Superman, has always been the flagship superhero for America. The alien baby rescued from Krypton, was raised with small town values and gifted with unimaginable powers. He uses his powers to rescue cats from trees, catch crashing airplanes and stop alien invasions. He is motivated only by a deep conviction that he should do good for his fellow man. He has a deep humility that is always willing to use his abilities for the good of others. And despite his extraterrestrial heritage, Superman seems more human, more American, than we are.
Based on his background alone, one might think that Bruce Wayne would seem to be more of an alien than Clark Kent. He’s a trust fund baby who has never had to work a day in his life. He spends his time running in circles that the average person only encounters glimpses of in the paparazzi magazines at grocery stores. But underneath the thousand dollar suits and million dollar sports cars is a truly human story.
When Bruce was a little boy, his parents took him to see a Zorro movie. As they were leaving, walking down a dark alleyway, a stick-up man lost his cool, and shot Bruce’s mom and dad in front of his eyes. Like so many, Bruce’s story starts in tragedy. But it doesn’t end there. He leverages his wealth to allow him to travel the world training in martial arts. He uses his business connections to create electronic tools that give him the research powers of a one man CSI team and the resources of a top secret military platoon. Motivated by a deeply personal desire to see no one else suffer the way he has, Bruce Wayne transforms himself in to the Batman, the world’s greatest detective, the Dark Knight.
Superman is larger than life. It’s not just his abilities; it’s his completely unmotivated selflessness. What makes Superman wake up in the morning? Why does he even care about humans? And it’s not even a fair fight. Unless you’re in the secret club that knows about the dangers of Kryptonite and lead, you don’t stand a chance.
Batman’s story is a human story, and it’s not just because he was born on planet earth. Like so many of us, Batman’s life has been shaped by tragedy. Like so few of us, Batman has overcome his background. Batman stands among the few and the proud, like the members of A.A. or holocaust survivors. The tragedy in their lives has given them a keen awareness of the pain their world, and a deep desire to make a difference.
Superman is the person we know we can never be, and it’s not just because he can fly. Batman is the kind of person we want to be. We want to overcome, to truly put the past. We all want to look at what has happened to us and say “I am better off because of it.” Superman wins fights because no one can compete with him. Batman wins fights because he has spent his own fortune creating an arsenal, because he tirelessly trains his body, because he can think his way out of any situation.
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