Wolverine or Logan, is what I would call an anti-hero. What I mean by this can be distilled down to a simple statement. A hero who is willing to do things that others will not or cannot do, in order to solve a problem.
The character of Wolverine is based upon the foundation of honor using feudal Japan and the code of the warrior . He is a character defined by conflict. Locked in a constant struggle to control the demons and anger within while serving the good of the world or even the universe at large. He would just as soon kill a villain that he deems worthy of death, as he would send them to the justice system of whatever nationality or culture he is currently operating in. His dark and murky past has him operating in the shadows as a spy, an assassin, a maddened killer, an honored warrior, teacher and hero. Given problems with his memory he has for decades been unable to remember what his life was or even know if what he did remember was true.
While this anger and violence is not something that is acceptable in general in our society, using it as a means to an end often is. An example of this is seen in response to military or police violence that results in protecting innocent people and our cultural way of life while eliminating the source of the threat itself. Current climate would use terrorists as the example of the threat and most likely the violence against them would serve to make the people doing the violence the status of hero in the public eye.
Why is it that we often veiw things this way? My way of thinking gives a simple answer. Deep down the majority of us have a need or desire to lash out and release the frustration and anger that builds within us day to day. The human animal inside us has such a propensity for anger and violence that it is hard not to feel these things on a daily basis. Yet we are taught that these are undesirable things in most aspects of culture and we are to repress these fundamental parts of ourselves. But where do they go when we keep them repressed? For alot of people they channel these into hobbies and the pursuit of escapism where we often idolize those that can actually release these emotions and feelings in ways that make us empathize with them in doing so. We use these dark heroes as a channel to release these pent up urges and still see them as providing a positive outcome.
When people see a movie, read a book or whatever and the hero injures or kills the evil villian to defeat them we cheer for them. We see this violence as acceptable because it upholds the social and cultural mores that are currently held.
This post is in resonse to question C: Some of our heroes and icons do not represent the values and morals reflected by the dominant social group, and yet this does not detract from their appeal (for example, the "rogue" hero.) How would you account for this phenomenon in our culture?
