a tale of two heroes

This has been a good summer for Marvel. The Marvel universe is getting bigger (though, from another point of view it’s becoming a rather small world—those of you who know, know what I am talking about.) One of the deprivations of my childhood was not reading many superhero comics. This is one reason why I am welcoming the famed heroes’ entrance onto the big screen. On top of being great action filx—which I enjoy as much as any man—superheroes intrigue me. They are the contemporary myths and metaphors, the portal through which the imagination and subconscious attractions or fears of the modern mind can find a place to live and thrive.

But I digress. I was going to talk about Hulk (or el Hombre Incredible, as the theatre down here advertised it), which I saw this week. But I find it difficult to talk about Hulk without talking also about Iron Man. The two are intertwined—and this way I can take care of two reviews at one time. (btw, spoilers ahead. You are warned.)

Hulk is a more serious drama. Better actors, more emotion, more impact. The fight scenes were both stunning, and powerful tools to keep the story going. I really liked seeing the way Bruce and Betty interact—it’s a painful relationship with all sorts of unfulfilled hopes and desires, but they persevere. Beautiful and tragic, and well done.

Iron Man was lower on the drama, but higher on the humor and overall fun. The main reason for this is that Tony Stark does not have Suffering Hero Syndrome (SHS), a malady which is almost ubiquitous with being a superhero. Symptoms of SHS often include moodiness, paranoia, schizophrenia, compulsive lying, compulsive need to be near a phone booth, an obsession with spandex, and the tendency to have relationships with a girl who has a crush on your alter ego. Batman has it; Hulk has it; Superman and Spiderman have serious conditions. But Tony Stark has found a cure: sarcasm. Laughter may be the best medicine, but a wry smile and a witty comeback seem to be a miracle drug.

Returning to the Hulk, I have to say that I’m disappointed that they changed his malady. From the first movie, Bruce Banner only became the Hulk when he got angry. The Hulk, therefore, was a metaphor for the power that someone has when they lose their temper: super strength and endurance but inability to think or act rationally. A favorite quote from the first movie: “the worst thing is that when it happens, when IT takes over…I like it.” This is a very human experience: the power, the thrill, the regret, and the fear of anger. But in the latest movie, there was a very definite switch. It was no longer anger, but simply excessive physiological stimulus, i.e. when his heart rate speeds up. That’s a very different thing than anger, and I am sorry for the change. It still makes for a powerful, tragic, and heroic tale, but lacks the metaphor that, to me, is at the heart of the Hulk story.

And in speaking of hearts, let’s talk about Iron Man/Tony Stark’s glowing “heart”. Ok, it is not actually his heart, it’s the super-powered electro-magnet that keeps him alive. The image, however, is obvious: Tony Stark/Iron Man has a heart made of super-technology. Traditionally, this has been a terrifying image: Man slowly being devoured by Machine, ala Darth Vader or the Matrix. But Iron Man takes a different twist. During Stark’s conversion, he does not abandon technology. He does not run from the monster that he has created or naively pursue a nostalgic vision of the ‘good old days’ before industrialization. Instead, Stark takes responsibility for his actions and he uses technology to pursue that goal. Being the technophile that I am, I applaud his stance. I believe that it is a superior answer to the lingering question of Man vs. Machine.

Neither of the movies excelled in the Villain category. In both cases they simply fought with a bigger version of themselves: a bigger monster, a bigger mecha. Now before I go any further, I will now publicly acknowledge my ignorance of the Marvel Universe. I don’t know much about Iron Man or Hulk, and I know even less about the villains they fought. I presume that they have a host of despicable bad guys to chose from, as is the case with most superheroes. But I don’t really know, so I will restrain from attacking harshly on that front.

If you pushed me and asked me which one I liked better, I would have to go with Iron Man. They were both good, and I will unhesitatingly attribute higher marks to Hulk in certain areas. But the action, the wit, the powerful imagery in Iron Man is genius and definitely goes on my “A” list.

And so, let me leave you with a story which I hope that you will find diverting. I was still in Cove when Iron Man came out and so we decided to go see it at the local theater. Prior to the beginning of the movie, one of the theater employees welcomed us and wished us a pleasant time at their theater. As she began to exit the stage she dropped a pen from her apron and said “oh drat! I dropped my pen again. and my back hurts. I wish someone could help me.” And suddenly, from beyond the curtains, a voice shouted “I’ll help you!” and onto the stage jumped a young man wearing a cape and brandishing his favorite tool for pressing shirts, proudly proclaiming “I’m Iron Man!”