(Super) Men Are Still Good - DC Rebirth & Batman v Superman

(Super)Men Are Still Good

DC Rebirth and Batman v Superman

Warning: This post contains spoilers for both DC Universe Rebirth #1 and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Hope and optimism. These are, according to Geoff Johns, the words at the forefront of DC Rebirth, DC’s new initiative. It all kicked off last Wednesday, the 25^th May 2016, with the 80-page one shot DC Universe Rebirth #1, written by Johns himself.

Above: Geoff Johns

The one-shot saw the return of Wally West, the former Flash and Kid Flash, a character that was thought be have been completely wiped from continuity in DC’s 2011 reboot, the New 52. The character of Wally West – or rather a character called Wally West – had returned before in the New 52, in the pages of Flash, but this was a completely new Wally West, with a different backstory, look and personality.

But the Wally West that returned in DC Universe Rebirth #1 was the original Wally West, the pre New 52 Wally, the character that first appeared in The Flash #110 back in 1959. This is the Wally that was president and only member of the Blue Valley Flash fan club, the original Kid Flash, the man who took up the mantle of the Scarlet Speedster when Barry Allen sacrificed his life to save the multiverse, the man who was a member of the Teen Titans, the Titans, the Justice League Europe, the JLA and Justice League Elite (although we don’t like to talk about that last one), the man who married Linda Park and had two kids. And with Wally’s return comes a shocking revelation that changes the New 52 universe. The Wally West currently appearing in The Flash is not the pre-New 52 Wally’s alternate universe counterpart, but a distant cousin. Because the universe of the New 52 is not, as previously believed, a separate continuity from the pre-New 52 universe, but the same universe – minus ten years.

Somebody has stolen ten years from the universe, and as a result things are now different. Relationships between heroes, both friendship and romantic, are weakened or missing, seasoned veterans are now relative rookies, and heroic legacies have been wiped from existence – including Wally, the Kid Flash turned Flash, himself.

This in itself is some pretty meta stuff. First and foremost, it addresses – in universe – changes, often unpopular ones, which were made in the New 52 reboot. Characters that were married – Barry Allen and Iris West, Clark Kent and Lois Lane, for example, now never were. Green Arrow and the Black Canary, one of the most iconic relationships in the DCU, was removed from continuity, the two characters barely – if ever – interacting in the New 52.

The New 52 also made characters younger, less experienced, and characters that had grown throughout the years from teen heroes or sidekicks into experienced heroes in their own right were now teens again (Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven, for example), or wiped from continuity. While, as I mentioned above, some character wiped from continuity in the New 52 relaunch had begun appearing again – Wally West, Donna Troy, Stephanie Brown, Ted Kord – their past histories were erased and they were often given completely new backstories and personalities, so they might have well have been completely new characters.

But DC Universe Rebirth #1 isn’t just about getting meta about the last five years.

Wally: A darkness from somewhere has infected us. It has for a long time now, I think. Even before the Flashpoint.

It’s no big secret that comics can be dark, and this is often tied to the Dark Age of Comics, a period between the mid-80’s and mid-90’s where “dark”, “gritty” and “realism” (“realism” in this case often just meaning “cynicism”) were the keywords of the day. Comics with darker, more violent antiheroes became popular, both due the idea that true art is angsty (Watchmen, the Dark Knight Returns) or because violent antiheroes are “cooler” (Youngblood, Cable, Blood Pack, heck, anything by Rob Liefeld). Despite the “superhero reconstruction” or “superhero renaissance” in the mid-90s, with stuff like Kingdom Come, Flex Mentallo, JLA, and John’s own JSA, kicking off what’s considered to be the post-Dark Age, “Modern Age of Comics”, it’s easy to see that modern superhero comics are still often rather dark and violent, to the point where some readers consider the Dark Age of Comics to never have actually ended.

In DC Universe Rebirth #1, Johns makes a stand for hope and optimism against the fear and cynicism the Dark Age represents. Pandora’s dying words, aimed at the “somebody” who changed the DCU, and Wally’s warning, embodies this sentiment:

Pandora: Skepticism. Doubt. Corruption. All things your cold heart believes in. But in the end, there was hope. And the heroes of this universe embody it. Their hope, their devotion, their love for one another will vanquish what you’ve done. It may be over for me but they will prove you wrong.

Wally: There’s going to be a war between hope and despair. Love and apathy. Faith and disbelief.

