A couple of years ago, I heard a psychologist say that fiction has been shown to improve social interaction.
At first, I felt justified. This meant there was function to all those hours I’d sunk into stories.
Next, I felt curious… how did fiction help us socially? It didn’t take too much consideration to realize that, well, we learn by watching others. Just because this “other” is fictional, doesn’t mean I can’t learn from them. In fact, it makes perfect sense that humans – specifically human culture – would develop a way to immortalize certain figures in a cultural ethos for the sake of propagating helpful values and social skills.
So boom. Let’s watch some movies and read some books and become better people while we’re doing it. A dream for an introvert like me. This ain’t the first post about fictional characters, and it won’t be the last.
Let’s start with a look at some of my favourite Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) characters who contrast each other well: Captain America and Iron Man.
CAPTAIN AMERICA – The Conscientious Conservative
To quote Honest Trailers… “No one’s favourite superhero.”
Before the MCU, they might have been right. Who cares for this tight-wearing guy with an A on his head and an over-the-top American look and feel? Least of all this proud Canadian, right?
Well, maybe not.
The Russo brothers (directors of Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War and Endgame) said in an interview that they “tried to break Cap… they just couldn’t.” What they meant is that Steve Rogers ended up serving his role as the flat character that he is. He has his own values, and even when the institutions around him fail, he holds to them. Even in Endgame, when the world had fallen around him, he remained the eternal optimist.
Personally, I value and at times envy the stick-with-it-ness and conscientious approach to life and values that Cap has. He’s all the things a righteous hero should be: brave, courageous, tough but tender, kind and yet direct, stubborn but honest, and ultimately unbreakable. He’s about the values, not about the institutions that purport to be bastions of said values. Thus, when SHIELD or the U.S. Government end up either corrupt or on different terms than he is, while this is difficult for him, he remains steadfast, even if it means standing up to those institutions.
When it comes to his friends and companions, we note a few things worth taking to heart.
- Captain America is always respectful. Even when he and Tony Stark disagree on numerous occasions – even when he’s straight-up angry with Stark – he never demeans or condescends. The temptation would be there, like in any one of us. But in those moments of temptation, he holds fast to what he knows is the right thing. In this case, the right thing is respect and dignity towards your fellow human, rival or not, reciprocated or not.
- Cap is also direct. He’s respectful and polite, yes. But he is not afraid to say what needs to be said. We almost always know where he stands; he makes that clear in an understanding and even empathetic way. He contrasts with the direct but sarcastic Tony Stark in this way. Stark cuts with his words; Cap firmly applies pressure with a hand on the shoulder, so to speak. While there may be a place for sarcasm, more often than not communication should be clear but respectful, especially with those we are less close to. This sort of communication is particularly helpful from leaders, which is one reason why Steve Rogers makes a great captain.
IRON MAN – The Challenger
Tony Stark is not a flat character (at least not in his more recent MCU iteration). He is not the righteous hero who remains steadfast. He is, in fact, more a bad boy challenger of the status quo who ends up choosing a righteous path. He wasn’t always on said path, and he doesn’t pretend like he was.
From a psychological perspective, Tony Stark is a liberally-minded disruptor. From a young age, he challenged his parents with his intellect and rebellious nature. Authority is, generally speaking, a problem for him, and not just because he’s arrogant and a little insecure (though he is, and these attributes do contribute to his rebellion). Authority is challenging for those who are particularly competent and intelligent, but especially hard for those with a spontaneous and disagreeable temperament, which Stark has.
His character arc involves his maturation from his careless rebellion stage into a moral challenger. He still challenges authority – an important societal function that promotes thoughtfulness and keeps leaders in check – but he does so while still doing what’s right and lending to the greater good of those around him, rather than their detriment.
Mature Tony Stark is the liberal who respects the institutions that are around him, including those who are in authority, while appropriately challenging them and lending his wisdom and abilities to the right causes.
These days, people are often very polarized on any given issue. We’d all do well to strike this mature-challenger balance a little bit more.
That said, many of us would do well to stick to the straight and narrow like Cap, even (or perhaps especially) when the going gets tough.
Whether in politics or in life, there’s value to both of these archetypes. That’s why we love seeing them on screen: they give us insight into parts of ourselves in need of transformation and/or manifestation. Sometimes we need to challenge the way things are; other times, we need to stick to what’s tried and true. Sometimes, the polite but direct approach is the way to be. Other times, some sarcasm and humour and wit can shake people out of their stubborn ways. But there are ways to either fail or succeed with these approaches.
That’s what fiction is for! Watch (or read, or listen) and learn.
