Fait Accompli & All That Jazz

I've finally gotten around to writing about the idea of fait accompli.  Perhaps I've been procrastinating a little bit because--by design--whatever I decide to write here has already been written... if you belief in fait. It's one of those things where you can't have an either/or scenario: if things are predestine and no matter how hard you try to avoid them or take measures to choose a different path they happen anyway, what's the point? If, on the other hand there is flexibility in the outcome of events and one is not sealed into a fate, it's worth the effort to try to alter the outcome of an event.  This past weekend Christians all over the world celebrated Easter: that symbolic tradition  in remembrance of a man who was not really a man, who lived a life that was predestined to end in a certain way no matter how he pleaded or desired for a different outcome.

(I make no apologies for spoilers by the way) 

Ironically, this weekend also heralded the debut of Batman V Superman: a story about a man who was not really a man, who did all that he could to avoid a fate that appeared inevitable. He was blamed for things beyond his control, despised even by Batman--someone who was not  without blemish in the, "I'm going after bad guys who sometimes go after innocent people just because they're associated with me in some way. And even though some of these innocent people may get hurt and die, getting the bad guys is more important," category of heroes. 

Towards the end of the film Superman has a fight with Batman where fighting is obviously the last thing Superman wants to do.  He is forced to defend himself against the misguided angst of Batman, who, despite his obvious intellect and ingenuity, does not seem to be ready to acknowledge that (as Lex Luthor points out), a bell has been rung and can't be un-rung...  With the arrival of Superman and others aliens from Krypton, a chain of events has been initiated that will have a lasting impact on humanity.  In this comic world Batman should have had the foresight to realize that Superman exists. Supermen exists.  

Instead of getting angry and attempting to kill the meta-human (i.e Superman), who is obviously fighting to keep the world safe from the other not-so-friendly extraterrestrial super beings, Batman should have requested a meeting.  Like a true gentleman, Batman should have discussed his concerns, and then jointly decided on a course of actions where they could both be ready and willing to help each other out against the real enemies of earth in a way that mitigated innocent casualties. I am not at all in the "hate Ben Affleck's Batman" camp--I actually think he did a pretty decent job with the role. However, this version of Batman was a bit disturbing and a departure from the je ne sais quio rough but refined Christian Bale version of Batman. The old (well younger) Batman would not have branded anyone--even scumbag criminals, and the older (new) Batman should have been growing wiser not more crude.

The joining of forces between Superman and Batman (and Wonder Woman) ultimately happens before the end of the film of course.  But what a price Superman ends up having to pay. The question is: could it all have been avoided if Batman had just taken a moment to listen when Superman went to ask for his help to recover Martha?  OR was it just the way things were pre-destined to happen?   Why put a mother through the pain of thinking her son had died? Why put Lois through the heartbreak of thinking her lover/fiance had died, only to realize he's not really dead?  Of course Superman is not really dead.  In the comic books Superman dies and returns. I anticipate that in the third film the return of Superman will occur.

The very last scene of BVS (sounds like an infectious disease) where the dirt starts to vibrate on the coffin, should be an indication of the fact that Clarke Kent is about to bust out of his grave in a very superhuman way.   I'm not mad or disappointed at the movie for making this the end of Act II for Superman/Man of Steel.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching the somewhat predictable story unfold. As with the original Star Wars trilogy, I anticipated that the second film in the Superman/Man of Steel franchise would involve a dark, cliffhanger fate for Superman, so that when he does return in the next film, he will be even more appreciated by those who took him for granted the first time around. 

And finally my last, and without a doubt most ponderous dilemma about fait accompli comes in the form of a decision I have to make about George. George is the central character in my latest novella.  I have been torn between giving George redeeming qualities or making him--despite his best attempt--a horrible fait accompagnateur . The harbinger of an evil so vile that one does not want to believe it is the result of a human being choosing to do such evil, but a human living out a pre-destined series of events that manifest in the evil deeds.

I'm still pondering...