And to represent the Dark Age, we have the “somebody” who stole those ten years, that has weakened the DCU, that represents the scepticism and doubt and, it’s implied, to have infected the DC with darkness.

Doctor Manhattan.

Doctor Manhattan is a character from the 1985 DC comic Watchmen. It is, together with Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns (we’ll talk about that in a bit), one of the comics credited with bringing about the Dark Age of Comics. Now, to say that these works are wholly responsible for bringing darkness, realism (and/or cynicism) into comics is absolute bobbins. “Dark” superhero comics didn’t begin with Watchmen or The Dark Knight Returns – for example, the transition of Batman from the smiling, light-heartened Caped Crusader made famous by Adam West into the brooding Dark Knight of modern day owes as much to the 1970s Batman writer/artist team of Denny O’Neill and Neal Adams as it does Frank Miller. But it is true that these two works are iconic, not just in themselves, but as a representation of everything DC Rebirth opposes. That scepticism, that cynicism, that darkness that has been a major part of DC, and comics in general, since Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns arrived.

That’s not to say that Geoff Johns dislikes these stories, or wants to see them forgotten. But DC Rebirth’s mission statement is made clear. It’s time to move beyond the darkness. It’s time to bring back hope and optimism to the DCU.

Earlier this year, DC released Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’s easily one of the darkest superhero films DC has ever released, possibly one of the darkest superhero films of all time. It’s a sombre, often melancholy film that deals with subject matters such as fear, anger, alienation (literally, in Superman’s case), despair and the feeling of helplessness. It shows us a Superman feared and sometimes even hatred by the public and a hero whose positive actions can have far-reaching, unforeseen negative consequences. It shows us an older, jaded Batman, broken by twenty years of fighting the never-ending fight against Gotham’s criminals, the loss of Robin, and the arrival of Superman, something more powerful and possibly destructive than he ever could have imagined.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a deeply polarising film, savaged by film critics and dividing both fans of the comics and general audiences. Now, it’s worth mentioning that I love it. I will happily go on record and say that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is my favourite film of all time. Yeah, I love it that much.

Above: Pure awesomeness.

One of the things that was often talked about, and what largely formed the bulk of the film’s criticism, was the film’s tone. Critics of the films derided the film as too dark, too cynical, too depressing. Critics argued that the movie should have been happier, brighter, and have more characters smiling and joking. Now, that wasn’t the only criticism of the film, and I’m not trying to say that anyone who dislikes the movie is wrong. Film, like all media, is subjective and I don’t believe anyone who hates Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is objectively wrong, any more than I believe I am objectively right for loving it.

With DC Universe Rebirth #1, and by extension the whole DC Rebirth initiative, being all about bringing hope and optimism back to the DCU, it’s been noted a fair bit online the apparent different in tone of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, released just a few months before DC Universe Rebirth #1, a film that’s full of it’s heroes feeling despair and cynicism. Some articles online have gone so far as to suggest that DC’s new mission statement of hope and optimism has been influenced by the negative reactions to the apparent darkness and cynicism of their movie universe, or even as Geoff Johns’ own reaction to it.

Of course, the problem with the idea that this is Geoff Johns reacting to the “darkness” of DC’s films is, well, he helped make them. Johns was the Chief Creative Officer for DC Comics, an executive producer on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and as instrumental in shaping the feel and tone of the DC Extended Universe as Zack Snyder. And with the arrival of DC Rebirth, with Geoff Johns dedicated to bringing hope and optimism back to DC, his influence becomes even more obvious.

Because here’s the thing – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, like DC Universe Rebirth #1, is a film about hope. A film about why we need to move beyond anger, beyond fear, beyond cynicism and embrace hope, optimism and our belief in both our heroes, and ourselves. This is, as far as I can see, the core theme of the movie and it’s summed up in two lines.

Alfred: That's how it starts, sir. The fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men... cruel.

Bruce: Men are still good. We fight, we kill, we betray one another, but we can rebuild. We can do better. We will. We have to.

Because that’s the message of the film. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice shows us a Superman paralyzed by indecision, a Batman blinded by rage and paranoia, and a Wonder Woman who’s turned her back on mankind. But these are presented as obstacles that our heroes have to overcome to save the day. Clark must come to peace with the idea that he can’t save everyone, but that doesn’t make what he does meaningless. Batman must learn to see Clark as human, not just as a potential threat, and learn to trust again. Diana must decide to stand with humanity, and believe in their potential again. And… well, they do.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is, as much as DC Universe Rebirth #1, a rallying cry of why it’s time superhero stories came out of the darkness and cynicism, and embraced hope and optimism again.

