The Love Interests: an Essential Part of the Hero

Sidney Herrig

Anna Barker

Essay #1

Superhero Honors Seminar

October 7, 2014

The Love Interests: An Essential Part of the Hero

Superman’s susceptibility to kryptonite is one of the most well known weaknesses of all superheroes. Spiderman must respect his sense of responsibility, while Thor cannot let go of his hammer for more than a minute without losing his status as a god. Some more ridiculous weaknesses involve the lovely Wonder Woman, who cannot escape her own bracelets if bound by a man. Love is another matter all together. Superman would be nothing without Lois Lane, nor would Peter Parker have anyone to save without the intelligent Gwen Stacey or demanding Mary Jane Watson. The love interests, at times, may be the most frustrating character you’ve ever come across, but they are still key to the build up of the hero and how they interact with the rest of the world.

Throughout many comic books, movies, and graphic novels, the damsel in distress cannot go one book without getting kidnapped, put into a trance, or almost killed. It’s been declared by all writers that those women are helpless souls who cause trouble and put the hero in danger. The amount of times the hero risks the sake of the world to save his woman. Some heroes choose to put them out of danger. Spiderman tries to keep Gwen out of harms way by breaking her heart, all because of a promise Peter had made with Gwen’s father. Yet, even after all that, she still died all because she tried to help. This eventually made room for the infamous Mary-Jane Watson to come into the picture.

Mary Jane Watson has always bothered me. Her need to tell Peter what to do and not to be Spiderman is annoying. I understand she is worried about him, and probably herself, but he is saving people. He took up the responsibility to protect the city. She shouldn’t give him the ultimatum of her or the costume. She repeatedly breaks up with Peter, and even marries him and gets the marriage annulled. That...