Putting The Mask Back On

There's a scene in Darkwing Duck #3 where several of his old foes are taking their revenge on the shadowy organization that imprisoned them when they look up and see DW's jet fly overhead. The next panel is them gawking at it, but the panel after that, they all have these looks of maniacal glee on their faces. Then they all start talking excitedly for a panel, until they get their act together and set off in hot pursuit. I really like that silent panel of them all grinning, but that's not precisely what I wanted to discuss today.

Part of the reason Darkwing's villains are so happy to see him is because he vanished for a year and a half. They missed him. They were already back in action before they knew he was back as well, but that was more about revenge, not the same as the love/hate thing they had with Darkwing. But it got me thinking about other stories where the hero comes out of retirement after a spell. Dark Knight Returns, Spider-Man Reign, the JSA in Chase #6, to name three. There's plenty more. In the cases I'm familiar with, the hero dons the costume to deal with either a particular new threat, or just a rise in general crime. However, once back on the scene, the old arch-foes start crawling out of the woodwork*.

What I was thinking was, is that how it always goes? The hero sees new problems and it's only once they're active the old problems resurface? Or are there stories where the hero has to return because one of their arch-enemies has come back, and they're the only hero who can stop them? I imagine there have to be stories like that, but I wonder if they're more or less common.

With the villains following the heroes, it suggests that line of thinking demonstrated in comics sometimes that it's because there are costumed heroes that there are costumed villains. Which I is idiotic, because it's saying if there was no Spider-Man, then Max Dillon wouldn't have started robbing jewelry stores once he gained the power to become Electro, and I don't buy that for a minute. It also doesn't entirely work in these cases since the hero unretires because of something they find untenable. There's already crime, and the vigilante steps forth to try and do something about it themselves, although the crime more often seems to be the standard fare we see in our world, with muggings, gangs, petty theft. The costumed crime is less noticeable. But it does suggest that for some criminals at least, what they do is tied up in a competition with a particular hero. If the hero isn't there, they don't care enough to do what they do. Eluding cops is boring after tangling with Batman.

What does it say in the cases where the villains return first? It would suggest to me it's easier for people to find their motivation to resume evil than good**. The rewards are more obvious, be it material wealth or the enjoyment of the work. Fighting crime as a vigilante may provide a similar enjoyment, the thrill of moving through the city, being a figure that causes people to look on in awe or fear, but the material gains are less obvious. Save someone's life, and they may not even say "Thank you". The police may pursue them as doggedly (or moreso, if they think they're being shown up) than they did the robber/murderer/arsonist the vigilante captured. It's so much more of a thankless, difficult path, it's harder for the protagonist to work up the energy to go back to it, compared to the antagonist, who could simply grow bored, or have simply escaped from a lengthy incarceration. They're operating off some sense of entitlement or resentment, and those fuels are in larger supply than the inner drive to put one's life on the line against people working from those feelings.

That's where my mind's at today. If you've any examples of the villains reemerging first, I'd love to hear about them. Certainly doesn't have to be superhero comics. Any input into the difference in what the approaches might mean would also be appreciated.

* An exception would be the story in Chase, since there was no indication from Cameron that the JSA suiting up to capture Dr. Trap caused their enemies to come back. Perhaps they weren't active long enough, if it was for one case.

** I don't think it would be that it's easier for people to do evil than good, because that's frequently what spurs a hero to action, whether just starting out or coming back. There are people taking for themselves, unconcerned with others, and either no one is doing anything, or the people trying are ineffective, so here's a person in a costume, fighting crime how they like. But they're typically vastly outnumbered by the people who opted for the evil route instead.