BETWEEN GOODNESS AND GLORY: SUPERHEROES AS AN ETHICAL AND POLITICAL MODEL

Abstract

The present paper intends to expose and analyze some characteristics of the ethical and political role models of super-heroes. To this end, it seeks to offer a contrast between superheroes and the heroes of Homer’s epics. After emphasizing the importance of these icons, and of Homer’s work, for the education the ancient Greeks, the work carries out a brief analysis of the values that govern the actions of the epics’ most notable characters, such as Achilles, Hector and Odysseus, with which we are able to stress, through comparison, one difference and one similarity between these heroes and superheroes. Having recourse to Plato’s notion of justice and, subsequently, to Hannah Arendt’s theory of action, the paper then attempts to articulate the apparent contradiction between these two characteristics – the drive towards excellence and the rejection of glory – by analyzing Superman’s first appearance and the movies Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. From this analysis it is concluded that secret identities, the most typical manifestation of these antagonistic drives, solve, or at least suspend, said contradiction, by marginalizing the superhero. Finally, the paper suggests possible further research following similar paths.