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Parenthood has changed a lot through the years. It's a complex world with complex problems and parental models have changed. We now have a multitude of different types of parents: birth parents, step parents, adoptive and foster parents, two dads, two moms, single parents, and so on.
 The one constant, however, is the supreme importance of parenthood. Parents shape who we are and what we become. You can argue the whole nature versus nurture thing, but I did that back in grade nine and I have no desire to relive any more of my high school days then I have to. Good parents have good children; bad parents have bad children. That's a pretty black and white argument, but it can be backed up by evidence of indisputable truth - from the world of superhero comic books.
Take the three most popular superheroes in popular culture: Superman, The Batman (I call him The Batman cause it sounds cooler - sue me), and Spiderman. It is in these black and white "funny books" that these heroes save the world page after page, issue after issue, and decade after decade. If you haven't guessed the reason why they do this, I'll enlighten you. It is their Parents. It's they who influence the decisions to become protectors of the planet, defenders of truth, justice and all that stuff. Don't believe me? Read on, true believer.
Superman is, arguably, the most recognized superhero on the planet. His "S" emblem shield is as recognizable as the crucifix. A decidedly American hero, he has nevertheless been acknowledged by fans all over world as a hero for all mankind. Adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark of course grows up to be Superman.
An ongoing debate in comic fandom is whether it is Clark Kent or Superman that is the disguise. I firmly believe that Clark Kent is who he is and Superman is the disguise he uses to help people. How could it be any other way? He wasn't born Superman. Yes, he was born with powers and abilities far beyond that of normal men, but it was his upbringing that made him choose to be a Superman, rather than a Super villain. Have you ever wondered why old Supes never broke into a bank or robbed a store? Why doesn't he use his x-ray vision to look into the woman's change room? He certainly could but never does. I would, but I wasn't raised by the Kents in Kansas with all the golly gee and awshucks of a Norman Rockwell painting.
Jonathan and Martha Kent are your classic adoptive parents: kind,  loving, and supportive. Unable to have kids of their own, they see Clark as the answer to their prayers and raise him with a strong sense of right and wrong. Jonathan, a farmer, and Martha, a housewife, live a simple and hardworking ordinary life. Even after the extraordinary event of finding a baby from outer space, they choose to assume the responsibility of this super baby and raise him as any other ordinary child. They see Clark through all his growing stages and give him love and support. (Imagine the terrible twos. Now imagine it with a baby that can fly and can see through walls. Try hiding the Christmas presents from the kid.)
Even with all his powers, Clark always chooses the right path. He becomes Superman to protect the people he loves while protecting the people of the earth. He does this not because he can, but because he was instilled with a sense of responsibility. Out of the entire superhero roster, Superman is the only one uniquely in a position to judge the human race as a superior being but can also look at us and see himself. He was raised as one of us - with all the humility and goodness that could have been given by the two most important people in his life, his parents. I think it's important to note that Superman is the name we gave him. He sees himself as just Clark. There's no vanity there; Martha wouldn't allow it.
No matter what version you grew up with in the 70-year history of Superman, the Kents always played an important role. If Clark had been raised in a different environment, say an abusive situation where Clark's abilities were used for selfish gains, would there be a Superman? We can thank Jonathan and Martha that there is.
 In an alley far away, as his parents are gunned down while he watches, Bruce Wayne, through either mental breakdown or unrivaled determination to fight crime, becomes the Batman in order to avenge his parents' deaths. Perhaps three people die in that alley that night. Two gunshots kill the parents, but another single, silent gunshot is only heard in the young boy's mind. His parents' eyes, like mirrors staring back at him, allow Bruce to watch his childhood end.
When the last breath has been taken and the lids close, never to open again, the child dies trapped behind the lids, forever at unrest. Bruce Wayne doesn't walk out of that alley that night. No one knows it, but it is the Batman. Whew! How's that for the proper Batman mood? Eat your heart out, Frank Miller.
What's this you say? Bruce Wayne's parents were killed. He was raised by the butler. My theory goes right down the bat toilet. Holy wrong presumption, Batman! That Bruce's parents were killed is the singular most important event that made him the Caped Crusader.
Bruce Wayne is the sole heir to their fortune. His family practically owns Gotham. Imagine what he'd be like if his parents had lived. He'd have grown up to be some irresponsible, stuck-up snob. A Kennedy, or a Hilton, if you will. Little is known about the Wayne parents other than that they were rich and were killed too soon and too senselessly. We really don't know if they were hands-on parents or get-the-servants-to-change-the-dirty-diapers aristocrats.
