The aged version of Loki is proof that older heroes and villains can be even more interesting than their younger counterparts.
Disney’s Loki TV series introduced several variants of the shapeshifting God of Mischief, one of which was an incredibly powerful older version. This continues a trend in superhero fiction in which familiar characters, be they good or evil, are portrayed in wizened stages of life.
Loki’s aged counterpart is further proof that older heroes and villains can be more interesting, usually due to their differing power levels and worldviews. Whether the extra mileage adds or takes away power from the characters, it usually revitalizes their status quo in a way unobtainable in the present day.
An Older, More Heroic Set of (Super) Eyes
One of the most interesting elements about stories featuring older versions of heroes and villains is to see how the passage of time has changed these characters, be it for better or worse. In stories such as Batman Beyond and The Dark Knight Returns, the elderly Bruce Wayne has become more sullen and cynical than ever, having lost even more loved ones and feeling as if he’s failed in his mission to defend Gotham. When he finally does put the cape and cowl back on in the latter story, he seems to employ grislier, more violent tactics against those he opposes. This is definitely the case in the DCEU, in which the middle aged Batman possesses, as a character in the Ultimate Edition of Dawn of Justice puts it, a “new kind of mean in him.”
Likewise, in the film Logan, the former Wolverine is much more willing to use his claws in a dangerous, violent and bloody way, casually cutting off limbs of ordinary humans early into the film. This is an example of a hero having to rely on their basic skills or powers to survive in a much different world. A less extreme version of this was the 40 year old Green Arrow in Mike Grell’s run on the character, who left Star City for Seattle and began using far more lethal archery. Another example of this is in TMNT: The Last Ronin, in which an older Michelangelo is forced into a daring, suicidal one-turtle mission against a futuristic Foot Clan. He’s more determined than ever to destroy the clan, or even kill himself if he fails. This shows how the sunny days of his youth are over, with everything now being do-or-die.
The Power of Old Superheroes and Supervillains
Another element to these stories is how much stronger or weaker the heroes are. For instance, Lex Luthor remarks in Kingdom Come that the grey-templed Superman of his world has absorbed yellow-sun energy for so long that his vulnerability to Kryptonite is essentially null and void. Superman later shows off his vast power in terrifying detail, both against other metahumans and even in a frightening way against humans near the story’s conclusion. The old evil Hulk known as the Maestro is also one of the Jade Giant’s most powerful forms, having become stronger thanks to a litany of radiation absorbed over the years. In this case, the horror of a Hulk unbound is finally unleashed on the world.
On the other hand, the old Superman of Superman: At Earth’s End had only a fraction of his former superhuman strength, causing him to rely mainly on the gigantic gun that he lugged around. Likewise, the aforementioned version of Wolverine from Logan and its source material Old Man Logan had a mutant healing factor that was decidedly weaker, causing him to age and sustain injuries much more easily. This made him far less reckless against enemies, making him more human and much more likely to consider the consequences of his actions.
These stories tackle the fragility of people, no matter how heroic, as they come face to face with an antagonist that greets us all: age. Most of these stories feature male superheroes or villains, in so showing the bitter realities of men whose lives have been spent going above and beyond, even at the cost of their own health and happiness. As seen in Captain America and Spider-Man in Earth X, the heroes sometimes feel as if they have failed to represent what they should, or worse, repeated their biggest mistakes. Ironically, very few of these stories have or feature aged superheroines or villainesses. Strangely enough, the few older versions of Wonder Woman, such as Kingdom Come, The Dark Knight Strikes Again and Red Son, have the Amazon Princess mostly retaining her youth and ageless beauty, with her strength similarly failing to fade. It seems that it’s mainly male heroes who go out in a sometimes harrowing blaze of glory, paying the price with greys and wrinkles.
About The Author