On Red Capes, Rebel Flags, and Security Blankets

So.........first of all, sorry for the lack of activity.  This blog was originally meant to stay up-to-date on all things in the superhero genre, on the big and small screens and in print.  However, over the last six months I've posted precisely one article, not including this one, and have reserved most of my everyday musings and commentary for my Tumblr page (which you can of course read and follow here), and even then it's mostly just reblogging what other people wrote.  A lot of that is due to life getting in the way, a lot of that was me laying low after some fairly nasty exchanges caused me to leave a fan community I'd been part of for years......but for the most part, it was because I got lazy and kept putting off writing until the subject I was writing about was no longer relevant.

But I'd like to make a resolution now that I'm going to do my damnedest to be more active and make my opinions heard moving forward here at the Red Cape Diaries (although maybe I should call it the Red Cape Bi-Annual?).  And to that end, now that all of the studios have fired off their guns, I'd like to discuss something important in this year in Capes.

2016, perhaps more than any other year, has been incredibly divisive when it comes to the superhero fandom.  There's of course the rivalry between the Marvel and DC Cinematic Universes, but that's nothing new; Marvel vs. DC is perhaps second only to Star Trek vs. Star Wars in terms of pointless franchise loyalty.  More importantly, I feel like there's a growing conflict in the fandom between two different philosophies when it comes to approaching heroes: those who would wear the Cape as a Security Blanket, and those who would wear it as a Rebel Flag.

NOTE: NOT THIS ONE.

Lemme 'splain.

First and foremost, when I'm talking about the 'Rebel Flag' camp I'm about to describe, I'm not suggesting that they subscribe to the kind of views as those who fly Confederate flags, or that the kind of social, racial, political, etc. connotations that come with it should be associated with them in any way.  I try to go out of my way not to mix my politics with my hobbies, and I especially don't care to get into the myriad of increasingly meaningless 'isms' and 'phobias' that get thrown around when identity politics come up.  People in the Rebel Flag camp of the fandom can come from the far Left just as easily as they come from the far Right, with just as many Libertarians and Marxists and whatever-elses in between, so again, I am not attempting to claim these people have the same worldview.

I am, however, saying that just like people who fly that flag in the face of demands that it be taken down, there is a growing and increasingly vocal camp within the superhero community that expresses their opinions as a deliberate gesture of defiance.  The Rebel Flag has a lot of connotations to it, and depending on where you live and how you see the world, those connotations may be positive or extremely negative.  Some see it as an expression of populist pride, a reinforcement of regional or community tradition openly opposed to the sneering cosmopolitan elite.  Others see it as a symbol of hatred and oppression, a backwards and bigoted recall to dark and shameful chapters of our history.  Regardless of how you feel about it, the fact is that (in America, at least) it's next to impossible to look at the Rebel Flag and not feel something.  It's intentionally provocative, and those who fly it do so to stick up a middle finger to people who want to do away with it.

In much the same way, 2016 has seen a rise of people in the superhero community who have planted a flag in direct opposition to the popular narrative, regardless of who they offend or what names people call them.  The largest of these, of course, is the fanbase of the DC Extended Universe.  According to the critics and to popular opinion, Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad were atrocities to be viewed with the same level of revulsion and anger as war crimes.  Zack Snyder and David Ayer were repeatedly dragged through the mud, all but burned in effigy.  And those who dared claim that they liked the movies?  Oh, well they're just idiots who don't know what they're talking about.  They're just fooling themselves into thinking they liked it.  They're not real fans, like me.

And in the months since then, after onslaughts of negativity, of being bashed and ridiculed and mocked and dismissed, has the DCEU fanbase gone away?  Far from it.  If anything, the fanbase has grown steadily larger and louder.  Some, like Dr. Awkward from the excellent MOSAIC podcast (whom I've name-dropped before and whom you can listen to right here) are refreshingly positive and relish in the opportunity to dive deep into the films, even when they're not entirely on board with the choices made.  Some, like CinemaWins (seriously, just watch it) make it their calling card to defend films they genuinely think are wrongly maligned.  And some, myself very much included, chose to rally not just in favor of entertainment they enjoy, but in rejection of an increasingly bland and homogeneous stream of toothless, low-stakes, Easy Mode brand advertisements that the popular opinion touts as "superheroes done right."

