What is in a name ? How fictional character names can tell so much.
My Interpretation of the superhero name IRON HEART.
There is a lot that can be discussed about this fictional marvel character, its background, certain controversies about the TV show etc. With this article however, I would like to take a huge leap over the steaming pile of political divisiveness and talk about something I found intellectually more fun when watching the show.
The name of the character.
What is in a name ?
A few years ago, I began my own delve into writing, and the beautiful thing about opening yourself up to artistic endeavors, is that you develop a new way of viewing and engaging with the media. Different ideas begin to color your viewing experience. Such as the use of names to tell a story.
From my own personal experience, sometimes, its subconscious and I don’t even realize why I’ve chosen certain names, until after the words are written. But then it all makes sense retrospectively.
I named one of my book series Prodigal of Dominica, because it deals with themes of leaving the comfort, familiarity and safety of one’s home, to go discover oneself and search for answers. It’s by no means a Religious book. It’s Sci-Fi.
Then in my next book, the horror novella called MR. EARL, even when I woke up from the dream, and started jotting down the basic plot elements…I knew that the main character would be called EARL, because I kept thinking of “counts” and nobility and “Earls.” I was thinking of wealth and its corrupting power; and the name stuck. I had the name before I even finished the story.
I am a huge comic book fan. Even though, coming from the Caribbean, we don’t always have access to the printed comics, I have been watching the shows since childhood. So before continuing, let me preface by saying I do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of all the comic book history.
When it comes to Superhero naming conventions, sometimes the Superhero’s name is simply an allusion to that character’s powerset. For example, many speedsters are named this way: The flash, Impulse, Quicksilver, Zoom etc..
Others are named after a particular motif or iconography. That would be for example like “Batman” or “Green Lantern”
Some characters however, have names that tell the story of the character itself. For example: SUPERMAN.
In just three syllables, we have already told the audience a great deal about him. The denotation of “super” already lets the audience in on what kind of powers he would have. Every power that a man would hope to have. Strength, speed, invulnerability etc. Basically, every physical trait a man would want to have.
But the denotation “super” also tells the audience about his personality. He is “super” because he always does the right thing. He is perfectly moral in his actions and mannerisms. I don’t think I’ve come across another hero where the name so completely encapsulates the character: until I watched the Iron Heart TV show.
Here’s what I interpreted after watching it.
Calling the character “Iron Heart” let’s the audience know that in some way, this character is a successor of sorts to Ironman, and lets the audience know that this is another tech based superhero in a similar vein.
However; unlike Hawkeye, Captain America or Black Widow; where their successors simply took up the exact same name and iconography: the superhero name here is different. She doesn’t just take up the same mantel. It’s not just Ironman, or Ironwoman. It’s Iron Heart. It’s a slightly different name. That small difference lets the audience know, that this character, isn’t merely continuing from Ironman, but is going to be different.
The use of the word “heart” in the name, can be thought of as a suggestion of vulnerability. Alluding to some history of personal trauma (think, phrases like “heart break”) And, heart iconography is often used for female characters. So here it is, a superhero name title suggests to the audience that its a female hero, without using “girl” or “woman” as the suffix.
But what about the character’s personality? This is where the real magic happens. It also says a lot about the personality of the character. When I was researching this character on various online platforms, I sometimes found that if I typed the name Iron Heart, as one word, without any spacing, a warning message would pop up, for use of insulting language. (How fascinating!)
YES. Whereas, a heart of gold, generally refers to a person with a kind and generous disposition; a heart of IRON, isn’t always a flattering term.
A heart of IRON, can describe a person that is cold, overly protective of themselves, guarded, it can even suggest having one’s heart in an iron cage.
Some descriptions of that phrase, even suggest being cruel and unfeeling. Yes I know, those are a lot of negative traits, but bear with me.
However, it can also be used to suggest a person who is strong, and resilient. Someone who overcomes adversity.
So now (SPOILERS AHEAD)
When watching the show, if you think of all the different ways the phrase “Iron Heart” can be interpreted, it actually makes for a fun intellectual exercise. The name lets you know that the character has had a personal trauma dealing with. The character is stubborn, cold, maybe even callous at times. Headstrong. All of these characteristics, play into the downward spiral until the final reveal of the full consequences in the finale. It’s not a happy ending.
So, yes, indeed, I think the character… at least based in its MCU interpretation is perfectly named.
I look forward to where this story goes.
Hopefully, the resilience and overcoming of adversity… will be shown in the character’s next appearance.
I also did a you tube video where I discussed this as well.
Well, that’s all for now folks. End of my superhero ramblings.