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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:08,583 --> 00:00:10,086 - What's the S stand for? 2 00:00:10,184 --> 00:00:12,956 - It's not an S. 3 00:00:13,055 --> 00:00:15,058 On my world, it means "hope." 4 00:00:19,793 --> 00:00:22,698 - As a symbol, I can be incorruptible. 5 00:00:22,798 --> 00:00:24,700 I can be everlasting. 6 00:00:27,435 --> 00:00:28,712 - I'm willing to fight for those 7 00:00:28,736 --> 00:00:31,240 who cannot fight for themselves. 8 00:00:32,574 --> 00:00:35,644 I can fly! 9 00:00:35,743 --> 00:00:37,383 - How is it that I can breathe underwater, 10 00:00:37,445 --> 00:00:39,125 but you can still drink me under the table? 11 00:00:39,213 --> 00:00:42,018 It's my superpower. 12 00:00:42,117 --> 00:00:44,753 - I'm a superhero! 13 00:00:46,820 --> 00:00:49,725 - This town deserves a better class of criminal. 14 00:00:49,824 --> 00:00:52,795 - Wait till they get a load of me. 15 00:00:52,893 --> 00:00:58,167 - DC, to me, is the grand proscenium of superheroes. 16 00:00:58,266 --> 00:01:00,269 They all tell very different stories 17 00:01:00,368 --> 00:01:03,139 about what do you do with great power, 18 00:01:03,238 --> 00:01:05,874 and how do you help mankind to become better? 19 00:01:05,974 --> 00:01:07,576 - Hi, boys. 20 00:01:07,675 --> 00:01:09,412 - They're all so multidimensional, 21 00:01:09,510 --> 00:01:13,382 and the humanity is what people really respond to. 22 00:01:15,250 --> 00:01:17,420 - It's about saving the world. 23 00:01:17,513 --> 00:01:23,026 It's about convincing the world that there is a better way. 24 00:01:23,124 --> 00:01:24,427 - They're larger than life. 25 00:01:24,526 --> 00:01:27,830 But they're also so human and so real. 26 00:01:27,928 --> 00:01:32,701 Narrator: For over 85 years, DC has been home 27 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:37,140 to a universe of characters and thousands of stories. 28 00:01:37,239 --> 00:01:38,741 But the real people who breathe life 29 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,311 into these gods, mortals, and monsters 30 00:01:42,410 --> 00:01:43,913 are far less known. 31 00:01:44,011 --> 00:01:45,915 Behind the scenes, these creative minds 32 00:01:46,013 --> 00:01:50,719 make their presence felt through words and pictures. 33 00:01:51,986 --> 00:01:54,423 - When you're reading a well-crafted comic, 34 00:01:54,522 --> 00:01:56,625 you're reading the movements 35 00:01:56,724 --> 00:02:01,064 of a human being's hand over a page. 36 00:02:01,161 --> 00:02:05,401 - There is no more minute form of storytelling 37 00:02:05,499 --> 00:02:07,803 than a four- or five-panel comic strip, 38 00:02:07,902 --> 00:02:09,772 in which you're having to tell a beginning, 39 00:02:09,871 --> 00:02:11,407 a middle, and an end. 40 00:02:11,506 --> 00:02:13,342 Narrator: Comic books have always reflected 41 00:02:13,441 --> 00:02:14,944 the human experience. 42 00:02:15,042 --> 00:02:18,847 They reveal our fantasies, tap our emotions, 43 00:02:18,947 --> 00:02:21,384 and confront our demons. 44 00:02:21,483 --> 00:02:23,452 - It's stories about hope. 45 00:02:23,551 --> 00:02:25,688 It's stories about redemption. 46 00:02:25,786 --> 00:02:30,259 It's the same themes that have been underlying our folktales 47 00:02:30,358 --> 00:02:33,596 since the beginning of time. 48 00:02:33,694 --> 00:02:35,631 - People can look back and say, "Well, you know, 49 00:02:35,729 --> 00:02:37,009 you're talking about comic books. 50 00:02:37,065 --> 00:02:38,142 Comic books are for children. 51 00:02:38,166 --> 00:02:40,803 Those ideas are for children." 52 00:02:40,903 --> 00:02:42,738 Are they? 53 00:02:42,836 --> 00:02:45,641 Narrator: Superheroes are wish fulfilment, 54 00:02:45,739 --> 00:02:48,978 a generation of talent, forged icons of virtue 55 00:02:49,076 --> 00:02:52,648 that embody both the dreams and fears of America. 56 00:02:52,747 --> 00:02:57,921 Those ideas triggered a worldwide cultural phenomenon. 57 00:02:58,019 --> 00:03:00,523 This is the story of the creators 58 00:03:00,622 --> 00:03:03,626 behind the legends of DC. 59 00:03:20,508 --> 00:03:23,879 The origin of DC begins with a heroic figure 60 00:03:23,978 --> 00:03:27,283 whose real-life adventures read like fiction. 61 00:03:27,382 --> 00:03:29,518 Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, 62 00:03:29,617 --> 00:03:32,255 a cavalry officer in World War I, 63 00:03:32,354 --> 00:03:33,589 fought in the Philippines, 64 00:03:33,687 --> 00:03:35,858 chased bandits through Mexico, 65 00:03:35,956 --> 00:03:38,694 and battled Bolsheviks in Siberia. 66 00:03:38,793 --> 00:03:42,165 As a writer, the major turned his exploits into tales 67 00:03:42,264 --> 00:03:44,767 for the pulp magazines. 68 00:03:44,865 --> 00:03:48,137 In 1935, he formed his own company. 69 00:03:48,236 --> 00:03:49,672 In three short years, 70 00:03:49,770 --> 00:03:52,141 he transformed the comic industry, 71 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,677 not by reprinting old newspaper strips, 72 00:03:54,776 --> 00:03:58,281 but by publishing new all-original stories. 73 00:04:01,048 --> 00:04:05,688 That company would eventually become DC Comics. 74 00:04:07,555 --> 00:04:09,492 But despite being a visionary, 75 00:04:09,591 --> 00:04:12,395 the major struggled as a businessman. 76 00:04:12,493 --> 00:04:15,864 - To make a long and very complicated story short, 77 00:04:15,964 --> 00:04:17,566 the major was forced out, 78 00:04:17,665 --> 00:04:19,969 and the company was taken over 79 00:04:20,068 --> 00:04:22,972 exactly at the moment that Superman 80 00:04:23,071 --> 00:04:25,174 was about to hit the stands. 81 00:04:25,273 --> 00:04:26,409 'Nuff said. 82 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:41,224 - Who are you? 83 00:04:41,323 --> 00:04:45,528 - He's someone who is always trying to do the right thing. 84 00:04:45,627 --> 00:04:47,830 That's his genuine intention. 85 00:04:47,928 --> 00:04:51,700 Even if he doesn't achieve what he set out to do, 86 00:04:51,799 --> 00:04:55,104 he will make the best effort to make amends. 87 00:04:55,203 --> 00:04:57,440 And there's so much which hasn't been told 88 00:04:57,539 --> 00:04:59,808 or said about him up till now. 89 00:05:01,609 --> 00:05:03,307 Narrator: The origin of Superman 90 00:05:03,411 --> 00:05:05,148 starts with writer Jerry Siegel 91 00:05:05,247 --> 00:05:07,083 and artist Joe Shuster, 92 00:05:07,182 --> 00:05:08,918 two Jewish immigrant teens 93 00:05:09,017 --> 00:05:10,553 who survived the Great Depression 94 00:05:10,651 --> 00:05:13,889 by dreaming of a better tomorrow. 95 00:05:13,988 --> 00:05:17,927 - Both Joe Shuster and I were great science fiction fans 96 00:05:18,026 --> 00:05:20,063 back in the 1930s. 97 00:05:20,161 --> 00:05:22,932 I was quite meek, and I was quite mild. 98 00:05:23,030 --> 00:05:25,301 And there were attractive girls around 99 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:27,103 who just didn't notice I exist. 100 00:05:27,202 --> 00:05:29,438 And I thought, "Gee, wouldn't it be great 101 00:05:29,537 --> 00:05:31,507 "if I was a mighty person, 102 00:05:31,606 --> 00:05:33,809 "and these girls didn't know that this clod here 103 00:05:33,909 --> 00:05:36,645 is really somebody special." 104 00:05:36,739 --> 00:05:40,716 - All my young days as a boy, I was pushed around by... 105 00:05:40,814 --> 00:05:44,453 I was very small, and I was always pushed around 106 00:05:44,552 --> 00:05:47,890 by bullies and so forth. 107 00:05:47,989 --> 00:05:49,792 Narrator: While still in high school, 108 00:05:49,891 --> 00:05:54,063 the two collaborated on samples for a newspaper strip. 109 00:05:54,157 --> 00:05:55,598 After several iterations, 110 00:05:55,696 --> 00:05:58,167 a champion of the oppressed emerged, 111 00:05:58,266 --> 00:06:01,137 a Superman who hid behind the secret identity 112 00:06:01,236 --> 00:06:05,708 of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent. 113 00:06:05,806 --> 00:06:07,371 - He was certainly the identification 114 00:06:07,475 --> 00:06:08,978 for Siegel in particular 115 00:06:09,077 --> 00:06:11,280 because he physically resembled him. 116 00:06:11,379 --> 00:06:13,016 Kent is the Jewish intellectual, 117 00:06:13,114 --> 00:06:14,583 I think, you know, he's a journalist 118 00:06:14,682 --> 00:06:16,585 and he reads, a man of letters, 119 00:06:16,684 --> 00:06:18,321 and Superman is the man of action. 120 00:06:18,419 --> 00:06:21,824 - Joe brought the fascination with the bodybuilding, 121 00:06:21,923 --> 00:06:24,793 with the circus performers, the circus strong men, 122 00:06:24,893 --> 00:06:26,963 creating really the iconography 123 00:06:27,060 --> 00:06:28,864 what would be the superhero costume. 124 00:06:28,963 --> 00:06:31,800 They hadn't managed to sell it anywhere. 125 00:06:31,900 --> 00:06:33,569 Creativity requires courage. 126 00:06:33,662 --> 00:06:40,643 The great creative works in any medium lack precedent. 127 00:06:42,277 --> 00:06:44,247 Narrator: After six tireless years, 128 00:06:44,346 --> 00:06:45,949 their courage paid off. 129 00:06:46,047 --> 00:06:49,552 DC needed a story to anchor a new anthology series 130 00:06:49,652 --> 00:06:51,854 called "Action Comics." 131 00:06:53,654 --> 00:06:56,459 - The first time we ever see Superman, 132 00:06:56,558 --> 00:06:58,861 he's lifting a car over his head. 133 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:03,299 It is impossible to think about this in this way today. 