Posted by: Dustin Christian // Category: If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting and don't forget to tip your waitress!!
If you’ve been reading the comments on Mike Haynes’s Countdown posts over at Panels of Awesome, you’ll have noticed that I’m a big fan. His most recent post on the Top 5 Comic Book Rivalries has really captured my interest, though. I’ve been running over what I think the greatest rivalries are and then I got to thinking about what exactly makes a good rivalry.
This is what I have so far:
They need to have a fairly even balance of power, or way to counteract each other’s power.
This is why, not matter how many times Reed Richards scares off Galactus or talks him into leaving, the Fantastic Four and Galactus aren’t considered “rivals”. If Galactus so chooses, he could eat each and every one of them like candy.
Human Torch? Hot fry.
Mr. Fantastic? Gummy worm.
The Thing? Jawbreaker.
Invisible Woman? I… I got nothing. But trust me, she’d go down smooth as the mountain streams.
As a matter of fact, this is why Galactus has no real rivals. This rule is also why it’s so hard to have a real rival to Superman and consequently why I’m not much of a fan of Supes. He’s a great guy, but there’s no real dramatic tension for me.
The one real, consistent rival I can think of for Superman is Lex Luthor. His cunning, ruthlessness, and intelligence allows him to give Superman a run for his money, which satisfies this requirement, but there is another reason that this rivalry is so great, and to me this is THE rule…
The opposing forces are, for the most part, defined by their conflict.
Without Superman, Lex Luthor would be just another Donald Trump. Rich, famous, but not nearly as driven as he is by his need to bring Superman down. That drive is what has made Lex great and possibly THE leader of the criminal element of the DCU. Without Lex Luthor, would there be nearly as much corruption and strife for Superman to fight against, especially in Metropolis? In his constant battle to maintain “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” against Luthor’s grabs for power, Superman has been defined as THE defender of “Truth, Justice, and the American Way”.
Batman and Joker are another example of this. Batman is the grim, serious defender of Gotham city. Joker is the psychopathic, always laughing mass-murderer of Gotham City. Joker is defined by his need to break Batman, to prove that all it takes is one bad day to make you just like him. Joker represents the worst of the crime that Batman has dedicated his life to ending. In some continuities, Joker MADE Batman. In some other continuities, Batman MADE Joker. There are very few characters as intertwined as these two. Joker is so obsessed with Batman that he has killed those who planned to kill Batman, believing that honor to be his alone. Joker realizes how much he needs Batman, but does Batman realize how much he needs Joker?
All the great rivalries fit this rule. Wolverine despised Sabertooth because he represented what Wolverine fights becoming; Sabertooth constantly came after Wolverine to remind him what he “really” is. Kingpin represents the crime and corruption that Daredevil must clean up off of the streets of Hell’s Kitchen. Spiderman and Green Goblin are essential to most of each other’s defining moments. The major tragedies of Peter Parker’s life, other than the deaths of his parental figures, are because of Norman Osborn. All Norman Osborn ever wanted from Peter Parker was for him to look at Osborn as a father figure. Thor and Loki’s conflict has raged for ages – can you really think of one without the other? Professor X and Magneto are two sides of a coin – they don’t hate each other, they only wish the other shared their dream. And if either joined the other permanently they just might be unstoppable. But both are defined by their respective versions of “the dream” and thus by their conflict.
Speaking of two sides of a coin, possibly the most interesting rivalry/conflict in comics to me is between two characters that really do hate each other - The Hulk and Bruce Banner. Both are defined by their loathing and wish to be free of the other. They would each kill the other if there was any way to do it. The short time that Banner gave into Hulk’s rage against the Illuminati is the exception to this, obviously, but for the majority of their history, each has striven to be rid of the other. Theirs is the ultimate story of self-loathing and this is why I love The Hulk.
Okay, so in the end I only came up with two real rules for a good rivalry:
There must be an equal distribution of power or reasonable way for each to counteract the other; otherwise it’s not a rivalry but more like a Chihuahua barking at a Rottweiler
And they each must be, to a large part, defined by their conflict or it’s just a good fight, not a rivalry.
Do you have something to add? Do you have some more essentials for a decent rivalry, or a reason that mine don’t fit?
What are your favorite rivalries?
Do you think Mike Haynes will ever let me be his nemesis?
Comment away!
Also, if you’re not reading Panels of Awesome, you should be!
tag: Comics, Rivalries, Battles, Comic Books, Nemesis, Nemeses, Mike Haynes, Panels of Awesome, Hulk, Bruce Banner, Batman, Joker, Fantastic Four, Galactus, Superman, Lex Luthor, Professor X, Magneto, Wolverine, Sabertooth
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