The Hero and Villain are the Same
Batman, Aliens, Spider-Man, & Quiet
A major selling point of Quiet: Level One is, in my opinion, the obvious physical mismatch between the Hero and the Villain.
Physically, these two could not be more different. Galahorn is a titan; built like a superhero, with a huge upper body, arms corded in muscle, and long, powerful legs. Quiet has an oversized noggin and measures about three feet tall.
Really, it’s the classic David versus Goliath setup, except that even David didn’t have the body of a toddler.
Quiet is the ultimate underdog. The question of how such a diminutive being could possibly defeat a seasoned warrior like Galahorn… well, it pretty much carries the plot, doesn’t it? Because really, how can Quiet possibly hope to win?
“Character is plot. Character is story.” -Eleanor Perry
It’s often said that the hero and the villain are two sides of the same coin. On one side is the Hero’s worldview, on the other the Villain’s, and by the end of the story, one of them will win, and the other will lose.
But the best matchups arise when the Hero and Villain are bound together by a common theme or quality. And Quiet and Galahorn share quite a bit more than their appearance would suggest.
Let’s explore this idea.
The Dark Knight - The Nature of Man
The Joker is and will forever be Batman’s arch-nemesis. They stand in stark opposition: Batman is a guardian of order, whereas the Joker is an agent of chaos.
And yet, their relationship is so intimate and familiar that the Joker regards Batman as a close friend. In his own words: “I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, NO! You... you complete me.”
And a moment later: “Don't talk like one of them [society]. You're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me! You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these civilized people, they'll eat each other.”
And the truth is, there’s a large part of Batman that actually believes this, because no matter how hard he fights, Gotham City remains a corrupt and crumbling place. And while Bruce Wayne might care for a small handful of people, both he and the Joker have rejected society altogether. Sure, Wayne hosts galas, drives fancy cars, and is often spotted with beautiful women outside of the club, but we all know it’s just an act. The real Bruce Wayne - Batman - remains cut off from nearly everyone else.
They both stand outside of society. And in this way, they are brothers.
ALIENS - Motherhood
The concept of Motherhood has forever been a gold-mine for the horror genre, and few films have capitalized on this more than the Alien franchise. While the Xenomorph design is one of the most terrifying imaginable, its appearance is nothing compared to the fact of its lifecycle, which starts with the forceful impregnation of a human host and ends with the newborn chewing its way free.
Ugh.
Anyhow, Aliens takes this theme to the next level, when it pits Ripley against the Xenomorph Queen.
Ripley discovers at the beginning of the film that she’s outlived her daughter. Shortly afterwards, she meets the newly-orphaned Newt. They very quickly bond, and after one particularly terrifying encounter, Newt clings to her and calls her “Mommy.”
But when Newt is captured by the Xenomorphs, Ripley enters the hive, rescues her surrogate daughter, and confronts her nemesis: the Alien Queen, mother of all Xenomorphs.
When Ripley destroys both her ovipositor and the clutch of newborn eggs, the Queen tears free and embarks on a personal quest of revenge. And here, at the climax of the film, both Ripley and the Queen go head-to-head, both of them driven by maternal instinct and preservation. What follows is a fight to the death, and one of the most famous lines in Aliens history:
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Belonging
For me, Superhero movies don’t really get any better than the Spider-Verse movies. The stories are fantastic, the dialogue first rate, the action every bit as twitchy as a room full of spiders, and the animation is so exquisite that, honestly, I might just break into song.
Across the Spider-Verse had not one but two antagonists: The Spot and Miguel O’Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099.
Like Miles, The Spot has only recently acquired his powers and been set apart from the rest of the world. The first time we see him, he’s attempting (badly) to steal a few greasy dollars from a bodega ATM. Miles arrives to stop him, and immediately treats him like a weekday villain. “Are you, like, a cow or a dalmation?” This is, of course, typical Spider-Man humor… but The Spot is genuinely hurt.
"Make your flippy little sassy jokes,” he says, “everyone loves them but no one knows what it feels like to be on the other side of them."
The Spot wants, more than anything, to be special. This desire to stand out and be recognized as a Real Villain (tm) drives his character arc, until this bumbling ex-scientist finally becomes something truly terrible.
The similarity between Miles and the Spot only appear later, however, when Miguel O’Hara drops a bombshell on Miles, telling him that Miles was never meant to be Spider-Man, and that his very existence is a universe-ending mistake.
And just like that, in a Spider-Verse teaming with Spider-People, Miles learns that he is the one who doesn’t belong.
And yet, O’Hara is hardly different. He intentionally inserted himself into another universe, resulting in its destruction. This changed him, and he later admits (only to the audience, mind you): “I'm this dimension's one and only Spider-Man. At least I was. But I'm not like the others.”
In an entire Spider-Verse of Spider-People, O’Hara has set himself apart. His anger at Miles turns to outright hatred by the end of the movie: “You’re not supposed to be Spider-Man,” he whispers in their final battle. “You don’t belong here. You never did.” But does O’Hara really hate Miles, or does he hate himself?
There are countless other examples that I’m longing to bring up - Michael Clayton, True Detective, Magneto versus Professor X - but I think it’s time that we rounded the bend and talked about Quiet: Level One.
(Also, if you haven’t already Followed the project on Kickstarter, drop everything and do it now! Otherwise, you’ll miss out on the Early Bird Gift: a custom-made Q:L1 sketchbook!)
So how, exactly, are Quiet and Galahorn alike?
Well, Galahorn is a Protog, and the Protog recognize only two directions: forward and backward. Galahorn moves ever-forward, and he has proven to be utterly unstoppable. His drive is unwavering, his will indominable. He is a Hero, inverted.
And yet, Quiet - as small as they are - is adept at getting back up. I’ve already discussed how many hits Quiet is going to take in this series; their determination to keep moving no matter what is precisely what makes them a real hero. Like Galahorn, Quiet’s drive is unwavering, their will indominable.
Galahorn believes his cause to be noble, while Quiet’s cause - the protection of the Tree of Worlds - is noble. They both live by a code of ethics, different as they are. Galahorn is fearless, but Quiet goes on despite their fear. Galahorn is not worried about dying, while Quiet is, well, already dead.
In these ways, Galahorn and Quiet are a perfect match for each other. In the words of the Joker: “This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.”
And I can’t help but wonder what will happen to Galahorn when he finally realizes that his nemesis - this small, malformed little skeleton who just won’t give up - is just like him.
Jonah
Very insightful sir and I appreciate your ability to tie it back unto your own projects
As smart as ever... I always learn something new from you.