Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Aqua Man, Comics, dc comics, entertainment, hawkman, iron man, Marvel Comics, spider-man, superheroes

From Spider-Man to Hawkman: Thematic Unity And Character Appeal

By Bart Bishop

Why do some genre characters immediately connect with audiences while others struggle and some never do? There has to be a hook, certainly, whether it is their look or abilities or personality or all of the above, but what really cements a character is a thematic unity present in the primordial creation stage, an externalization of an internal metaphor through all these aspects. While Spider-Man is flanked by a core of chance, choice and guilt that made him connect with audiences immediately, Iron Man didn't go big until the movie exploded onto a culture permeated with gadgets and technological obsession. Characters like Aquaman and Hawkman, meanwhile, have never broken through to the mainstream because they lack coherency and potent thematic unity reflecting internal metaphors.

From the get-go Peter Parker's superhero career is defined by chance when he's bit by that radioactive spider. What he chooses to do with those abilities become as intrinsically linked with the character as the consequences, which are quick and Old Testament. The robber he chose not to stop kills Peter's uncle, cementing the orbiting core traits of chance and guilt as the result of choice. These are powerful, primal facets that along with a flashy costume that reflects Peter's showboating nature and web shooters, used more as defense and to incapacitate rather than hurt, hit at the heart of classic characters while being simultaneously timely and timeless.

Iron Man first appeared in 1963 and for the majority of his existence was considered a C-list character. His most notable storyline, "Demon in a Bottle", jerry rigged nuance but alcoholism was an external factor that was added to a character that, at that point, wasn't portrayed as a high-rolling, self-destructive playboy. That came with 2001's The Ultimates, Mark Millar's magnum opus that set the template for the modern interpretation by tweaking what was already present. Prior to that Iron Man's advanced technology was portrayed mostly through generic flying and gauntlet blasts, but the 21^st century saw writers capitalizing on the character's inherent potential to reflect futurism. Along with Robert Downey Jr.'s take that codified a twitchy, fast-talking Tony Stark as an eccentric genius the character finally found the right alchemy for stardom.

So take Aquaman, a character that has potential to break out in a more mainstream fashion but has been reduced to a punchline with the average Joe on the street. His powers are uniform with strength and psychic ability to talk to fish, but his original look and personality aren't immediately evocative of a greater metaphor. There's two possibilities here: emphasizing the sea's otherness and rejection of a destructive surface world, territory covered thoroughly by Marvel's Submariner already, or the connections to Arthurian myth that are tenuous at best. These have both been attempted by the likes of Peter David and Geoff Johns, as has drawing more thematic connection to his sea-based concept: more scaly costume, long hair and beard, hook hand, and the increasingly curmudgeonly hardening of the character into a no-nonsense warrior type. Perhaps the course correction of casting Jason Momoa, adding an exotic element, that ties into the eldritch nature of the deep sea, to the previously bland Aryan character, will finally be the hook that coalesces Aquaman into a marketable brand.

Hawkman, on the other hand, is a character dead on arrival. That may sound harsh, but there's a reason he's never had his own movie or show (or filmed pilot that's never been picked up): he's an incoherent mess. Put aside the continuity chaos of the Golden Age reincarnated archeologist and the Silver Age space cop, and what do you have? Years of a vanilla personality, silly costume and generic if overly complicated powers. There's a kernel of an idea with him representing the purity of antiquity, but it's never been fleshed out and is all but nullified by the bolted-on science fiction elements that point to the advantages of progress. Much like Aquaman, attempts were made to spice the character up by emphasizing his bull headedness and conservatism, especially in contrast to Green Arrow's liberalism, but the hawk totem and use of archaic weapons never intertwined to any satisfying degree. The fatalistic connection between Carter Hall and his wife Shiera only limited the possibilities for the character, and his connection to ancient Egypt is perfunctory at best, serving only to make the character distant and unknowable.

So the key is cohesion. There must be a linking of character, aesthetic and powers to personify a deeper metaphor, with a resulting universal potency. That central conceit can both grab an audience and give a character staying power. Some like Spider-Man are immediately palatable, while others like Iron Man are ahead of their time and don't hit until they meet the audience halfway. Others like Aquaman have potential but the parts haven't been given that extra jolt yet. Still others like Hawkman are too much a product of a kitchen sink mentality that was never guided by a powerful core. Maybe someday an innovator will come along to reimagine the character in such a way that speaks to audiences. Whoever that is, they'll have to suss out the greater metaphor deep beneath the shallow surface to come up with a long-lasting, attention-getting character.

Editor and teacher by day, comic book enthusiast by night, Bart has a background in journalism and is not afraid to use it. His first loves were movies and comic books, and although he grew up a Marvel Zombie he's been known to read another company or two. Married and with a kid newly arrived, he sure hopes this whole writing thing makes him independently wealthy someday. Bart can be reached at bishop@mcwoodpub.com.

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