By Harmeet Sidhu Word Count: 3,000
"There are heroes... there are superheroes... and then there's Hancock"
Is 'Hancock' a typical representation of a superhero?
There is a clear separation, between a hero and a superhero a hero is someone that saves people but without any superpowers; these heroes could be anyone, heroes can be people police officers, fire men, doctors, surgeons, bystanders anyone that has the chance to save someone’s life "The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being honest but afraid like everybody else.”[1]. This basically shows how humans are afraid but they do what they have to do, in order to help. While a superhero is someone that has superpowers and can create hope. Additionally a superhero is someone with immense power “To know the pains of power, we must go to those who have it; to know its pleasures, we must go to those who are seeking it”[2]. Basically anyone can be a hero but to be a superhero, you need to have power and actually want it.
Hancock is a 2008 blockbuster, made by the ever impressive Sony Entertainment alongside Columbia pictures; the film details a superhero’s trouble in life, and exemplifies a mans struggle to be liked, this implies stereotypes of men's ego as well as the representations men are given with the patriarchal division between men and women. Further with other texts which portray superheroes in a "macho" light, it can be said that all superheroes are 'typical' as they conform to the stereotype of indestructible, unbeatable version of "man", "the film is a different take on the superhero genre and representation with an interesting, offbeat twist”[3]. More so Hancock is seen as a person who does not care what other people think of him, however he still tries to help even though his good intentions lead to bad outcomes, therefore this displays the typical superhero, always trying to help. Hancock further emphasises the patriotic side of himself with the eagle (bird of America) on his chest, it can be said that "Hancock creates a quintessentially American hero: flawed, frayed, but always sacrificing for the sake of others"[4], which at the end is what a typical representation of a superhero should do.
Firstly, with an overview and general glance over the superhero genre, it can be said that all superheroes are seen as the “saviors”, as a masculine entity controls the superhero genre, which further emphasis the suppression of matriarchal power and additionally reinforces the sheer dominance of the patriarchal society with men on top. “For thy power standeth not in multitude nor thy might in strong men: for thou art a God of the afflicted, an helper of the oppressed, an upholder of the weak, a protector of the forlorn, a savior of them that are without hope.”[5] This quote portrays how ‘strong men’ look traditionally towards God for hope, however in modern days it seen that superheroes are the “saviors” the “upholders of the weak” “the helper of the oppressed”, so it can be said that superheroes are represented as ‘God’, thus suggesting how Hancock fits in to the role of a typical superhero as: “I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman”[6] this further representing how people do not look towards God for help and salvation but towards superheroes, therefore showing how Hancock does not fit in to this typical representation at the beginning as he is reckless, destructive and an alcoholic.
However Hancock is seen as this “saviour” and conforms to this typical representation of a superhero; as he does the stereotype scenario ‘save the day-beat the baddy’. This scenario can be seen through other male orientated films connecting with the superhero genre, such as Superman (1978) and Spiderman (2002); the film Superman alone epitomises the stereotype and typical representation of a superhero. Additionally, the film itself is very male and further patriarchal, as Hancock represents the idea of a strong a dominant man: “Representation of the world, like the world itself, is the work of men; they describe it from their own point of view, which they confuse with the absolute truth”[7], this basically means that men are seen as the dominant power in the world, and that Hancock is this type of man as he represents himself in a very “macho” way. Furthermore it can be said Hancock is like this as well, it also can be said that audiences would want to relate to the character as they have a chance to be someone who has immense power, so a character like Hancock could be used by audiences for personal identity as they may see themselves as the character; therefore the uses and gratifications theory by Jay G. Blumler and Elihu Katz[8] is used to further enhance and portray the representation of a superhero through the eyes of an everyday person: "Far from imposing dominant forms of masculinity upon the audience, film heroes allow the subject space to identify with an ideal self of either gender who embodies desired power"[9]. This quote reinforces the whole idea of personal identification, as someone may want to be the character as they may “desire power”. Further this quote shows how superheroes are seen as the “saviours” but only because they ignite the belief that they are the hope of “the world”, this can be seen to show how all superheroes are represented, further Hancock is one of these superheroes as it is seen that he is the only hope.
