You hit it on the head - can't instead of aren't. I mean, that's what I was just trying to get across, I suppose I just phrased it poorly.
Just as you relate the Laurie/HJ attack to the Vietnam woman/Doc attack, so do I also think that the "Only Once" scene was partly coloured by his dialogue immediately before, where he's joking around about possibly having assassinated JFK. It's not just that he's trying to defend his character with the double meaning of "Only Once" (he's referring not to his track record with ALL women, but with this particular woman), but he's also been a government agent all his life, scarred both mentally and physically - he sticks to the story.
His entire life has been about sticking to this 'screw you' narrative, about life being a joke and it being every man for himself and cynicism being the only sane viewpoint - and then Ozymandias' plan completely upsets that ideal by presenting him with a CALCULATED mass murder. Not "life's shit and then you die", not "everything's a joke", but someone actually plotting out and planning the mass deaths of millions to achieve a result.
In one way, he's the anti-Spider-Man: completely adverse to any sense of responsibility. The only times he's caught off guard are the "Only Once" scene and the above flashback with Moloch - both times when he's forced to take responsibility. In the former situation, the result of his twisted relationship with Sally is staring him right in the face, demanding to know why he hurt the woman who loved him; in the latter, he's attempting to deal not only with Ozymandias' total lack of remorse or hesitation towards his actions, but also with the fact that he just might have inspired the whole thing, years ago, with his "Smartest man on the cinder" comments.
A complex character, indeed - but one characterised by an inherently selfish viewpoint. The ultimate Libertarian, if you will.
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scans_daily2012-09-14 08:42 pm
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Just as you relate the Laurie/HJ attack to the Vietnam woman/Doc attack, so do I also think that the "Only Once" scene was partly coloured by his dialogue immediately before, where he's joking around about possibly having assassinated JFK. It's not just that he's trying to defend his character with the double meaning of "Only Once" (he's referring not to his track record with ALL women, but with this particular woman), but he's also been a government agent all his life, scarred both mentally and physically - he sticks to the story.
His entire life has been about sticking to this 'screw you' narrative, about life being a joke and it being every man for himself and cynicism being the only sane viewpoint - and then Ozymandias' plan completely upsets that ideal by presenting him with a CALCULATED mass murder. Not "life's shit and then you die", not "everything's a joke", but someone actually plotting out and planning the mass deaths of millions to achieve a result.
In one way, he's the anti-Spider-Man: completely adverse to any sense of responsibility. The only times he's caught off guard are the "Only Once" scene and the above flashback with Moloch - both times when he's forced to take responsibility. In the former situation, the result of his twisted relationship with Sally is staring him right in the face, demanding to know why he hurt the woman who loved him; in the latter, he's attempting to deal not only with Ozymandias' total lack of remorse or hesitation towards his actions, but also with the fact that he just might have inspired the whole thing, years ago, with his "Smartest man on the cinder" comments.
A complex character, indeed - but one characterised by an inherently selfish viewpoint. The ultimate Libertarian, if you will.
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