Humanity is divided into heroes and villains. What, then, makes us one or the other? Is there a truly clear distinction between them?
“Heroes” is an American TV drama series that aired on NBC from 2006 to 2010. This critically acclaimed show won Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and British Academy Television Awards. It depicts ordinary people who suddenly discover they have supernatural powers and explores how these unique abilities affect their lives.
Currently, series creator Tim Kring is pitching a reboot titled “Heroes: Eclipsed,” while the original “Heroes” has been reintroduced to a new audience on Netflix. I watched all four seasons of “Heroes” during its original run with great enthusiasm. After nearly 20 years, I am watching it again on Netflix and find it just as intriguing and inspirational.
In “Heroes,” characters possess a wide variety of superhuman powers. There are those who can fly, heal wounds instantly, travel through time, freeze time, read minds and paint future events on canvas. Some can shapeshift, move as fast as a flash and move objects from a distance.
In the show, those with supernatural powers can become either heroes or villains, depending entirely on how they choose to use their abilities. If they use their gifts to help others or save the world, they become heroes and angels. On the contrary, if they misuse their superpowers for selfish reasons or to harm others, they end up as villains and monsters.
However, “Heroes” suggests that there is often no crystal-clear distinction between light and dark, good and evil, or heroes and villains. In fact, we all have both qualities deep inside. Brainwashed by a black-and-white perception of reality, we easily fall into the trap of believing that "we" are good and "they" are evil, that we are right and they are wrong, and that we are the heroes while they are the villains. In the drama, this boundary is constantly blurry.
For example, Sylar is initially a demonic villain who ruthlessly kills others to absorb their superpowers and become invincible. At the end of the series, however, he changes and becomes a hero who helps save humanity. On the contrary, Samuel Sullivan initially looks like a good man who genuinely cares about and protects those with special abilities. Later, however, he reveals his brutality, turning out to be a mass murderer and a charlatan. Agents of “The Company” also claim they are saving the world by managing superhuman powers and protecting those who have them. In reality, they abduct, experiment on, and lock up these individuals in the name of the "Greater Good."
In Season III, Dr. Mohinder Suresh narrates: “There is good, and there is evil, right and wrong, heroes and villains.” Then Suresh enlightens us, saying: “And if we have the strength to be honest, then what we find there staring back at us is our own reflection, bearing witness to the duality of life — that each one of us is capable of both the dark and the light, of good and evil, of either, of all.”
Watching this show, we also come to realize that human history is full of prejudice against those who are different from us. Simply because they are different, we fear them, treat them as threats to our society, and try to eliminate them. In Season 3, the US government — led by Senator Nathan Petrelli and a secret army — segregates and locks up those with special powers under the pretense of protecting the American people. The government ignores their constitutional rights and treats them harshly as menaces to society. The ultimate irony is that Senator Petrelli himself is one of the superhumans. However, because a fear-mongering campaign will help him secure the presidency, he uses his own kind as a scapegoat for his political ambition.
In “Heroes,” we see how self-righteous people do harm to others and ruin everything with their stubbornness. A true hero should accept that even they may be wrong sometimes. Another noteworthy theme is how the characters always justify their actions in the name of the "greater good." For example, Angela Petrelli, who helped found the Company, constantly excuses the horrible things they have done by saying, “We did it to save the world.” Emile Danko is a diabolical soldier who brutally kills those with special abilities in cold blood under the slogan, “To protect our country.” Dogmatic ideologies always wear the mask of a grand cause; no cause can justify evil acts and crimes.
The series ultimately tells us that we all have different abilities we can use to make a better world. Even though we do not possess supernatural powers, we can still help save the world by acting courageously and choosing the right path in times of crisis. The most important takeaway is that we must be vigilant, so we do not inadvertently become villains ourselves. Instead, we should strive to be heroes.
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Kim Seong-kon
Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are the writer's own. — Ed
khnews@heraldcorp.com