On the other hand Hancock is not a typical representation of a superhero, as he fights his own personal battle which is his drunkenness vs. soberness; this is a binary opposition (Claude Levi Strauss[10]), which can also represent his human side and the more hero side of him rather than the superhero side: "Complete masculinity, ("heroes") and stupidity are often indistinguishable”[11], this quote shows the human side and masculinity is linked with stupidity which can be said is what Hancock is doing with his drinking. Which in addition shows that Hancock faces his own problems and is burdened with more, as the city needs help. Further Hancock is not being a typical superhero links with The Batman (1989) as he is not a superhero, and just a hero, as The Batman has no superpowers and is human so therefore this represents him as being morally unsuitable to be a superhero which also connects with Hancock. Furthermore as stated by Felix Adler: "The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by.”[12] This further reinforces that The Batman even though is just a hero he is still seen as “a great light in the world” – the hope of people. Hancock and The Batman are very similar as they both do not conform to the stereotypical representation of a superhero.
However Hancock soon changes and starts to become a typical superhero, as he ‘suits and boots’ up. His old raggedy attire soon disappears and he begins to wear a superhero outfit. "Poofs can look like real men...therefore real men look like poofs."[13], this quote depicts how Hancock begins to look more feminised as he goes from looking like a stereotyped version of a “real man”, to a more feminine clean looking, well-dressed “poof” like image conforming to the ‘new man’. The ‘new man’ portrays how modern day men are now more feminised as men partake in more responsibilities around the home, such as some men don’t work and are just “house-husbands” whom just look after the house and children while the women earn the money. In short, there has been an occurrence in the transition in masculinity at the level of cultural images aimed at a specific social setting in the case of the ‘new man’. But existing tensions around sexuality, work and fatherhood continue; as representations of masculinity in this area; are not necessarily consistent: they overlap, accord, contradict and translate in different ways and in different contexts.
Consequently Hancock is starting to become a typical superhero, as he’s become this stereotyped superhero; he now has the persona to actually help people and fulfil and secure his patriarchal status as the “protector of Earth”. This brings in his masculine side and further portrays and symbolises how men are the powerful ones: "Masculinity is not something given to you, but something you gain. And you gain it by winning small battles with honour"[14], this quote emphasises the fact that Hancock may be a superhero but he has to earn his honour with the people, and further prove his masculinity. Even though he has learnt that: “With great power, comes even greater responsibility", he now knows that he has people to look after. This therefore shows how he is a typical representation of a superhero as he helps out people no matter what the consequences are.
More so Hancock is not your everyday superhero as firstly the film itself is a hybrid genre of an action and adventure scenario; however it has elements of a parody genre with the ‘spoof’ elements strong in the film it can be said that this type of genre is linked to postmodernism as Maltby once said “Genres are flexible, subject to the constant process of change and adaptation”[15]; basically showing how genre changes as time goes by to “adapt” to the audiences needs. Jean-Francois Lyotard once said “that in postmodernism one has given up the idea of a grand narrative. Belief in universal criteria, like those in the Enlightenment, has been replaced by the post modern relativism”[16]. The idea now is to accept a number of different genres, as due to postmodernism genre have changed in order to appease the audience.