134 00:07:03,398 --> 00:07:07,904 But back then, no one had ever seen anything quite like that. 135 00:07:08,001 --> 00:07:10,806 - The demand for the character was high enough 136 00:07:10,905 --> 00:07:13,009 that they launched multiple books 137 00:07:13,107 --> 00:07:16,079 and they had to keep up with the workload 138 00:07:16,177 --> 00:07:18,747 and hired other artists to keep things going. 139 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,418 Narrator: That original idea from Siegel and Shuster 140 00:07:22,516 --> 00:07:26,322 set the gold standard for superhero characters, 141 00:07:26,421 --> 00:07:28,224 launched an industry, 142 00:07:28,323 --> 00:07:30,426 and inspired boundless creativity 143 00:07:30,525 --> 00:07:33,596 in future generations. 144 00:07:33,694 --> 00:07:35,131 - All these different points of view 145 00:07:35,230 --> 00:07:36,765 merge and meld together 146 00:07:36,864 --> 00:07:39,102 to become this one kind of uber story. 147 00:07:39,199 --> 00:07:42,466 And yet, for it to work, all those individual stories 148 00:07:42,570 --> 00:07:44,407 have to reflect the individuals. 149 00:07:54,082 --> 00:07:56,352 - I got the call to be the writer 150 00:07:56,451 --> 00:07:58,496 not just for "Superman," but of "Action Comics" also, 151 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:00,756 the legacy "Superman" series. 152 00:08:00,855 --> 00:08:03,159 In my run, Superman is a father... 153 00:08:03,256 --> 00:08:06,829 That's an important central tenet of the stories 154 00:08:06,928 --> 00:08:08,431 that I've been telling so far. 155 00:08:08,529 --> 00:08:11,300 But he's also the personification of hope, 156 00:08:11,399 --> 00:08:16,205 of compassion, of humility, of justice, 157 00:08:16,304 --> 00:08:18,741 and not just to Earth, not just to Metropolis, 158 00:08:18,841 --> 00:08:22,345 but to the universe. 159 00:08:22,443 --> 00:08:25,814 I understand how much Superman means to people 160 00:08:25,913 --> 00:08:27,850 because he meant that to me as well. 161 00:08:27,948 --> 00:08:29,554 Growing up, I always wanted to be a tough guy. 162 00:08:29,578 --> 00:08:32,055 I grew up really, really small for my age 163 00:08:32,154 --> 00:08:33,222 and got sick a lot 164 00:08:33,321 --> 00:08:35,291 and kind of got smacked around a lot. 165 00:08:35,390 --> 00:08:37,560 And I just had this fantasy of being this tough guy 166 00:08:37,658 --> 00:08:39,562 that would protect everyone. 167 00:08:41,195 --> 00:08:45,268 Seeing Superman on the page flipped this fantasy 168 00:08:45,366 --> 00:08:48,571 in my mind that became really important to me. 169 00:08:48,669 --> 00:08:51,908 I think Superman matters more now than he ever has before, 170 00:08:52,005 --> 00:08:54,410 in part because he is the living contradiction 171 00:08:54,509 --> 00:08:59,015 to the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely. 172 00:08:59,112 --> 00:09:02,952 And we have to believe that somebody can wield power 173 00:09:03,051 --> 00:09:06,089 without being corrupted by it. 174 00:09:14,629 --> 00:09:17,666 - I think Superman fans have a very particular worldview. 175 00:09:17,766 --> 00:09:19,435 They tend to be optimists. 176 00:09:19,534 --> 00:09:21,537 They tend to think that power 177 00:09:21,636 --> 00:09:24,540 should be used in a particular way. 178 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:26,075 - Look! Up in the sky! 179 00:09:26,174 --> 00:09:28,311 It's a bird, it's a plane! It's Superman! 180 00:09:28,409 --> 00:09:31,948 - It wasn't until the radio show, 181 00:09:32,047 --> 00:09:34,083 which started in 1940, 182 00:09:34,182 --> 00:09:36,785 where Superman as a pop culture phenomenon 183 00:09:36,884 --> 00:09:40,789 really took hold in the collective unconscious. 184 00:09:46,761 --> 00:09:50,266 narrator: Radio introduced the power of flight to Superman. 185 00:09:50,365 --> 00:09:53,202 The silver screen lifted him off the pages 186 00:09:53,296 --> 00:09:55,038 and into the real world. 187 00:09:55,130 --> 00:09:59,108 Live action actor Kirk Alyn became the first Man of Steel. 188 00:09:59,206 --> 00:10:03,512 A series of animated shorts established his legacy 189 00:10:03,612 --> 00:10:05,915 in glorious Technicolor. 190 00:10:06,013 --> 00:10:08,117 - I think there's something incredibly magical 191 00:10:08,211 --> 00:10:09,318 about the creators 192 00:10:09,417 --> 00:10:12,355 of these characters that have taken off. 193 00:10:12,453 --> 00:10:16,359 It's hitting its target so perfectly that it just goes 194 00:10:16,457 --> 00:10:18,727 on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on 195 00:10:18,821 --> 00:10:20,964 and just new things are built upon it 196 00:10:21,063 --> 00:10:24,600 in such a fascinating way. 197 00:10:24,693 --> 00:10:26,002 Narrator: For Siegel and Shuster, 198 00:10:26,101 --> 00:10:28,471 the American dream had come true. 199 00:10:28,569 --> 00:10:31,240 Their outsider insecurities inspired 200 00:10:31,339 --> 00:10:34,610 a modern marvel, whose arrival felt relevant 201 00:10:34,710 --> 00:10:37,713 to a nation of immigrants. 202 00:10:37,812 --> 00:10:39,615 - In the endless reaches of the universe, 203 00:10:39,714 --> 00:10:42,751 there once existed a planet known as Krypton. 204 00:10:42,850 --> 00:10:44,153 - His narrative is, he comes 205 00:10:44,252 --> 00:10:45,955 from this strange planet Krypton. 206 00:10:46,054 --> 00:10:48,557 It really is the pure immigrant story. 207 00:10:48,656 --> 00:10:52,795 It's about someone who comes from another country 208 00:10:52,888 --> 00:10:55,264 who essentially looks like the prevailing culture 209 00:10:55,363 --> 00:10:56,832 but knows that he's an outsider. 210 00:10:56,932 --> 00:11:00,436 - Where were you? - Me? Oh, I... 211 00:11:00,535 --> 00:11:02,138 - I think a lot of immigrants, 212 00:11:02,236 --> 00:11:05,669 they try to be the perfect citizens because 213 00:11:05,773 --> 00:11:09,445 they don't want anybody to question their citizenship. 214 00:11:09,544 --> 00:11:11,414 And that's my theory about Superman as well. 215 00:11:11,512 --> 00:11:14,417 Superman tries to be the perfect citizen 216 00:11:14,516 --> 00:11:17,820 because he doesn't want anyone to question his citizenship. 217 00:11:22,190 --> 00:11:23,726 - Siegel and Shuster watched Superman 218 00:11:23,825 --> 00:11:25,194 dominate pop culture, 219 00:11:25,293 --> 00:11:27,363 while their new bosses profited. 220 00:11:27,462 --> 00:11:31,400 DC President Harry Donenfeld started his career 221 00:11:31,494 --> 00:11:33,502 publishing racy magazines. 222 00:11:33,601 --> 00:11:36,405 After he escaped obscenity charges from the FBI, 223 00:11:36,504 --> 00:11:38,441 Harry and his accountant Jack Liebowitz 224 00:11:38,539 --> 00:11:41,510 sought a more legitimate enterprise to exploit 225 00:11:41,609 --> 00:11:45,548 and took control of DC at the perfect moment. 226 00:11:45,646 --> 00:11:48,617 Siegel and Shuster felt they were owed more 227 00:11:48,717 --> 00:11:50,219 for making DC a success. 228 00:11:50,318 --> 00:11:52,755 They negotiated a better weekly rate 229 00:11:52,854 --> 00:11:54,423 and became the highest-paid 230 00:11:54,522 --> 00:11:56,759 comic book creators at the time, 231 00:11:56,859 --> 00:12:00,095 but DC retained ownership. 232 00:12:01,562 --> 00:12:06,769 - Comics in general were built on questionable agreements. 233 00:12:06,868 --> 00:12:09,438 It wasn't standard practice for creators 234 00:12:09,537 --> 00:12:12,141 to get the credit that was due to them, 235 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,010 and it certainly was not standard practice 236 00:12:14,109 --> 00:12:16,740 for them to get royalties. 237 00:12:16,844 --> 00:12:19,215 Narrator: Eager to capitalize on the growing popularity 238 00:12:19,314 --> 00:12:23,786 of superheroes, DC urged other creators to pitch ideas 239 00:12:23,885 --> 00:12:26,455 for the next caped crusader. 240 00:12:34,028 --> 00:12:36,499 - What are you? 241 00:12:36,598 --> 00:12:37,934 - I'm Batman. 242 00:12:41,302 --> 00:12:44,073 - There's so much history invested in the iconography 243 00:12:44,172 --> 00:12:46,142 and so many people connected on such a deep level 244 00:12:46,241 --> 00:12:48,644 and for so many different reasons. 245 00:12:48,744 --> 00:12:50,146 Batman's always, I think, 246 00:12:50,245 --> 00:12:53,182 been quite an accessible superhero. 247 00:12:53,281 --> 00:12:55,351 The fact that he's just a guy, 248 00:12:55,450 --> 00:12:58,454 I think, appeals to a lot of people. 249 00:13:01,556 --> 00:13:04,060 Narrator: That global appeal attracts fans 250 00:13:04,159 --> 00:13:07,563 of all ages and backgrounds, and in doing so, 251 00:13:07,662 --> 00:13:11,234 produces its own unique celebrities. 252 00:13:15,170 --> 00:13:18,307 - I got into Batman through the art. 253 00:13:18,406 --> 00:13:20,910 A lot of the creators come into this business 254 00:13:21,009 --> 00:13:25,248 because they were fans as kids. 255 00:13:25,347 --> 00:13:27,183 I was born in South Korea. 256 00:13:27,282 --> 00:13:29,718 We were the first of my sort of extended family 257 00:13:29,818 --> 00:13:31,187 to move to the United States. 258 00:13:31,286 --> 00:13:34,623 I didn't speak any English. 259 00:13:34,722 --> 00:13:37,893 But I recognized Superman from the cartoons, you know, 260 00:13:37,993 --> 00:13:39,295 that I watched in Korea. 261 00:13:39,394 --> 00:13:42,365 And so I just gravitated towards comic books. 262 00:13:46,166 --> 00:13:48,704 Batman resonated with me at a very early age, 263 00:13:48,804 --> 00:13:50,273 like, eight or nine. 264 00:13:50,371 --> 00:13:52,175 I remember checking out books from the library 265 00:13:52,273 --> 00:13:54,944 and just being fascinated by those adventures. 