KILL BILL, SUPERMAN & MYTHOLOGY............... and BATMAN

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Watched KILL BILL VOL 2 again last night. There's a scene where Bill (David Carradine) briefly talks about Superman, alter-egos and the Mythology of comics.
Here is what he says:

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"As you know...I'm quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating. Take my favorite superhero, Superman. Not a great comic book. Not particularly well-drawn. But the mythology... The mythology is not only great, it's unique. Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there's the superhero and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red "S" - that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears - the glasses, the business suit - that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak...he's unsure of himself...he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race."
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Well said! (for the most part, but we'll get to that in a bit). This is one of my favorite dialogues in the film. Not just because its geeky comic talk, but because he focuses on the MYTHOLOGY of it. I think most people think us comic dorks dig comics because of the neat-o flashy costumes and super powers. Sure, those are essential, but the MYTHOLOGY of which these iconic heroes and villains are built upon are the key. That is why we get all bent out of shape at superhero movies when they deviate from the original source. Changing or altering a classic superhero's ORIGIN, for example, defeats the entire point of the superhero themselves. There are certain aspects to a character, especially the origin, that simply cannot be altered. Batman's parents MUST have been murdered before his eyes in Gotham at a young age. Peter Parker's Uncle Ben MUST have been murdered by the perp who Peter did not attempt to stop hours before. These are the building blocks of which legends are born and thrive. Using those 2 characters as examples, without those specific tragedies in their youth, as superheroes they would just be flashy costumes with neat gadgets - that's boring. When you see a fanboy such as myself geeking out on a comic, we are always bringing that mythology to the page. Comic books are Today's Myth; Today's stories of Gods, Devils and Heroes.Getting back to the Kill Bill dialogue of Superman... Bill spotlights a great point about the duality of Superheroes and Superman himself. However, he's off on a few things. And being the uber-comic-nerd that I am, I'll explain:

The Mythology of Superman isn't quite as unique as he makes it out to be. For one, his origin of being the last son of Krypton, sent off in a rocket by his parents to a new world is greatly grounded in the story of Moses. Also, he does not stand alone with the characteristics of Superman being the real person and the "regular guy" being the actual Mask/Costume. In fact, the two characters are inseparable. He is both Clark Kent and Superman. The goofy "weak" and "cowardly" aspects he puts on as Clark is to merely keep people from putting 2-and-2 together that he is both identities (it is NOT because he looks down upon Humanity with superiority eyes - quite the opposite). He was raised by the Kents as Clark from a baby until he left home as a young adult. His powers did not truly manifest themselves to the point of him being "Super Man" until after he left the Fortress of Solitude, which he spent years in learning and growing into the Man. So while the POWERS are always there when he wakes up, if you had to choose one, he is always the man Ma and Pa Kent raised; Clark Kent, who uses his gifts (powers) to do good for others.

Now, there is a DC character that has that hero/alter-ego relationshop Bill talked about, and that is BATMAN. The night Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered, Bruce Wayne died as well. While the thug in the alley took Thomas & Martha Wayne's LIVES, he also took Bruce's identity and innocent soul. Bruce Wayne, in a sense, died in that alley with his parents. That night, after the police had gone and he was left with an empty house (except for Alfred), Bruce swore to do whatever it takes to become a Force to not only avenge his parents' deaths, but to avenge and protect the innocent of Gotham from further Criminal atrocities. He then devoted the next 10+ years transforming himself, body and mind, into a living weapon of physical & intellectual prowess. So, like Superman, in the morning it is not Bruce Wayne who wakes up - it's Batman. Bruce Wayne is actually the mask and alter ego Batman puts on. This is one of the many reasons why Batman is such a tragic hero; he is ALWAYS Batman. Always obsessed with fighting crime, he does not make any room for anything else, self sacrificing a "normal" life full of friends and love. He does not fall in love and date. If he's "dating" someone, it is merely keeping up the Bruce Wayne illusion. All Bruce Wayne/Batman truly has in life is his [psychotic] obsession to thwart crime and criminals. Because if he didn't focus his hate and trauma into that, he would be the villains he devotes his life to fighting.