Now that we know who most superheroes are before becoming superheroic – they are individuals who are unusually compassionate and are marked out from average people by unique traits, skills, or other attributes – we can address the event that begins this character’s journey from “ordinary” to extraordinary. An important pair of questions to keep in mind is how the superheroic transformation begins (the method of becoming a superhero) and why this transformation occurs: is it fate or choice that creates a superhero?
Christian Bale as Batman in Batman Begins (2005). Image source: http://johnleescomics.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/batmanbegins2.jpg
So, let’s jump right in with the “how”…
The catalyst to superheroic transformation takes many forms, but I bet we can find a common element present in all. (You might already have a good guess as to what this common element is, or maybe you’ve thought of one I haven’t.) For Bruce Wayne, the transformative catalyst is the horrific murder of his parents. For fellow DC vigilante Oliver Queen, the catalyst is five years marooned on a remote island full of vicious foes and constant threats. For Natasha Romanoff, the catalyst is Clint Barton’s refusal to kill her on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s orders, proving to her instead, through the strength of his conviction and faith in her, that she can follow a different path. Steve Rogers encounters his superheroic transformation based on his own will to do more than anyone (except Dr. Erskine) would ever have believed he could.
These four examples alone offer us some pretty wide-ranging catalysts for beginning the superheroic journey:
1. Murder, criminal wrongdoing run amok (Bruce Wayne)
2. A sustained, threatening social and emotional, life-changing experience (Oliver Queen)
3. Interpersonal faith/esteem, an “intervention” (Natasha Romanoff & Clint Barton)
4. Self-conviction, a will to “do more” despite others’ doubts (Steve Rogers)
Catalysts #1 and #2 are external factors, existing outside and beyond the control of the characters they affect. Other external factors like this include Peter Parker’s bite from a genetically modified spider, Bruce Banner’s subjection to and survival of intense gamma radiation, and River Tam’s (this is Firefly, just in case you’re unfamiliar with the awesome River) being experimented upon by Alliance scientists. Catalyst #3 is partly external and partly internal, consisting of the interactions between certain individuals/entities and the internal, personal responses to one another and the circumstances in which they find themselves. This category includes Thor’s banishment from Asgard and his journey of redemption on Earth (which starts with Odin and involves interactions with many other people), as well as Tony Stark’s captivity at the hands of Ten Rings terrorists and the moral inspiration he receives from fellow prisoner Yinsen. Finally, catalyst #4 is deeply internal, consisting of an individual will power and strength of conviction that is in itself superheroic. Steve Rogers, Clark Kent/Kal-El, and Wonder Woman (these three come easiest to mind here) achieve superhuman and superheroic status because they are willing to persevere, to go farther, even when everyone else tells them they might as well give up, go home, do something else. (Usually, though, there’s at least one person, such as Dr. Erskine, who offers their own conviction and support to the future superhero’s endeavors.)
Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) makes an announcement as the supersoldier procedure is about to commence in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Image source: http://www.filmedge.net/capt/images/FB-FX-0009.jpg
The catalyst of personal conviction and will power is probably the most important one, common to all emerging superheroes: it’s what gets them all through their transformation, telling them they can do and be anything if only they reach that much further.
So, now we know how superheroic transformation comes about: a promising character is thrown into some sort of life-altering circumstance, to which they respond with extraordinary strength of will and motivation to not only survive their unusual trials, but to emerge stronger and “more than” they were before.
As for the question of why this event takes place, we’ve seen that some transformative experiences are beyond the character’s control: Bruce Wayne did not choose that his parents be murdered; Thor did not choose to be banished from Asgard; Natasha Romanoff did not ask Clint Barton to save her from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s assassination order (I assume – we still don’t know what happened in Budapest). Were these events fate? I suppose the answer may depend on your personal, philosophical view of the world (fictional as well as real). Maybe the (fictional) world was destined to need a Batman, so some divine force or other higher power (the Almighty Bob Kane?) selected Bruce Wayne to fulfill that need. (As for the real world’s predestined or chosen acquirement of superheroes, there are some excellent sources, such as M. Gregory Kendrick’s The Heroic Ideal, out there on the socio-political and historical factors that gave rise to heroic tales.)
