1. There’s a lot of discussion on what makes a hero a superhero, some will say it’s all about having super powers. Superman can fly and even bend laws of physics, Spiderman can lift cars, shoot webs that allow him to move freely through the air and Silver Surfer uses cosmic power.
Then again, there’s Batman, a superhero but with no inherent super powers or powers that were given to him by some higher entity. He built himself through the years, established himself as a true protector using gadgets and enhancements, even managing to beat Superman seconds before he’ll die. Rorschach, too, excels in willpower, strength and skill but there are no laser beams shooting from his hands (nor eyes, he wears that mask after all) or any abilities to bend space and time as he deems fit.
So, no, super powers are not always required for someone to gain the status of being a superhero. We could even fit ’mandatory’ mutation in this section, be it from some accident or just from evolution – by observing that special powers are not necessarily needed for a hero to became a superhero, we can conclude that Hulk may be able to smash, but he can’t set the rules on this one.
Maybe like this, Shepard gets superhero status right away?
2. Can the answer lie in special costumes? Or in a unique appearance, perhaps a mutated one? Sure, Superman has his famous blue suit, red cape and boots, Dr. Manhattan is almost translucent with a blue glow and silver eyes, Hulk is green, oversized, more like a feral version of a man but on the other side of the argument, there’s David Dunn, the Unbreakable. He’s just a regular guy outside, wearing ordinary cloths or uniforms. The same could be said for Han****, it seems that superheroes evolved from wearing latex to more natural materials. Even Rorschach’s costume is a far cry from the usual fleshy shiny gummy superhero wear.
Again, we find ourselves at a dead end – costumes and appearance are not crucial for a hero to be marked as super. That also crosses out having a mandatory secret identity – although Silver Surfer and Dr. Manhattan had already proven that superhero don’t have to have one. Yes, Dr. Manhattan was Jonathan Osterman once, but he’s not anymore, he’s just Dr. Manhattan now – that’s his identity. Same goes for Norrin Radd, oh pardon me, Silver Surfer. ‘Tis their blessing and their curse.
3. So, what’s left? Their morality, motivation and dedication to fight against evil? Or even just motivation and dedication, no matter the ’visible’ surface morality? A consistent struggle against evil? It seems there might be bits of truth in this department. Here, we should look at heroes and anti heroes – both categories have superheroes if we take in consideration the final goal – the fight for ordinary men, the fight against crime and evil.
Let’s take a look at Ash J. Williams from the Evil Dead series. Ash doesn’t have a hidden identity, he’s a regular Joe and doesn’t possess any special powers. Yet in Army of Darkness he is a certified superhero (especially because he’s a modern man in a medieval surrounding with a chainsaw instead of hand).
If we take a look at his superhero development, we can clearly see that Ash is not always a moral guy, in Evil Dead 2 he even becomes Evil Ash, having an inner struggle with a demon that possesses him and turns him into a deadite. In Army of Darkness we can see his snarky and more crazy side, one thing is consistent – his struggle against evil forces whose very nature he can’t comprehend. He doesn’t give up even though his fight is hopeless and no one will recognise him as a saviour. He’s not exactly an exemplary specimen for a moral character, a paragon one, and yet, he is a true superhero, even though his only ’super’ power is one chainsaw and his costume consisting of blood stained pants and something that could be barely called a shirt.
I guess I shouldn’t even go for Punisher or Han****. Consistency and determination in fighting evil and crime, that’s something that turned all those heroes into superheroes so far. After all, Sir Lancelot was a hero too but thanks to his love for Guinevere, he wasn’t the one who had found neither the Grail nor the true King Arthur’s knight. Instead of being Arthur’s right hand because of his inconsistency, he’ll be the part of his King’s downfall. Ah, we could do this all the way down to the first ‘could’ve been superhero forefather – but he stopped fighting’ Gilgamesh (mind you, he was a half-god).
I don't know about you, guys, but I still consider this lil' bandaged twisted man a hero.
4. What else is left? Ah, an extraordinary deed, a feat that proves that one is truly special, worthy of our full attention. I think that all heroes and superheroes have this feat, even the real ones, even those whose approach was most unlikely to succeed, like Mahatma Ghandi or Nelson Mandela. No matter if it means his death, the Dark Knight will fight for the goals he considers most precious, V will do the same in his Guy Fawkes mask as will Rorschach, Superman, the list goes on – no matter the point of view or information that is possessed, it is their sheer belief combined with an extraordinary deed. There is no one truth, even though it is more convenient to think that way and far less painful.
