What is it about Superheroes? Kids just LOVE them.
What’s not to like? How cool would it be to have super powers? Super strength, X-Ray vision, incredible healing capacity, the ability to fly? You could do what you like, with no fear of repercussion. You would be the focus of attention, stand apart, different and superior to everyone else. You would be capable of performing acts of great heroism, effortlessly. As a comic reader well past the age of acceptability, I am well-educated in Comic Book geekness, and have spent far too many waking hours immersed in the worlds of Super Heroes (and Super Villains).
But after becoming a father, it is Spider-Man who has been on my mind. Not for the threat of an alien parasite taking over my body nor because of our shared Manhattan stomping grounds and certainly not for having a complicated relationship with a supermodel. No, it’s Spider-Man’s humanity and vulnerability — and the cautionary Curse of Spider-Man — that weigh on my mind.
Uncle Ben. Poor old Uncle Ben…
Marvel superheroes like the X-men — and Spider-Man in particular – live in a universe filled with dark shadows, where power is a burden, more bane than boon. Every act of heroism is diametrically offset by acts of evil and tragedy. Spider-Man may have incredible strength. He can cling to walls, leap 20 stories and shoot webbing and swing like Tarzan through the canyons of Manhattan with ease. But his powers are a curse: his use of this power is inextricably linked to the death of his Uncle Ben. His attempts to battle the criminal mastermind Green Goblin result in the death of his first true love Gwen Stacy. And for all his powers, he works a low paying day-job for a man determined to out the secret identity of Spider-man and ruin him forever. There is something very Greek Tragedy and Old Gods about the cosmos in which Spider-Man lives.
There is something very Greek Tragedy and Old Gods about the cosmos in which Spider-Man lives.
It’s not a stretch to feel certain parallels with parenthood. It’s easy to forget, but our children place us at the center of their universe. Our comfort, our guidance, our gifts – these occupy an outsize role in their imagination. As parents we ARE super heroes, though we may not see the effect and weight of our powers.
And so it is that Spider-Man lurks in the wings of my subconscious, a masked figure of dark portent. I am aware of my power and strive to be ever vigilant lest I use it for evil. And I am ever hopeful that my good intentions and actions will not have the unintended consequences that haunt Peter Parker.
— Bad Papa East