Blame it on the place where I grew up or the time when I grew up or just my ignorance, I did not have too much exposure to the comic strips and also 'those were the days' when there was no cable, broadcasting numerous cartoon channels 24X7 in small towns of India.
The only super-hero I remember from my childhood days is He-man. The Indian national television had broadcast the 'He-man and the Masters of the Universe' cartoon series for one season, and even though i do not remember too much of it, i remember for sure that I was a great fan of He-man. Most of those days, I spent riding on our dog :-)
And, after having the cable revolution and the internet revolution, came the age of superheroes - pioneered by Spiderman!!
Yes, the Spiderman. Before Spiderman, all that i remember watching in movies was a batman and robin series where every punch and kick was shown with a visual effect [a big colorful cloud with Boom, Baam, Zaap, written all over it!!!], phantom whom i never liked so much in that movie, a Superman who was more famous in those days for his illness ... and, i don't remember much of the others.
Following the success of Spiderman, we saw a whole brigade of superheroes coming before us on silver screen; and they continue to do so - with the latest addition of Watchmen.
I like watching all of these movies, but after watching all of them, if you ask me who is my most favourite super-hero, I have my answer ready. It's Batman!!
Christopher Nolan has cast his magic on the Batman character and brought up so many aspects about him so well, that you can't help to admire the super-duper-hero!!
He jumps roof-tops like Spiderman, and does it without any gene-altering-bug-bite; he hasn't been brought back to life by licking of some special egyptian nocturnals like CatWoman; but chose his symbol and name of Batman, only to share his threat for the bats with his enemy; He is wearing gadgets all over his body, but does not need any life saving magnetic field near his heart like IronMan; He can image entire gotham city with Sonar radiations; but that's a gadget not a gift, like DareDevil who obtained sonar senses during an eye-blinding tragedy; He can make a pulp out of criminals by his fist, yet there is no rare metal running through his skeleton like that of Logan; he surely cannot produce typhoons by mere movement of his eyes like Storm, but then he is not a mutant; yet he is a Ninja and shares the middle name with Mutant Ninja Turtles. He is not being brought from some distant hell like Hellboy, or has been sent from some faraway planet like Superman; but is just another kid who grew up in neighborhood of Gotham City. He is a vigilante, but not a vendattist like V; his decepetion can make him appear invisible, yet his invisibility is not a medical experiment like hollow-man; He is the Zorro, but not playing around with cowboys and horses; but with present day terrorists and supersonic jets; and to use words from the Dark Knight - He is the hero Gotham deserves, a Dark Knight!!
We have seen him fight the ordinary con-men on the streets and also the greatest of the villians - ones who use the basic human instincts as weapons of mass destruction. In Batman Begins, the word is 'Panic' and in the Dark Knight, its 'Chaos' - and he has succeeded in all his fights.
Here is how Lucius Fox describes him in one of the scenes of Dark Knight - One of the wealthiest, most powerful man in the world [who] is secretly a vigilante, who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands .. I guess that speaks a lot!!
OK .. for a moment, lets put aside the magic which Chris Nolan has created in his movies, and just look only at the life portrait of Bruce Wayne, that he has now succesfully elaborated to us.
How about answering some question? And I will be asking only those questions, for which my answer is already a big YES!!
As a child of 8-12 years, what was it that you always wanted to learn and do? Don't tell me you wanted to be a rocket scientist or a IT professional!! Let me rephrase a little - At your age between 8-12, didn't you always wanted to learn karate and kungfu and judo and any other martial art that your favourite heroes took names of??
Now, grow up a little. As a teenager, what was your fascination?? Wasn't it racing bikes and kool gadgets??
Grow up little more. Didn't you dream to be in a hot sports car, with sexy chicks cuddling you all the time??
A little more growth please and you have landed yourself in some job. So, don't you want to be the ultimate boss of world's largest corporate, with a posh lifestyle and all??
And, during those times when you retrospect, don't you want to do something good for this society and help make your surroundings a better place??
NOW .. sum all those dreams into one man and you will get a Bruce Wayne!!
He is a normal human being, who owns the Wayne Enterprises, has got a shit-load of money, kool bikes and sports cars, with sexy actresses and celebrities as his dates, and an entire R&D department at his disposal to provide any gadget that he desires for, and .. he is a Ninja - trained excellently in martial arts!!
Best part of it all - he is using all of this to fight the crime in Gotham city, with compassion and justice, as the BATMAN!!
He gives a hope that if I become filthy rich, and train myself to be a Ninja and have a desire to do good for society, I can also be a SuperHero - its possible as a human and does not need any cosmic, chemical, genetic or any such changes in me and THAT, my friends, is a wonderful feeling.
I guess I have bragged enough about my favorite superhero. So, If you are reading this and are with me till now, tell me ... share with me, who is your favorite Superhero and why??
