Published: March 8, 2006
Although “Holy Terror, Batman!” may be the dark knight’s first foray into the wars of the real world, it isn’t the first time a comic book super hero has gone to war. During the late 1930s, and into the 1940s, many comic book creators showed their characters fighting the war in Europe.
Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created Captain America, a young boy unfit to join the army who volunteered for a special “Super-Soldier” experiment. Joined by such costumed crusaders as the original Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner, Captain America formed The Invaders, a team of war-time super heroes. The company that owned these characters would later become Marvel Comics, home of Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Hulk.
As time went on, the real world continued to fight wars, but the fictional heroes were not as gung-ho as they were in previous decades. Spider-Man, the original teen super hero, was affected by the war in Vietnam when one of his class mates, Flash Thompson, was drafted into the Army. During the 1970s and 1980s Captain America grew more and more jaded, questioning the morality of his country until, for a brief time, his title was revoked by the U.S. government.
The most prominent American super hero, Superman, has probably seen the greatest change of heart since the times of World War II. The character was once seen as the uber-immigrant, intent on defending “truth, justice, and the American way.” He has since come to represent a more universal archetype: that of a savior sent from far away to guide his adopted species towards peace and compassion.
In modern times the issue of war is for the most part left out of comic book storytelling. This probably has to do with avoiding controversy during a time when the nation is so polarized due to political beliefs.
Marvel Comics will begin a company-wide crossover this summer called “Civil War”, in which the Marvel super heroes are being asked to comply with a new “Registration Act” passed by Congress which requires them to expose their identities to the government. The drastic division between the super heroes who are for the act and those against it is supposedly analogous to the current political climate of the U.S.