So what could possibly bring me out of the darkness? Doctor Strange. This unique and powerful Marvel hero got me thinking a lot about what I find appealing in a super-powered character. Do I prefer the heroes who rely on their own strength, and whose powers come from themselves? Or do I find something tantalising about a character who relies on gadgets and artefacts, and builds themselves up from nothing? Please join me in this brief "thought progression debate" as I compare heroes like Doctor Strange, Batman, and Ironman with the likes of Superman, Edward Elric, and Goku.
So this all started when I noticed that Doctor Strange relies on the Cloak of Levitation to fly. Why does this powerful being, the Sorcerer Supreme, require an item to do what almost all superheroes are able to do? In fact, from my limited knowledge, most of Strange's feats are due to him "calling upon the power" of an extra-dimensional entity (Agamotto, Hoggoth or Oshtur – The Vishanti). It would seem that, at least to me, while Strange does have mastery over the mystic arts, his magic and power is not entirely his own.
At this point, you should probably know that I am a big fan of Superman. I love how his alien physiology is the source of his immense strength and super powers. He basically photosynthesises our yellow suns energy and turns it into all sorts of godlike abilities. Except for a couple of, and yes only two, weaknesses, Superman is nigh unbeatable. Those two famous weaknesses are Kryptonite and, rather ironically, magic. I use the word ironic because my previous implication was that Doctor Strange was weak because of his reliance on "non-self" sources of power, whereas Superman does not pose this problem.
This led me to explore all natural combinations of the following attributes:
A) Character draws power from self.
B) Character draws power from non-self.
C) Character is generally classified as weak.
D) Character is generally classified as strong.
* ) Somewhat magic related.
Superman is AD. Doctor Strange is BD*. Immediately, I thought of Batman and Ironman with regards the BD combination. AC* came up as a personal favourite of mine, Edward Elric from the Fullmetal Alchemist (FMA) series. Now I'd better start explaining my thought process before all of my anime fanboy friends start yelling at me.
Edward Elric posses the power of alchemy, the ability to transfigure one object into another. The only caveat is that both the initial and resulting objects must be of equal "value". Most alchemists in the FMA universe require transmutation circles, physical inscriptions, to carry out alchemy. Elric has the unique ability to perform alchemy without the use of circles. However, even with this "upper hand" he is still just a human. A signifiant part of the FMA series glosses over periods where Elric has to recover from the injuries he sustained from his adventures. Quite simply, Elric bleeds and is vulnerable.
Now you're probably thinking, "Mark, Batman and Ironman are both human too. One really, strong punch from superman, or even a well timed gunshot, would kill them." To which I say, EXACTLY! As godlike and unbeatable as the comics would portray them, Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark also bleed. This is where a key contrast had to be made:
"What do I like about Edward Elric that I don't like about Batman or Ironman?"
It was at this point that I changed my thought debate from a "who do I think would win" into a "who do I find more appealing" ordeal. Characters that draw power from non-self sources have a very fantasy-esque appeal to them. They gather their artefacts in order to build up their power. There is this visceral risk about them; whilst they may be powerful, there are always stakes whenever they go into battle.
However, I just talked about a character that shows exactly these attributes whilst drawing power from themselves, Edward Elric. Elric built up his power, not by attaining more rare and powerful items, but by attaining more knowledge and mastering his craft. With this in mind, I can safely concede that there is appeal in risk and vulnerability, but personally, there is greater appeal in a character that always has his power available. On the off chance that you catch Tony Stark without his armour, you've won because he's literally a bag of flesh. Case closed. Sheer convenience is what draws me to characters like Superman and Edward Elric.
That is until I thought of Goku. I hate Goku. His power does come from himself, but it blows way high out of proportion. You may want to point out that Goku also "grows and builds up his power" across the series, but I feel like my disdain is directed towards how his character is written. Goku always becomes "more powerful". Goku never truly "dies". This may be a result of him being the protagonist, but I find that I have this problem with other mainstream anime characters like Naruto and Ichigo from Bleach – they're so one dimensional. They always just casually become more powerful, to the point where they easily overcome the obstacles in front of them.
I used to be really fond of this idea of being infinitely powerful; being able to just complete show up your adversary. However, recent cinema and perhaps my huge fondness for Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood has taught me to appreciate more grounded universes and vulnerable characters. Ultimately, characters that are weak are more relatable.
I came to my own conclusion that the self versus non-self debate doesn't tell me what definitively makes a character appealing. Rather, the mixture of vulnerability and power speaks more about a character and the connection they can make with the audience. Thusly, the ideas of self versus non-self power act as tools to construct characters and help strike that balance between vulnerability and power. The best characters find unique and creative ways to thrill and entertain the reader.
What do you think? Do you see any holes in my argument? Do you prefer self or non-self powered characters? Are you having an anime fanboy rage at me for hating Goku, Naruto, and Ichigo all in one post? Let me know in the comments!
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