The confrontation between two parties, usually a good one and an evil one, has been with us since the beginning of history. Think of all the conflicts between the ancient gods and the more recent ones – it was (Greek) gods versus titans, (Norse) gods versus ice giants, and more recently, (our) God versus an opposing angel, Lucifer. This confrontation between good and evil seems to have been imprinted into our genetic code since the very beginning of creation (or the start of the evolution, whichever you might prefer). Throughout history, we always had an “us versus them” going on somewhere in the world, with the antagonists – Nazis, Russians, Muslim terrorist organizations, you name it – always being depicted as evil, a threat to our way of life. The same duality can be observed in many products of popular culture over time, from paintings (Saint George vs. The Dragon) to comic books, pokies, and the recent products of Hollywood. It’s always like permanently having two angels sitting on our shoulders, perfectly depicted by the logo of the Good Girl, Bad Girl pokie game.
Last year, a very interesting “versus” made it to the silver screen. Of course, I’m talking about “Batman vs. Superman”, a highly anticipated movie ultimately bashed by critics and viewers alike. If not long ago audiences had two options to hate – Freddie or Jason, Alien or Predator, Godzilla or Mothra – this time they had two heroes fighting each other on-screen. Both of them were always perceived as positive characters: Batman was the caped crusader of Gotham City, while Superman was the protector of Lois Lane, Metropolis, and the Earth – in this order. Pitching them each other on the silver screen has most likely confused viewers, considering that they have rooted for both of them in the past. The confusion was most likely the biggest among those unfamiliar with the history of the Justice League, not knowing that the two would ultimately make up in the face of a new, bigger threat… but once again, that’s a story for another time.
Even if the “Batman vs. Superman” movie was not what most of us have expected, we have to appreciate it for its boldness in breaking out of the obvious patterns. Hopefully, the idea of the forces of good fighting each other will not disappear from popular culture, giving us a bit more thinking material about morality, situations, and perspectives.
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