Now, to some people this idea might seem bizarre. After all, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, one of the prime examples of dark, gritty comics, is one of director Zack Snyder’s favourite comic books, and it was one of the biggest inspirations for this film, with BvS even going so far as to use the exact dialogue from the comic. But while there’s a clear influence of The Dark Knight Returns in BvS, it’s worth noting that often that influence, particularly that exact dialogue I mentioned, is sometimes used so it has a completely different context in the film. The part of the film most influence by The Dark Knight Returns is in the fight scene of, well, Batman v Superman.

Batman: It’s way past time you learned… what it means to be a man…

This is a line directly from the Batman v Superman fight in The Dark Knight Returns, and it’s also used, more or less, by Batman during the fight in BvS. But the context is very different. Because here’s the thing. Superman comes to Gotham in TDKR as an all-powerful, alien being, an “other”, and as a representative of a corrupt US government, dedicated to bringing Batman down. In BvS, Clark comes to Gotham to ask Batman to help him save his mother, Martha Kent, who’s been kidnapped by Lex Luthor. Superman here isn’t some government stooge, or all-powerful alien who has no idea what it’s like to be human, he’s a man, scared for his mother’s life. His only hope is that he can reason with Batman, that the pair can find common ground and work together. But Batman by this point is so caught up by his feelings of rage, despair and his desperate need not to feel powerlessness that he isn’t listening. In many ways, Batman has become the Frank Miller Batman, the Dark Age Batman, taken to the extreme. His unyielding, righteous anger has become a blinding rage than makes him unable to listen to the voice of reason. His ability to be prepared for any threat has become twisted into paranoia, making him so obsessed about the potential threat of Superman going rogue that he’s blind to the actual threat of Lex Luthor using this very rage and paranoia to manipulate him. Batman has embraced the darkness and cynicism and become, as Alfred as warned him, cruel. He gives Superman a savage beating even as Superman still tries to reason with him, leading to Bruce's darkest, lowest point, about to kill a helpless Clark even as he begs, not for himself, but for his mother’s life.

Enter Lois Lane.

Lois is, throughout the film, the one person who hasn’t given up hope. She still believes in Clark as a person, and the hope Superman inspires. Her belief in Clark and the truth leads her to be the one to uncover Lex’s plot and, just at the last moment, arrives in time to explain that “Martha” is Clark’s mother. It’s at this moment that Batman realises that Clark is not just an alien threat, he’s a person. He’s reminded of the innocent he was, realises just how far he’s fallen. And then he and Superman does what seemed impossible, the thing that Lex Luthor never expected the pair to do – they work together. Martha Kent is saved, because of Lois never giving up hope, and because Bruce can learn to overcome his darkness and his cynicism.

At the end of the film, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman put aside their differences and work together to stop Doomsday, Clark heroically sacrificing himself to stop the monster. The film ends with Superman dead and Lex, while imprisoned, ranting that something very big and very bad is coming. Dark days are coming and yet… there is still hope. Remember Bruce’s line?

Diana Prince: A hundred years ago I walked away from mankind; from a century of horrors... Men made a world where standing together is impossible.

Bruce Wayne: Men are still good. We fight, we kill, we betray one another, but we can rebuild. We can do better. We will. We have to.

This is the same man, who, earlier in the film, said this:

Bruce: Twenty years in Gotham, Alfred; we've seen what promises are worth. How many good guys are left? How many stayed that way?

Seeing Clark’s humanity, Lois’ belief, Diana’s willingness to step in and fight even for a world she doesn’t believe in, and Clark making the ultimate sacrifice to save the day has changed him. The ultimate cynic has found hope again. The final shot of the film is Clark’s grave, as the dirt begins to rise, hinting at Clark’s resurrection that, let’s face it, DC isn’t even trying to hide.

Above: Official Justice League concept art. 

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice isn’t a happy film. It’s not all jokes and laughs. But it’s not a cynical film, either. If anything, like DC Universe Rebirth #1, it’s a criticism of cynicism. It’s a film that argues that anger and fear just makes us cruel, that hope and belief can save us and, even when the world seems darkest, there is still hope. At the end of the day, men, and supermen, are still good. This is the message of DC Rebirth, the message of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and possibly the whole message of DC Entertainment, whether in comics, on TV or on film, for a long while yet. I have hope.