Superheroes And Morals
Superheroes are all the rage. It is enough to see the quantity of films dedicated to their adventures to realize it. From classics like Superman and Batman, to films that bring superheroes like Wonder Woman on the big screen for the first time to those that unite several superheroes, like The Avengers. The point is, superheroes are attractive. While everyone has their preferences, there is always a superhero who in one way or another interests us.
The question is: why do they attract us? One possible answer may relate to the moral of superheroes. Superheroes are above good and evil. The superheroes who are good will do their best to defend the good while the bad ones will try to bring the evil back.
What is morality?
Each of us has morals, values, an idea of what is right and what is wrong. However, the fact that we all have a moral does not imply that it is the same for all.
The search for a universal morality has broken the heads of many philosophers and thinkers without being able to find it. The problem is, the morals we have are going to guide our thoughts and our behavior. Thus, we will judge as “bad” people who think or act in ways contrary to our moral beliefs.
You could say that morality is a set of values and beliefs. That is to say, in our daily life, we will adjust to certain rules that we consider adequate for living in community.
When these beliefs have great importance, we say that we have strong moral convictions. Therefore, morality will have more impact on our life. So when the moral becomes stronger, we begin to feel a moral obligation, which will prompt us to act in defense of what we think is right.
The moral of superheroes
What is the moral of a superhero? Think of Batman; despite being a dark superhero, with a questionable past, he would sacrifice himself to save anyone. He even refuses to kill. He is content to punish the wicked by using violence only when it is necessary. A moral similar to that found in Superman. This super-powered alien is always on the side of justice. He uses his superpowers only when necessary to fight evil.
The same could be said for a long list of superheroes like Wonder Woman, Black Panther, Thor, Spiderman, Captain America, the Invisible Woman, etc. All, with their peculiarities, stand on the side of justice. And, even if they have to sacrifice other things, they are willing to risk their lives to do away with the bad guys. Their “moral obligation” is so great that whenever they feel that someone is breaking their moral precepts, they feel obligated to do something.
Another curious situation is when they have to choose between saving a large number of people or just one. Normally, in these situations, that single person is someone close to the hero. This decision is a big dilemma. Usually, superheroes then decide to risk it all for everything in order to save everyone.
Morality in our daily life
What would we do in these kinds of situations? We would probably choose our loved one. Even if the other option is a lot of people, the more likely that we decide to save the people close to us. And this because our morality is not as strong as that of superheroes. Even with strong moral convictions, our moral obligation is not strong enough to act every time someone violates our morals.
Finally, that’s why we love superheroes. Or at least that’s one of the reasons. We’ve all dreamed of having superpowers or wearing quaint costumes. Superheroes are the type of corporate body we all want to be. They act when we do not act. They defend morality without breaking the moral standards they believe in, such as, for example, not to kill. This is what makes them superheroes and not super villains; their great sense of morality.
Our thoughts Captain America, beyond his physical strength, defends moral values which, if they seem old-fashioned today, are still necessary.
