Buffy, heroes and the god complex

[Robb Stark]

I got to thinking about this thread the other day, but was struggling a bit on how to word it. I was told by a close friend (in what I'm assuming was an attempt to help) that I have a bit of a god complex. Moving along, I got to thinking about characters in fiction that I really admire or find inspiring, and then more to how these characters are designed.

Do you think that characters like Buffy and Angel, and I suppose by extension comic book heroes like Batman, have a bit of a god/messiah complex? I mean, for the most part, and I'm not saying this makes them right or wrong, these characters (for the confines of the story of course) are pretty much self-appointed. Considering Angel and Batman in particular, when you think about it logically, they have no more "right" than anyone else to do what they do, but because they have an incredible belief in themselves and their own abilities, they do it anyway. Is that really a bad thing?

Now obviously, the difference between these characters and real life is that characters like Angel, Buffy and Batman actually do have the skills to act the way they do, even if it overrides the authorities. Clearly, this makes for great T.V. (it wouldn't be very interesting if Buffy or Batman backed off whenever they were told to), but I have a feeling that if people did this in real life, even if they were as talented or powerful as Batman or whoever, it would bother people.

So in a roundabout way, I suppose my central question is do you think it's wrong or bad to take the elements of characters like Buffy and Angel and apply them to real life? I'm not talking about this in a literal sense (it would be pretty tough to actually slay demons, what with the lack of demons to slay and all 🙂), but a bit more abstract. Is having a god complex, or if that label bugs people a powerful belief in yourself and tremendous self-confidence, a bad thing?

I've made no secret of the fact that I really idolize Buffy and Angel, but I was a little off-put by my friend's comment, and it just got me thinking is all.

 

[Jodast]

I think they do have a bit of a God complex. 'We live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be.' is the ultimate admission of this on behalf of the writers as well as being one hell of an awesome line. As you say, they are in a unique position to do something about the wrongs that they see and the injustices they encounter.

There is nothing wrong with believing in a code of honour or conduct and sticking to it. Within reason, there is also nothing wrong with encouraging others to follow the same path. It can become preachy and others may find it patronising, condescending or over-bearing at times and that is their right.

I work in a movie store and really dislike piracy, but I work with and serve a whole bunch of people who have no issue with it at all, which is fine and I keep my opinion to myself. When people ask me (and this happens on a pretty frequent basis) what programs they can use to rip the DVDs they are renting from us, I tell them that I have no idea because I detest piracy. They look at me like I am the most sanctimonious son of a bitca on the face of the Earth, yet I am the one doing no wrong. In that sense I have a God complex too. Which I am fine with. :angel: 😀

 

[dexeded]

Well, there aren't any demons in RL. (...Or are there? Haha.) Authorities like the police and the government in the Buffyverse aren't equipped to deal with supernatural phenomenon; there are Slayers, demon hunters etc. for that. Of course, there's always the Initiative, but Buffy never even ran across them in the first 3 seasons, and after that they moved off to remote regions rather than protecting the populus. Innocents need someone to protect them, whether beyond the law or not, from monsters they don't believe exist. So that's why it works in fantasy world, but would be problematic in RL--because we have divisions and stuff to deal with RL things, vigilantes would attract controversy.

 

[RogueDemonHunter]

Well I think both Angel and Batman have a huge god/hero complex, but thats not to say that the work they're doing is wrong; in fact, very much to the contrary, I think that its this complex that drives them to be heroic, and save people, and by in large, the world.

Oh by the way, [MENTION=11975]Always Bangel[/MENTION], I've been told many times things like "I have a god complex", or something to that effect. In fact I even acknowledge that I have abnormally (and in some ways unhealthy) high self- confidence.