266 00:13:56,277 --> 00:13:57,722 I bought this when it was on the stands, 267 00:13:57,746 --> 00:14:00,917 so probably '70, '75. 268 00:14:01,016 --> 00:14:03,419 And then obviously, I read it over and over. 269 00:14:03,518 --> 00:14:06,789 And then I used both masking tape 270 00:14:06,882 --> 00:14:10,493 and Scotch Tape to hold it all together. 271 00:14:12,494 --> 00:14:14,230 If the artist did an incredible job, 272 00:14:14,329 --> 00:14:17,333 it made those worlds or those characters 273 00:14:17,432 --> 00:14:20,603 feel so lifelike to me, so immersive, and so... 274 00:14:20,702 --> 00:14:22,271 When you opened up a comic book, 275 00:14:22,370 --> 00:14:24,007 you felt like you were in that world. 276 00:14:24,105 --> 00:14:26,042 In many ways, it kind of relieved the pressure 277 00:14:26,140 --> 00:14:29,445 of being this outsider in a strange new country. 278 00:14:31,479 --> 00:14:36,085 Batman first appeared in "Detective Comics" issue 27. 279 00:14:36,178 --> 00:14:40,323 So this is the 1000th appearance of Batman. 280 00:14:40,421 --> 00:14:43,592 Bob Kane with Bill Finger introduced the world 281 00:14:43,686 --> 00:14:46,262 to this masked vigilante, 282 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:48,731 kind of changed the game forever. 283 00:14:56,337 --> 00:14:57,706 - I was 19 when I created Batman, 284 00:14:57,805 --> 00:15:01,544 and I've been with the same company ever since. 285 00:15:01,643 --> 00:15:06,082 World's most leading character, Batman, 286 00:15:06,181 --> 00:15:09,518 as done by the creator, me, little ol' me. 287 00:15:09,617 --> 00:15:13,122 - Bob, tell us about the earliest recollection you have 288 00:15:13,221 --> 00:15:15,591 with the creation of Batman. 289 00:15:15,691 --> 00:15:17,226 - There are two stories. 290 00:15:17,325 --> 00:15:20,063 There's a mythical story you kind of create and make up. 291 00:15:20,161 --> 00:15:21,730 And then there's the truth. 292 00:15:21,829 --> 00:15:25,001 And the myth and the truth become clouded after 30 years. 293 00:15:26,700 --> 00:15:28,737 - If you look at the earliest Batman stories, 294 00:15:28,837 --> 00:15:31,340 they all say "by Bob Kane." 295 00:15:31,435 --> 00:15:32,575 The problem was, 296 00:15:32,673 --> 00:15:35,578 these stories weren't necessarily by Bob Kane. 297 00:15:37,778 --> 00:15:41,117 Narrator: The controversial origin story of Batman 298 00:15:41,216 --> 00:15:42,518 begins when Bob Kane, 299 00:15:42,617 --> 00:15:44,653 a 19-year-old cartoonist from the Bronx, 300 00:15:44,752 --> 00:15:47,790 saw Siegel and Shuster cash in on Superman. 301 00:15:47,888 --> 00:15:52,195 He jumped at the chance to create his own superhero. 302 00:15:52,294 --> 00:15:53,696 - I was a great copycat. 303 00:15:53,796 --> 00:15:55,298 So I copy Leonardo. 304 00:15:55,397 --> 00:15:58,601 I remember seeing a movie called "The Bat." 305 00:15:58,699 --> 00:16:02,105 I also was influenced by "The Mark of Zorro." 306 00:16:02,203 --> 00:16:03,639 And I saw the original version 307 00:16:03,738 --> 00:16:06,475 with Doug Fairbanks Sr., that's how old I am. 308 00:16:06,574 --> 00:16:08,711 I kind of got the combination of all of them 309 00:16:08,810 --> 00:16:11,647 and created a Batman. 310 00:16:11,746 --> 00:16:14,083 - And he comes in with a little rough sketch 311 00:16:14,182 --> 00:16:16,485 and the name Batman. 312 00:16:16,584 --> 00:16:18,554 And the editor says, "That's cute, Bob, 313 00:16:18,653 --> 00:16:20,556 but, you know, what's his story?" 314 00:16:20,650 --> 00:16:21,890 Bob said, "I don't know." 315 00:16:21,985 --> 00:16:24,593 "Well, maybe you should get a writer." 316 00:16:24,692 --> 00:16:27,130 narrator: Bob Kane hired a ghostwriter, 317 00:16:27,223 --> 00:16:30,166 Bill Finger, to flesh out the character. 318 00:16:30,265 --> 00:16:31,996 Finger wrote an origin story 319 00:16:32,100 --> 00:16:34,570 born from a fear of urban crime. 320 00:16:34,669 --> 00:16:37,140 He even darkened the look of Kane's design 321 00:16:37,239 --> 00:16:41,610 to reflect the pulps and German cinema. 322 00:16:41,709 --> 00:16:44,447 - And in short order, they create 323 00:16:44,545 --> 00:16:49,385 an amazingly specific narrative and backstory, 324 00:16:49,484 --> 00:16:51,854 his wants, his needs, why he fights, 325 00:16:51,953 --> 00:16:53,556 what he's railing against. 326 00:16:53,654 --> 00:16:56,292 Young Bruce Wayne sees the most horrible thing. 327 00:16:56,391 --> 00:16:57,693 I mean, think about that, 328 00:16:57,792 --> 00:17:00,024 to see your parents gunned down 329 00:17:00,128 --> 00:17:01,530 in front of you, and then later, 330 00:17:01,629 --> 00:17:04,133 he's kneeling over his bed and praying, 331 00:17:04,232 --> 00:17:07,003 "Please, Lord, give me the tools. 332 00:17:07,101 --> 00:17:10,406 I promise you, I will spend the rest of my life warring." 333 00:17:10,505 --> 00:17:15,144 He uses that word, "warring," against crime. 334 00:17:16,544 --> 00:17:18,288 - I always just got the impression that he's just 335 00:17:18,312 --> 00:17:20,216 wants to keep recreating the night 336 00:17:20,315 --> 00:17:22,151 where his parents died. 337 00:17:22,250 --> 00:17:25,621 He just wants to inflict pain, inflict, 338 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:27,456 like, his kind of form of justice, 339 00:17:27,555 --> 00:17:31,560 which is kind of questionable justice. 340 00:17:31,659 --> 00:17:33,496 - Batman's a kind of satanic looking figure. 341 00:17:33,594 --> 00:17:36,399 He has horns. He operates at night. 342 00:17:36,497 --> 00:17:39,702 He relies on fear rather than trust or strength. 343 00:17:39,801 --> 00:17:42,571 He relies on stealth rather than 344 00:17:42,670 --> 00:17:46,309 this kind of grandstanding circus showman. 345 00:17:46,402 --> 00:17:49,946 It worked so well because these are two opposing figures. 346 00:17:50,044 --> 00:17:54,717 It's like finding the two poles of a potential idea. 347 00:17:58,786 --> 00:18:00,189 narrator: As Batman's popularity 348 00:18:00,288 --> 00:18:01,724 increased over time, 349 00:18:01,822 --> 00:18:04,293 Kane renegotiated a contract that earned him 350 00:18:04,392 --> 00:18:06,662 a rare thing in the industry: 351 00:18:06,756 --> 00:18:09,198 rights, royalties, 352 00:18:09,297 --> 00:18:11,901 and sole creator credit. 353 00:18:11,999 --> 00:18:15,071 - Bill Finger was long gone by the time 354 00:18:15,169 --> 00:18:16,672 he was officially acknowledged 355 00:18:16,771 --> 00:18:19,808 as co-creator of Batman, and not just Batman, 356 00:18:19,907 --> 00:18:21,877 but the Joker and all of these concepts 357 00:18:21,976 --> 00:18:26,548 that we've come to associate with Gotham City. 358 00:18:27,715 --> 00:18:29,852 Narrator: Shortly after Finger's death, 359 00:18:29,950 --> 00:18:33,422 Kane made a rare public admission. 360 00:18:33,521 --> 00:18:36,092 - Bill not only wrote the early stories, 361 00:18:36,190 --> 00:18:39,395 but he helped me innovate and create 362 00:18:39,494 --> 00:18:41,230 more than half of the villains 363 00:18:41,329 --> 00:18:43,666 and all the innovative characters in the Batman. 364 00:18:43,764 --> 00:18:46,903 Most of it, the credit should go to Bill Finger. 365 00:18:52,907 --> 00:18:55,344 narrator: Batman's solitary war on crime 366 00:18:55,443 --> 00:18:57,180 broadened when the creative team 367 00:18:57,277 --> 00:19:01,417 introduced a unique concept to attract young readers: 368 00:19:01,517 --> 00:19:03,652 the sidekick. 369 00:19:03,751 --> 00:19:07,356 - Somebody had the bright idea that, since kids read comics, 370 00:19:07,455 --> 00:19:09,325 they would want a character 371 00:19:09,423 --> 00:19:11,560 that they could kind of identify with 372 00:19:11,659 --> 00:19:13,696 and project themselves onto. 373 00:19:13,790 --> 00:19:15,298 And this was Robin. 374 00:19:18,666 --> 00:19:21,370 - DC is so famous for sidekicks. 375 00:19:21,469 --> 00:19:23,180 You have a superhero, and they have a sidekick. 376 00:19:23,204 --> 00:19:25,741 It just was a given. 377 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:27,343 - Robin's certainly one of the first, 378 00:19:27,442 --> 00:19:30,146 if not the first, starting a proud tradition 379 00:19:30,244 --> 00:19:31,880 of child endangerment. 380 00:19:33,848 --> 00:19:36,652 He takes this young kid on as his sidekick, 381 00:19:36,750 --> 00:19:40,556 dresses him in red and green. 382 00:19:40,655 --> 00:19:42,791 Who's gonna draw the gunfire? 383 00:19:42,891 --> 00:19:44,760 The kid in the red and the green 384 00:19:44,859 --> 00:19:47,363 or the guy in the gray black suit? 385 00:19:48,596 --> 00:19:51,767 But as a kid, I loved his comics, growing up. 386 00:19:54,563 --> 00:19:56,805 Narrator: The duo's dynamic shifted the tone 387 00:19:56,904 --> 00:20:00,576 from a gothic noir towards more of a playful romp. 388 00:20:00,674 --> 00:20:04,647 The DC character roster expanded, 389 00:20:04,745 --> 00:20:07,150 but it lacked a female touch. 390 00:20:07,248 --> 00:20:08,784 - What's your story, lady? 391 00:20:08,884 --> 00:20:10,586 - Story? - Okay. 392 00:20:10,685 --> 00:20:12,455 Suppose we start with your name. 393 00:20:12,553 --> 00:20:14,790 - Wonder Woman. - Sure. 394 00:20:14,888 --> 00:20:19,828 That's the last name Woman, first name Wonder, right? 395 00:20:19,928 --> 00:20:21,164 - Right. 396 00:20:25,233 --> 00:20:27,270 - The beautiful thing about Wonder Woman 397 00:20:27,368 --> 00:20:29,372 is that she's so many things. 398 00:20:29,470 --> 00:20:31,007 She's very righteous. 399 00:20:31,106 --> 00:20:32,875 She's all about justice. 