FT社评：“超能侠”与中国软实力

China has indisputably become a global superpower, wielding impressive economic and military might. But one thing has been missing. Unlike the US, Beijing has so far lacked its own superhero. Luckily, as of 2014, the world will be a safer place thanks to the arrival of the Annihilator, China’s first comic-book-style crusader against evil.

毋庸置疑，中国现在已是超级大国，拥有令人敬畏的经济与军事实力。但美中不足的是，与美国不同，中国到目前为止一直没有属于自己的“超级英雄。幸运的是，2014年中国将推出自己的首个漫画风格的除恶斗士“超能侠(Annihilator)，他的到来将使世界变得更加安全。

It is about time. For years, the US has had to do all the heavy lifting. Every time the Joker, Lex Luthor or Venom threatened the planet, it was America’s Batman, Superman or Spider-Man who came to the rescue. A multi-hero defence strategy is essential for a multipolar world.

中国是时候推出自己的超级英雄了。多年来，美国一直承担着拯救世界的艰巨使命。每当小丑(Joker)、雷克斯·路瑟(Lex Luthor)或者毒液(Venom)威胁地球的时候，挺身而出的总是来自美国的蝙蝠侠(Batman)、超人(Superman)或者蜘蛛侠(Spider-Man)。对于多极化的世界来说，由多元化超级英雄组成的防卫战略至关重要。

Jokes aside, there is a serious point to be made. Beijing hopes that the new hero will be an ambassador to enhance its “soft power around the world. For Wang Guowei, president of the state-backed film fund that is financing the movie The Annihilator, he will help to counter the idea that China can only be a threat to the rest of the world.

玩笑归玩笑，本文将提出一个严肃观点。中国政府希望以“超能侠为形象大使，在全球范围内提升本国文化的“软实力。在国影投资(National Film Capital)总裁王国伟看来，超能侠有助于反击“中国威胁论的影响。国影投资是一家有政府背景的电影投资基金，同时也是电影《超能侠》的主要投资方。

But Mr Wang should not get his hopes too high. Superheroes are most popular in their own domestic market. Captain America tapped into the patriotic mood of the second world war. The cover of the first comic, published in 1941, showed the protagonist punching Adolf Hitler in the jaw.

但王国伟不应期望过高。原因之一在于，超级英雄通常在他们的本国市场最受欢迎。例如“美国队长(Captain America)就融入了二战期间美国国内的爱国主义情绪。1941年出版的《美国队长》漫画第一期封面，刻画的是主人公挥拳猛击阿道夫·希特勒腮帮的情景。

Moreover, successful characters are almost never state-backed. The Ninety-Nine, a comic featuring a team of superheroes based on Islamic culture and religion, was actively encouraged by Barack Obama. The US president called them “the most innovative response to America’s expanding dialogue with the Muslim world. However, for all the good intentions, the characters failed to strike a chord with the public.

除此之外，成功的超级英雄形象几乎没有一个是由有政府背景的机构创造的。《九十九人》(The Ninety-Nine)是巴拉克·奥巴马积极推广的一部漫画，它刻画的是一组基于伊斯兰文化与伊斯兰宗教的超级英雄形象。奥巴马将其称为是美国为扩大与穆斯林世界对话而作出的“最有创意的举措。不过，虽然愿望是美好的，《九十九人》刻画的角色却未能在普通民众中引发共鸣。

In all likelihood, Mr Wang will push ahead with his venture anyway. But then he should at least reconsider his superhero’s name. If the objective is to make China sound reassuring, “the Annihilator may not do the trick.

不管怎样，王国伟很可能都会继续推进他的《超能侠》拍摄计划。既然如此，那么他至少应该重新考虑一下他那位超级英雄的名字。如果整个计划旨在使中国听起来更加令人放心，那么“Annihilator（直译为“毁灭者——译者注）这个名字可能难以实现该目标。