Being in the Rebel Flag camp doesn't necessarily mean you're a DCEU fan-- there are plenty whom I'd classify here who outright hated the movies.  And that's okay; it'd be a damn boring world if we all liked and disliked the same stuff.  Hell, I wasn't all that big on Suicide Squad myself, though there was enough of it I liked that I wouldn't mind seeing more.  There are other Rebel Flag factions, who openly declare their enjoyment or disdain for certain books or characters or writers in defiance of trends or common belief.  Not all of them are spoiling for a fight, but they don't let the jeers and the snark and naysaying get to them.  They know that saying they like this movie or that comic is putting a target on themselves, they know their opinion is going to draw conflict, and they proceed anyway.  They know what they like, and they don't particularly give a damn what anyone else has to say about it.

And then.....there's the other camp.

In a lot of the conversations I've had with fellow fans, there seems to be a firmly-held and growing sentiment that superhero stories shouldn't just entertain, they have to make you feel good.  And while the inspirational aspects of these characters is what draws most of us to them, far more important, apparently, is the notion that there has to be some undercurrent of childlike joy, of playfulness and fun-- they're not just heroic, they're the people you wish you could be....and they're also your friends, here to bring some sunshine into your day!

And there's nothing wrong with wanting fun and positivity in your entertainment.  In a world that seems increasingly dark and frightening with every year, it's only natural to want to be able to take in some escapism that lets you laugh and smile for a bit.  For a very long time, I railed against the grim-dark cynicism that was pervasive in the wake of the Dark Knight movies, in favor of the technicolor insanity of the Silver Age.  And while my tastes have changed over time, I won't deny there's a definite allure to wanting to wrap yourself up in a big warm Security Blanket and feel like nothing can touch you.

When something threatens that safety and security, though?  The conversation turns ugly, and fast.  If you so much as suggest that you like or even love a character, but then don't treat them like a Fabergé Egg that shatters in a stiff breeze, then you've betrayed that character.  You don't understaaand them; hell, you probably secretly hate them and just pretend to like them so you can get in with us real fans.  You don't love them, not like I do.  The comforting warm-fuzzies of that Security Blanket mentality are addictive, and those who bring something to the table that threatens that safety can't be countenanced, because if they remain, you can't get your fix of feeling safe.

The sharp and loud negative reaction to anything that ventures outside of the comforting warmth of the Security Blanket has been noticed by the studios, and frankly I'm worried about their response.  Marvel was so quick to pounce on the backlash against Man of Steel that they ended up making Age of Ultron too safe and eager-to-please to be anything more than a half-remembered footnote.  DC recoiled from the slings and arrows launched at Batman v Superman so much that they chopped up Suicide Squad to the film's severe detriment.  The first footage we saw of Justice League continually undercut every build in tension with a joke to assuage the masses that they wouldn't dare make the mistake of taking their subject matter too seriously again.  And Doctor Strange, Marvel's biggest chance at making a challenging and mind-bending cinematic experience, amounted to Iron Man but with Magic instead of Robots.  That retreating back into the comfort zone underneath the Security Blanket, that need to please and pander for fear of rejection, is coming at the expense of the created work itself.

Moreover, as bad as it can be for the product we enjoy, it can be equally bad for the community itself.  I've seen a fair share of fandom bubbles, be they forums or Facebook groups or subreddits, who let a comforting consensus sour into groupthink, and from there into a dogma that spurns the outsider and curses the heretic.  Those who yearn for the comfort of the Security Blanket can be just as much of an unwelcoming presence, even just as much of a hostile bully, as those who provoke and attack just for the sheer love of trolling.  And inevitably, as these groups shut themselves off and shut others out, they grow smaller and inevitably peeter out altogether.

Now, this isn't to say that everyone needs to draw a line in the sand and yell "come at me, bro" every time there's a disagreement.  While I do think the occasional provocateur and enfant terrible is bracing and ultimately necessary to build up the emotional toughness needed to get through life, provocation and conflict for its own sake is more often just as useless as hiding under the covers when it arises.  At the end of the day, we're all fans of the same sort of stuff, even if the specifics aren't the same or we come at it from different approaches, so it's best to bear that in mind when a difference of opinion rears its head.  That said, if someone does make it personal or claim that your enjoyment of something outside of their comfort zone makes you less of a fan, don't hesitate to invite them to fuck themselves.

We may argue and bicker over whether Batman should have killed those guys who were trying to burn a harmless old lady to death with a flamethrower, or whether Superman should smile and joke and tell you to stay in school while fending off the apocalypse, but I don't think that Superman puts on his Cape so he can hide under it.

I don't think that Batman puts on his Cape so he can feel warm and fuzzy and ignore larger problems.

I don't think Doctor Strange puts on his Cape to stay within the boundaries of what other people are comfortable with.

And maybe you don't need a Rebel Flag to wave around.....but I sure as hell don't think you need that Security Blanket.