Superman Vs. Hercules

BREAKING NEWS…We have just received reports informing us that Superman in a fit of rage killed his music tutor!  Not only that but he also decided to cheat on the love of his life, Lois Lane, with none other than...Wonder Woman!  In this shocking turn of events all of the population is trying to make sense of what has happened to Metropolis' favorite hero.  

This story started in his early youth, some even think that he was still a teenager when he choose to kill his music tutor, however while this was apparently well known he went on to earn much fame and acclaim.  While you might be scandalized to hear that little tid-bit it gets much worse.  Our sources are even suggesting that there was a woman before Lois, but she and her and Superman's children were all killed in a bought of madness by the hero.

Oh wait our sources were confused the real culprit was the Greek hero Hercules (or Heracles if you’re Roman)!  But by projecting the story of Hercules onto superman what does that tell us about how culture and it's perception of what is acceptable has changed?  Answer: a lot.

 Today it is strange to idealize a hero who murders people in a fit of rage like Hercules did, in fact when the beloved Superman diverges from his moral dictated path people become righteously upset.  The qualifications of a hero are someone who demonstrates the best of man, with some reasonable flaws, as he struggles with the darkness of the world (Monsters, villains, bad guys in general).  While rage and murder were acceptable under certain circumstances in Greek society, it is no longer true today and a new hero is needed to reflect the culture they are addressing.

Because the Greek heroes originated two thousand plus years ago it is to be expected that their heroic qualities and vices are different than what we would expect to see in a hero. The culture has changed, if only slightly, and it is time to change our classic example to reflect our culture’s new definition.

One good place to look for these modern heroes is comic books, but teachers and professors don’t always appreciate the comic heroes because they only see the bright colors and flashy fights when there is so much more depth to the story making them a valuable source.  Also many Superheroes have their foundation in Greek mythology and just repackage their best qualities in a new and exciting form. 

Comic heroes seem to fulfill this role as well as capture the imaginations of many people.  Think of all the movies that have come out in the past few years: Ironman, the Batman movies, and Avengers, all of these prove people’s interest in the comic book world. 

 Teachers and professors don’t always appreciate the comic heroes because they only see the bright colors and flashy fights when there is so much more depth to the story making them a valuable source.  Also many Superheroes have their foundation in Greek mythology and just repackage their best qualities in a new and exciting form.  

For example Superman is in many ways a revamped “American” Hercules.  Hercules was born into a mortal family but was the son of Zeus, king of the gods, giving him immense power.  Similarly Superman is an alien growing up among humans with incredible abilities.

Bask in the epicness

Both have epic adventures and feats of bravery.  Superman regularly saves the world as he epically rips away his white oxford and takes off his glasses and BAM you have superman ready and willing to save the world.  And still Lois Lane doesn’t realize the connection.

Hercules also, while not saving the world per sé, does complete amazing tasks.  He kills the Nemean Lion with his club and bare hands, defeats the hydra a nine headed fire breathing monster (one even being immortal just to make things interesting), and cleans out a stable housing a thousand cows that hadn’t been cleaned for ten years in one day proving that even demigods are not above menial tasks.

Additionally both also seem to have issues with women.  Superman can never seem to quite win over his long time love Lois Lane, and yet she is smitten by his super persona to the point that she can’t realize that the hero is working next to her legitimately everyday.  It’s too bad there weren’t contacts back then maybe then he might have had a chance.

Hercules also seems to have difficulty wooing and keeping his desired women.  While he has less difficulty getting women he has a tendency to have them die or even kill him by accident.  His first wife Megara he killed after Hera struck him with madness and his last wife proved his undoing when she took the word of one of his sworn enemies and believed that she was giving her husband a love potion, but it was poison. Oops… 

Both these heroes seem to share several similarities but what are the differences?  The major difference between these two is the difference between perfection and imperfection.

Hercules did have a little better luck

Superman is perfect.  He always follows the rules to a point where modern authors have criticized this trait in modern books and even teased in the classic comics by being referred to as “the big blue boy scout” by other characters.  The main struggle he faces in his stories is if he will compromise his morals to save the day or risk failure, but he always manages to do both (he is Superman for a reason).

Hercules is by no means perfect.  He is quick to anger, killing his tutor as a teenager, and like many Greek characters not always faithful to his present wife.  No wonder the last one accidentally killed him by trying to give him a love potion.

This perfection is both an upgrade to the classic hero and yet a flaw.  By making him so perfect it makes it difficult for his audience to understand him, because let’s face it we all mess up sometimes. Superman rarely does, because he’s super, thus making him greater and less than his Greek counter part

Hercules is definitely imperfect, but some of his imperfections, because of the two thousand year cultural gap, are slightly less acceptable now as they were to the Greeks.  This also distances the reader, but the fact he has them still lets the reader feel possibly more sympathy for him then they might otherwise.

Still other heroes in the comic genre confront this particular issue.  Batman and his methods are at times questionable and many other heroes tend to bring the humanity Superman might at times be critiqued as lacking.  This one draw back should not disqualify the entire superhero fraternity from playing a part in literature and education.

In the next blog we will take a good look at two of the most famous non-super heroes.  Batman and Ulysses stand out as some of the most respected and yet lacking in the mythical power most heroes in their worlds are renown for, but they can rock it.  Look forward to it!