Furthermore in the trailer itself the clouds at the beginning begin to represent someone coming down from heaven or flying, like a typical stereotype of a superhero. Additionally as the little kid tries to wake up Hancock this symbolises innocence, it could further symbolise the good intentions of Hancock. However Hancock is a heavy drinker this portrays how he has issues and the drink seems to be the only thing that keeps him feeling free; which can be said is his form of escapism. Further the film seems to appeal to everyone including females and males from a very wide range however the certificate of the film is 12 so any males or females over the age of 12 can watch it, further the age range in my opinion is 12 – 21. As over the years target audiences have become younger, this is known as ‘juvenilisation’ this is mainly because genre has changed and for film producers to meet the needs of the audience they need to target the younger segment. However with the male orientated beliefs; as it is a man who is the hero, it can be said that the dominant ideology is the one of the patriarchal society, with the men on top. The whole trailer in my opinion suggests that he is not the typical type of superhero; however he has the potential to be one and further show how Hancock can be categorised as a typical representation of a superhero.
In addition it can be said that a traditional superhero is one which takes pride in himself and cares about “his people”. However, Hancock is portrayed to be careless and destructive. This sustained by his style of dress and his drinking habits which do not adhere to the “perfect” ideologies that a superhero conforms to. However, it can be considered that by making him wear a costume subsequently in the film they attempt to make him conform to the ideological “goodie” figure that everyone wants him to be.
Previously, superheroes represent male dominance and conform to the Proppian[17] theory as women are seen as the “princess” who needs to be saved, leading to the male dominance and the patriarchal society we are all presumed to live in. However Hancock’s dominance is challenged as his other half is seen to be stronger than him. This contrasts to other superhero films where men were predominantly the stronger and dominant force. Which again links to the zeitgeist as times are changing and with the emergence of the ‘final girl’[18] it can be said that the ‘new man’ has to conform and live with these changes as historically women were overshadowed by men. But as time has gone by women have become more dominant and therefore moving in to the matriarchal society; which links to how Hancock is not a typical superhero as he is being surpassed by a woman.
Conversely the film Hancock is not how a typical superhero is represented as the film itself comes across as a hybrid genre, as action adventure. However there is another genre it can be placed under and that is a ‘spoof’ also known as a parody, which basically is a composition that imitates or misrepresents a film’s style (in this case the superhero genre), usually in a humorous way. Due to Hancock’s constant drinking as well as his destructive path which connects with the drinking it can be said that: “the square-jawed one grew stubble, hit the whisky bottle and flicked peanuts at barmen, you may get flashbacks when watching Hancock”[19] meaning that Hancock reminds people of a person going to the pub, therefore showing his human side. It can be said that the directors and Columbia pictures wanted to show that Hancock is not your average superhero, as even the tagline says: "There are heroes... there are superheroes... and then there's Hancock"[20]. This showing how he is not a hero or a superhero but he is just Hancock, a complete and different person. Further this ‘spoof’ genre links with the film Superhero Movie which is basically a 2008 comedy film written and directed by Craig Mazin and produced by David Zucker and Robert K. Weiss; Superhero Movie is a ‘spoof’ of the superhero film genre. Both the films enjoys in exploiting the stereotype of the traditional superhero, as they both mock the genre, this therefore shows how Hancock is not a typical representation as the film can be seen as a spoof; which most superhero films are not.
In addition it seems to be that people have forgotten that: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance”[21]. Which also relates to Hancock as everyone believed they weren’t safe due to his destructive nature, but when a bigger threat comes along they are in much greater fear; this therefore shows how he is not a typical superhero as he scares people even though he does have good intentions.
All in all Hancock in many ways is seen as a typical representation of a superhero as he helps people and at the end of the day gets the job done. However his eccentric style of carrying out his heroic deeds, leads people to believe that he (Hancock) is not so typical after all, and his human side seems to be more apparent then his superhero status is: "Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves.”[22], this basically summarises what Hancock is, he fights to help everyone but at the end he only discovers who he really is and actually finds his “true self”. Hancock relates to a lot of other superhero genre films as they mostly conform to the typical representation of a superhero like Superman and Spiderman, however their alter-egos are not the typical stereotype as ‘Clark Kent’ is timid, clumsy and shy, while ‘Peter Parker’ is a college student and a fits the “nerd” stereotype. Additionally there is The Batman who in many cases alter-ego is not like the others, as he is even as ‘Bruce Wayne’ is still fearless and incredibly smart, but Batman has no superpowers making him just a vigilante hero: "A hero is someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom."[23] Batman knows what his responsibilities are and because if this he is “free” in the sense that he can make the decision to help people. Hancock and every single superhero and hero are just hope; they are people that other people rely on for help, comfort, and salvation. “Hope begins in the dark; the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up”[24]. This basically meaning how people look for hope, they look out for it because it shows them the right thing to do and gives them the belief to “never give up”, this creates the feeling of the hero factor as if they never give up then they will some day will be able to do something to help and even save someone’s life.
