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Tropes I am sick and tired off. Women in Refrigerators and Uncle Ben Syndrome


MegaMonster54

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Women in Refrigerators is a term created by Comicbook writer Gail Simone that list super-heroines who have been "either de-powered, raped, or cut up and stuck in the refrigerator" in an effort to illustrate that female superheroes are disproportionately likely to be brutalized in comic books, usually to further the character arc of male super heroes. 

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Uncle Ben Syndrome is a term that states that the only reason for a wise mentor in the superheros life with no character other than the wise mentor. To be a moral compass, his only family, to give some advice that will be the hero's mantra and code of honor, and then half way through dies. 

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I am sick and tired of these Tropes being in comicbooks and movies and I think it's time for a change damn it! We've seen it in the Green Lantern Comics, the Spider-man Comics, and even the Batman comics.

 

Why does ever single member of a superhero's family have to die? 

 

Why can't there be a Superhero or Heroin that has to come home to a single father or mother without there being a broken home situation? 

 

Why can't I read a comic about the struggles of balancing School with being a Hero and have it done well?

 

Why can't the "Call to heroism" be just seeing a fucked up city and saying "I have the power to save this place"?

 

Despite what the Main Stream media tells you, interesting stories can come from everyday life and the relationships normal people suffer through. Not everything needs to be Overly dark or Overly serious.

 

One of the reasons I liked Spider-man (Before it was rapped by JMS and Joe Quesada) was because he was such a relatable character that I wanted to be him. But now his comics just suck because he lost what made himself popular, his ability to relate to the reader. JMS and Quesada have this idea that if we focus on spidy being a flat character still acting like he's in high school (Even though he's in his 30's) then we can sell more comics. This means having him always think about how Uncle Ben's death was all his fault... No sorry. 

 

When Lee and Ditko worked on the project, spidey had a sense of realism to him. He worried about things and payed his bills, the only thing about him was that he was a hero. 

 

One of the reasons I liked Uncle Ben in the new Amazing Spider-man movie was because he was a real character. He got pissed, he was happy for Peter, he loved his wife and was disappointed, he made mistakes and slipped up some times. He was a flawed character, and I like that he didn't directly say "With great power comes great responsibility", like it was something spidey had to figure out on his own. I liked that part of the movie. 

 

Now lets talk about women in refrigerators

 

... Yeah no, sorry but no.

 

Comic writers always had this idea in the industry that women could only be written 2 way's

 

Complete Ditz

 

Cannon Fodder

 

Ever so rarely do we see a good, 3 dimensional female character. 

 

Look, the industry needs to change there way of writing women. Maybe instead of wonder woman being a Stupid Ditz, we could have a strong amazonian that can kick superman's ass anytime she wanted to, hold her own, and saw that being a hero in a world like this was more than expected, that she had to push herself but she got the job done. We could have her get mad, upset, happy for others, happy for herself. Maybe the way she has to act around her friends is different than how she acts around criminals. She could have a fun side and a serious side. Maybe we could have her be confident, but she also has some fears. Maybe she has a since direction and she knows where to go in life. Maybe she has some quirks, but they don't overshadow her character.  We could have her wear pants because those shorts do look uncomfor{CANCELED}

 

... Well...

 

But I want to know what you guys think. Do you think that these are tropes that should continue or stop? Do you think I was right to say somethings? Do you think I was wrong on some issues? Do you like the Wonder Woman run? Can you think of some comics or movies that have used these tropes before? Do you like Hot dogs or Hamburgers? If you made it this far, comment "Zorgo the Magnificent". Do you think there are any ways that these tropes can change? Do you even read Comicbooks? I want to know! So let me know! 

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In order to be a great hero, your parents have to die.

Just look at Batman, Spiderman, Deadpool, Hulk, Naruto, Iron Man, Captain America, Harry Potter, and Goku.

Edited by XtremerSadiqachu
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There's nothing inherently wrong with having a deep-rooted motivation for your heroism.  The death of a loved one and witnessing atrocities such as rape and murder are fairly convenient and often overused motives, but I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with them as long as they're executed in a more realistic manner than just "ANGST DEEP SO EDGY I'M NOT A FLAT CHARACTER LOOK AT MY LAZILY SLAPPED ON BACKSTORY!"  A good story shows the trials and tribulations that transform the character from whatever he/she was before into what he/she is now, and then uses these experiences and lessons to expand upon the character's growth.

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There's nothing inherently wrong with having a deep-rooted motivation for your heroism.  The death of a loved one and witnessing atrocities such as rape and murder are fairly convenient and often overused motives, but I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with them as long as they're executed in a more realistic manner than just "ANGST DEEP SO EDGY I'M NOT A FLAT CHARACTER LOOK AT MY LAZILY SLAPPED ON BACKSTORY!"  A good story shows the trials and tribulations that transform the character from whatever he/she was before into what he/she is now, and then uses these experiences and lessons to expand upon the character's growth.

