Books, films, and television are saturated by heroes and heroines. These characters possess attributes that go beyond realistic dimensions. Most of them don’t die, especially when they are featured as the protagonist in a popular series. No matter how insurmountable the odds are, they emerge triumphant at the end. We accept these larger than life heroes and heroines without question. From a clinical perspective, the origin stories of our favorite heroes help us to cope with the difficulties we experience in our own lives, allowing us to find an escapist comfort in dealing with our personal struggles. But this very same connection can blur a writer’s perspective in character writing and character psychiatry. These are two different things.

For example, most of us are familiar with the story of a rich boy who witnesses the cold-blooded murder of his parents. This motivates him on a lifelong crusade to fight crime under the cloak of darkness and donning the costume in the likeness of a bat. We accept that Bruce Wayne divides his time between corporate work and crime fighting to keep Gotham City safe. He could have focused on changing the world through his financial resources, but his dark past explains why he chose to be a superhero. This is background writing.

Jump into character psychiatry and Google “Batman and psychoanalysis.” You will be fascinated to discover that Bruce Wayne is analyzed and his sense of guilt over the loss of his parents is a sign of depression and his detachment is a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder. He also uses the mechanism of displacement by targeting other criminals, since the one who murdered his parents is unavailable.

Comic book fans may already be aware of this, but just like any reader, they do not relate to superheroes for their realism. We are happy to join our heroes in their larger than life adventures. A friend of mine said that 2020 feels like getting locked up with Harry Potter in the Gryffindor Common Room, while Dementors are on the prowl at Hogwarts sucking the life out of everyone. This identification with a fictional young wizard allows my friend to ease the boredom she feels during the lockdown.

Readers are aware that they can never possess superhuman abilities like having phenomenal strength or psychokinetic powers. But harboring the fantasy of having such abilities is what makes reading about superheroes very exciting. Readers are living a fantasy life where they possess special gifts that can solve most of their problems. In real life, anyone who declares that he can fly or lift weights of up to a hundred tons will be mocked and challenged since his claim defies the laws of physics.

In fiction, especially in genres that involve plenty of action and adventure, the writer must always give his character a profound motive to justify his existence and actions. No amount of superhuman qualities can justify a character with shallow motives. Superman’s deep sense of humanity is what makes him beloved to earthlings. If he rampages to get rid of bad guys without concern for the safety of the weak, he will be denounced.