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WHAT DOES THE KILLING OF CAPTAIN AMERICA MEAN?
[John W. Vest is an Associate Pastor at Fourth Presbyterian Church in
Chicago, and a PhD student in Biblical Studies at the University of
Chicago Divinity School]
JOHN W. VEST, SIGHTINGS, UNIV OF CHICAGO DIVINITY SCHOOL - As scholars
of religion and popular culture have long recognized, comic books are an
important element of contemporary American mythology. In their 2003 book
Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil -- a book written in that
uncertain time between the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the beginning
of the Iraq war -- Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence explore the
relationship between comic books and American civil religion. In what
they describe as the "Captain America complex," comic book superheroes
both inform and reflect the aggressive foreign policies of the past
several decades, epitomized in the current administration's "war on
terror" and posturing against the "axis of evil."
What, then, does it mean for the mythology of American civil religion
that Captain America was assassinated this past March, in Captain
America #25? There is no doubt that America was paying attention as
Marvel Comics made headlines by killing off one of its oldest and most
iconic heroes. . .
To be sure, the death of a major comic book character is nothing new;
it's a plotline that has been used time and time again. And more often
than not, comic book characters are eventually brought back in one way
or another. But because of the circumstances surrounding it, Captain
America's assassination stands out, raising questions and demanding
reflection.
You see, Captain America was assassinated on his way to trial, having
been arrested by the U.S. government. It was the culmination of an epic
story arc in the Marvel Universe called Civil War. In the wake of a
catastrophic accident caused by superheroes, and in the midst of
paranoia and fear, the government enacts legislation that requires all
superheroes to be registered and become agents of the state. Failing to
do so is considered a criminal act. Half of the heroes, led by Iron Man,
support the new initiative, while the other half, led by Captain
America, oppose it. Hero fights against hero until Captain America,
realizing that the collateral damage of their bloody infighting is
causing more injury than good, surrenders. Wearing all of his red,
white, and blue uniform except his mask and his shield, he is paraded in
handcuffs to the steps of the courthouse, where he is shot dead.
Cap's death can no doubt be attributed, in part, to the sensationalist
plot twists that are necessary to sell comic books. But further
reflection reveals deeper meanings. For one thing, Marvel's Civil War
storyline is obviously a thinly veiled allegory of our current struggle
to find a balance between the securities and the civil liberties
enshrined in America's civil religion. To hear superheroes debate the
Superhuman Registration Act is to hear echoes of our own national
debates about the Patriot Act, executive powers, and weapons of mass
destruction.
Perhaps even more controversial is that Captain America, an iconic
symbol of American patriotism, was killed while real-life soldiers fight
wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Captain America was created by
Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in 1941 to fight Hitler and the Nazis, even
before America actually entered the war. Among others, Captain America
comic books were sent to troops overseas by the thousands to boost
morale and provide an archetypal incarnation of American values and
patriotic zeal. What message does it send now to kill off a superhero
who is literally draped in red, white, and blue? According to shocked
co-creator Joe Simon, "We really need him now.". . .
For this reader, the Civil War story arc and the death of Captain
America are for contemporary American civil religion an archetypal
descent into darkness. The triumph of totalitarian security over civil
rights, together with the martyrdom of the champion of freedom, is the
mythologized death of a version of the American creed that many hold
sacred.
As with the uncertain world in which we live, what remains to be seen on
the pages of the comics is how this myth will continue to unfold. Was
this the apocalyptic birth of a new world order, or the prelude to a
resurrection?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/39832.html
VIDEO ON THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/03/07/captain.america/index.html
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WHAT DOES THE KILLING OF CAPTAIN AMERICA MEAN?
[John W. Vest is an Associate Pastor at Fourth Presbyterian Church in
Chicago, and a PhD student in Biblical Studies at the University of
Chicago Divinity School]
JOHN W. VEST, SIGHTINGS, UNIV OF CHICAGO DIVINITY SCHOOL - As scholars
of religion and popular culture have long recognized, comic books are an
important element of contemporary American mythology. In their 2003 book
Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil -- a book written in that
uncertain time between the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the beginning
of the Iraq war -- Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence explore the
relationship between comic books and American civil religion. In what
they describe as the "Captain America complex," comic book superheroes
both inform and reflect the aggressive foreign policies of the past
several decades, epitomized in the current administration's "war on
terror" and posturing against the "axis of evil."
What, then, does it mean for the mythology of American civil religion
that Captain America was assassinated this past March, in Captain
America #25? There is no doubt that America was paying attention as
Marvel Comics made headlines by killing off one of its oldest and most
iconic heroes. . .
To be sure, the death of a major comic book character is nothing new;
it's a plotline that has been used time and time again. And more often
than not, comic book characters are eventually brought back in one way
or another. But because of the circumstances surrounding it, Captain
America's assassination stands out, raising questions and demanding
reflection.
You see, Captain America was assassinated on his way to trial, having
been arrested by the U.S. government. It was the culmination of an epic
story arc in the Marvel Universe called Civil War. In the wake of a
catastrophic accident caused by superheroes, and in the midst of
paranoia and fear, the government enacts legislation that requires all
superheroes to be registered and become agents of the state. Failing to
do so is considered a criminal act. Half of the heroes, led by Iron Man,
support the new initiative, while the other half, led by Captain
America, oppose it. Hero fights against hero until Captain America,
realizing that the collateral damage of their bloody infighting is
causing more injury than good, surrenders. Wearing all of his red,
white, and blue uniform except his mask and his shield, he is paraded in
handcuffs to the steps of the courthouse, where he is shot dead.
Cap's death can no doubt be attributed, in part, to the sensationalist
plot twists that are necessary to sell comic books. But further
reflection reveals deeper meanings. For one thing, Marvel's Civil War
storyline is obviously a thinly veiled allegory of our current struggle
to find a balance between the securities and the civil liberties
enshrined in America's civil religion. To hear superheroes debate the
Superhuman Registration Act is to hear echoes of our own national
debates about the Patriot Act, executive powers, and weapons of mass
destruction.
Perhaps even more controversial is that Captain America, an iconic
symbol of American patriotism, was killed while real-life soldiers fight
wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Captain America was created by
Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in 1941 to fight Hitler and the Nazis, even
before America actually entered the war. Among others, Captain America
comic books were sent to troops overseas by the thousands to boost
morale and provide an archetypal incarnation of American values and
patriotic zeal. What message does it send now to kill off a superhero
who is literally draped in red, white, and blue? According to shocked
co-creator Joe Simon, "We really need him now.". . .
For this reader, the Civil War story arc and the death of Captain
America are for contemporary American civil religion an archetypal
descent into darkness. The triumph of totalitarian security over civil
rights, together with the martyrdom of the champion of freedom, is the
mythologized death of a version of the American creed that many hold
sacred.
As with the uncertain world in which we live, what remains to be seen on
the pages of the comics is how this myth will continue to unfold. Was
this the apocalyptic birth of a new world order, or the prelude to a
resurrection?
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/39832.html
VIDEO ON THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/03/07/captain.america/index.html
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