Shepard - hero that became a superhero
Now we come to a crucial point, is our beloved Shepard a hero or a superhero? Shepard starts as someone who managed to survive against the all odds, be it ruthless, a war hero or a sole survivor. Shepard is already well-known, but not even if s/he is a war hero they are not established as a true hero at the beginning of the story. Someone telling you that Shepard is a hero doesn’t make him or her so. What’s more important, Shepard can be a moral character but again, doesn’t have to abide by moral laws society proclaimed – visible, shallow, surface morality.
One thing is sure, Shepard’s goal. The fight is a consistent one – saving the galaxy from the bigger threat. No matter Shepard’s moral alignment, whether it a pragmatic, a killer, a criminal or a self-sacrificing one, Shepard will stay on course saving the galaxy. At the end of it all s/he succeeds in that task, s/he manages to win the battle against all odds, saving the galaxy, well, the life of the current organic beings.
And then Shepard dies. This is the moment, where a person that was finally established as a hero dies in a one sided battle against a new, unknown and highly formidable enemy. Looking at just this event on its own is very dramatic because that death has no meaning. This is the moment when Shepard is finally stepping into the dark side, along a morally ambiguous pathway, but a path that will lead to superhero status. It doesn’t matter if Shepard is good or evil. or both, s/he will return from the dead and what’s most convenient, not by his/hers own will. There is no Shepard that is a simple tanatophobe, it wasn’t Shepard’s choice to return into this valley of sorrow and tears. Thanks to Cerberus with their vision, funds and spy games, Shepard is finally returned to life two years later. A composite image that was removed by something even more fictional, started to breathe again.
Though this time, Shepard has changed, could we say mutated, augmented, and not entirely natural? Don’t worry, Shepard is not suffering from Ash’ curse of dealing with supernatural powers, or Dr. Manhattan’s of loosing previous, original identity, but again, Shepard is not what Shepard used to be, either ruthless or a war hero. S/he has changed, or has s/he? Well, in a physical aspect, s/he has. Shepard received many augmentations in that regard, be those L5 implants or the dramatic ability to slow the time, or bigger health... the point is, we’re now dealing with a mean, living, breathing, killing machine. Well, I would not choose to be his/her enemy, that’s for sure! But the soul, Shepard’s essence stays. It is Shepard, and he/she is back.
Wait, did I say Dr. Manhattan? I mean, Commander Shepard is back.
After the initial shock, the escape from Cerberus base and then Freedom’s Progress, the new, improved Shepard will stay true to his/hers goal, no matter the moral alignment... S/he chooses to fight the greater evil again, even though the very organic beings had discarded him/her, had forgotten and buried him/her. Again, consistency. It would be justified to think that the renegade version of Shepard would abandon the cause, either the renegade pragmatic or killer version, or that the good one, the paragon would just simply refuse to work with terrorists like Cerberus? Still s/he is true to his/her initial goal – saving life itself. Human dominance or alien love, compromise or not – it doesn’t matter, Shepard is not built on the approach, Shepard is built on the goal itself.
Oh, does Batman, or Rorschach, or Ash start ringing in my ears? Or Superman or Hulk? No matter the moral alignment, be it a Butcher of Torfan or War Hero, Shepard will go after the Reaper threat again to save the life s/he knows… Hell, Shepard already died once, anyway. What has s/he got to lose now? Well, this is the stuff, the essence that makes superheroes. And guess what… Shepard will go through the Omega 4 relay and actually survive the Argos Rho indoctrination device, object, whatever. It is the Reaper tech and to be honest, I still don’t comprehend it.
Let’s take a look at Shepard in the points mentioned in part one ‘What makes a hero superhero?’
