The show "Heroes" and Batman (w/ Heroes SPOILERS)

[Xybernauts]

I just watched the Heroes episode "One of Us, One of Them". In this episode there was an underlying Batman theme. In the episode, we see Ando rebelling against Hiro. Instead of following Hiro's lead/orders, he starts to think more independently. In one scene Ando says, " I'm sick of being your costumed sidekick! ...Maybe this Robin should fly."

More to the point, I wanted to address the theme revolving around Clair Bennett. In the season premiere Clair is attacked by Sylar and is nearly killed. Sylar decides not to kill Clair, but the attack leaves Clair scarred emotionally. For some reason she also doesn't "feel". It's possible that Sylar's attack caused some brain damage, but i think it's more likely that Clair is traumatized. The trauma has desensitized Clair causing her to feel vulnerable and she hasn't learned to cope/process her feelings. In the episode "One of Us, One of Them" Clair wants to drop out of school and keeps on talking about how she wants to catch criminals. Clair's biological mother confronts Clair forcing her to admit the reason why she wants to catch criminals. At first she advocates pretty adamantly that she wanted to help save people, but after enough grilling Clair admits to her mother and to her self that the real reason, in her own words, "To hurt him, OK. To hurt him for what he did, like he hurt me." Basically she wants to hunt criminals so she can hurt them, not really to help save people as she originally convinced herself. In another scene after Clair's catharsis her mother tells Clair that, "...you gotta learn to save yourself before you can save the world."

To me this episode was making a commentary about Batman. I would have thought that the episode and the character of Batman just happened to have coincidental similarities, but the quote by Ando convinced me that the show was commenting on the character of Batman.

I believe, like Clair, Bruce Wayne is fighting more because he wants to hurt the thug the way the thug hurt him, and less because he wants to "save" people. It's not enough to just hurt the thug who hurt his parents, he wants to hurt others the way he was hurt, like Clair. I guess Wayne just never had the luxury of having adequate "health-care".

What I want to know is whether or not Batman learned how to "save" himself or does his need to fight crime illustrate that he is still crippled by the tragedy that destabilized his life?

[Verdammt]

Sylar decides not to kill Clair,

Sylar didn't decide not to kill Clair. He flat out told her that he couldn't kill her even if he wanted to, that she can't die because she is different, she is special.

For some reason she also doesn't "feel".

I think you may be looking at this wrong. She feels emotionally, what she doesn't feel is anything physically.

[Xybernauts]

Sylar didn't decide not to kill Clair. He flat out told her that he couldn't kill her even if he wanted to, that she can't die because she is different, she is special.



I think you may be looking at this wrong. She feels emotionally, what she doesn't feel is anything physically.
Well if you want to nitpick. he said something more along the lines of that he didn't want to kill her because she was special, and that her couldn't kill her even if he tried.

As for the second part, it's possible she can't feel anything physically, but Clair has the power to heal, so why can't she heal from Sylar's attack? It's more likely that her "belief" that she can't feel physically is rooted in emotional trauma meaning. She only thinks she can't feel physically. This is proven in the last episode. She certainly felt the pain when she was suffocating. And unless she's pretending to be all better or has a relapse, it looks as though Clair has recovered from her trauma. Her mother didn't do anything physically to heal her. So if she really is better then Clair was just hurting emotionally and her biological mother just helped her to release that pain.

But back to the main point, is Batman in the same boat. Is he drowning in the anguish of his own traumatic experience. Is it the pain that motivates him or is it something else?

[Red Lotus]

Well if you want to nitpick. he said something more along the lines of that he didn't want to kill her because she was special, and that her couldn't kill her even if he tried.

As for the second part, it's possible she can't feel anything physically, but Clair has the power to heal, so why can't she heal from Sylar's attack? It's more likely that her "belief" that she can't feel physically is rooted in emotional trauma meaning. She only thinks she can't feel physically. This is proven in the last episode. She certainly felt the pain when she was suffocating. And unless she's pretending to be all better or has a relapse, it looks as though Clair has recovered from her trauma. Her mother didn't do anything physically to heal her. So if she really is better then Clair was just hurting emotionally and her biological mother just helped her to release that pain.

But back to the main point, is Batman in the same boat. Is he drowning in the anguish of his own traumatic experience. Is it the pain that motivates him or is it something else?

Sylar attack alter her powers. She can't feel pain anymore. She doesn't feel human anymore the writers have said that will be a big part of her storyline.

[JTPencils]

As much as I'd like to see a Batman/Heroes connection of sorts... I honestly think you're reading a bit too much into this... trying to squash in a Bat angle. It's just not the case.

Besides... Clair doesn't feel any physical pain, her emotional distress is quite obvious.