But it really doesn't matter, because, for the same reason Clark  became Superman, Bruce became the Batman. In Clark's case, it was the constant support of his Mom and Dad through every stage of his development. In Bruce's, the absence of Mom and Dad through his development led him down the Dark Knight path. Forever haunted by that night, he hunts down Gotham's most dangerous criminals dressed as, of all things, a giant bat. I'm not sure if this is the future the Waynes saw for little Bruce. Alfred, despite being a mainstay in the mythology, can be considered more of a distant uncle than a parental model. The relationship he has with Bruce has always been that of servant and master. He surely knows Bruce better than anyone else, but has only been an enabler, doing whatever is asked of him.
Later, Bruce becomes a parent of his own when he takes in young Dick Grayson as his ward. This being a comic book, Dick also becomes The Batman's sidekick, Robin, the Boy Wonder. Comic sales skyrocketed when Robin was introduced. Readers could live through Robin's adventures as the ward of the richest man in town and as the partner of the coolest superhero around. There is nary a twelve-year-old boy who hasn't dreamt of that.
But Bruce becomes a parent for all the wrong reasons. He sees himself in Dick Grayson and wrongly includes him in the Batman's life of vengeance. Having no parental model himself, Bruce raises Dick as he was raised. Lonely, distant, so focused on one task that all other aspects of his life takes a back seat. A rational man would see the same situation and try to steer the youngster as far away from his own fate as fast as he can. The Batman may be methodical, but never rational.
But The Batman is a bird of a different flock. Bad parents might have bad kids; in Bruce's case, no parents have disturbed kids. Bruce is continuing the circle of dysfunction with Dick Grayson and, later, with different Robins, Jason Todd and Tim Drake. All boys with the same early-life tragedy and all headed toward the same destructive end.
The story of Peter Parker is a combination of Clark and Bruce's early life. Peter's birth parents died when he was young, and he was raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Ben and May Parker are cut from the same cloth as the Kents: more honest and loving people you will never find. Like Bruce, a senseless tragedy took Uncle Ben's life and propelled Peter into becoming your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman.
But like most Marvel Comic characters, Peter and his aunt and uncle have far more shades of grey. Neither the man of tomorrow, nor the saddest little rich boy (with respect to Ritchie Rich), Peter has more real world problems to deal with. Teenage awkwardness, money problems and girl problems are on the same list of things we all deal with. Ben and May do the absolute best for Peter with what they have. What they have is an abundance of understanding and a moral compass that is right on track. With great power comes great responsibility. Uncle Ben meant these words to be for Peter, not Spiderman. All of us have the power to do great things, but only with responsibility can we become greater. Uncle Ben was making Peter feel good. He was building him up; reinforcing his self worth. Reaffirming his love and support in Peter. Isn't that what all Dads should do?
Peter, like most teenagers, makes mistakes, and one mistake cost Uncle Ben his life. So Peter became Spiderman to fight crime rather than be an entertainer. But even if Uncle Ben hadn't died, Peter still would have used his powers wisely. He didn't break into any banks or rob any liquor stores before Uncle Ben died. Peter's a good kid. He continues to look after his sickly aunt all the while fighting scorpions, octopi and an odd assortment of goblins. He holds down a job and has a girlfriend. Peter would make a great father, as he puts others before himself. Perhaps it was the initial guilt of Uncle Ben's death that made him Spiderman, but it was Uncle Ben's parenting that made him amazing.
Who are the Flash's parents? I don't know. Iron Man's? Ummmmmmmmm? The Hulk's Mom and Dad were...? Wait. Wait, I know this one. They were…? Okay, next. All three of these comic characters are well known and have appeared successfully in the same media as Superman and the others. They all share a common trait in that their parents play no role in who they are and what they become. So perhaps we subconsciously identify with Clark, Bruce and Peter because we've seen them interact with their parents in a positive way. A way in which you were treated, or hoped to be treated, or are treating your kids. My son and daughter may never get superpowers (it would be freakin' sweet if they did), but they will get the lessons I learned from the comic book parents and, just like all comic heroes, they'll grow up to be super.
© 2008 Scott Swailes; licensee (Cult)ure Magazine.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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