The end lines of ‘Batman: Night Cries’ by Archie Goodwin and Scott Hampton read: ‘In the night, he listens. “Two million cases. Two thousand deaths. Too many cries. Someone else has to hear them.” In the night, he listens. And only the sound of his own voice comes to him, screaming in frustration. The cry of a lone bat. Unable to find its way.‘ It is indeed a dark ending to a Batman tale… that doesn’t end with his typical triumph over evil, that instead graphically and ‘sonically’ amplifies the anguish that made Bruce Wayne Batman in the first place, that keeps him as so. The cover art of the graphic novel illustrates how Batman is ‘haunted’ by those he couldn’t help in time. Man, this man is really too hard on himself. He is just one man.
Though fictional, I have always wondered about how superheroes are able to keep carrying the weight of the world’s troubles on their shoulders, albeit super ones. Sometimes, they even traverse across outer space worlds and dimensions to extend their altruistic efforts. Then again, though Batman is often thought of as a superhero, he’s thoroughly human, with no mutant or alien powers. Maybe that’s why I find Batman fascinating. He’s human, oh so human, yet he has will that tends towards the superhuman. He reminds us that we can be ‘superheroes’ too. In a sense, Batman struggles to be a Bodhisattva to as many as he can. Despite his limitations, he continually does his best by creating and acquiring gadgetry to enhance his efficiency. Even when left to his own devices (which is being with none of the above), he is a supremely trained exponent in literally all martial arts.
But what about a really super hero? Superman for instance. Despite having less limitations, I’m not sure if his ‘work’ is any easier. Imagine having super senses like super hearing. Imagine hearing the already ‘too many cries’ that Batman hears… and more. This paradoxically makes Superman’s work as superbly easy as it is superbly difficult. Even with super speed and strength, Superman cannot be at all places at all times to save all in need. Sounds hopelessly bleak? Not exactly. There is a way to reach more beings more efficiently. Become a fully enlightened Bodhisattva with boundless compassion and wisdom. With mastery of the mind, one can ‘market’ one’s name and vows extensively (like Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva: the one who regards the cries of the world), to ask beings in need to be mindful of oneself, so as to be able to manifest in more than one place at a time instantly, to be able to share one’s merits with them, to alleviate them of their suffering ‘miraculously’. The truly super duper superheroes are full-fledged Bodhisattvas!
Related Articles:
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https://moonpointer.com/new/2009/07/is-superman-an-angel
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