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Why do we love the rogue? What is it about the "bad boy" that many people just cling to?
Arguably, both Lancelot and Wolverine have gained great popularity and respect in their respective genres, nearly impervious in battle but weak-kneed with love at the most unusual times. For each, is love a weakness or an impetus to great deeds? Do they provide the greatest threat to the stability of their respective round tables?
Both characters have mysteriously ambiguous pasts; Wolverine's origin remained in shadow until "The Origin" by Joe Quesada, and depending on the source material, Lancelot was a prince whose parents were ambushed and killed and who was subsequently rescued and raised by the Lady of the Lake. Each of them can boast a completely liminal background, thus contributing to their powerful state within their respective circles. Confused by that last assertion? Let me explain...
Lancelot entered the literary world in Chretien de Troyes' Le Chevalier de la charette or The Knight of the Cart. Unnamed until midway through the tale, this nameless chivalric force achieves many an impossible task and succeeds where Arthur's pitiful knights fail. I would suggest that Lancelot suceeds at his task because he does not have the same feudal and behavioral constraints like the other Knights of the Round Table. He bore the shame of riding in the cart because it brought him closer to his objective and dared all to save the damsel in distress. While many would censure his actions as those of a petulent, rash, foolish whoremonger, few can argue that he got the job done where others failed miserably, almost comically.
At the other end of the chronal spectrum, the modern Wolverine rides the fine line between man and beast. Barely civilized, the feral attitude that hides just below the surface intrigues and entices the reader. As a man, he is a fearless soldier, a rebel from authority "who uses a machete to cut through red tape". As a mutant, his wild, furious nature runs free and destruction/revenge/mayhem ensues. He embodies the very notion of reckless, lawless abandon: the very absence of civilization. Disgusted with excessive pacifism, he has no qualms about killing the bad guy when the need arises. One wonders if Batman had killed Joker or Two-Face, would there have been less crime, pain, death and destruction in Gotham City? Would he have rebuilt the town a little easier?
In addition to their brute strength and inexhaustible valor in the face of almost certain death, their devotion to their respective lady-loves knows no bounds. He crosses sword bridges with bare hands and feet, cut and bleeding; he rips open steel bars, also leaving his hands cut and bleeding, to penetrate the chambers of his lady love. He endures all sorts of humiliations at the tournament because she wishes it (see Chretien deTroyes' The Knight of the Cart for all of the above). All impressive and impetuous heroics aside, Lancelot's love for Guinevere arguably causes the dissolution of the Round Table and potentially the downfall of Arthur. At the very least, he risks almost certain censure and hatred were the affair to become public (which it does) and he breaks the first code of chivalry: honor thy lord, with both capital and lower-case L's. And yet, he does this all for the greater glory of love, which appeals to the romanticly-inclined spirit. Indeed, thoughts of Guinevere's peril propel him through the most dangerous and deadly tasks to save her. He transcends his mortal being and wins his status as the most powerful knight in the realm not for personal glory, but but for the look in her eyes when he returns victorious. It makes you just want to forget all that adultery business. Whether you approve of his conduct or not, from the first day he saw her, he lived his life for her.
