Superheroes are usually pretty hardened to the things that might make mere mortals weep. There are, however, certain circumstances that will unleash the floodgates in even the most stoic heroes.
Batman and his crew are about as stoic as heroes get and yet even they are susceptible to a crying jag. For example, in Batman #191, the cover shows both Alfred and Dick Grayson weeping buckets. What caused it? Nothing less than the horror of seeing Batman selling off the accoutrements of his trade. Oh no, not his utility belt and Robin’s costume! Those could never possibly be replaced! And why does someone as independently wealthy as Bruce Wayne need to sell his stuff? I’d think even if he did want to “hang up his cape” he’d simply hang up his cape (in a super-secret closet that he could occasionally visit and relive old times). But let’s not jump on Alfred and Dick’s case here. They’re not crying about mere stuff, but rather what the “stuff” represents. Batman giving up the cowl is worth a tear or two.
And what about the bat dude himself? In Batman #215 he destroys Wayne Manor and he’s got some major waterworks going on. At first glance it may appear to be another case of crying over “stuff,” in this case the building. But if you read the caption, he has just blown up Wayne Manor and “everyone in it.” Okay, that’s definitely worth some tears. It’s like one of the many times Robin died. In Batman #156, as he carries The Boy Wonder’s lifeless body, tears fall from the white eye sockets in his cowl. It’s another excellent reason to cry.
When loved ones die, most superheroes feel the pain acutely. In Superman’s PalJimmy Olsen #125, Jimmy needs the tears of a Kryptonian to finish a mysterious potion. Boy, is he lucky he happens to wear a watch that will summon a Kryptonian at a moment’s notice. He shows Superman the memorial to Jor-El and Lara, Superman’s parents, but not a tear flows. Is Kal-El without a heart? Nope, he’d just watched films of the destruction of Krypton (captured by a fancy camera that can capture light waves from the past — available at Sharper Image, no doubt) and cried himself out a mere hour before. Undeterred, Jimmy talks him into watching movies of Smallville. Although Jimmy doesn’t realize the significance, there’s a shot of Ma and Pa Kent’s gravestones that turn on the waterworks. Both the deaths of his real parents and his adopted parents can make Superman cry. Sounds pretty human to me.
So what of Wonder Woman? For most of her run, she’s as stoic as the rest of the superheroes, but there’s one glaring exception. When Diana gives up her costume and her powers to don a white pantsuit, she apparently loses control of her emotions. It’s saying goodbye to her mother and the Amazons that makes her weep on the cover of Wonder Woman #179. But from that point on, there’s one primary cause: men. Oh, those dastardly men! Every other issue she falls in love and then gets jilted, abandoned, lied to, or dumped. She never suffers for a date, but every date makes her suffer. Oddly enough, there was never a similar run in Superman or Batman’s books. Apparently the writers had a little more respect for their charges because, I’ll admit, it’s painful to read those late Silver/early Bronze Wonder Womans. They threw away more than her bustier, they threw away her personality, dignity, and self-respect. Then again, it was fun to watch her get revenge on some of those heels.
For the most part, our favorite superheroes don’t cry frequently. They tend to take things in stride. Maybe they’ve seen too much death and destruction. Yet they all have their weaknesses. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman all wept at the thought of living without their loved ones. Personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, even superheroes aren’t invulnerable to love.
Joanna Sandsmark—A former writer for DC Comics and TV’s Weird Science, Joanna Sandsmark is also the author of The Wisdom of Yo Meow Ma, A Girl’s Best Friend, 10 Spiritual Lessons You Can Learn From Your Cat, 10 Spiritual Lessons You Can Learn From Your Dog, and Explore Your Destiny With Runes. If you'd like to learn more, including a detailed bio and more information about Joanna's books, please visit her Web site or visit her blog.
This is a guest article. The thoughts and opinions in this piece are those of their author and are not necessarily the thoughts of the Certified Collectibles Group.
