Heroes Can’t Be Happy?
Make Heroes Happy Again
Can a hero be happy? Belated sequels often think it’s more interesting if a familiar character is found in dire straits. Would it be so bland to see these legends living happily ever after? Here are four heroes who deserved better.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny took the nice ending of a questionable movie and made it muddier. Instead of watching Indy and Marion enjoy holy matrimony, we were treated to down and out Harrison Ford. At least they established that Mutt died on the way back to his home planet.
Michael Keaton is a lot of fans’ favorite Batman—so why not go with the tiresome trope of the stringy-haired, long-beaded recluse? No Batman Beyond, but rather a Batman that’s beyond repair. And he wasn’t even the worst one in The Flash movie.
John McClane is known for battling terrorists, not talking out his feelings. Still, it was nice to assume that the fateful phone call at the end of “…With A Vengeance” would’ve smoothed things over with Holly Gennaro. Instead we lived with some not-so-good days.
Feverish fans waited years to see Luke Skywalker’s return and when he did, it was a blue milk-soaked mess. Having characters overcome adversity is expected, but no one wanted their expectations to be quite this subverted. We were left wishing this really was the last Jedi.
A shining example of our faves getting a solid send-off is when Clark and Lois from Smallville appeared in The CW’s “Crisis…” crossover event. Despite being depowered, Clark delivered a satisfying conclusion. And it wasn’t even that hard to do.
Creating conflict is standard but over time, seeing our beloved heroes get a raw deal leaves viewers depressed. Life isn’t fair, sure, but fiction doesn’t have to retread the same deconstruction over and over again. Make heroes happy again.
I understand the reasoning behind reintroducing a fan favorite in a dark time at a later point in their life. Harrison Ford got it twice, once as Indy and another as Han Solo. Of course, the Star Wars sequel trilogy appears in this assessment and that is largely due to the absolute misfire of what fans wanted. The approach is simple enough, though - place the character in a rough spot and their arc sees them grow, learn, and overcome. Standard storytelling formula, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. However, these goals can be achieved without subjecting loyal fans to witnessing the heroes they grew up with become hollow shells of their former selves. There is being true to life’s harsh realities, and then there’s rehashing tired tropes. It’s been done. I’m in favor of the fresher idea of watching the good guys have good lives.
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Avenge Her takes place four years before the events of Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One.
AVENGE HER: ERIC ICARUS MYTHOS
From the ashes of ambition rises the battle for a dream — can a shattered inventor turn his greatest failure into his ultimate redemption?
Eric Icarus Mythos - Explore the stories of the heroes and villains of New St. Cloud City.