But don't you think a story would be more exciting if the Hero/Heroine was a single father/mother? Or if he/she was a recovering alcoholic? Instead of the whole "Close family member or family like person is dead ??????? Hero". I'm not complaining about the tropes themselves, I'm just saying I want better backstories for superheros. I know I can't talk because the superhero I made "The Mistress of Illusion" her mother died. But that's not what caused her to be a hero, what caused that was that she saw what a shitty town she was in and that she did have the power to save it. That's what I'm sick of, over use of over used tropes instead of simple backstories. But you do bring up a good point and I will bring that into consideration the next time I write a new character. 

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But don't you think a story would be more exciting if the Hero/Heroine was a single father/mother? Or if he/she was a recovering alcoholic? Instead of the whole "Close family member or family like person is dead ??????? Hero". I'm not complaining about the tropes themselves, I'm just saying I want better backstories for superheros. I know I can't talk because the superhero I made "The Mistress of Illusion" her mother died. But that's not what caused her to be a hero, what caused that was that she saw what a shitty town she was in and that she did have the power to save it. That's what I'm sick of, over use of over used tropes instead of simple backstories. But you do bring up a good point and I will bring that into consideration the next time I write a new character. 

I honestly don't see those as better motivations or anything.  I think the close family member dying thing can still work out if it's presented in a different way.  Spider-Man and Batman may have had similar motivations, but they're still different characters who had vastly different responses to a very similar stimuli.

 

That being said, am I in favor of a more diverse array of motivations and backstories?  Most certainly!  But I don't think there's a problem with the ones we have now, just the copypasta nature of them, and even ignoring that, if there was a character with a more "original" backstory, that doesn't mean the character or the story surrounding them will be done right, and at the end of the day, I'd rather have something tired and true done right than something new that's terrible.

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I haven't read a marvel comic in the longest time but I just have to comment on one thing "cut up and stuck in the fridge" when did this become a thing, this isn't the kid friendly marvel I know and love from the tv shows, that is super dark (though I knew for a long time the overall marvel series was dark, I didn't think it was THIS dark).

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I honestly don't see those as better motivations or anything.  I think the close family member dying thing can still work out if it's presented in a different way.  Spider-Man and Batman may have had similar motivations, but they're still different characters who had vastly different responses to a very similar stimuli.

 

That being said, am I in favor of a more diverse array of motivations and backstories?  Most certainly!  But I don't think there's a problem with the ones we have now, just the copypasta nature of them, and even ignoring that, if there was a character with a more "original" backstory, that doesn't mean the character or the story surrounding them will be done right, and at the end of the day, I'd rather have something tired and true done right than something new that's terrible.

But I want to see something fresh in the Media and then have people not afraid to say "I want to make this work". I guess you are right about the Spider-man Batman thing, but I still want to see something better than a character having "Uncle Ben Syndrome" or a female character being a "Women in a Refrigerator". I want to read a story about a recovering alcoholic losing everything and redeeming himself by being a hero. Sure, maybe it won't be handled well the first time, but at least it's fresh and putting something out there for someone to work with.

I haven't read a marvel comic in the longest time but I just have to comment on one thing "cut up and stuck in the fridge" when did this become a thing, this isn't the kid friendly marvel I know and love from the tv shows, that is super dark (though I knew for a long time the overall marvel series was dark, I didn't think it was THIS dark).

that's actually from the Green Lantern comics, a DC comic. and DC is Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark when it comes to it's material. case in point 

 

 

(MOD Edit - Violent imagery below.  Proceed at your own risk!)

(She ain't kidding folks, this is some serious NSFW territory. This is also a really stupid comic run so... yeah... take from that what you will...)~MegaMonster 

 

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Edited by MegaMonster54
I suppose that people should expect this sort of thing coming into a story primarily about comic books, but I decided to spoiler your image as it is a tad gruesome. ~Akito
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But I want to see something fresh in the Media and then have people not afraid to say "I want to make this work". I guess you are right about the Spider-man Batman thing, but I still want to see something better than a character having "Uncle Ben Syndrome" or a female character being a "Women in a Refrigerator". I want to read a story about a recovering alcoholic losing everything and redeeming himself by being a hero. Sure, maybe it won't be handled well the first time, but at least it's fresh and putting something out there for someone to work with.

I suppose.  I just don't think it's necessary, but it's not exactly unwelcome either.  As I often say when people compare the Lion King to Hamlet, it's not as though you get the experience each and every time, even when the plot seems to be almost identical in terms of structure.

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I suppose.  I just don't think it's necessary, but it's not exactly unwelcome either.  As I often say when people compare the Lion King to Hamlet, it's not as though you get the experience each and every time, even when the plot seems to be almost identical in terms of structure.

You're correct, there will be a different experience even though its really the same story. And I also realize that there will be people who will buy the same shit year, after year, after year. But all I want is a bit of freshness in my stories... that's all I want...

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I don't think there's anything wrong with these tropes at all. It all depends on how they're used. If the writing is good and the trope doesn't feel crammed in for the sake of it what's wrong?

 

I'd happily read stories like the one's you'vedetailed but I don't think anything you've suggested is fundamentally BETTER than the stories that you're so against. In fact, writing a superhero which deliberatly doesn't come from a cliched broken home could come off as really gimmicky if it's written that way for no other reason than differing from the norm.

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