400 00:20:32,974 --> 00:20:36,045 She's the greatest warrior ever. 401 00:20:39,447 --> 00:20:41,850 - She has this spark in her. 402 00:20:41,950 --> 00:20:46,422 She's... she has this fire in her eyes. 403 00:20:47,822 --> 00:20:50,026 Narrator: The creator of Wonder Woman, 404 00:20:50,125 --> 00:20:51,660 William Moulton Marston 405 00:20:51,759 --> 00:20:54,697 was a radical figure who led many lives. 406 00:20:54,796 --> 00:20:56,076 - We're are now going to test... 407 00:20:56,131 --> 00:20:57,533 narrator: As a psychologist, 408 00:20:57,632 --> 00:20:59,602 he paved the way for the lie detector test 409 00:20:59,701 --> 00:21:03,106 through a series of bizarre experiments. 410 00:21:04,372 --> 00:21:05,708 - Dr. Marston and science show 411 00:21:05,807 --> 00:21:08,411 blondes are easiest to scare. 412 00:21:08,510 --> 00:21:10,579 Narrator: Marston was also a staunch critic 413 00:21:10,678 --> 00:21:12,181 of the comic book industry. 414 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:14,183 He challenged them to confront what he called 415 00:21:14,282 --> 00:21:17,453 the bloodcurdling masculinity of superheroes. 416 00:21:21,523 --> 00:21:25,128 DC agreed and invited him to create a female character. 417 00:21:25,226 --> 00:21:28,364 He hired editorial cartoonist H.G. Peter 418 00:21:28,462 --> 00:21:30,900 to design her signature look. 419 00:21:32,833 --> 00:21:35,704 - I always go back to that original drawing 420 00:21:35,803 --> 00:21:37,373 of the character of Wonder Woman 421 00:21:37,472 --> 00:21:40,409 where she was beautiful, approachable, 422 00:21:40,508 --> 00:21:42,845 very feminine, very strong. 423 00:21:42,943 --> 00:21:45,181 There was an everywoman quality to it, 424 00:21:45,279 --> 00:21:49,652 which was intrinsic to why she succeeded as she did. 425 00:21:52,220 --> 00:21:53,689 - She is an Amazon. 426 00:21:53,788 --> 00:21:55,524 She has connections to Greek mythology. 427 00:21:55,623 --> 00:21:58,194 Her people were children of Aphrodite and Athena, 428 00:21:58,293 --> 00:22:00,029 of love and wisdom. 429 00:22:00,127 --> 00:22:03,499 And Wonder Woman asks us to grapple with questions 430 00:22:03,598 --> 00:22:06,002 about how we feel about gender, 431 00:22:06,101 --> 00:22:07,436 how we feel about sex, 432 00:22:07,535 --> 00:22:10,039 and how we feel about war and conflict. 433 00:22:10,138 --> 00:22:12,408 What makes Wonder Woman interesting 434 00:22:12,506 --> 00:22:14,643 are the politics of feminism. 435 00:22:19,113 --> 00:22:21,884 Narrator: Marston was an ardent feminist ally, 436 00:22:21,983 --> 00:22:23,886 even if his fight for women's equality 437 00:22:23,985 --> 00:22:27,090 revealed itself in subversive ways. 438 00:22:27,188 --> 00:22:30,659 Wonder Woman's lasso compelled people to tell the truth. 439 00:22:30,758 --> 00:22:33,529 However, the frequent images of restraint 440 00:22:33,628 --> 00:22:37,000 also evoked sexual bondage. 441 00:22:37,099 --> 00:22:40,536 That wasn't Marston's primary intent. 442 00:22:40,635 --> 00:22:42,366 He chose imagery that reflected 443 00:22:42,470 --> 00:22:46,976 the women's suffrage movement and symbolized emancipation. 444 00:22:47,074 --> 00:22:49,645 - The myth of it was that William Moulton Marston was 445 00:22:49,745 --> 00:22:51,180 cranking out all these stories. 446 00:22:51,279 --> 00:22:53,316 The reality was that he was surrounded by women, 447 00:22:53,415 --> 00:22:55,884 he was in an open relationship with his wife 448 00:22:55,983 --> 00:22:58,154 and another woman, and they were all contributing 449 00:22:58,253 --> 00:22:59,755 to the Wonder Woman mythos. 450 00:22:59,853 --> 00:23:01,324 They're working under the radar, 451 00:23:01,422 --> 00:23:03,292 they're working under pseudonyms and so forth. 452 00:23:03,391 --> 00:23:07,896 But their impact is huge. 453 00:23:07,995 --> 00:23:10,633 - All of them really believed in putting this out 454 00:23:10,731 --> 00:23:15,071 into the world, a female who was just as strong as men 455 00:23:15,170 --> 00:23:17,173 as a woman in every way. 456 00:23:19,106 --> 00:23:21,210 Narrator: That strength allowed Wonder Woman 457 00:23:21,309 --> 00:23:23,179 to transcend time. 458 00:23:23,277 --> 00:23:25,982 Storytellers continued to build upon her foundation 459 00:23:26,079 --> 00:23:29,085 and populate her world with new characters, 460 00:23:29,184 --> 00:23:32,188 ones that reflect a more modern audience. 461 00:23:34,883 --> 00:23:38,327 - I adore Wonder Woman, and I adore Diana Prince. 462 00:23:38,426 --> 00:23:44,133 But I can never aspire to be a perfect woman or a symbol 463 00:23:44,232 --> 00:23:45,701 like that without any flaws. 464 00:23:47,835 --> 00:23:49,572 Wonder Woman, when she came out, 465 00:23:49,665 --> 00:23:51,908 she's the first woman through the door. 466 00:23:52,005 --> 00:23:55,511 She had to be perfect and good at everything. 467 00:23:55,610 --> 00:23:57,880 But there's more nuance to the character 468 00:23:57,980 --> 00:24:00,116 that I didn't see before. 469 00:24:01,615 --> 00:24:03,987 I really wanted to create Wonder Girl 470 00:24:04,084 --> 00:24:08,091 in response of discovering the world of Wonder Woman. 471 00:24:08,188 --> 00:24:12,761 I wanted somebody that's more human and not as disciplined. 472 00:24:12,860 --> 00:24:15,098 You rarely see female characters 473 00:24:15,196 --> 00:24:17,200 that wear their flaws on their sleeve. 474 00:24:17,298 --> 00:24:20,769 I'm like, "Come on, I can barely get through a day. 475 00:24:20,868 --> 00:24:24,040 I want to see somebody struggle too." 476 00:24:24,139 --> 00:24:27,010 These are some really early concepts, 477 00:24:27,108 --> 00:24:29,212 playing with, like, hairstyle, body type, 478 00:24:29,311 --> 00:24:31,514 random old ladies I see on TV 479 00:24:31,613 --> 00:24:35,018 'cause I have very busy hands. 480 00:24:35,115 --> 00:24:37,553 The female characters that I've always responded to 481 00:24:37,651 --> 00:24:39,923 or wanted to be like when I was young 482 00:24:40,020 --> 00:24:43,159 owned their sexuality in a way that empowered them 483 00:24:43,258 --> 00:24:46,095 as opposed to took power away from them. 484 00:24:46,193 --> 00:24:48,597 So like with Wonder Girl, I got called out a few times 485 00:24:48,696 --> 00:24:50,066 for her not having pants. 486 00:24:50,164 --> 00:24:52,135 First of all, I love the silhouette. 487 00:24:52,234 --> 00:24:53,937 So I'm not changing it. 488 00:24:54,036 --> 00:24:56,372 But Beyoncé doesn't have to wear pants. 489 00:24:56,471 --> 00:24:59,675 There's something about Yara that speaks 490 00:24:59,774 --> 00:25:02,645 to women's history that's moved a little 491 00:25:02,744 --> 00:25:04,680 further down the road. 492 00:25:04,780 --> 00:25:07,116 She gets to be more herself. 493 00:25:07,215 --> 00:25:09,318 That strikes me as a little bit more 494 00:25:09,417 --> 00:25:14,057 of a modern struggle than what Diana had to deal with. 495 00:25:21,562 --> 00:25:24,133 Narrator: During World War II, Wonder Woman symbolized 496 00:25:24,232 --> 00:25:26,769 a cultural wave of tough, assertive women 497 00:25:26,868 --> 00:25:29,238 in the workforce. 498 00:25:29,337 --> 00:25:32,375 A call for truth, justice, and the American way 499 00:25:32,474 --> 00:25:34,110 rallied the masses. 500 00:25:34,209 --> 00:25:36,112 The industry enlisted superheroes 501 00:25:36,209 --> 00:25:38,881 to support the war effort and spread propaganda 502 00:25:38,980 --> 00:25:41,817 but often laced with racism. 503 00:25:41,916 --> 00:25:44,253 - The heroes had to become patriots. 504 00:25:44,352 --> 00:25:46,155 The need for the characters to stand up 505 00:25:46,254 --> 00:25:49,325 for American values rather than oppose them 506 00:25:49,418 --> 00:25:51,094 changed them completely, but also, 507 00:25:51,192 --> 00:25:54,130 I think, made them even more popular. 508 00:25:54,229 --> 00:25:56,933 - Comic books were being prepared for sailors 509 00:25:57,031 --> 00:25:59,602 who not only needed to be taught how to read 510 00:25:59,700 --> 00:26:03,072 but taught how to do their job. 511 00:26:03,171 --> 00:26:04,807 Narrator: During the early '40s, 512 00:26:04,905 --> 00:26:07,310 comic book sales shot up to an industry high 513 00:26:07,408 --> 00:26:09,913 of 25 million copies per month. 514 00:26:10,010 --> 00:26:13,616 An explosion of new heroes heralded a golden age. 515 00:26:13,715 --> 00:26:16,019 DC brought the fan favorites together 516 00:26:16,117 --> 00:26:17,620 and formed the first team-up: 517 00:26:17,719 --> 00:26:20,823 the Justice Society of America. 518 00:26:22,255 --> 00:26:25,929 But by war's end, with no Axis villains left to fight, 519 00:26:26,027 --> 00:26:30,333 a period of postwar blues hit DC. 520 00:26:30,431 --> 00:26:32,568 Superhero popularity faded further 521 00:26:32,667 --> 00:26:36,940 as a shiny new object invaded living rooms. 522 00:26:37,039 --> 00:26:38,641 - My babysitter as a kid, 523 00:26:38,739 --> 00:26:40,209 along with most of my generation, 524 00:26:40,308 --> 00:26:41,344 was television. 525 00:26:41,437 --> 00:26:42,677 We had the "Mickey Mouse Club." 526 00:26:42,744 --> 00:26:44,280 We had "Howdy Doody." 527 00:26:44,379 --> 00:26:47,650 But we also had the "Adventures of Superman." 528 00:26:47,749 --> 00:26:50,353 - Faster than a speeding bullet, 529 00:26:50,452 --> 00:26:52,989 more powerful than a locomotive, 530 00:26:53,087 --> 00:26:56,359 able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. 531 00:26:56,457 --> 00:26:57,826 - Look, up in the sky! 532 00:26:57,926 --> 00:26:59,295 It's a bird! - It's a plane! 533 00:26:59,394 --> 00:27:00,729 - It's Superman! 