#blind superhero

[blindbeta]

Hi! I had a question about writing blind characters

I've noticed in some media that blind characters there have the "ability" to tell when someone is lying or saying the truth. For example, i've seen this happen with Toph in ATLA and Diana Fragoso in the mexican movie "Perras"

And i was wondering what your thoughts are about it and if this trope can be considered offensive or not

Blind People With the Ability to Tell Who is Lying

In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Toph is able to tell who is lying based on their increase in heart-rate. This relies on the assumptions that 1) people’s hearts always beat faster when they lie and 2) that what caused the heart to beat faster is in fact the lie, as opposed to something else. Toph, given her powers, is sensitive to small changes, but she is not infalible either.

This is why Toph cannot tell Azula is lying. Azula’s heart rate is steady.

You may also be able to get into body language, shifts in stance or posture, or other physical traits that Toph can notice.

This relies on either superior hearing or sensitivity to vibrations. A blind character will need these if they don’t have other abilities like mind-reading.

When it comes to this type of ability, I want to mention that I have often felt frustrated that blind characters often have powers that either replace their sight or are otherwise not very physical in nature. We get a lot of superior hearing as opposed to, for example, flight or super strength. Therefore, it is nice to have a blind character with a power that is more physical in nature, in the case of Toph, and is used for other things outside of seeing. Telling if people are lying is creative way to use Toph’s ability that falls outside of using it to see. Not that it is actually replacing Toph’s sight the way powers do for many characters, which, to me, gives extra points in her favor.

I don’t think it would be offensive unless the blind character was somehow seen as morally superior or something because of their ability to detect lies. I also believe that portraying this as a power regular blind people have would be in poor taste. This should be a superpower a blind person has, rather than something the character can do because they are blind. Portraying blind characters with other types of powers that are not related to senses would be helpful.

And in case it wasn’t clear, I don’t think superhearing is a good superpower for a blind person.

[1batch2batchpennydime]

daredevil - matt murdock

No one's ever made irish catholic in NY look so good.

[neotechcreationsblog]

[blindbeta]

Hello.

I am writing a superhero series and I have a blind superhero character. I am currently trying to research how to portray this character in a respectful and accurate way.

For context, this hero is part of the supporting cast, and is a character the MC meets later on in the story. Every character in this world has some sort of superpower. His is the ability to control sound waves. While he can use them in an echolocation sort of way to detect enemy attacks, he can't use them in his everyday life as using your power is just the same as doing any physical activity, it's tiring.

Though, some blogs I've seen seem to discourage giving blind characters superpowers. I don't think this character's powers necessarily "cancel out his disability" I just want to make sure I'm writing this character respectfully.

I guess what I'm asking is, do you have any tips for writing blind superhero characters?

Blind Characters, Echolocation, and General Tips for Writing Super-powered Blind Characters

I answered a similar question that might be helpful. It explored some problems with the echolocation trope. You can read it here.

Limiting the Use of Echolocation

I like the fact that he can’t use it for very long and that it is draining, much like eye strain or using echolocation in real life. Echolocation is also challenging to learn and is not a replacement for a cane or other mobility aid. It would be unhelpful with most day-to-day activities. I’m glad you are considering the possibility of a superpower erasing his blindness and avoiding it in daily life.

Although, I still wonder about his superhero life.

Can he be an active superhero without echolocation? If it is something he relies on to be a superhero, maybe that would be something to consider. If he is an active superhero without it, you’re on a good course.

Furthermore, does he only use his powers for echolocation? I would assume not, although I could not tell from your question, as your main concern is the echolocation aspect.

Addressing Common Concerns With the Powers Often Given to Blind Characters

1. Negating blindness

Controlling sound waves doesn’t necessarily negate blindness outside of echolocation possibilities, as far as I can imagine. Aside from the overly common trope of giving a blind character a sensory-based power, that is. My concern is less about superpowers in general and more about powers that negate blindness, such as those that provide sight. An example would be a character who uses visions of the future to be able to see the way a sighted person would.

Does he still navigate in a way that might be familiar to blind readers? Does he use orientation and mobility techniques? Does he use Braille or large print or brave regular text with headaches so frequent his pockets are full of medication? Does his blindness impact his life?

Blindness need not only limit a character. Is he better able to orient himself? Can he pick up on sounds and landmarks and changes in light with more ease than his teammates? Is he used to getting hurt while playing blind football and thus able to withstand typical scrapes and bruises without being slowed by them? These are only a few ideas and they will change depending on his level of vision, exposure to the blind community, and how long he has been blind.

2. The Power to See is Boring

Additionally, these powers usually focus on addressing blindness, rather than being powers in their own right. This is the difference between a superhero with the power to see and a superhero who can manipulate emotions with a brush of their hand.

Could you consider other uses for this power that aren’t echolocation? For example, could he use his powers to facilitate or conceal communication? To amplify sound? Think of applications for the power that don’t involve echolocation or creating a way to see. Create other uses for echolocation. From your question, it seems you are already considering this.

The way you described use of the power doesn’t seem to negate blindness to me. I also think that considering other uses of this power outside of echolocation (which is often written to negate or reduce the impact of blindness) would be helpful.

Also, as I was reading your question again, I wondered if there are any other blind characters in the story. Since everyone has powers, that could be interesting to explore even if they don’t decide to be superheroes.

I hope this gives you some ideas to explore. Feel free to send a follow-up ask if needed.

[gingerly-writing]

What about a prompt about a blind hero vs a villain? I'm curious of how one would keep something like that secret.

if you’re curious you could maybe check out Daredevil? obviously it isn’t an accurate representation of real life and has some flaws (hire! blind! actors! to play! blind! characters! goddammit!) but it does feature a blind main character who’s also a superhero, and will give you a more extensive exploration of this than I could give in three prompts 💚

[radiokaos]

Part 2 from the documentary, “The Men Without Fear” describing how the various writers and artists at Marvel Comics worked at creating the character known as Daredevil, famous for being a blind superhero.  Part 2 is John Romita Sr.

[dybbz]

Daredevil: A Far Cry from the Ben Affleck Version

It was only a matter of time before I found another superhero/Marvel-affiliated thing to watch, and I’ll have you know that I waited a full 3 days of being bombarded by Daredevil all over my Tumblr and Netflix dashboards before I finally gave in. I was intrigued because I remember watching the Ben Affleck movie version circa 2003. It’s been over a decade since I watched the beginning of what…

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[fiendclaws]

Can Marvel please revisit Daredevil and do a reboot?