At around this time of the year, a lot of people annually rekindle their relationship with their favourite TV show. Apart from all the other new shows born, many await only the next step in their favourite character’s storyline. Everyone’s taste is catered for – from comedy shows to cliffhangers, thrillers to reality shows. And that is why millions of people around the globe can be found in front of their TV set cheering their hero on.
“Superman resonates with everyone because he’s an amalgamation of the legends we’ve loved for 5,000 years. He’s Moses, Hercules, Icarus, and Jesus Christ all rolled up inside an American flag. He’s the greatest fictional character of our time.”
Mark Millar, one of the most celebrated comic book authors, is a practicing Catholic who sees great similarities in his Superman chronicles – the alien who came to Earth to save humanity – with the story of Jesus Christ, Son of God. In Millar’s view, a hero is anyone who is led by strong, solid principles, but also ready to suffer for these principles so as to do right.
In spite of all this, one of the most celebrated contemporary series on the air presents a hero one who has none of these characteristics. Gregory House (protagonist, ‘House’), is a doctor-genius who manages to solve many problems that countless others before him had given up on. He does not do this out of a noble sense of kindness, or any other worthy principle, but only to satisfy his gigantic ego. Dr. House lies, is addicted to Vicodin, mocks his patients, and simply loves playing mind-games with colleagues and patients alike. In a few words, the cynical House holds that life in itself is pointless, and that man is only a lying, egotistical animal.
Superman is the polar opposite – his appearance, even when incognito as a civilian, is that of a serious man, who never uses words to manipulate or ridicule. He stands up to evil, and does everything in his considerable power to stop it from gaining the upper hand on innocent people. He never uses his powers to dominate – only to serve. The stark truth is that Superman is a hero, and Dr. House is not.
So what is the reason 12-million people (of whom I am one) watch the show every week? Why does this dysfunctional character arouse the interest of so many watchers?
The reason is probably the fact that Dr. House is a true antihero, and characters like these are very common nowadays: imperfect protagonists for an audience who lives in imperfect times. The dictionary explains the concept of ‘antihero’ so:
“antihero |ˈantēˌhi(ə)rō; ˈantī-|noun
a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes”
A description fitting Gregory House perfectly. But House is not the only one, you know. Even if you do not follow the series, surely you have met the likes of another ‘antihero’ as you channel surf. For example: Jack Bauer, in the series titled ‘24’, lets circumstances and not principles dictate which direction to take next in order to achieve what he desires; Vick Mackey, in ‘The Shield’, is a police officer with a flexible concept of what justice is; and we mustn’t omit forget ‘Lost’, on which one can write a whole book about the contradictions its characters live.
These TV series build up all the drama around the protagonist, combining it with all his shortcomings and philosophies. But the big question is this: If the characters today we all know and love are missing a big piece of what being a traditional hero is, what does this say about society today?
One possible answer that could pop up is that virtue today has lost its appeal and entertainment today simply consists of us watching deprived people do deprived acts, making the hero a rare species indeed. However, this conclusion is incorrect (although it has its good points with regards to modern social changes). Some years back, a series which managed to be hugely successful featured Tony Soprano, mafia lord, as the central character – a rich, influential man who was at the same time plagued with internal conflicts, tension, anger and paranoia. His life, one episode after the other, was in such constant turmoil that many members of the audience thanked God that their life was a different story. Many people not only removed Tony Soprano from their list of imitational role models, but also hoped that the mafia boss would see the light and turn over a new leaf. I think that a lot of the hype around these popular characters is directly linked with the hopes and wishes of tele-audiences.
When we see Superman, we see a hero from birth. We can do nothing but gaze upon him and admire him. Stories like Superman’s leave little room for doubts, personal crises, or personal growth. On the other hand, antihero shows are full of doubts and self-questioning, and we can easily identify ourselves with them. All of us admire Superman. My generation (even more so those who came before us) grew up watching his adventures on TV, following up on new issues of graphic novels and his comics. But that is where we stop. In the case of Dr. House, we can identify with House without there being a need for close similarities to our personality – but, we have to admit that, like Gregory House, we have our own defects. Narcissistic House seems much more realistic than great Superman.
Obviously children, in their simplicity (which poses no wonder why Christ put them as models), will not be seen walking with a cane, wearing disheveled clothes and popping Vicodin like candy during Carnival time (OK, maybe just the messy clothes). The probability is that we’ll see them streaking along the streets wearing a flowing red cape with a giant ‘S’ printed on their chests like Superman. On the other hand, we’re a different story! Maybe we’re not struggling with some addiction or other, nor are we constantly faced with searing hot decisions where we have to choose between the bad option and the worse option. However we all have aspects to mature in, and so we find ourselves watching the escapades of our antihero every week, whilst at the same time asking ourselves whether Gregory House will ever change. Even though we see him make many mistakes, we still wish that there is hope for Dr. House yet. We pray that House transforms into the hero.
After all, we Christians are much accustomed with stories of defective protagonists – like Abraham, Noah, Jacob, Rahab and David – and each one of them, although full of inadequacies, was chosen by God to play a part in the story of our Salvation. Not only did the story play out, but the fact is that God is still choosing people like you or me (full of flaws) to build his Kingdom here on Earth.