1. Super powers plus mutation in some cases. Well, I was thinking about it and Shepard can be an adept, a vanguard, a sentinel or even have the reave ability or warp ammunition, but in his/her world, those are not special powers. Those are abilities that can be considered as normal, since some species (ahem, like Asari) have them as an inherent, biological thing. Yes, reave is honed by justicars, or warp ammunition given by Jack, that special but ’not that special’ human biotic user... still, no one in Mass Effect universe considers it as an unnatural, super power. Those can be learnt and developed by humans. So, no, even though it seems like Shepard is using special super powers, it is not the case in his/hers universe. Those powers would be ’super’ in our current universe, but not in Shepard’s. Though, mutation is present, Shepard from Eden Prime is not the same as the one from Freedom’s Progress and that change is not due to learning, it is due to being revived, scientific experimentation and augmentation. Even now players debate if the current Shepard is a human being or a cyborg, well, maybe we should ask Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline for that answer. However, the change in that regard definitely happened. Again, does anyone want a Hulk or even Dr. Manhattan? I’m all up for a nice new brand of superhero sandwiches, to be honest.
2. Oh costume, appearance or mutated appearance even…
Unless Shepard is a renegade, there are no costumes or physical changes… well, a renegade without a wish to squander 50000 units of platinum on a pretty much useless upgrade. Shepard has armour, but it’s nothing special, it is Alliance or Cerberus military issue (well, I’m not telling the truth entirely here, those guys from USA can get Dr. Peppers promotional funky things, and us, the European ones can’t, but Blizzard started it first, so it is the usual thing, nothing to be miffed about). The bottom line is… Shepard actually has special mutated appearance and it is either special implants appearance or special pieces armour, be them from special promotions or DLCs, they are there (Mattock? Am I hearing Mattock again?). So yes, a strange glow is present, strange distorted appearances, or new tech, it is all there.
As Dark Knight would say - Reapers, remember the only organic who has beaten you.
3. Yup, that’s what I’ve been waiting for – consistency and this is where ‘railroading’ or ‘streamlining’ actually paid out – Shepard is consistent no matter the moral alignment. Shepard can take any moral stance s/he wishes, still, s/he chooses to fight the greater evil, thus saving the entire organic existence, the universe we know. A true renegade wouldn’t go for Suicidal Mission or be deceived by the Illusive Man a couple of times, nor would true paragon consider working with what s/he deemed terrorists, they would be too honourable to see the bigger picture… in that, too selfish, if selfish is not considering that ‘end justifies the means’, which majority would interpret as ‘selfishness’. Ah, Machiavelli, you would love to live nowadays – you would be justified 100%, but no matter the convictions, the understanding of morality – Shepard is actually striving for stopping the true villains with no prospect of real personal gain. Shepard can be either nice or mean, still, Shepard is consistent in his/hers fight – saving the galaxy. To spice things even more, Shepard only has about a dozen people who actually believe him/her, his/hers allies are scarce and as human being, Shepard is pretty much misunderstood and alone. Even in such a grim existence, Shepard is true to his/hers goal, consistent.
4. An extraordinary deed is left and we might add, this one is closely connected to the previous point. Well, our Shepard keeps piling those up. Thanks to strong will, Shepard will manage to absorb the message from damaged Prothean beacon, s/he will become the first human Spectre, fight a unique life form the Thorian, fight matriarch Benezia, destroy Saren’s cloning facilities, s/he will go to Illos, speak to the AI Vigil, pass through Conduit in a ground vehicle, fight the Reaper hybrid Saren and ultimately destroy Sovereign. Shepard will survive his/hers own death (yup, that sounds absurd, but that’s what happened), assemble an extraordinary team, save many colonists on Horizon, discover that Collectors are repurposed Protheans, pass through the Omega 4 relay, fight the human Reaper, destroy the Collector’s base and then s/he’ll even stops the Reaper’s arrival in Bahak system. Well, how’s that for a résumé of extraordinary deeds? And all this was done without being determined by Shepard’s moral alignment.
The goal of this article was to prove that Commander Shepard is a hero that became a superhero. So far, I didn’t find anyone calling Shepard a superhero and yet, that’s exactly what Shepard is. The Commander’s journey along the superhero path is an interesting one, either s/he’s established as heroic figure or as an anti-hero… and there’s one more tiny fact when we talk about Shepard’s superhero status, a unique one so far in the superhero community. For the first time, one protagonist is officially recognized as male and as female. Shepard can be of either gender, John or Jane. Now, how about that in establishing one more special ability? Finally, in Shepard, both genders stand as equals. Ah, miracles never stop in the world of superheroes.
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