534 00:27:05,065 --> 00:27:07,370 Narrator: DC responded to the threat of television 535 00:27:07,469 --> 00:27:09,072 by embracing it. 536 00:27:09,171 --> 00:27:12,008 For six seasons, B-movie star George Reeves 537 00:27:12,106 --> 00:27:15,444 donned the cape and became the face of Superman 538 00:27:15,543 --> 00:27:16,712 for a generation. 539 00:27:16,811 --> 00:27:18,314 - Every day you go to school, 540 00:27:18,413 --> 00:27:20,883 we were all talking about the same shows 541 00:27:20,982 --> 00:27:23,586 that we saw and could discuss them. 542 00:27:23,685 --> 00:27:25,454 And what that provided us with 543 00:27:25,548 --> 00:27:28,191 was a commonality of experience. 544 00:27:28,289 --> 00:27:30,654 - My friend and I were watching a show, 545 00:27:30,759 --> 00:27:32,295 then at the end, it said, 546 00:27:32,393 --> 00:27:34,530 "Superman is based on the copyrighted character 547 00:27:34,629 --> 00:27:37,133 appearing in 'Action Comics' and 'Superman.'" 548 00:27:37,231 --> 00:27:39,402 And the two of us got up, walked to the corner, 549 00:27:39,501 --> 00:27:43,739 and bought our first comics and never stopped. 550 00:27:43,838 --> 00:27:45,669 - You asked for it, now here it is, 551 00:27:45,773 --> 00:27:47,944 the new official Superman T-shirt 552 00:27:48,041 --> 00:27:51,347 with the official Superman insignia. 553 00:27:51,445 --> 00:27:54,117 Narrator: As kids sought out Superman at the newsstand, 554 00:27:54,214 --> 00:27:57,086 the lurid covers and gory art of horror comics 555 00:27:57,184 --> 00:28:01,657 also drew their eye and the concern of parents. 556 00:28:11,331 --> 00:28:14,337 - '50s America was afraid of the Russians, number one, 557 00:28:14,435 --> 00:28:18,574 but it was also afraid of the Martians, 558 00:28:18,672 --> 00:28:23,012 it was afraid of giant ants and jellyfish. 559 00:28:23,111 --> 00:28:24,914 It was afraid of gay people 560 00:28:25,013 --> 00:28:27,450 and subterranean sailors writing beat poetry. 561 00:28:29,350 --> 00:28:31,754 There's hardly anything you can name that Americans 562 00:28:31,853 --> 00:28:33,789 weren't afraid of in the '50s. 563 00:28:37,491 --> 00:28:39,295 - "Confidential File." 564 00:28:39,393 --> 00:28:41,530 One of the nation's distinguished news reporters 565 00:28:41,629 --> 00:28:44,728 brings you a factual report on America today. 566 00:28:44,832 --> 00:28:48,404 - This comic book describes a sexual aberration so shocking 567 00:28:48,502 --> 00:28:50,873 that I couldn't mention even the scientific term 568 00:28:50,972 --> 00:28:52,909 on television. 569 00:28:53,007 --> 00:28:55,844 I think there ought to be a law against them. 570 00:28:58,112 --> 00:29:01,150 - There was a growing undercurrent that was 571 00:29:01,249 --> 00:29:04,087 on the precipice of becoming a tsunami, 572 00:29:04,185 --> 00:29:10,359 and that was that comic books were morally depraved, 573 00:29:10,458 --> 00:29:14,497 the root cause of the post-World War II rise 574 00:29:14,596 --> 00:29:18,234 of juvenile delinquency in America. 575 00:29:18,333 --> 00:29:19,969 - Most comics are killers: 576 00:29:20,068 --> 00:29:23,372 they kill time, they kill imagination, 577 00:29:23,471 --> 00:29:26,142 they make the rule of violence the only rule. 578 00:29:27,808 --> 00:29:30,213 Narrator: Parental discord reached a fevered pitch 579 00:29:30,311 --> 00:29:32,815 with the publication of "Seduction of the Innocent" 580 00:29:32,915 --> 00:29:34,850 by Dr. Fredric Wertham. 581 00:29:34,949 --> 00:29:37,086 He preached the depravity of comics 582 00:29:37,184 --> 00:29:40,056 and the threat they posed to American youth. 583 00:29:41,389 --> 00:29:43,092 - Wertham was trying so hard. 584 00:29:43,191 --> 00:29:46,295 He would find an image of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson 585 00:29:46,394 --> 00:29:50,934 and somehow map a ton of homosexual overtones to that. 586 00:29:51,031 --> 00:29:56,672 - Dr. Wertham decided there is no reason why two young men 587 00:29:56,771 --> 00:30:00,409 should be living together and working out together 588 00:30:00,508 --> 00:30:03,212 and dressing up in tight costumes 589 00:30:03,311 --> 00:30:06,082 unless there was something going on between them. 590 00:30:08,149 --> 00:30:10,153 - "Seduction of the Innocent" claimed that 591 00:30:10,251 --> 00:30:12,855 comic books like "Batman" and "Wonder Woman" 592 00:30:12,954 --> 00:30:15,959 would encourage their readers to be gay. 593 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:22,365 In the case of "Wonder Woman," maybe not entirely untrue. 594 00:30:22,463 --> 00:30:26,002 - There were comic book burnings across America. 595 00:30:26,101 --> 00:30:28,337 Siblings were ratting out siblings 596 00:30:28,436 --> 00:30:31,374 to their parents who were then uncovering stashes 597 00:30:31,472 --> 00:30:33,476 of hidden comic books under the bed 598 00:30:33,574 --> 00:30:36,345 or hidden away in the garage or attic. 599 00:30:38,246 --> 00:30:40,249 - There were about 400... 600 00:30:40,348 --> 00:30:42,952 narrator: Fears of a federal investigation 601 00:30:43,051 --> 00:30:45,321 and government regulation drove DC 602 00:30:45,420 --> 00:30:47,823 and other publishers to act. 603 00:30:47,922 --> 00:30:51,827 In 1954, they formed the Comics Code Authority 604 00:30:51,926 --> 00:30:55,598 in an effort to self-censor and preserve their livelihood. 605 00:30:55,697 --> 00:30:57,500 - You couldn't publish any comics 606 00:30:57,599 --> 00:31:00,904 with the word horror or terror in the title or even crime. 607 00:31:01,003 --> 00:31:02,571 They had to make sure that, you know, 608 00:31:02,670 --> 00:31:05,108 good always triumphed over evil. 609 00:31:07,441 --> 00:31:09,001 - Like, you couldn't talk about divorce, 610 00:31:09,044 --> 00:31:11,014 you couldn't present law enforcement 611 00:31:11,112 --> 00:31:13,316 in a negative light. 612 00:31:14,682 --> 00:31:17,853 - Women should not be featured in comic books 613 00:31:17,953 --> 00:31:19,622 in prominent roles. 614 00:31:19,721 --> 00:31:22,391 No zombies, no ghosts. 615 00:31:22,490 --> 00:31:26,029 It was a creative stranglehold. 616 00:31:26,128 --> 00:31:27,430 Narrator: The strict censorship 617 00:31:27,529 --> 00:31:29,598 lobotomized the superhero genre. 618 00:31:29,697 --> 00:31:33,569 Many publishers folded as a generation of creators 619 00:31:33,669 --> 00:31:35,371 scrambled for work. 620 00:31:35,469 --> 00:31:38,942 - What the code and what the persecution of comics did 621 00:31:39,041 --> 00:31:40,876 was to make the people who were producing 622 00:31:40,976 --> 00:31:43,046 the comics feel oppressed. 623 00:31:43,144 --> 00:31:46,549 Was not a very happy time in comics. 624 00:31:46,648 --> 00:31:49,152 - They didn't wear their job on their sleeve. 625 00:31:49,250 --> 00:31:51,754 I mean, it was not a respected profession. 626 00:31:51,853 --> 00:31:54,190 So these men in their suits 627 00:31:54,289 --> 00:31:55,959 who could pass for insurance agents 628 00:31:56,052 --> 00:31:57,626 would go in and secretly do comics 629 00:31:57,725 --> 00:31:59,137 for eight hours a day and then get on the train 630 00:31:59,161 --> 00:32:00,396 and come home. 631 00:32:00,494 --> 00:32:02,098 - It's a very lonely business. 632 00:32:02,196 --> 00:32:04,733 You work all alone for hours on end, 633 00:32:04,832 --> 00:32:07,370 and you get strange machinations in your head 634 00:32:07,468 --> 00:32:09,438 because you think about the world outside. 635 00:32:09,537 --> 00:32:11,407 And you're really not a part of it, you know? 636 00:32:11,505 --> 00:32:13,176 And your world is that fantasy world 637 00:32:13,275 --> 00:32:16,212 you're creating on paper. 638 00:32:16,311 --> 00:32:18,147 - And we were kind of concerned, 639 00:32:18,246 --> 00:32:21,217 where is the comic book business going to go? 640 00:32:21,315 --> 00:32:24,587 So we used to hold meetings 641 00:32:24,685 --> 00:32:26,589 to plot what our next move would be. 642 00:32:26,687 --> 00:32:30,793 We had to come up with new ideas. 643 00:32:30,891 --> 00:32:32,929 Narrator: While the imagination of artists 644 00:32:33,028 --> 00:32:34,497 and writers knew no bounds, 645 00:32:34,595 --> 00:32:36,365 the editors shouldered the burden 646 00:32:36,464 --> 00:32:40,503 of shepherding creativity from concept to profit. 647 00:32:41,569 --> 00:32:45,108 - I was an editor and a freelance writer for them. 648 00:32:45,207 --> 00:32:47,610 But it was all male. 649 00:32:47,708 --> 00:32:51,547 It was difficult to be friendly with these men 650 00:32:51,646 --> 00:32:55,418 because they looked at me like, "What is she doing here?" 651 00:32:55,517 --> 00:32:59,222 They were very, very hard on artists 652 00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:01,290 because they wanted good stories, 653 00:33:01,389 --> 00:33:03,826 they wanted good artwork, 654 00:33:03,925 --> 00:33:07,196 and they could yell 655 00:33:07,295 --> 00:33:09,565 if they weren't getting what they wanted. 656 00:33:12,300 --> 00:33:15,138 - An editor's like the general of an army. 657 00:33:15,236 --> 00:33:19,003 He lays out a plan for the army 658 00:33:19,107 --> 00:33:20,676 being victorious over the enemy. 659 00:33:20,775 --> 00:33:22,511 In my case, I had to lay out a plan 660 00:33:22,610 --> 00:33:25,848 for me being victorious over the public out there. 661 00:33:25,946 --> 00:33:30,386 I had to get them to spend 10 cents to buy that magazine. 662 00:33:30,485 --> 00:33:32,121 Narrator: Desperate for success, 663 00:33:32,220 --> 00:33:34,157 Julius Schwartz decided to revitalize 664 00:33:34,256 --> 00:33:37,460 a long-forgotten superhero, the Flash, 665 00:33:37,558 --> 00:33:40,596 a character who moved at lightning speed. 