How Would Your Favourite Superheroes Have Voted in an Election?

Superheroes. We have all grown up loving them. 

From Superman to Iron Man, we've watched as movies and books have fleshed out their personalities, showcasing the people behind the mask. But have you ever wondered how your favourite superheroes would have voted in an election, given the chance?

If you have been a reader of the comic books or know the values that the creators (from Stan Lee to Jack Kirby) of these comic superheroes believe in, then you already know which side most of these comic heroes tend to deviate towards. Not all is set in black and white though, which is a good thing I reckon, with most superheroes deviating from their core values as the decades of story telling have gone by. 

P.S. For those of you who require a quick refresher of what constitutes left and right wing politics, I will refer to this wonderful infographic chart by Information is Beautiful. Click the image to get the clear description based on various sectors.

Assuming moderate candidates for both left wing and right wing instead of extremes, here is how your favourite superheroes would have voted in an election year.

Superman

Superman comics (and the new movies) have always shown his conservative Kansas farmboy upbringing but they have never shied away from dealing with a hugely relevant topic - being pro-immigrant (Superman is an illegal immigrant, in case you did not notice as is Supergirl & the Martian Manhunter) and with it, the concept of equality for all and fighting for the downtrodden. This is a superhero who literally fought the Ku Klux Klan in the comics and has often stood up against the government of the day. The fact that his most notable villains tends to be a power hungry corporate genius  - Lex Luthor is again telling. 

Two very notable exceptions to this would be the amazing 'Injustice: Gods Among Us' series (where Joker tricking Superman into killing his pregnant wife Lois Lane would turn him into a ruthless killer and dictator of the world) and Frank Miller's graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns - where Superman did work as the muscle of the government.

Vote: Left

Wonder Woman 

This is a pretty easy one. Diana has always been an icon for feminism. In various versions, be it comic books or movies, she has given up the privileges she has in her Amazon home land of Themyscira to help those weaker than herself (a.k.a. us mortals.) Despite being a warrior Princess, her primary role often is to be the voice of reason in Justice League storylines. 

Vote: Left

Batman

Ooh, this is fun. I am going to set the cat among the pigeons here. Yes, he may be anti-gun violence but this is also a billionaire who can be blind (as Selina Kyle whispered to him in the Dark Knight Rises) to the sufferings of the poor in addition to being brutal on criminals. A part of me also cannot help but look at some of the ideologies of his villains - Mr Freeze (favouring climate change) and Poison Ivy (pro-environment). Even while working with the other members of his 'Bat family', Bruce Wayne tends to be authoritarian which has led to the breakdown of so many close friendships. I would say this is a Rockefeller Republican who will be liberal on domestic issues.

Vote: Right

Flash

I am on the fence on this. As a member of the police force, would he lean right? As a science geek, would he go left? Barry Allen famously makes plenty of mistakes (Flashpoint) but he is also a kind, sacrificing man.

Vote: You tell me

Green Arrow

The comic books version of Oliver Queen is pretty hardcore left-wing, often shouting "You're all a bunch of fascists!" to even his own team of Justice League when he was pissed at them. 

Vote: Left

Green Lantern

The concept of Green Lanterns of all shapes and sizes across different planets working together to keep the universe safe is pretty left wing. But but but but... individually, there were instances where Green Lanterns like Hal Jordan and Kyle Raynor were conservatives in the comics, their ideologies changing in various story lines (For example, Kyle's changed when he found out his assistant had been bullied for being homosexual as a teenager.) 

Vote: Left

Aquaman

While he is not a fan of human politics in general, which side do you think the King of the Oceans would tilt towards - the side favouring environmental changes beneficial to his aquatic subjects or the one that has no qualms treating his kingdom as a gigantic waste dump.

Vote: Left 

Cyborg

African-American kid from Detroit trying to fit in in a world that sees him as different and abnormal. Do the math.

Vote: Left 

Iron Man

Across endless comic books and even in most of the MCU movies, Iron Man has displayed an ideology that would be closer to libertarianism, believing he should be allowed to do what he wants as long as he does not harm others. The comic version has him being pro-wealth, pro-government, pro-army and having enemies who are 'Chinese-looking' (The Mandarin) and Russian (Whiplash). 

The best stories of the comic books (including 'Civil War') tend to support a right wing tendency. Movie wise, the Tony from Iron Man 1 right up to Avengers: Civil War would vote right, I feel. The Tony we saw in Avengers: Endgame, the one scarred following his battle with Thanos - who gave up his billions for a quiet life in the woods and who made the sacrificial play Captain America famously said he was incapable of - would probably vote Left. 

Vote: Right

Captain America 

Captain America started off fighting the Nazis in his very first comic issue. That should be an easy pointer that he is against the alt-right ideology. But it is surprisingly not that simple. 

Marvel's boy scout tends to be traditional in values and used to conform to the law as laid down by the government for the large part, including being part of the pro-war propaganda at the beginning. The Nomad storyline in the comics & the Captain America: Civil War storyline in the MCU changed that, making him fight for freedom-based values and against the government.

