Quote:This was pretty much the point I was trying to make, very briefly, in my original post over in in the fanfiction announcement topic. I will play devil's advocate for a moment and add that, despite my belief that Peter Parker's attitude is motivated more out of a sense of responsibility and compensation for fear, there are studies that show that adults who were bullied as children sometimes grow up to have bullying tendencies in their personalities. Peter's a pretty smart guy (he understands chemistry well enough to develop his own long-strong polymer and he did it in high school), and I think that he's self-aware enough to see that possibility, but it would make sense that there's a portion of his psyche that enjoys beating up guys who might have beaten him up prior to his becoming Spider-Man. However, the fact that he and Flash Thompson - the very person who bullied him in high school - have become very close friends seems indicative that he has control over that aspect. Although it might make for an interesting plot point for an encounter with the Controller or some other mind controlling villain.
In my opinion, Herman's skewed P.O.V. is the most interesting aspect of the story. He sees some aspects of the world more clearly than almost anyone else, but completely misses other areas. He talks about people with amazing powers they don't use to their full advantage, but he has an intelect that impresses Reed Richards, invetions that Tony Stark drools over, and he uses them to rob banks. Herman is a very messed up person, and we are along for the ride from behind his eyes.
Herman is, as the author has stated, a product of his upbringing. His father raised him to be "special," and I think his attitude about superbeings sort of fits into that. He holds himself apart from others. He may not look down on them, but almost every other super-crook is treated with either derision at the fact that they use their intellect to steal or fear of their psychoses, or some combination of both. There are exceptions, of course; he sees the Gibbon as a product of society's treatment of mutants and he pities the Rhino . Felicia is his feminine ideal, so she's above fault (notice how quickly he forgives her between the last two chapters). Throughout all this, he psychologically sets himself apart from everyone else as this "normal" guy, despite the clear evidence that he's not normal. It's this insistence in his "normalcy" that allows him to be "special" when surrounded by the other superbeings. I think, also, that this insistence of his being "just a thief" perpetuates his feelings of Spidey as a bully. He doesn't think of himself as being "dangerous" - after all, as he says, he's not like the other super-crooks; he's meticulous, careful, and tries not hurt innocents - but Spidey (and others; in recent comics, he was bagged by the Young Avengers) keeps arresting him, beating him up. He feels persecuted, can't see that it's his actions that are causing the "persecution," and blames Spidey for all the "bullying."
I'm still enjoying the ride. I wonder what the next confrontation between Spider-Man and the Shocker will be. I have a feeling that, given Spidey's intelligence and ability to adapt, it won't be a victory for Herman.Ebony the Black Dragon
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com
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