666 00:33:47,135 --> 00:33:48,537 - My name is Barry Allen. 667 00:33:48,636 --> 00:33:51,074 I am the fastest man alive. 668 00:33:52,374 --> 00:33:55,278 Whoa! 669 00:34:09,123 --> 00:34:12,428 - Julie said, "We're gonna be doing superheroes again." 670 00:34:12,527 --> 00:34:14,230 I'm like, "Oh, my God." 671 00:34:14,329 --> 00:34:16,399 And I wasn't thrilled about the idea. 672 00:34:16,498 --> 00:34:17,698 I didn't like the superheroes. 673 00:34:17,765 --> 00:34:19,143 That was a hell of a thing to admit, 674 00:34:19,167 --> 00:34:20,970 but I didn't like doing them. 675 00:34:21,069 --> 00:34:22,438 I don't know. 676 00:34:22,536 --> 00:34:25,774 They were a little flamboyant for me, you know? 677 00:34:25,873 --> 00:34:27,476 Narrator: Despite his resistance, 678 00:34:27,575 --> 00:34:29,878 Carmine Infantino's sleek artwork 679 00:34:29,978 --> 00:34:31,314 and sense of scale clicked 680 00:34:31,412 --> 00:34:33,116 with the science fiction approach. 681 00:34:33,209 --> 00:34:35,952 It proved irresistible to a generation 682 00:34:36,051 --> 00:34:37,921 raised on chemistry sets. 683 00:34:38,018 --> 00:34:41,390 - Julie brought a science angle to these characters 684 00:34:41,484 --> 00:34:44,493 in what was, you know, the Jet Age, the Space Age. 685 00:34:44,592 --> 00:34:47,530 He tapped into the kids who wanted 686 00:34:47,628 --> 00:34:50,900 to be astronauts, the kids who wanted to be scientists. 687 00:34:50,998 --> 00:34:55,138 - "The Flash" and "Flash Facts" were because of Julie Schwartz 688 00:34:55,237 --> 00:34:56,772 and him caring about 689 00:34:56,871 --> 00:34:58,841 the science part of science fiction. 690 00:34:58,940 --> 00:35:00,676 It worked for me. 691 00:35:00,775 --> 00:35:03,846 I would rather learn my science from a comic book 692 00:35:03,945 --> 00:35:06,082 than from going to school. 693 00:35:08,683 --> 00:35:10,486 narrator: The Flash's alter ego, 694 00:35:10,585 --> 00:35:14,357 police scientist Barry Allen, was more down-to-earth, 695 00:35:14,456 --> 00:35:18,061 unlike the mythic stature of DC's Trinity. 696 00:35:18,159 --> 00:35:19,395 - Superman was Superman. 697 00:35:19,494 --> 00:35:20,871 He was an alien from another planet. 698 00:35:20,895 --> 00:35:22,698 You couldn't be Superman. 699 00:35:22,796 --> 00:35:25,668 Batman had stuff, but he was a really rich guy, 700 00:35:25,762 --> 00:35:27,131 you know, who had stuff. 701 00:35:27,230 --> 00:35:28,812 But the Flash was sort of like us, you know? 702 00:35:28,836 --> 00:35:30,556 He was just an average guy who just happened 703 00:35:30,638 --> 00:35:32,741 to get struck by lightning, and I remember 704 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:34,210 thinking as a little kid, like, 705 00:35:34,308 --> 00:35:35,352 "I could get struck by lightning. 706 00:35:35,376 --> 00:35:36,779 "That could happen. 707 00:35:36,878 --> 00:35:39,815 I could actually become a superhero that way." 708 00:35:39,914 --> 00:35:41,725 - When I read "The Flash," it wasn't just about 709 00:35:41,749 --> 00:35:45,521 a guy ran fast, it was about a man who could travel 710 00:35:45,620 --> 00:35:48,491 through time and go through different dimensions 711 00:35:48,590 --> 00:35:50,154 and parallel worlds. 712 00:35:50,258 --> 00:35:54,730 So the Flash's canvas was, like, all of space and time. 713 00:35:57,799 --> 00:36:01,837 Narrator: 1961 marked a big bang of creativity. 714 00:36:01,935 --> 00:36:04,740 Julius Schwartz introduced a groundbreaking idea 715 00:36:04,839 --> 00:36:09,678 to comics... the existence of parallel worlds. 716 00:36:09,777 --> 00:36:11,547 The theory allowed different versions 717 00:36:11,645 --> 00:36:14,517 of the same characters to meet one another. 718 00:36:14,615 --> 00:36:17,486 From that concept grew a multiverse 719 00:36:17,585 --> 00:36:21,524 that defined superhero stories for years to come. 720 00:36:22,990 --> 00:36:25,261 - Now everybody talks about parallel universes. 721 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:27,080 Not a lot of people were talking about that. 722 00:36:27,161 --> 00:36:30,266 And certainly for a kid coming across concepts like that, 723 00:36:30,365 --> 00:36:31,968 that was incredible. 724 00:36:32,066 --> 00:36:34,537 It was like someone stuck a stick of dynamite in your ear 725 00:36:34,635 --> 00:36:36,105 and lit it and blew up your head. 726 00:36:38,406 --> 00:36:40,910 - It's this idea that we're not alone. 727 00:36:41,004 --> 00:36:42,311 Yes, we live in this reality, 728 00:36:42,410 --> 00:36:44,880 but there are infinite multiple realities 729 00:36:44,979 --> 00:36:48,251 that basically sit side-by-side one another. 730 00:36:48,350 --> 00:36:49,885 And in those alternate realities, 731 00:36:49,984 --> 00:36:52,121 we have our iconic versions of our characters, 732 00:36:52,220 --> 00:36:54,357 but on other Earths, they might be villains 733 00:36:54,455 --> 00:36:56,993 or they might be married with kids. 734 00:36:57,091 --> 00:36:59,662 It really expands our ability to tell different kinds 735 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:02,932 of stories but still keep our core nucleus 736 00:37:03,031 --> 00:37:04,400 of iconic characters. 737 00:37:07,602 --> 00:37:09,405 Narrator: DC plunged into a catalogue 738 00:37:09,504 --> 00:37:11,074 of unused characters 739 00:37:11,171 --> 00:37:14,277 in what became a rapid procession of reinvention. 740 00:37:14,376 --> 00:37:18,614 This renaissance marked a silver age for the industry, 741 00:37:18,713 --> 00:37:21,484 an era defined by mind-bending artwork 742 00:37:21,583 --> 00:37:23,786 and eye-catching covers. 743 00:37:23,884 --> 00:37:26,789 Many were crafted by artist Joe Kubert, 744 00:37:26,888 --> 00:37:29,025 a Polish immigrant who pushed the envelope 745 00:37:29,124 --> 00:37:31,995 of visual storytelling. 746 00:37:32,092 --> 00:37:35,031 - Storytelling sounds very easy to do, but let me tell you, 747 00:37:35,130 --> 00:37:37,466 it is really hard. 748 00:37:37,565 --> 00:37:39,702 It's really, really difficult. 749 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:41,470 My father could draw with a stick, 750 00:37:41,569 --> 00:37:43,606 and you could still tell what was going on. 751 00:37:43,704 --> 00:37:46,442 He was the type of person, when you're growing up, 752 00:37:46,541 --> 00:37:48,144 that wouldn't put up with a lot of stuff. 753 00:37:48,243 --> 00:37:52,949 You know, he was kinda like growing up with Sgt. Rock. 754 00:37:58,186 --> 00:38:00,623 narrator: Joe Kubert's dirty, scratchy artwork 755 00:38:00,721 --> 00:38:03,960 brought vitality and emotion to DC war comics, 756 00:38:04,057 --> 00:38:07,063 a genre for those that preferred grounded reality 757 00:38:07,162 --> 00:38:09,032 over superhero fantasy. 758 00:38:09,130 --> 00:38:11,867 Set against the backdrops of the World Wars, 759 00:38:11,965 --> 00:38:15,471 their popularity grew with the introduction of Sergeant Rock, 760 00:38:15,570 --> 00:38:17,840 a stoic John Wayne figure that represented 761 00:38:17,938 --> 00:38:21,444 the moral side of war and the internal conflict 762 00:38:21,543 --> 00:38:23,712 that soldiers face. 763 00:38:24,978 --> 00:38:27,250 - Eventually, every single war comic ended with a title 764 00:38:27,348 --> 00:38:29,052 that said, "Make war no more." 765 00:38:29,150 --> 00:38:31,754 And they became not war stories about the glorification of war, 766 00:38:31,852 --> 00:38:35,591 but they became war stories about the tragedies of war. 767 00:38:35,690 --> 00:38:39,695 - My father's style was very impressionistic. 768 00:38:39,794 --> 00:38:42,198 I mean, he would get the emotions in the characters, 769 00:38:42,297 --> 00:38:47,003 their feelings, what they were emoting, down. 770 00:38:47,101 --> 00:38:51,440 - You've got to kind of feel the drawing that you're doing. 771 00:38:51,539 --> 00:38:54,377 And that's not an easy thing to do. 772 00:38:54,476 --> 00:38:56,179 And I try to invest myself completely 773 00:38:56,277 --> 00:38:59,015 and totally into the story. 774 00:38:59,114 --> 00:39:01,417 And I learned early on that that's what 775 00:39:01,515 --> 00:39:03,319 this whole business is about. 776 00:39:03,418 --> 00:39:05,554 It's not a matter of doing pretty pictures. 777 00:39:05,653 --> 00:39:08,324 It's great if you could do that. 778 00:39:08,423 --> 00:39:12,356 But the whole call for our business is telling a story. 779 00:39:12,455 --> 00:39:14,931 We're communicators. We're storytellers. 780 00:39:19,933 --> 00:39:22,171 - Comic is a medium like no other. 781 00:39:22,270 --> 00:39:25,308 There is an intimacy there that is not present 782 00:39:25,407 --> 00:39:27,710 in movies and TV or whatever. 783 00:39:27,808 --> 00:39:31,147 With comics, you get to decide the pace 784 00:39:31,246 --> 00:39:33,182 at which you absorb the story. 785 00:39:33,281 --> 00:39:36,019 There's something about the comics that allows you 786 00:39:36,118 --> 00:39:40,189 to really be an intimate part of that. 787 00:39:40,287 --> 00:39:44,127 - It could explain why fans are so ravenous, like, you know, 788 00:39:44,224 --> 00:39:47,496 and they take it so personal because it is personal to them. 789 00:39:47,595 --> 00:39:49,565 They've had a personal interaction 790 00:39:49,665 --> 00:39:51,000 with these stories. 791 00:39:51,099 --> 00:39:53,536 You can see why people love it so much. 792 00:39:55,737 --> 00:39:57,573 narrator: In the 1950s and '60s, 793 00:39:57,666 --> 00:40:00,509 love and desire brought young girls in droves 794 00:40:00,608 --> 00:40:04,480 to a genre in full bloom: romance. 