"Supermanning", or that emotion when a Hero checks on all the innocents, shows that he cares, and makes you want to rely on him

I'm trying to articulate this feeling that I want my Heroes to evoke. Superman is very good at providing that, and there's many others that do it too. It's... you know that "Never fear, All Might is here!" kind of burst of hope where everything has been awful and frightening and you've been powerless and suddenly the champion shows up and makes you feel like everything's going to be okay? Like sometimes they'll actually rescue a kid, give them to their mother, and, with a pat on the head, turn right around and confidently confront the danger? That figure, that wide back and robust shoulders walking away from you, carrying your burden with solid ease? And sometimes it's not exactly physical, sometimes it's a Rousing Speech given in the middle of despair, that has us all cheering and passionate. This "Daddy!"/"Big Brother!"/"Oniichan!" kind of feeling where you know you're in good hands, you're someone's Protectorate and it's a good, comforting feeling.

Here's a classic example:

He even takes the time to reassure her that flying is still statistically the safest way to travel. Here's a couple more minor examples from various media:

Here's another.

Note the wink!

While Superman, especially the Christopher Reeves version, was the Trope Codifier (that John Williams score really, er, underscores the mood), there have been many who have attempted to evoke this feeling later on. In Pacific Rim's opening fight, the heroes take the time, against their commander's orders, to save a small fishing boat from the humongous monster that's on its way to attack a city of millions. The gesture is noble, gentle, and elegant, and as they deposit the boat in safety while simultaneously dodging the monster's claws, they make sure to stand between it and the monster, and seamlessly transition into a PUNCH IN THE MONSTER'S FACE. Then it's time for a SMACKDOWN.

This trope is surprisingly common in Japanese media, especially when an adult hero is protecting children. All Might of My Hero Academia makes a habit of exaggerating this trope to a limit that borders on the comical, but remains compelling in its sincerity. As a result, all his Awesome Moments are also Heartwarming Moments, which is a key element that distinguishes him from some of the more glory- or revenge-motivated heroes.

I can't find a legal video of the scene in question to post here, but Full Metal Alchemist has a moment like that when Al and Ed walk away from Winry and she remarks on how wide Al's shoulders have grown, that is to say, how much he has matured mentally, as he leaves her, confidently walking straight into vague, apocalyptic danger, at peace with himself, the rules of the world, and what he has to do.

Gurren Lagann has such moments as a standard operating procedure. Every. Single. Climax. "Things seem desperate. The Hero arrives, with newfound emotional resolution, makes a magnificent speech in front of an audience it fills with inspiration and admiration, and defeats the villain in spectacular manner, snatching hope and victory from the jaws of despair and defeat!" They're so powerful, they induce a chain reaction where the audience gets drawn in and become themselves inspiring hero figures in their own right. By the final fight, all of humanity is standing proud as fearless heroes. RAW RAW, FIGHT THE POWER!

One Punch Man plays with the trope when Mumen Rider comes to risk everything to stall the villain before he can reach a stadium full of innocents. He's extremely good at raising their spirits from despair by eloquently demonstrating truly astounding degrees of courage, tenacity, and righteousness. But he doesn't have the physical power to back it up, and is dispatched easily by the villain, much to their shock. However, he stalled him long enough for Saitama to come in. Saitama doesn't pay the monster any mind, catches and settles Mumen down, then checks on Genos, making sure he's alive and well. Only then does he turn to the villain. We, the audience, already know how this is going to end, but, save for Genos, no-one else in-universe does. Saitama dispatches the villain so matter-of-factly, it almost undermines the efforts and sacrifices of everyone that came before him. Saitama sacrifices his recognition and reputation to protect that of the others. That feeling when you're cheering for Mumen Rider, when you almost believe he could pull it off. That feeling when Saitama stops to deliver some kind words before taking over.

So my question is, how do you convey this feeling in Literature, without the aid of music, timing, visuals, and so on. How do you give your hero the calm, firm, and reassuring voice of a Peter Cullen Optimus Prime by word choice and grammar alone? How do you depict the glorious vision of the savior without a Low-Angle Shot and a glorious John Williams brass and strings blaring in the background?

I just thought of another example: Spider Man's iconic train scene in the second Tobey Mc Guire film, although in this case it's mutual!

For one thing, you might describe that voice. Off the top of my head, something like: "his tone was soft and gentle, but with a resolute firmness that said that his words were unassailable."

Otherwise, describing the reactions of others might help: "The Hero set them down in the field. As The Hero stood, turning to once again face the danger unperturbed, they felt their panic slip away: they were safe now."

Good points, especially having the reactions of those who were rescued.

Remember: all those conventions in camera angle and soundtrack are there because movies can't do what a book can: get inside the characters' heads.

In your story, you can explicitly state how relieved and reassured the characters feel, explore their thoughts and feelings in detail - stuff that's generally handled by visual and audio shortcuts and conventions in movies/TV.

A movie needs those camera angles and impressive music to convey "WOW, whataguy!" because it's the only way you can convey it "visually" due to the limitations of the medium. A book does not have the same limitations as TV/film, you can wax lyrical about how terrified, despairing, hopeless —> relieved, grateful, reassured, filled with hope the characters feel throughout the course of the scene. Ominous music being replaced with stirring uplifting music is just a (rather poor) substitute for being able to see inside the characters' minds.

Show, Don't Tell still is in play. Better use the word equivalent of an Aspect Montage than state chatacters' feelings outright. Right?

Did Superman ever get any good novelizations over the years? Are there any properly literary Superhero novels that are about this kind of moment, played straight or reconstructed?

edited 28th Jan '18 11:02:58 AM by TheHandle

This is very much truth in television. I remember an interview of some survivors of 9/11 in a documentary. The interviewee is describing how terrified and confused he felt going down the stairs, when he made eye contact with a fireman who was going up. One phrase stood for me. "He knew exactly why he was there, and he was going right where he wanted to." The vicarious sense of self confidence he recieved from the fireman was overwhelming.

edited 28th Jan '18 11:42:21 AM by DeMarquis

Works for me. The cape and powers are a theatrical enhancement. I'm entirely happy to use reactions to real heroes and the accounts thereof.

edited 28th Jan '18 11:49:23 AM by TheHandle

Re: "Show, don't tell": That's a good point, but I think that my overall suggestion still stands, with my examples wanting for improvement.

For example, instead of "... they felt their panic slip away ...", you could describe the way that it feels—perhaps a feeling of a cool wash running through them, releasing a tension that they hadn't realised had tightened their hearts. If you prefer more outward signs, you could describe their postures relaxing, their eyes following the hero, their feet doing likewise for an unconscious step or two, etc.

One could argue that saying "they felt their panic slip away" is showing that they have confidence in the hero (the object of this exercise) rather than just telling the reader that "the way the hero stood gave the would-be victims absolute confidence in him". It's part of a greater description involving how the hero stood, how the would-be victims looked at him, how they felt while doing so... in order to show, rather than tell, that we've got a "superman moment", here.

Given that the focus is on the people's confidence in the hero and how the hero's radiating "never fear, I am here", not their emotional state per se, it could wind up needlessly wordy if we get into a recursive "show that they are becoming more relaxed to show that their panic is slipping away to show that they have confidence in the hero."

That's a good point, actually—thank you.

Along with police and firefighters, don't forget the US Coast Guard. Deliberately going out into a hurricane to rescue somebody whose boat is sinking is nothing to sneeze at either. Their official motto is Toujour Pret (Always Ready), but their unofficial motto is: "You have to go out — You don't have to come back."