Wolverine follows the trend of his predecessor in desiring another man's woman; no matter how many other women have fallen to his charms in the comic book universe, one has always emerged as the great passion of his heart: Jean Grey. I do believe that my namesake loves Wolverine deep in her heart, but like the darker aspects of the Phoenix that she wishes to keep hidden, this particular part of her being may never be satisfied within the regular universe. Wolverine, however, has no compunction about showing his feelings for her, especially in front of her boyfriend-lover-once husband-now widow Scott Summers aka Cyclops. Like King Arthur, Cyclops isnt really worth Wolverine's time; he knows that Jeannie loves him and subsumes it. There certainly is a connection between the two of them that is unusual. One recent comic book storyline had Wolverine trapped in an illusory dreamscape by the ladies Mastermind, stuck in a timeless setting where all his past loves come back to keep him company. Unfortunately, Sabretooth comes and "kills" them. Last, but not least, Jeannie appears to Wolvie and he greets her with this: "Of course...they saved the best for last...I dont care if this isn't real, Jeannie...I wont let them kill you" (X Men The End 2: Part 5). It doesnt matter whether he dated Seraph, married Mariko Yashida, had a romantic interlude with Storm, whatever. She's always going to be number one in his book. Interestingly enough, the real Phoenix takes the dream Jeannie's place, causing Wolverine to really believe that "This must be true love". Ultimately, she will be the one that gives him purpose, someone to fight for, someone to trust when he trusts no one else. For concrete examples of all my gushing, remember the moment when Magneto rips the adamantium out of Wolverine's body, nearly killing him. He then attempts to push Jeannie out of an air lock, and her screams bring Wolvie back to life. Both men sacrifice their body to save their lady love (Ibid for Wolverine, crossing the sword bridge for Lanny), giving up all the inessentials for her well being. One powerful moment came right after "Magneto" gave Jeannie a universe-sized magnetic surge of a heart attack (see New Xmen 150); Wolverine goes ABSOLUTELY feral and kills "Magneto" and after Jeannie dies, all we see on the page are his howls reaching into the darkness. Her death has uprooted him and has widened the gulf between him and Cyclops. In Astonishing Xmen 1, Wolverine confronts Scott in bed with his new lady love Emma Frost, accusing him of betrayal: "So, Summers, what stage of grief is this? Denial?" Say what you will, Wolvie has a point, and dead or not, he will defend his true love until doomsday, even if it means dissenting from the team. In the Age of Apocalypse, Jean was left behind the borders of enemy lines with no hope of rescue from her team members. Who defied all orders and odds and went? You guessed it. Our favorite Weapon X, who then got to run off with her and enjoy a bit of the happiness he always wanted to have with her. What is the future for these star-crossed lovers? Only time (and Marvel) will tell...
To be continued....
Arguably, both Lancelot and Wolverine have gained great popularity and respect in their respective genres, nearly impervious in battle but weak-kneed with love at the most unusual times. For each, is love a weakness or an impetus to great deeds? Do they provide the greatest threat to the stability of their respective round tables?
Both characters have mysteriously ambiguous pasts; Wolverine's origin remained in shadow until "The Origin" by Joe Quesada, and depending on the source material, Lancelot was a prince whose parents were ambushed and killed and who was subsequently rescued and raised by the Lady of the Lake. Each of them can boast a completely liminal background, thus contributing to their powerful state within their respective circles. Confused by that last assertion? Let me explain...
Lancelot entered the literary world in Chretien de Troyes' Le Chevalier de la charette or The Knight of the Cart. Unnamed until midway through the tale, this nameless chivalric force achieves many an impossible task and succeeds where Arthur's pitiful knights fail. I would suggest that Lancelot suceeds at his task because he does not have the same feudal and behavioral constraints like the other Knights of the Round Table. He bore the shame of riding in the cart because it brought him closer to his objective and dared all to save the damsel in distress. While many would censure his actions as those of a petulent, rash, foolish whoremonger, few can argue that he got the job done where others failed miserably, almost comically.
At the other end of the chronal spectrum, the modern Wolverine rides the fine line between man and beast. Barely civilized, the feral attitude that hides just below the surface intrigues and entices the reader. As a man, he is a fearless soldier, a rebel from authority "who uses a machete to cut through red tape". As a mutant, his wild, furious nature runs free and destruction/revenge/mayhem ensues. He embodies the very notion of reckless, lawless abandon: the very absence of civilization. Disgusted with excessive pacifism, he has no qualms about killing the bad guy when the need arises. One wonders if Batman had killed Joker or Two-Face, would there have been less crime, pain, death and destruction in Gotham City? Would he have rebuilt the town a little easier?
