Freedom vs Security
Captain America vs Iron Man by Travis Langley
Marvel’s Civil War was a comic book story arc that put two of the most prominent superhero against each other because of conflicting beliefs. And since they have demonstrated to be great leaders, they developed a following which led to an all-out war. Worse yet, all of this started because of a group of careless heroes starring in a reality show that caused the death of more than 600 citizens including school children. Yeah, you can imagine that the government was going to get involved. And, if history has taught us anything, it’s when the government gets involved, all hell tends to break loose. Now! That’s the practical side of it, but this is Travis Langley and practicality isn’t his forte. His is the mind…
Just like every other book from his Popular Culture Psychology series (I just made that up), Travis works with many psychologists from various fields to talk about topics revolving around the subject at this. This time around, it’s the age-old conversation about Freedom vs. Security, the central theme of the Civil War storyline. But, again, this Travis Langley and, if you have read ANY of his books, the topics are not that narrow.
With the help of many MANY psychologists, Travis explored the psychological markup of Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Steve Rogers (Captain America). Their past, methods of leadership, fighting style, strengths, weakness, and even their ideology was explored and broken down for the reader to absorb and understand. But doesn’t stop there.
See, there are chapters that talked about the people’s psychological markup around the conversation of freedom vs. security without actually picking a side. Actually, if you noticed, they do a really great job about not condemning either side. They only point out facts and talk about them in an academic fashion. That’s something I respect and admire about Mr. Langley. He doesn’t criticize; he’s just pointing it out. It’s his way of starting a productive discussion without starting an argument.
Even stepping away from it the central theme, the topic of gender roles, the making of a superhero, conflict resolution, trauma, morality, teamwork. There are so many to list and each one makes the reader think and discuss among others. Yes, it’s a constant formula BUT IT WORKS!!!
Oh! And, bonus points, he got freaking STAN LEE to write the foreword for the bloody book. Brilliant. Bloody brilliant. Freaking mic drop!!!
When you get the chance, get this book and his many others. I did a review about another one of his books last year. Right now, he’s at ten books with two more planned for release (Yes, the books are out of order – don’t judge me):
Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight
The Walking Dead Psychology: Psych of the Living Dead
Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind
Game of Thrones Psychology: The Mind is Dark and Full of Terrors
Wonder Woman Psychology: Lassoing the Truth
Doctor Who Psychology: A Madman with a Box
Supernatural Psychology: Roads Less Traveled
Star Trek Psychology: The Mental Frontier
Daredevil Psychology: The Devil You Know
Westworld Psychology: Violent Delights
Black Panther Psychology: Hidden Kingdoms
You already know it. This book gets an A+ from me.
