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| Story: Jim Shooter. Art: Win Mortimer/Jack Abel. All characters and artwork © and TM DC Comics Inc. |
There comes a point in every fan's
life when you realize that your favorite actor/musician/athlete is a
human being and thus capable of doing things you may find unsettling.
With fictional characters, it's much
the same way. Characters often become our favorites because they
represent some aspect of ourselves or what we wish to be like.
Identifying with certain characters has advantages—we can use
them as role models and adopt traits we admire.
However, identifying with a favorite
character can also blind us to flaws in the character and in ourselves.
Characters are the brain-creations of
writers. They represent how the writer sees the character, not how fans wish the character to be. Most writers imbue characters with
flaws on purpose—who wants to read about a perfect hero? Sometimes,
however, flaws are less obvious and may even be “accidental,”
just because the writer is also a human being.
While it's fun to discover things about
a character you weren't aware of before, it can be unsettling when
you realize your favorite character—one you looked up to as a role
model—may have some less-than-savory qualities that were there all
along.
I realized this while re-reading an old
story featuring one of my favorite characters, Mon-El.
From
Space Wanderer to Legionnaire
Mon-El is a stalwart member in most
incarnations of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Originally
introduced as an amnesiac space explorer who was mistaken for
Superboy's older brother, Mon had the same super-powers as the Boy
of Steel, but a different weakness—common lead instead of kryptonite. Lead poisoning
resulting in Mon being placed in the Phantom Zone, where he remained without aging for a thousand years, until a cure could be found.
Upon
his release, Mon-El joined the Legion and was eventually elected leader of the team. This was the era in which I
discovered the Legion, and Mon-El stood out.
He
wore a costume similar to Superboy's, but with opposite colors—a
red tunic and blue cape, for example. He cast a dashing
figure—powerful and confident, yet responsible and mature. In one
story, he remains on duty at Legion HQ with his girlfriend, Shadow Lass, while the
rest of the team attends a wedding of two former members.
These were
all traits I admired and sought to emulate, consciously or not.
“Lament
for a Legionnaire”
The
story which hints at Mon's less-than-savory qualities appeared in
Action Comics # 384, January 1970.
In “Lament for a
Legionnaire,” Dream Girl—the Legion's resident seer—predicts
that Mon will die in five days. Initially, he receives the news with
stoicism, learning to appreciate the sunrise, a shower, and
breakfast. Then he decides that maybe he can fight death by stocking
up on anti-lead serum and staying busy as a Legionnaire.
All
well and good so far.
I
won't spoil the story by revealing the twists which ultimately lead
to Mon-El surviving his predicted death (though it's not a spoiler to
say he does so). However, on re-reading this story, I came to see Mon in
a different light.
Shadow
Who?
One
of the things that jumped out to me was that Mon, facing the
possibility of his death, never thinks of his girlfriend, Shadow
Lass. One might expect that he would want to spend some time
with her or at least say goodbye. Instead he seems to avoid her
altogether by embarking on a space mission which lasts three days and
departing just before Shadow Lass returns from her own mission.
Shady
is angry and upset, and even lashes out at the Legion's then leader, Karate Kid.
Now,
to be fair, Mon may not have been thinking clearly at this point.
And, as KK notes, Mon believed he had "licked" the whole death prophecy.
Still, you would think he would take Shady's feelings
into a account, but he never gives her a thought.
If
you can't trust your friends . . .
Mon
also comes across in this story as exceptionally paranoid and
reckless. Since lead is the only thing which can kill him, he takes
great precautions to protect the vault in which his anti-lead serum
is manufactured and stored.
The
vault is already secured in such a way that casts doubts on Mon's
ability to trust his Legion teammates and friends (the only other
people who would have access to the vault), but he goes to extra
efforts to seal it off and wreck the elevator that leads to the
vault.
Realizing the elevator was his only way out, he tunnels
through the ceiling and comes out on another floor, knocking Element
Lad off his feet.
Legion
stories at the time did not address issues such as structural
damage to the headquarters or who was going to pay for all the repairs. (The Legion's
benefactor, R.J. Brande, must have gone bankrupt several time footing
such bills.) As it is, Mon looks not only paranoid but irresponsible.
Heroes
just win—even when they don't try
The
last thing I noticed—and this ties into the ending I won't
reveal—is that Mon becomes a passive protagonist. The resolution of
the story is brought about not through his own efforts but by someone else.
It's
great that Mon cheats death, but not at the expense of another character.
In the stories which follow, we never see Mon erect a statute to this
person (the Legion was big on erecting statutes to fallen comrades)
or mention this character in any way.
Granted,
continuity was not very tight in those days and throwaway characters
were just that—throwaways. But the story ends with Mon reviving and
wondering who this person is. We never get to see his reaction—if
any—to the events which have unfolded.
The overall impression is that Mon takes his whole near-death
experience for granted.
A
mirror into the soul
Did
writer Jim Shooter deliberately imbue Mon-El with flaws such as
aloofness, paranoia, irresponsibility, and ingratitude? Probably not. But
those traits can certainly be inferred from the story.
And
that's not a bad thing. In looking at one's favorite character in a
new light, we may get to look at ourselves in a new light—including
the reasons why we were attracted to the character in the first
place.
There
have been times in my life when I've been accused of having each of
these traits—aloofness, paranoia, irresponsibility, and
ingratitude—with justification. I don't think I picked up these
traits from Mon-El—and certainly not from this story, which I first
read in my late teens. Yet perhaps I was attracted to the character
because I recognized a bit of myself in him—both good and bad
traits.
Weird
but true.
What
about you? Have you spotted unexpected flaws in your favorite
character?
