act, a front for all the money and resources that Batman needs to operate effectively. If Batman didn't need his "human side" to do his work, he'd drop the Bruce Wayne personality and fight crime full time. Batman sees himself as the cold, calculating, Dark Knight Detective, and is utterly uncomfortable being a billionaire playboy. And if crime were to stop forever, Batman wouldn't be able to relax, he'd be driven insane by his boredom. His whole life and fortune has been spent in training to fight crime, he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he weren't doing that.

Replies: 14 comments

No comments? You guys suck.

Posted by Rayne @ 04/21/2004 01:15 PM EST

Kill Bill 2 says... (bla bla bla bla) ...but that is obviously wrong because my 10 years experience says... (bla bla bla bla) ...which means none of you know better than me.

I think you're speculating a bit in your opinions (altough you only added the "I think" once), I really don't have the in-depth knowledge of said characters to comment.

Posted by ian @ 04/21/2004 02:53 PM EST

Everything anyone says should always be treated as "IMO", IMO. I detest having to work in "I think" or derivations thereof into my statements, it results in too much repetition and unwieldly sentences.

In any case, literature is very subjective and always open to interpretation.

Maybe "wrong" was the incorrect word to use, too strong. How about "I disagree"?

Nah, I like "wrong". Kill Bill is objectively wrong. I can prove it with graphs. [sniped]

Posted by Rayne @ 04/21/2004 03:05 PM EST

i wish to see said graphs.

i also wish to see more evidence ... you can't debunk a generalization (i'm assuming it was a generalization ... since most comments requiring all of something to be one way end up being generalizations) with only two examples.

Posted by melpie @ 04/21/2004 03:12 PM EST

I'm not after debunking the generalization, it's generally true.

I'm saying that the Superman characterization is wrong and that Batman would have made a better example in that monologue.

Posted by Rayne @ 04/21/2004 03:26 PM EST

ahhh ... that wasn't clear in your diatribe

Posted by melpie @ 04/21/2004 03:30 PM EST

Well, purely based on my impressions from the movies and television shows of said comic book characters that I have seen, I would have to disagree with you.

I think it has to do with their origins. Superman just is, and only created Clark Kent so he could live among us normal people. Batman though was created by Bruce Wayne, to deal with criminals as a sort of revenge that is not chracteristic of the billionaire who has everything he needs.

Posted by ian @ 04/21/2004 03:33 PM EST

Before there was a Superman, there was Clark Kent. Yes, the powers were always there, but before any of the heroics he was raised on a farm in some small town as a normal boy.

Bruce Wayne created Batman but in the end Batman became the real him. He is not interested in leading an existance as Bruce Wayne.

Anyways, the characterization of these guys can differ a lot throughout the various mediums they've been in. Only the Batman animated series has come close to portraying the current (he's changed a lot over the years) comic book Batman.

Posted by Rayne @ 04/21/2004 03:59 PM EST

Batman rocks. Superman sucks. That's all I have to say "of said" characters...:P!!!

Posted by dAN @ 04/21/2004 06:45 PM EST

dan, are you mocking my use of "of said" ... hmph!

perhaps if you changed the "personality under the mask" to simply the "person" under the mask, it would be correct though, yes?

Posted by melpie @ 04/22/2004 09:39 AM EST

Okay, having seen said movie, provided the facts presented are correct (Superman was found wrapped in his future costume?), I would still side with the movie on the way that Superman is different, but not on the way that "Clark Kent is his perception of our society".

I think melpie hits the point on the head with the "person under the mask" idea.

Posted by ian @ 04/22/2004 10:40 AM EST

I think Superman was found wrapped in a blanket that became his cape. The costume was made by momma Kent.

Posted by Rayne @ 04/22/2004 02:05 PM EST

Sorry Mel...:P!

After seeing "of said" in two consecutive posts by the same person, I found it really irritating...;)

Posted by dAN @ 04/22/2004 09:40 PM EST

*gasps*

said situation was irritating?

*snickerS*

Posted by melpie @ 04/23/2004 09:19 AM EST