Badassery on Heroes
Our Family has been collectively obsessed with Heroes, and rightly so. It’s Badass. It does, despite what anyone says, borrow from several great works of comic books–in my opinion, heavily nodding towards X-Men. (Uhm…Stan Lee was a guest star….Duhh, people.) And before we get into any screaming matches, all great works have inspiration. If the X-Men inspired the series creator, then I say, awesome.
Since we’re only on Season 1, I’ve been perusing the tubes for good comparisons while trying NOT to glimpse any spoilers. I’ve found that to be simply impossible. While I have NOT read any spoilers, I do want to read what people have to say about the various nods to some classic characters.
I can’t really write much on the topic myself, having just ventured into the world of superhero story lines after railing against them for quite some time. (I was an indie comic purist—by the way—do you guys hear that diabolical laugh? That is my husband laughing while he says, HA! TOLD YOU SO! while doing some silly victory dance. No, seriously. It’s true. I can picture it now.) Anyhow, I was really surprised at how blatantly political some storylines can be. Take Secret Wars: The Pulse, for instance. It’s a running commentary on the news media and it’s reliance on sensationalism. The X-Men has been an allegory for the shunning of anyone who isn’t the same as a white, Christian male. The new Ultimates is DEFINITELY an updated social commentary on the current administration. And Samuel L. Jackson makes a BADASS Nick Fury. Don’t care what any of you Marvel Purist say.
So, on to the Heroes badassery. Hands down, Hiro is the Hero of the show. The Sword is the best indication of that. Second choice? well…Sorry, but Peter Petrelli is starting to get pretty bad ass. The Five years into the Future” episode should have played on the fight between him an Syler just a bit more. It was nearly as bad ass as the shoot ‘em up scene in the Matrix. (that’s the First Matrix. I’ve never seen the second or third ones.I just refuse to taint my eyes.) Hubby will disagree, he thinks that Peter is a pussy. As for Villians, I’d have to say Syler is a neato villian—the brain eating (can I assume that is what he does to take on the DNA?) is a bad ass angle. But–as for Villians go—Magneto is still the best one ever and I can’t seem to draw a decent comparison to any of the Heroes characters. Perhaps there simply isn’t a magneto like Character. Bummer.
I should get back to what I do best now. Bitching about politics.
Sometimes, I wish we had some heroes to defeat the crap that is going on in DC, though. *sigh*
November 13th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Fuck Magnito, Galactus is where it’s at.
But I digress.
The future plot line really looks a lot like the Mutant Massacre from X-Men with a little alternate future tossed in. That was the one with the Marauders (a group of mutants headed by Sabertooth) that were hired by the government to kill all mutants. I think they’ll have a Morlock-ish kind of thing as well, with underground Specials or whatever the call em. Come to think of it, Peter might fit in this (http://www.motenai.com/images/StormModelSheet.jpg) outfit, the little emo bitch.
Similarities aside, the show does keep it fresh with twists and turns that do defy the previous cannon it so readily draws from.
November 13th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
oh, and here’s the rolls:
Magneto wanted to usurp humanity and push the evolution of “homo-superior” (don’t talk to me about the era when he pussed out).
Professor X wanted harmony between the species.
Nick Fury wanted to keep control, and the mutants were an outside variable, thus enemies.
SO
From over all motivation of the higher level characters (Noah, Syler, Linderman), there really is no clear parallel between the marvel cannon and Heroes.
November 13th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
I didn’t say a CLEAR parallel–I said a NOD. Pfft.