Optimism in Entertainment

            The optimism of superheroes, Doctor Who, and Rise of the Guardians

BY: Jack Ciolli

            For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a nerd in just about every sense of the word.  I love superheroes, I love Doctor Who, I love cartoons (here specifically, I’m going to be talking about Rise of the Guardians).  And it’s not just because superheroes are badass (even though they are), or that Doctor Who is hilarious (even though he is), or that cartoons are nostalgic (yeah, they’re that too).  One sort of overarching theme unifies all those things, and that is a sense of pure, unrelenting Optimism, with a capital O. 

            Let’s start with superheroes, because that’s sort of my thing and it’s the broadest of the three I mentioned.  You can’t talk about optimism in superhero fiction without talking about Superman, the first ever superhero.  Superman represents the absolute best of humanity, our ideals and virtues boiled down into one all-encompassing character, made to protect us from whatever threats we may find ourselves up against. 

And ever since him, every character to don cape and tights has come along with some sort of optimistic background.  Even Batman is all about turning a tragedy into an unrelenting force for good.  Spider-Man has the same principle at heart as Batman, but he also reminds us that sometimes we’re gonna fail in our attempts at living up to those ideals.  But even then, he keeps going.  It’s not just with great power comes great responsibility for him; it’s about perseverance in the face of incredible odds. 

And those are just the big three.  Captain America represents the same things as Superman, Iron Man is about redemption, Thor is about humility, and Hulk is about turning a curse into a strength (quite literally for him).  Superheroes have always been about optimism, from their origins in the Great Depression, to their return to prominence in the midst of the Cold War and the Atomic Age, in our darkest hours we’ve looked to them to light the way. (For more on superheroes, click here)

And now my more specific examples.  Doctor Who is a show that’s been experiencing a renewed height in popularity that it hasn’t seen in quite a while.  It has its silliness, its whimsy, and those go a long way in making it such a joy to watch.  It’s also just a really smart show, clever in every sense of the word.  But to me, the aspect of it that always gets my blood pumping is the Doctor’s principles in defending all life and rejecting violence.  It’s such a naïve concept, that one could defend others from evil without raising a sword or fist of his own, but the Doctor constantly reminds us that it can be done.  He always (for the most part) saves the day, using nothing but his wits and his trusty sonic screwdriver. 

But another, maybe more affecting theme in the show is humanity, and all that word entails.  The Doctor constantly shows his love and admiration for our sense of wonder, our ambition, our goodness.  He sees the best in us, even when viewing us in the scope of all of time and space, complete with all our faults, all our missteps.  In his travels he sees the personal moments, the things we do for one another in our daily lives, things that never seem to amount to much, but that far outweigh any crimes mankind may commit in the grand scheme of things.  That idea, along with what I mentioned earlier about defending life and freedom without lowering yourself to violence, those are what make Doctor Who the fantastic show that it so very much is. 

And finally, Rise of the Guardians, the Dreamworks Animated movie about Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, and Jack Frost defending children from the Boogeyman.  Beyond that, it’s about believing in something greater then yourself, about fighting fear with fun and joy, and about protecting the wonder, hope, and memories that make childhood such a great time in one’s life.  What’s more optimistic then the idea that one child’s belief in fun can defeat the primordial force of fear in the world?  That all it takes is one scrap of innocence to keep the light of the world shining.

Yes, all of this has been incredibly cheesy and sentimental, but that’s why it’s so great!  Our world could use a little more cheesy and sentimental, I think.