Finally in my opinion Hancock is the typical representation of a superhero because he provides hope to people and makes them believe that no matter what they can be saved, even though his methods are over the top and the film itself is comical: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow”[25], essentially meaning that hope can let people see something to aim for in the future. It still does show what and how a typical superhero should be represented and further how they Hancock is seen as the protector of not only the city but the world.
Bibliography:
[1] Umberto Eco (1932) ‘Travels in Hyper reality’ (Harcourt) – pg 28
[2] Charles Caleb Colton (1780 - 1832), ‘Lacon’, 2004 – pg 101 - 130
[3] TONY MEDLEY - Tolucan Times - http://www.tonymedley.com/2008/Hancock.htm
[4] BRETT McCRACKEN - http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2008/hancock.html
[5] Bible quote - Judith Chapter 9 - 11
[6] Dan Castellaneta (1958) American Actor and Writer – said in the ‘Simpsons’ - http://thinkexist.com/quotation/i-m_normally_not_a_praying_man-but_if_you-re_up/327452.html
[7] Simone de Beauvoir – from the book ‘The Age Of Sex Crime’, 1987 by Jane Caputi pg 24 - 45
[8] Jay G. Blumler and Elihu Katz – Theorists – ‘Uses and Gratifications theory - 1974
[9] Jones A (1993) 'Defending the Border: Men's Bodies and Vulnerability' Cultural studies from Birmingham, pg 256 - 263
[10] Claude Levi Strauss – Theorist – ‘Binary Oppositions’
[11] Henry Louis Mencken –‘ In Defence of Women’, 1963 – pg 81 - 125
[12] Felix Adler (American educator and founder of the ‘Ethical Movement’) 1851-1933, http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_hero_is_one_who_kindles_a_great_light_in_the/262777.html
[13] Healey M. (1994) 'The Mark of a man Masculine identities and the Art of Macho Drag Critical Quarterly' 36 (1) 86 - 93
[14] Pittman F. (1994) ‘Man Enough: Fathers, Sons and the Search for Masculinity’ pg. 15 - 28
[15] Maltby, Richard. Hollywood Cinema. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2003.
[16] Jean-Francois Lyotard – theorist – Postmodernism – 2000
[17] Propp – Theorist – Fairytale scenario – ‘The prince’, ‘The princess’, ‘The Villain’, ‘The Donor’, and ‘The Helper’
[18] Carol Clover – ‘Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in Modern Horror Film’ - 1993
[19] Dave Calhoun ‘TimeOut’ 2008 film review - http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/85048/hancock.html
[20] ‘Hancock’ – The films main tagline (seen on posters)
[21] President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address to the nation on March 4, 1933 during the ‘Great Depression’ (Wall Street Crash). - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3396621.stm
[22] Carol Lynn Pearson (1994) 'The Hero Within' - http://thinkexist.com/quotation/heroes_take_journeys-confront_dragons-and/201756.html
[23] Bob Dylan (1941) - Song writer/singer - http://quotationsbook.com/quote/18980/
[24] Laura Moncur's Motivational Quotations: Said by Anne Lamott - http://thinkexist.com/quotes/anne_lamott/
[25] Albert Einstein quotes (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity 1879-1955.) - http://thinkexist.com/quotation/learn_from_yesterday-live_for_today-hope_for/222120.html
