The Inculpable (non)Believer

or Superheros and the problem of " Divine Hidenness


Let us take a look at a couple of note worthy superheros of the DC universe, specifically Superman, Batman and Captain Marvel (often erroneously referred to as Shazam much the same way as Frankensteins Monster is often referred to as Frankenstein). My interests is mainly in how they do what they do and why they do it that way. So let us start with the easy one.

A) Superman in the DC universe is a very visible superhero. His likeness can often be found gracing the front page of the Daily Planet. There is a reason he is so visible, he has to be to do what he intends to do. Superman saves people. Superman helps people. Superman cares about people. Why he cares is the topic of an entirely other post, but if you wish to know more I suggest you pick up "Superheroes And Philosophy", it is a good serious read and a lot of fun. Superman has to be seen to save people. If Lois Lane falls off of a building and Superman wishes to rescue her, he might not be able to do it with out her seeing him. He saves people in the day time when it is easier to see. He wears a bright and clearly visible costume so you know that it is him and that he is not going to hurt you, of course the bad guys know it is him also. He has the big S shield on his chest that makes him easier to identify, it also serves as a target if some one goes crazy and starts shooting. Innocents and civilians are less likely to be harmed because Superman is visible. If you lived in Metropolis you would have a difficult time denying that Superman exists. Superman probably doesn't care if you believe in him, but that belief is a necessary result of him doing his thing, and his world is the better for it. I won't deny that being Superman has a resulting boost to Kal-El's ego, but ego alone is not the reason to put on the red cape, at least not for the last son of Krypton. Unlike Superman, Captain Marvel is in it for the Vanity.

B) Captain Marvel also sometimes referred to as Shazam is in actuality Billy Batson. Captain Marvel much like Superman is a vanguard of Justice, graced with the Wisdom of Solomon. Captain Marvel is a Superhero because he has the Wisdom, Strength and Courage to want to and be able to save people. The Big Red Cheese is also very visible like his good pal Supes, and because he does what he does he is well recognized and idolized. That is all well and good, Captain Marvel in all his Wisdom wishes to do good and help people, but what about Billy Batson. Billy Batson is secretly Captain Marvel but he is also 12 year old boy. Like most boys Billy idolized Superman. He wished he was Superman. He wished to be a hero. But what he really wanted was to be popular, to be loved to be idolized himself. That is where the difference comes in, sure Captain Marvel is wise and sincerely want to do good, but Billy is not. Billy doesn't have the Wisdom of Solomon, the Strength of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas, the Power of Zeus, the Courage of Achilles or the speed Mercury. He has only what every other 12 year old boy has, that and the ability to say the Magic Word that transforms him into a hero, a hero of 12 year old boys the world over. So even though Shazam like Supes does it for the good, Billy does it for the Vanity. So we now have two heros who want to help and save innocent people and are very visible because of it, but what if there were a hero who wasn't primarily concerned with saving the innocent but rather wished to punish the wicked?

C) Batman is a shadow, a rumor, a myth. He lurks in the dark and his picture isn't on the cover of the local newspaper. Batman is a creature of the night and criminals fear him. Batman is hidden for a reason, because it serves his purpose, it makes him a better criminal fighter (I think in this case we should distinguish what he does from what the above two heros do, Supes fights crime and wish to stop the crime from happening, Batman fights the criminals and wishes to punish those who hurt others). By now I hope you realize that I am not talking about the camping pastel Batman of the 60's TV show but rather the dark angry Batman of the comics. If being on the cover of the paper and doing interviews with spunky newspaper reporters helped Batman punish the wicked, he would do it, but it doesn't. Being an entity of fear and darkness and shadows lets him punish the wicked so as the good can sleep safely in their beds at night and not have to suffer the fate that happened to him as a young child.

So at this point you are wondering what the hell does this have to do with anything! Well, let me explain. We looked at three Superheros. Superman is very visible because he has to be to help people, Captain Marvel is a hero because Billy Batson has the vainity of a child and wishes to be loved. Batman is hidden and mysterious because it helps him punish the wicked. Now for the blasphemy. Replace the words Superman, Batman and Captain Marvel with the word God. Of those three worlds, which one best describes the world we live in.

A world where God is visible because he wants to help people?
A world where God is visible because he wants to be loved?
A world where God is hidden because he wishes to punish the wicked?
Or perhaps you would rather believe in a world where there are no superheros.