In addition to their brute strength and inexhaustible valor in the face of almost certain death, their devotion to their respective lady-loves knows no bounds. He crosses sword bridges with bare hands and feet, cut and bleeding; he rips open steel bars, also leaving his hands cut and bleeding, to penetrate the chambers of his lady love. He endures all sorts of humiliations at the tournament because she wishes it (see Chretien deTroyes' The Knight of the Cart for all of the above). All impressive and impetuous heroics aside, Lancelot's love for Guinevere arguably causes the dissolution of the Round Table and potentially the downfall of Arthur. At the very least, he risks almost certain censure and hatred were the affair to become public (which it does) and he breaks the first code of chivalry: honor thy lord, with both capital and lower-case L's. And yet, he does this all for the greater glory of love, which appeals to the romanticly-inclined spirit. Indeed, thoughts of Guinevere's peril propel him through the most dangerous and deadly tasks to save her. He transcends his mortal being and wins his status as the most powerful knight in the realm not for personal glory, but but for the look in her eyes when he returns victorious. It makes you just want to forget all that adultery business. Whether you approve of his conduct or not, from the first day he saw her, he lived his life for her.
Wolverine follows the trend of his predecessor in desiring another man's woman; no matter how many other women have fallen to his charms in the comic book universe, one has always emerged as the great passion of his heart: Jean Grey. I do believe that my namesake loves Wolverine deep in her heart, but like the darker aspects of the Phoenix that she wishes to keep hidden, this particular part of her being may never be satisfied within the regular universe. Wolverine, however, has no compunction about showing his feelings for her, especially in front of her boyfriend-lover-once husband-now widow Scott Summers aka Cyclops. Like King Arthur, Cyclops isnt really worth Wolverine's time; he knows that Jeannie loves him and subsumes it. There certainly is a connection between the two of them that is unusual. One recent comic book storyline had Wolverine trapped in an illusory dreamscape by the ladies Mastermind, stuck in a timeless setting where all his past loves come back to keep him company. Unfortunately, Sabretooth comes and "kills" them. Last, but not least, Jeannie appears to Wolvie and he greets her with this: "Of course...they saved the best for last...I dont care if this isn't real, Jeannie...I wont let them kill you" (X Men The End 2: Part 5). It doesnt matter whether he dated Seraph, married Mariko Yashida, had a romantic interlude with Storm, whatever. She's always going to be number one in his book. Interestingly enough, the real Phoenix takes the dream Jeannie's place, causing Wolverine to really believe that "This must be true love". Ultimately, she will be the one that gives him purpose, someone to fight for, someone to trust when he trusts no one else. For concrete examples of all my gushing, remember the moment when Magneto rips the adamantium out of Wolverine's body, nearly killing him. He then attempts to push Jeannie out of an air lock, and her screams bring Wolvie back to life. Both men sacrifice their body to save their lady love (Ibid for Wolverine, crossing the sword bridge for Lanny), giving up all the inessentials for her well being. One powerful moment came right after "Magneto" gave Jeannie a universe-sized magnetic surge of a heart attack (see New Xmen 150); Wolverine goes ABSOLUTELY feral and kills "Magneto" and after Jeannie dies, all we see on the page are his howls reaching into the darkness. Her death has uprooted him and has widened the gulf between him and Cyclops. In Astonishing Xmen 1, Wolverine confronts Scott in bed with his new lady love Emma Frost, accusing him of betrayal: "So, Summers, what stage of grief is this? Denial?" Say what you will, Wolvie has a point, and dead or not, he will defend his true love until doomsday, even if it means dissenting from the team. In the Age of Apocalypse, Jean was left behind the borders of enemy lines with no hope of rescue from her team members. Who defied all orders and odds and went? You guessed it. Our favorite Weapon X, who then got to run off with her and enjoy a bit of the happiness he always wanted to have with her. What is the future for these star-crossed lovers? Only time (and Marvel) will tell...
To be continued....
