Obsessive Avenger

            Apart from homosexuality in film, there is also one other group that I haven’t quite gotten around to talking about yet. I’m speaking of course about the portrayal of disabled people in film. Individuals with “congenital impairments and/or other physical anomalies” (Benshoff) were typically depicted as “freaks” in early film, these characters allowed “normal” people to develop a curiosity and to use there disabilities to entertain themselves. There are many different stereotypes that are associated with individuals with disabilities. The stereotype I’m going to be focusing on is the Obsessive Avenger.

            The Obsessive Avenger is a “stereotype of a disabled or disfigured man who exacts revenge on “normal” society; often found in crime or horror films” (Benshoff). This character can be found in a number of films today. The Lion King, for example, is a Disney growing up film about a young cub, named Simba, who flees and abandons his role as future king after he is tricked into believing that he was responsible for his father’s deaths. When in fact it was actually is Uncle Scar (his father’s brother) who killed him. Scar fits into the stereotype of the obsessive avenger because (1) he’s a man, (2) He is slightly disfigured. There is a huge scar that is shown across his eye and, (3) He plays an evil character who is seeking revenge against his brother.  Scar wants to become king, so he comes up with a plan to murder his own brother.

            One other famous Disney character that would also fall under the stereotype of the Obsessive Avenger would be Captain Hook from the film Peter Pan. The story is about a young boy named Peter Pan who refuses to grow up. He lives in the magical world of Neverland which is where his adventures take place. Captain Hook plays the antagonist of the film. Hook’s character would defiantly fall under the Obsessive Avenger for the following reasons. (1) He is a man, (2) Hook wears a big iron hook on his hand. Peter Pan was partly responsible in his injury when he lured a crocodile to come bite off his hand, and (3) He plays a villainous character who is bent on seeking revenge against Peter Pan.

            The Harry Potter films could also be another great example. Harry Potter is a story about an orphan named Harry who discovers that he is a wizard and is whisked off to attend a Wizarding School called Hogwarts. Lord Voldermort plays the murderous villain who is determined to kill Harry Potter.  Voldermort would fall under the stereotype of an Obsessive Avenger because (1) He’s a male, (2) In the books he is described to be slightly disfigured in the face. In the movie as you can tell by the picture above, he is missing a nose and has a slightly creepy look about him . Voldermort recieved his injuries after a failed attempt to kill Harry when he was a baby. (3) Voldermort is clearly evil. He is responsible for the death of many different characters in the film. (4) Voldemort specifically wants revenge against Harry for nearly destroying him.

       Through these examples, you could see characters that embody characteristics of the Obsessive Avenger. One thing I realized as I was writing this blog was the number of villains that have disfigured faces or missing limbs. These characters are normally always mocked as villainous characters. It sort of makes you wonder how individuals in the real world who may suffer from these same conditions feel when they are confronted with these images. I feel like it’s time to shed some new light on this stereotypical role.

Work Cited :

Benshoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. Malden, MA, USA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.