795 00:40:05,914 --> 00:40:07,583 - They were drawn beautifully, 796 00:40:07,682 --> 00:40:10,453 and the stories were relatable. 797 00:40:12,648 --> 00:40:14,757 Who hasn't gone through heartbreak? 798 00:40:14,855 --> 00:40:17,560 Who hasn't loved someone and not 799 00:40:17,658 --> 00:40:20,196 had somebody return that love? 800 00:40:22,897 --> 00:40:26,769 Tony Abruzzo, who was a wonderful artist, 801 00:40:26,868 --> 00:40:28,905 I wanted him just to work for me 802 00:40:29,003 --> 00:40:34,438 because he did such beautiful, sensitive characters. 803 00:40:35,643 --> 00:40:38,847 Narrator: In 1962, DC artist Tony Abruzzo 804 00:40:38,946 --> 00:40:43,186 drew a girl drowning in issue 83 of "Secret Hearts." 805 00:40:43,284 --> 00:40:46,450 One year later, a New York City based pop artist 806 00:40:46,554 --> 00:40:49,558 named Roy Lichtenstein turned that same drawing 807 00:40:49,657 --> 00:40:52,028 into one of his most famous works. 808 00:40:53,661 --> 00:40:56,199 - I go through comic books looking for material which 809 00:40:56,297 --> 00:40:59,168 seems to hold possibilities for a painting 810 00:40:59,267 --> 00:41:02,671 both in its visual impact and in the impact 811 00:41:02,770 --> 00:41:05,308 of its written message, which I rarely make up. 812 00:41:05,407 --> 00:41:07,471 I don't think I'd be capable of making them up. 813 00:41:07,575 --> 00:41:10,313 I know that my work has been accused of looking 814 00:41:10,411 --> 00:41:13,549 like the things that I copy, and it certainly does look 815 00:41:13,648 --> 00:41:15,218 like the things that I copy. 816 00:41:15,317 --> 00:41:18,521 - "The Drowning Woman" was straight out of that book, 817 00:41:18,621 --> 00:41:20,189 "Secret Hearts." 818 00:41:20,288 --> 00:41:24,460 First you feel flattered, and then you feel used. 819 00:41:24,559 --> 00:41:28,764 Since nobody interpreted it as a stolen thing, 820 00:41:28,864 --> 00:41:30,866 it was his artwork. 821 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:37,773 - 35 million, 36 million, with Mark still at $36 million, 822 00:41:37,873 --> 00:41:40,643 37 million, 38 million. 823 00:41:40,742 --> 00:41:42,778 At $38 million. 824 00:41:42,871 --> 00:41:45,915 - You've taken these panels that these guys have drawn, 825 00:41:46,014 --> 00:41:48,451 we're making, like, 15 bucks a page, 826 00:41:48,549 --> 00:41:52,355 and you're basically just blowing up their work. 827 00:41:52,453 --> 00:41:57,893 That was a tough nut to swallow for a lot of those artists. 828 00:41:57,992 --> 00:42:00,196 Narrator: Whether highbrow or lowbrow, 829 00:42:00,294 --> 00:42:02,999 Americans chased one artistic trend after another 830 00:42:03,097 --> 00:42:05,368 with a speed greater than ever. 831 00:42:10,070 --> 00:42:12,141 Throughout the '60s, counterculture pushed 832 00:42:12,240 --> 00:42:14,777 pop culture to reflect the times. 833 00:42:14,875 --> 00:42:18,647 And in so doing proved DC was out of touch. 834 00:42:20,548 --> 00:42:24,853 A growing competitor tapped into that reality, Marvel. 835 00:42:24,952 --> 00:42:28,157 Editor-in-chief Stan Lee made sure his heroes 836 00:42:28,256 --> 00:42:30,026 looked current on the sales racks, 837 00:42:30,124 --> 00:42:33,396 which set the stage for a lifelong rivalry. 838 00:42:33,494 --> 00:42:35,999 - Years ago, the readers were just interested 839 00:42:36,097 --> 00:42:38,101 in regular fantasy, and our villains 840 00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:40,736 were just some mad men who wanted to rule the world. 841 00:42:40,836 --> 00:42:42,705 But today, our readers, 842 00:42:42,803 --> 00:42:44,540 they're interested in real problems, 843 00:42:44,639 --> 00:42:46,783 and we find that our villains today are the kind of people 844 00:42:46,807 --> 00:42:50,513 who might be causing race riots or fermenting trouble 845 00:42:50,612 --> 00:42:52,648 between different classes. 846 00:42:55,350 --> 00:42:58,454 - Marvel was coming into its own. 847 00:42:58,553 --> 00:43:02,025 This was a time of change. 848 00:43:02,123 --> 00:43:05,694 And their superheroes had quirks. 849 00:43:05,794 --> 00:43:07,830 And they were a little nutty. 850 00:43:07,929 --> 00:43:09,532 - They were weird. 851 00:43:09,630 --> 00:43:12,135 They weren't even particularly heroic at first. 852 00:43:12,233 --> 00:43:14,570 They fought with each other, They bickered. 853 00:43:14,669 --> 00:43:16,105 They were petty. 854 00:43:16,204 --> 00:43:18,107 You know, they caught colds. 855 00:43:18,206 --> 00:43:19,875 They were jealous of each other. 856 00:43:19,973 --> 00:43:22,711 These characters are characters that could be you. 857 00:43:22,805 --> 00:43:25,781 Marvel was very much focused on being, 858 00:43:25,880 --> 00:43:27,850 you know, the world outside your window. 859 00:43:27,943 --> 00:43:31,921 All their stories take place in New York City. 860 00:43:32,020 --> 00:43:35,858 - DC established all of the conventions 861 00:43:35,958 --> 00:43:37,493 of the superhero genre, 862 00:43:37,592 --> 00:43:39,662 and Marvel made a name for themselves 863 00:43:39,760 --> 00:43:41,697 by breaking those conventions. 864 00:43:41,796 --> 00:43:45,668 They couldn't have done that had DC not first said, 865 00:43:45,766 --> 00:43:47,078 "This is what a superhero looks like. 866 00:43:47,102 --> 00:43:49,505 This is what a superhero does." 867 00:43:49,604 --> 00:43:51,740 - DC looked at Marvel like, 868 00:43:51,839 --> 00:43:54,443 "Ah, it's a passing fad, they'll come and go." 869 00:43:54,542 --> 00:43:58,014 They would look at the comics and go, "Well, this art's bad. 870 00:43:58,111 --> 00:44:01,017 I mean, I guess that's what selling comics is... bad art." 871 00:44:03,017 --> 00:44:06,322 - I don't think DC, as a group, got it. 872 00:44:06,420 --> 00:44:08,524 I don't think they had any real understanding 873 00:44:08,623 --> 00:44:10,667 of what Marvel was doing well that they weren't doing. 874 00:44:10,691 --> 00:44:14,297 It was a company that had been the dominant player. 875 00:44:14,395 --> 00:44:16,532 But the Marvel stuff was gaining strength 876 00:44:16,631 --> 00:44:20,036 and the DC stuff was not. 877 00:44:20,135 --> 00:44:21,971 - Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman 878 00:44:22,070 --> 00:44:24,941 during this era were especially bland. 879 00:44:25,039 --> 00:44:28,211 The heroes became more like jolly authority figures, 880 00:44:28,310 --> 00:44:30,379 you know, they became paternal. 881 00:44:30,478 --> 00:44:33,216 Narrator: Originally conceived as a vigilante 882 00:44:33,314 --> 00:44:36,085 that struck fear into the hearts of criminals, 883 00:44:36,184 --> 00:44:38,287 the Batman of the '50s and '60s 884 00:44:38,386 --> 00:44:42,025 played in a colorful, juvenile world of fantasy. 885 00:44:42,123 --> 00:44:44,360 Interest and sales plummeted. 886 00:44:44,458 --> 00:44:48,097 As its cancellation neared, a lifeline was cast 887 00:44:48,195 --> 00:44:51,968 when DC licensed the rights to a live-action TV show. 888 00:44:53,769 --> 00:44:55,204 - ♪ Batman! ♪ 889 00:44:56,838 --> 00:44:59,408 ♪ Batman! ♪ 890 00:44:59,507 --> 00:45:01,477 - When the "Batman" TV show came on 891 00:45:01,576 --> 00:45:05,881 on that cold winter night in January of 1966, 892 00:45:05,981 --> 00:45:10,086 I was 14 1/2 years old. 893 00:45:10,185 --> 00:45:13,222 I was an ardent comic book fan. 894 00:45:13,321 --> 00:45:16,720 Nobody was more excited about the "Batman" show 895 00:45:16,825 --> 00:45:18,394 coming on TV than I was. 896 00:45:18,492 --> 00:45:20,863 - ♪ Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, na ♪ 897 00:45:20,962 --> 00:45:22,498 ♪ Batman! ♪ 898 00:45:22,597 --> 00:45:26,002 - Remember, Robin, always look both ways. 899 00:45:26,094 --> 00:45:29,172 - There was nothing that creative on television, 900 00:45:29,270 --> 00:45:31,774 and that show showed up fully blown. 901 00:45:31,872 --> 00:45:35,178 It had its look figured out. It had its tone figured out. 902 00:45:35,276 --> 00:45:38,581 The acting was exactly what that show was supposed to be. 903 00:45:38,680 --> 00:45:41,817 - Push yourself away, Robin. 904 00:45:41,916 --> 00:45:43,386 - I took that as a very serious show. 905 00:45:43,484 --> 00:45:44,988 I didn't realize it was funny at all. 906 00:45:45,087 --> 00:45:47,023 There was no comedy in it for me, I thought. 907 00:45:47,122 --> 00:45:48,624 And so it was a great introduction 908 00:45:48,723 --> 00:45:50,159 into the world of Batman. 909 00:45:50,258 --> 00:45:52,395 - Holy human pearls, Batman. 910 00:45:52,493 --> 00:45:54,964 - Correction, Robin... Pearls come from oysters. 911 00:45:55,063 --> 00:45:57,866 You came out of that clam. 912 00:45:57,966 --> 00:46:01,637 - About 20 minutes in, it hits me. 913 00:46:01,736 --> 00:46:03,339 Pow. 914 00:46:03,438 --> 00:46:05,508 Zap. 915 00:46:05,608 --> 00:46:08,477 Whamm. 916 00:46:08,577 --> 00:46:09,678 Oh, my God. 917 00:46:09,778 --> 00:46:12,348 This is a comedy. 918 00:46:12,447 --> 00:46:15,985 They are making a joke out of Batman. 919 00:46:16,084 --> 00:46:19,923 The whole world is laughing at Batman. 920 00:46:20,021 --> 00:46:22,658 And that killed me. 921 00:46:25,659 --> 00:46:28,231 - William Dozier, you know, who's the executive producer 922 00:46:28,330 --> 00:46:31,034 of "Batman," had never read a "Batman" comic 923 00:46:31,132 --> 00:46:32,535 when he got that job. 924 00:46:34,335 --> 00:46:36,800 - Well, the fairly obvious idea 925 00:46:36,905 --> 00:46:39,875 was to make it so square 926 00:46:39,975 --> 00:46:42,545 and so serious and so cliché-ridden 927 00:46:42,644 --> 00:46:47,917 and so overdone and yet do it with a certain elegance 928 00:46:48,016 --> 00:46:50,886 and style that it would be funny, 929 00:46:50,979 --> 00:46:53,589 that it would be so corny and so bad 930 00:46:53,689 --> 00:46:55,458 that it would be funny. 