Or maybe fate has nothing to do with it. All of these transformative events arguably involved a huge instance of choice for the characters concerned. Rather than fighting back against rampant crime in Gotham, Bruce Wayne could just as easily (more easily, perhaps) hidden himself away in Wayne Manor for the rest of his life. Tony Stark could have given up on escape and submitted to imprisonment (and, most likely, eventual death) by the Ten Rings; he didn’t have to build the original Iron Man suit. And instead of accepting Clint Barton’s offer of joining S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha Romanoff could have refused and forced him to kill her. Steve Rogers could have stayed home and collected scrap metal with Little Timmy to help the war effort, instead of joining the SSR and undergoing Erskine’s supersoldier procedure.
All of these less heroic choices could have happened – but they didn’t, owing to that oh-so-strong personal conviction pointed out above. In fact, I believe this conviction is actually what makes superheroes such appealing and inspiring characters: they are never going to give up, no matter what kind of trouble and how much of it appears in their path. To face life (even a fictional one) in this manner requires and exhibits remarkable courage and strength of will, something nearly all people wish to have in real life.
But let’s talk for a moment about supervillains, since “Transformation” is an enormously important stage of development for them as well. After all, supervillains undergo the same kinds of transformative experiences, both external and internal, as superheroes: Bane’s imprisonment in The Pit and his interactions with Ra’s Al Ghul’s young daughter (if you’re following the The Dark Knight Rises version of Bane’s story); Loki’s discovery of his being abandoned in a temple on Jotunheim and rescued by Odin; Norman Osborne’s experiments with biochemical enhancements and Red Skull’s use of Dr. Erskine’s incomplete supersoldier serum; Bucky Barnes’s capture and subjection to the mind control procedures that turn him into “the new fist of HYDRA,” the Winter Soldier.
Supervillains confront the very same experiences as superheroes, but their responses to these trials and twists of fate are the polar opposite of a hero’s. Whereas the hero seeks to make good out of their life-changing circumstances, the villain reacts with anger, destruction, and vengeance upon the world. A clear example is this: Thor finds his way to acceptance of the responsibility his godly powers give him, while Loki places himself and his own desires/needs above the welfare of others – despite the fact that Loki, like Thor, was born to be a king. (And a king or queen, in the superheroic realm, is always bound by honor to place others above themselves. Otherwise they are labeled as tyrants and fall into the category of supervillain.)
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in Thor (2011). Thor’s about to have a really bad idea about how to deal with Jotunheim… Image Source: http://th08.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2013/280/0/4/thor_loki__thunderfrost_wall___manip_by_nephilim_phoenix-d6pnnbg.jpg
Again (leaving the fact that this is all fictional aside), it’s hard to say whether some characters are destined to become supervillains rather than superheroes, or whether supervillains are simply characters that make bad choices while superheroes make good ones. (Harvey Dent/Two-Face, a would-be hero turned supervillain, would suggest we flip a coin to find the answer.) Whatever power (aside from that of Stan Lee) drives the personal journeys of superheroes and supervillains, the two character types emerge from their transformative experiences on very different sides of the line between Good and Evil.
Next Friday, 1/16/15: “The Superheroic Journey, Part 3 of 8: Find a Mask (or Cape).” Our superhuman characters have confronted life-changing circumstances and made it through, for better or for worse. Before they can begin their rise to greatness as renowned heroes or dreaded villains, they need to find a way of visually and symbolically identifying themselves and each other, of signaling to one and all their superhuman status. To the tailor!
Read Part 1: “The Ordinary Mortal,” or go on to Part 3: Find a Mask (or Cape).
Time Lords, Superheroes, and Brave New Worlds 