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Is A Comic Character's Irrational Behavior Justifiable?

Is it okay for characters to act out irrationally, or do they have a greater responsibility? Are there times where irrational behavior is the only solution?

Have you ever done or said something in a fit of anger and then looked back on what you said or did with regret? We all have, right? We've all had that foot in our mouth kind of moment where we realize after we say or do something how stupid we are, but we aren't superheroes.

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We've all heard the saying with great power comes great responsibility," and it's no question that superheroes have power -- they may not always have super powers, but when they put on that costume, they are taking on responsibility for much more than just their actions. So when a character is blinded by rage or desire and as a result acts out irrationally, in a way they normally wouldn't, is it justifiable? What happens when a character does something completely out of character? What happens when he or she loses complete and utter control and lets their rationality go out the window? Is this out of character? We all do it, sometimes, right? But is it out of character when a superhero does it, and if not, what justifies irrational behavior in a character?

== TEASER ==

One example of a character who has completely lost control of himself and has been acting completely irrationally behavior is Dr. Bruce Banner in the relaunch of THE INCREDIBLE HULK. For those who haven't been reading, Hulk and Banner were split and now, feeling hopeless, Banner has confined himself to his lab on a deserted tropical island and has submitted himself to dangerously high levels of radiation. His mission? To successfully recreate what he considers his greatest contribution to science -- he wants the Hulk back as a part of him.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK #2
THE INCREDIBLE HULK #2

Talk about irrational behavior, right? For years Banner has done everything in his power to get away and split from The Hulk -- to live a normal life. Little did he know that The Hulk had become such a massive part of who he is, and the result of losing that part of him has caused him to go absolutely insane. Each day Banner injects himself with "irradiated isotopes," and each night he subjects himself to "hours of electro-shock." In addition to that, Banner is also transforming the animals on the island, but he continues to remain unaffected.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK #2
THE INCREDIBLE HULK #2

He is so irrational that not only would he risk his own life, but the lives of innocent people, saying that he will "exhaust every variation of serum, of radiation treatment, of radical genetic surgery, until [he] find[s] something that works. And if all that should fail there's always the old-fashioned way, [the Gamma Bomb]. Would he really risk exposing innocent lives to a gamma bomb just so he can be one with The Hulk, again? Clearly, this is some pretty irrational behavior on the part of Dr. Banner, but is it also out of character for him? Does he have to act this way? Does it make sense that he would jeopardize the lives of so many for his own selfish motives?

If you have been reading the latest CATWOMAN series then you probably already read the latest issue (#3) which hit stores yesterday. If you didn't, however, then you may want to skip this portion of the article as there are some spoilers below.

CATWOMAN #3
CATWOMAN #3

After being taken by Bone, Catwoman is tied up and beaten, forced to stare at the dead body of her only friend, Lola. The third issue of CATWOMAN is all about irrational behavior and revenge; it's about how pain and loss can lead you to do some really crazy things that you may not normally do under other circumstances. Throughout the issue, while she is tied to a chair and being tortured by Bones' thugs, Selina is silent. She is quiet and her expression is stoic. Panel after panel Selina's expression is the same: its that of utter hopelessness and rage.

CATWOMAN #3
CATWOMAN #3

Throughout this entire issue Selina is completely blinded by rage -- and she goes so far as to confront Bone after making her escape from her captors. What happens next is most interesting of all. In a scene that throws back to the Joker's maniacal beating of Jason Todd in the Death In The Family story arc, Selina beats Bone half to death with a bat. The panels are eerie and gory, and show Selina at her lowest point: completely succumbing to her irrational rage. Mask off, swinging the bat hard, beating Bone to a bloody pulp. Confronted by Batman who questions her actions, Selina pushes Bone off the roof of the building, forcing Batman to dive down and save him. The actions that take place in this issue, are they "in character" for Selina? Would Selina allow herself to succumb to rage?

RED ROBIN #26
RED ROBIN #26

When given the opportunity, not every character will allow themselves to succumb to irrational desires. Take for example Tim Drake, who had every opportunity to enact revenge and kill Captain Boomerang, his father's murderer, but in the end he didn't, did he?

IDENTITY CRISIS #6 of 7
IDENTITY CRISIS #6 of 7

In issue #26 of Red Robin, Tim Drake had it all planned out. He would set up the perfect trap for Captain Boomerang; get him right where he wanted him, place him in a position that he can't get out of. He would take him out with the same weapon that Boomerang used to kill Jack Drake, Tim's father. But in the end, Tim Drake didn't do it. In the end, even after all the planning and the time he took to ensure he would have Boomerang right where he wanted, Tim couldn't do what Boomerang did to his father, no matter how overwhelming his feeling of anger, resentment, pain and loss was.

RED ROBIN #26
RED ROBIN #26

Of these examples it seems Tim lost the most of all three characters. He lost his father, and he will never get him back. But when faced with the ability to enact revenge on the man who took away his Dad, Tim saved his life. The question is, should Tim have gone through with it? Red Robin #26 was one of those really perfect issues, where the character builds up this incredible outline and plans to enact his revenge; but when it comes down to the moment of truth, Tim's convictions won out and he refused to allow revenge trump his belief in justice. Should Tim have killed Captain Boomerang, though, or does the fact that he didn't make him a stronger person? Would it have made sense for him, of all characters, to become irrational?

Do you think that it is out of character for comic characters to be taken over by irrational desires and want for revenge, or is does it make sense that they would? Do you think it makes a character or story more interesting? What example would you use of a character who has been taken over by rage?