931 00:46:55,557 --> 00:46:57,860 - Holy jack in the box! 932 00:46:59,560 --> 00:47:01,164 - For a lot of folks, the bright, happy, 933 00:47:01,262 --> 00:47:03,266 TV Batman was a distraction, 934 00:47:03,365 --> 00:47:05,234 and that's a good distraction. 935 00:47:05,333 --> 00:47:07,236 We all need distractions at some times 936 00:47:07,335 --> 00:47:10,173 from what's going on outside in the real world. 937 00:47:13,475 --> 00:47:16,412 - Here was this completely ludicrous show, 938 00:47:16,511 --> 00:47:20,917 they made it colorful, they made it larger than life, 939 00:47:21,016 --> 00:47:23,252 and they made it a little bit subversive. 940 00:47:23,351 --> 00:47:25,354 - The flower children think we're cool, man. 941 00:47:25,453 --> 00:47:26,889 Like, we turn them on, you know? 942 00:47:26,988 --> 00:47:28,132 - Although it may not be understood 943 00:47:28,156 --> 00:47:30,326 by more literal minds, 944 00:47:30,425 --> 00:47:32,495 in their own way, they're doing what they can 945 00:47:32,593 --> 00:47:37,400 to correct the world's woes with love and flowers. 946 00:47:37,498 --> 00:47:39,310 Narrator: While the high adventure and Bat-Gadgets 947 00:47:39,334 --> 00:47:42,338 appealed to kids, adults got their kicks 948 00:47:42,437 --> 00:47:44,673 from the humor and sexual innuendo. 949 00:47:44,773 --> 00:47:45,975 - Would you like to come in 950 00:47:46,074 --> 00:47:48,177 for a glass of milk and cookies? 951 00:47:48,276 --> 00:47:51,948 - Man cannot live by crimefighting alone. 952 00:47:59,553 --> 00:48:01,757 narrator: Even though "Batman" caused a flurry 953 00:48:01,857 --> 00:48:03,559 of short-lived excitement, 954 00:48:03,658 --> 00:48:06,295 the TV show became a parody of itself, 955 00:48:06,394 --> 00:48:08,631 and viewers tuned out. 956 00:48:08,730 --> 00:48:11,034 The network cancelled the pun-filled madness 957 00:48:11,133 --> 00:48:13,436 after only three seasons. 958 00:48:13,534 --> 00:48:16,605 No one recognized the show's true creative discovery 959 00:48:16,704 --> 00:48:20,309 until decades later... That each rendition of Batman 960 00:48:20,408 --> 00:48:22,979 could have a different tone. 961 00:48:23,078 --> 00:48:24,347 - If you look at Batman, 962 00:48:24,445 --> 00:48:26,115 the Batman that was created in 1966 963 00:48:26,214 --> 00:48:29,318 is not the same Batman that exists today. 964 00:48:29,417 --> 00:48:32,956 There were always moments where the creatives 965 00:48:33,055 --> 00:48:35,558 wanted to do something different. 966 00:48:47,535 --> 00:48:50,239 - Yeah. Look at that. That is great. 967 00:48:50,338 --> 00:48:52,375 I wanted to do a story where 968 00:48:52,473 --> 00:48:54,510 the character Batman had an arc. 969 00:48:54,609 --> 00:48:56,545 I wanted to do an imperfect Batman. 970 00:48:59,414 --> 00:49:03,319 And I wanted to set him into a mode 971 00:49:03,418 --> 00:49:05,188 that hadn't been quite done, 972 00:49:05,287 --> 00:49:07,690 which was to lean hard into the noir side 973 00:49:07,788 --> 00:49:10,493 of the story and make him the world's greatest detective. 974 00:49:12,826 --> 00:49:14,830 The first days of shooting, they were really 975 00:49:14,929 --> 00:49:18,101 about figuring out how Batman sounded, 976 00:49:18,200 --> 00:49:20,403 how the other characters related to him. 977 00:49:22,971 --> 00:49:25,208 - Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 978 00:49:25,306 --> 00:49:27,010 Police section. 979 00:49:27,109 --> 00:49:30,613 - How does a masked man with a cape 980 00:49:30,713 --> 00:49:32,081 walk into a crime scene, 981 00:49:32,180 --> 00:49:35,318 and how do you make that feel real? 982 00:49:35,416 --> 00:49:38,021 And shooting this scene was really, really challenging 983 00:49:38,118 --> 00:49:42,891 and, ultimately, sort of set the tone of the whole movie. 984 00:49:46,695 --> 00:49:47,992 - Don't make me hurt you. 985 00:49:48,096 --> 00:49:50,266 You better watch it. 986 00:49:50,365 --> 00:49:52,601 You know my reputation. 987 00:49:54,202 --> 00:49:55,738 - There's certain things you get 988 00:49:55,838 --> 00:49:57,540 to do on a Batman movie. 989 00:49:57,639 --> 00:49:59,283 You kind of have to pinch yourself 'cause you're, like, 990 00:49:59,307 --> 00:50:00,985 going, "Oh, well, we're gonna need our version 991 00:50:01,009 --> 00:50:02,445 of the Batmobile." 992 00:50:03,978 --> 00:50:07,750 As a kid, I loved "Batman" '66. I loved Adam West. 993 00:50:07,849 --> 00:50:10,586 And that Futura Batmobile, that concept car, 994 00:50:10,685 --> 00:50:12,488 I thought that was the coolest car ever 995 00:50:12,587 --> 00:50:14,657 with the fire that came out of the back. 996 00:50:14,755 --> 00:50:19,328 And I knew what I wanted to do was a muscle car. 997 00:50:19,427 --> 00:50:21,764 I wanted you to feel it was totally real. 998 00:50:26,767 --> 00:50:29,772 - The strength of this film is that it delivers 999 00:50:29,871 --> 00:50:31,507 in all of these big moments, 1000 00:50:31,606 --> 00:50:33,910 but it really all feels grounded. 1001 00:50:34,008 --> 00:50:36,779 He's really dedicated to it feeling real 1002 00:50:36,878 --> 00:50:39,615 and being motivated by emotion. 1003 00:50:41,416 --> 00:50:43,519 - The story is a very psychological one. 1004 00:50:43,618 --> 00:50:45,088 He's basically coping with things 1005 00:50:45,186 --> 00:50:46,789 that happened to him as a child. 1006 00:50:46,888 --> 00:50:50,326 And he's driven to try and make sense of his life. 1007 00:50:50,424 --> 00:50:52,202 And for me, that's what moviemaking is, right? 1008 00:50:52,226 --> 00:50:54,797 You go and you try to tell stories because, in doing so, 1009 00:50:54,895 --> 00:50:59,168 you're kind of making order and sense of the world. 1010 00:51:12,113 --> 00:51:15,484 narrator: The America of 1968 fell into turmoil. 1011 00:51:15,583 --> 00:51:18,254 In a society plagued by the Vietnam War, 1012 00:51:18,347 --> 00:51:21,925 civil rights unrest and social injustice, 1013 00:51:22,022 --> 00:51:23,826 the DC characters seemed tone-deaf. 1014 00:51:23,925 --> 00:51:26,395 They faced their own real danger: 1015 00:51:26,494 --> 00:51:28,064 becoming a relic. 1016 00:51:29,930 --> 00:51:32,468 - The money is being made from licensing, 1017 00:51:32,567 --> 00:51:35,338 the money is being made off toys. 1018 00:51:35,436 --> 00:51:36,739 The money is not in the comics. 1019 00:51:36,838 --> 00:51:40,643 It's a loss leader for the merchandising. 1020 00:51:40,741 --> 00:51:44,147 Narrator: DC cashed in $75 million worth 1021 00:51:44,246 --> 00:51:45,714 of Batmania merchandising, 1022 00:51:45,813 --> 00:51:47,550 a whopping amount for the time, 1023 00:51:47,649 --> 00:51:50,114 and a number that business savvy president 1024 00:51:50,218 --> 00:51:52,321 Jack Liebowitz seized upon. 1025 00:51:53,921 --> 00:51:56,960 In 1969, a corporate takeover targeted DC 1026 00:51:57,057 --> 00:52:01,197 for its licensing potential, not its comics. 1027 00:52:02,664 --> 00:52:06,269 - It was a whole other ballgame that was coming, 1028 00:52:06,367 --> 00:52:08,304 and people were afraid, they really were. 1029 00:52:08,402 --> 00:52:10,134 They didn't know what their jobs were going 1030 00:52:10,238 --> 00:52:13,910 to be as a result of that. 1031 00:52:14,008 --> 00:52:16,779 Narrator: Liebowitz forced out a number of DC legends, 1032 00:52:16,878 --> 00:52:19,448 including Batman co-creator Bill Finger, 1033 00:52:19,547 --> 00:52:23,147 who died destitute in 1974. 1034 00:52:23,251 --> 00:52:24,653 Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster 1035 00:52:24,752 --> 00:52:27,590 no longer worked at the company. 1036 00:52:27,689 --> 00:52:30,326 Several acrimonious lawsuits over rights and credit 1037 00:52:30,425 --> 00:52:32,895 for Superman soured the relationship. 1038 00:52:32,993 --> 00:52:35,364 The family atmosphere surrendered 1039 00:52:35,463 --> 00:52:36,933 to corporate structure. 1040 00:52:37,031 --> 00:52:39,602 The power once held by the superheroes 1041 00:52:39,700 --> 00:52:42,305 shifted to the new executives in charge, 1042 00:52:42,403 --> 00:52:44,840 Warner Communications. 1043 00:52:44,939 --> 00:52:50,279 - The reason they bought DC Comics was very simple: 1044 00:52:50,378 --> 00:52:52,581 they wanted the rights to Superman. 1045 00:52:52,680 --> 00:52:55,952 They felt that was the only comic book character 1046 00:52:56,051 --> 00:52:59,522 capable of sustaining a blockbuster movie 1047 00:52:59,620 --> 00:53:03,259 and the merchandising that would go along with it. 1048 00:53:03,358 --> 00:53:06,829 Only if you look at it through the lens of the times 1049 00:53:06,928 --> 00:53:08,932 can anything possibly make sense. 1050 00:53:09,029 --> 00:53:12,135 Nobody understood the value of these characters 1051 00:53:12,233 --> 00:53:14,570 or thought they had any worth. 1052 00:53:14,669 --> 00:53:16,672 They looked down their nose at the creators, 1053 00:53:16,771 --> 00:53:22,245 generally speaking, and saw no value, saw no value. 1054 00:53:23,539 --> 00:53:26,115 Narrator: The days of DC Comics were numbered, 1055 00:53:26,213 --> 00:53:29,852 and the fate of its universe hung in the balance. 1056 00:53:29,950 --> 00:53:32,688 If America could land a man on the moon, 1057 00:53:32,787 --> 00:53:37,693 how hard could it be to make superheroes relevant again? 1058 00:53:37,792 --> 00:53:39,963 This looked like a job for... 1059 00:53:42,264 --> 00:53:43,566 Fans.82741

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