Page - 55 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 03/01

Rampant Lechers, Chaste Heroes | 55www.jrfm.eu 2017, 3/1, 45–57 reinstate divine order. Viewing the heroes of comic book screen adaptations replete with action scenes dripping with violence as incompatible with Christi- anity definitely does not correspond to the historical Christian mainstream, at least from the angle of religious history; rather, their way of tackling violence constitutes a secular continuation of the Augustinian-thomist ethic of propor- tional violence for the benefit of the greater whole. It is hardly surprising that sexual violence is an absolute taboo for heroes rooted in this narrative tradi- tion. thus the question arises whether the erotic reticence of the heroes and their sometimes open commitment to a celibate lifestyle as a tribute to their service for the benefit of society are equally beholden to Christian tradition. In my opinion, it is impossible to give a definitive answer to this question. The lone hero who might be detracted from his mission by a romantic relationship is a frequent motif of Western narrative and cinematic tradition even outside the scope of comic book screen adaptations; in fact, its origins derived from the Christianisation of heroic narratives of classical antiquity would warrant more detailed examination. Much more evident is the fact that in the Christian tra- dition, contrary to pagan antiquity, sexual desire and its attainment through violence are always a stigma of evil, a direct sign of the villain’s sinfulness. in this sense, the villains of film adaptations of Marvel and DC comics definitely embody a Christian and, in particular, an Augustinian tradition of evil, albeit in a post-freudian, civilised, and atrophied manner, since they hardly ever man- age to actually live their desire. rather, they sublimate it in sexually grounded violence with odd fetishes and, of course, through their desire for power and domination in a general sense. As we have seen, the entire field of sex and violence assumes quite a differ- ent colouring with regard to both heroes and villains if we examine traditions other than the Western, Christianity-based tradition. Outside the Western canon, a non-marital or extramarital sexuality of the hero without deeper emotional entanglements is much more evident than in cinematic versions of Marvel and DC comics, where it is limited to just a few, morally dubious heroes such as in Watchmen (2009) or Deadpool (2016) or, at most, happens before the hero’s reformation, as in Ironman. the motif of the lone wolf without emotional ties – present in Lone Wolf and Cub (1972-1974) already in the title – is, however, quite frequent in manga and manga-based films, which would contradict the above assumption of a Christian influence on this motif. In my opinion, it is difficult to argue that the more libertine, albeit consensual, sexuality of these heroes is a consequence of a different religious context, i.e. of shinto and Buddhism. if religion does play a role here, then in the sense that, unlike in the West, in Japan no single religious system has been solely dominant for two millennia, and none of the religious systems present was as strongly targeted at sexuality and the related pastoral power.