Vote: Left 

Bruce Banner / Hulk

A scientist who has spent his life being persecuted by the military and government (the same government that has often had no qualms using him as a weapon against his will) is unlikely to go red.

Vote: Left

Captain Marvel

Pro-feminist. Liberal icon. Easy one.

Vote: Left

Thor

From being the king-to-be of Asgard who had everything to the nomad without a home suffering from depression, Thor's journey in the movies would have been extremely cathartic for him, opening his eyes to loss and making him fight for the common man instead of just himself. His late father Odin would have been proud. 

In the comic books, I would have said aristocracy though. 

Vote: ??

Black Widow

Natasha would not really bother herself with the politics so much as extraneous factors. She has worked for the government, against the government, backstabbed both and is, at her core, a spy.

Vote: Whoever she feels she can manipulate best.

Hawkeye

While the movie version did turn his back on the government for the Sokovia Accords, the general version of Hawkeye remains a family man who serves the military well. 

Vote: Right

Falcon

African American living in Washington who used to be a soldier but aligned with Captain America and famously went against the conservative Sokovia Accords in the movies at the risk of being branded a fugitive.

Vote: Left

War Machine

Ah. An African American who is a strong believer in following the rules laid down by the army and unlike Falcon, was pro-Sokovia Accords in the movies. Recall, at the end of Captain America: Civil War, he does tell Tony that even after how much it cost him, he still supports the Accords.

Vote: Right

Black Panther

The comic book character was created in the late 1960s as the first superhero of African heritage in mainstream comics. In every version, T'Challa remains a just ruler who fights for the downtrodden. Even in the movies, this was a king who changed his country's exclusion-ist policies to help people from other countries.

Vote: Left

Scarlet Witch

Illegal immigrant woman from a minority who was constantly persecuted for being different and a social outcast. She would never agree to being dictated to by governments. She, like her comic book father Magneto, would actually be a far-left ( I believe we may see this theory of mine come to fruition in the show Wanda Vision and the movie Dr Strange 2.)

Vote: Left 

X- Men

The very nature of the X-Men comics has always been about fighting for equality despite being different. Seen at various stages as allegories for the fight for civil rights, for the LGBTQ community and black people, it was always about fighting discrimination and allowing people to live despite being different. I actually see their arch rivals Magneto & the  Brotherhood of Mutants as a variation of far-left instead of right, considering how Magneto's origins as a tortured child in a Nazi concentration camp changed his views for the worse. 

The government (and Stryker's forces) in these comics and movies would have been the right wing for me.

Vote: Left

Daredevil, Jessica Jones & Luke Cage

Both as a lawyer and masked vigilante, Matt Murdock has always fought for the underdogs even when it has often destroyed his life in Hell's Kitchen. (I can see his Catholic upbringing torturing him though.) This same sense of fighting for the underdog in addition to refusing to having their freedoms being taken away would apply to Jessica Jones and Luke Cage too, I feel.

Vote: Left

Spiderman

Yes, there is the Spiderman who would do anything Tony Stark tells him to do but then I see the hardworking, poverty stricken youth from Queens who never uses his power to get rich quick; I see the best version of Spiderman that has appeared on screen - Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse - and it is easy to see how he would vote.

Vote: Left 

Guardians of the Galaxy

A bunch of thieves on the run including many who were tortured and persecuted for being different. Yup.

Vote: Left.

For fun's sake, look beyond the comic universe. 

Star Trek has always been about unifying the world. Creator Gene Roddenberry showcased equality irrespective of colour, culture and gender as early as the mid-60s, having people of all designations working together with respect. 

Star Wars was always about an anti-fascist rebel alliance taking down a dictatorial regime.

In Harry Potter, we have those who fight for the well-being of all versus those who literally believe some are unworthy because of the 'normal Muggle blood' running through their veins. You can call it caste-ism in India, racism in America or bigotry across the world - but there was only one side you knew was right... right?

Sherlock Holmes is an enigma to me. I do not honestly see him taking interest in either side, unless it directly involves him. I would love your take (with reasons.)

Throughout Hercule Poirot's novels, we find multiple instances of people insulting him for being a foreigner. They look down at him for being an immigrant. He himself takes a strong anti-war stance, having seen how it affected his home country of Belgium. There are few hints of his strong Catholic upbringing in certain stories (Murder on the Orient Express & Curtains comes to mind) but even there, in the end, he goes against his own religious beliefs. 

Remember, today we have an African-American Captain America & Spiderman, a female Thor, a Muslim superhero in Ms Marvel, pansexual Deadpool and gay heroes too (Batwoman, Northstar, Wiccan, Hulkling). 

Does it surprise you that most of the superheroes you loved growing up would vote left wing? 

If so, why? Comic books story lines have always been about inclusion and fighting for those who are discriminated and incapable of fighting for themselves. They have stood up for minorities, been pro-feminist and anti-totalitarian as early as the 1960's, long before the US governments allowed it. 

Just because the world we live in and the leaders who rule us do not seem to think these traits worthy of replicating today does not mean these qualities have suddenly turned bad, does it? 

Author's Note

Does evaluating their political affiliation change your perception of your heroes in any way? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

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