Luc Besson's Leon is a Super Hero

         Leon’s interpersonal relationships, ideology, and methodology can be seen in many mainstream super hero stories. These similarities are not just coincidences but key aspects and concepts that help create each character. One of the many concepts to be explored is Leon’s chief antagonist shares a dynamic that is reminiscent of the dynamic many super heroes have with their arch nemesis. If you’re using Superman as your pre and post modern super hero sign post the modern super hero is seventy five years old. The super hero as a concept for a protagonist is older if you want to include Zorro, The Shadow, The Spirit, and Doc Sampson to name a few. I will be citing super hero movie adaptations and original source material in demonstrating the titular character in Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, France, 1994) is a super hero. Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, France, 1994) is a film with two cuts one for American theatrical release and another cut for the international release. For this critique I screened the International release cut on DVD.

          I am dreadfully worried the structure of my essay might become a bit stale by the time my conclusion rolls around. To prove to you Leon is indeed a super hero, I will present a specific troupe or character trait of a modern day mainstream superhero and back it up with examples in both major motion picture adaptations and citing the original source material. Hopefully when I’m done beating you about the head with my encyclopedic knowledge of movies and super heroes you will be just as convinced as Matilda and I are that Leon is a super hero.

          The hero’s antagonist is often a mirrored reflection of him or herself. In The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA) the Joker is defined as an agent of Chaos. Batman trying to impose order and justice on Gotham City is the antithesis of the Joker. Wolverine is a superhero who’s constantly at war with his bestial feral side of his persona. Wolverine embraces ideas like the Ronin to give himself a code to live by despite being a killer. His antagonist Sabertooth is just as much a killer as Wolverine however the key difference is Sabertooth embraces his more bestial nature and takes joy in killing. Sabertooth is a predator who clearly sees those weaker than him as prey. Setting him even further apart from Sabertooth Wolverine often finds himself in a paternal role mentoring teenage girls. In X-Men comics he mentors Kitty Pryde and Jubilee and in the cinematic adaptations produced by Fox Wolverine is a surrogate father to Rouge. Leon’s arch villain in Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, France, 1994) is the corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield portrayed masterfully by Gary Oldman. Leon prides himself on his professionalism. Leon leads a Spartan lifestyle that’s very ordered and efficient. Conversely Norman Stansfield is chaotic and larger than life. Stansfield is always seen unshaven and unkempt.  He takes joy in his work and during the last third of the film he tells Matilda, “That's good, because I take no pleasure in taking life if it's from a person who doesn't care about it.” As opposed to Stansfield, Leon has a strict code that he will not kill woman or children. Besson strongly implies Leon is a hit man because he can do little else. Leon has poor interpersonal skills and can’t read. Leon and Norman are so diametrically opposed that while Leon’s diet largely consists of milk, Norman takes an unknown designer drug that causes his body and face to contort upon initial consumption.

          Leon’s lifestyle and relationships are very similar to Gotham City’s Caped Crusader. Both Batman and Leon live Spartan lifestyles with little personal ties. They choose to be dedicated to their work and perfecting their craft. The Mobster Tony played by Danny Aiello fulfills the role of Leon’s commissioner Gordon. Leon and Tony seem to have a genuine fondness for each other yet the audience is always aware these men’s relationship is based on mutual interest. Tony helps an ill-equipped Leon navigate the world similar to how Jim Gordon helps insure that G.C.P.D. does not interfere with Batman’s one man war on crime. Both Leon and Batman mentor orphans the best way they know how. And because both men have eccentric world views the best way they know how to mentor orphans is by teaching them their ways. In Batman’s case he instructs Robin how to be a vigilante and in Leon’s case he instructs Matilda in the ways of the assassin. Matilda’s background is very similar to the Jason Todd and Carrie Kelly iterations of Robin. Both these Robins have neglectful parents like Matilda’s and in Jason Todd’s case just like Matilda’s his father’s connection to the criminal underworld leads to the parent’s ultimate demise. Both Batman and Leon try to instill a code of ethics in their young charges. Leon insists that Matilda quit smoking, cursing, and not talk with strange boys. Not only does Matilda acquiesce but she appears to thrive under the tutelage of a strong father figure.  Carrie Kelly’s Robin was repeatedly scolded by Bruce in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight and threatened with being fired. Leon often threatens to not train Matilda if she does not follow his orders. Also, Leon instills his strict code of not killing woman and children in Matilda.

          Don’t super heroes refuse to take lives? In the world of Saturday morning cartoons one would be hard pressed to find a super hero who willingly took a life even if it was for the greater good however, if you go back to the original source material once could find several notable heroes that have taken lives and are still considered moral paragons of virtue. Captain America is a soldier and fought in World War II so it would be safe to assume he most certainly has taken a life. Despite Captain America killing people he is still considered one of the “good guys”. Steve Rogers is a soldier he kills when he must defend others.  Captain America detests bullies and views sacrifice for the community a moral imperative. Leon has a strict code he lives by and the men we see him kill all have varying levels of despicableness. The Punisher is one of the comic book world’s most notable anti-heroes. Similar to Batman Frank Castle wages a one man war on crime but unlike Batman The Punisher metes out justice from the barrel of an assault rifle. Clearly killing doesn’t prevent someone from being a super hero. Similar to The Punisher Leon is not only capable of dispensing violence he excels in it but just like The Punisher his violence is reserved for those who have morally trespassed and brought pain and suffering onto others like drug dealers and organized crime.

          The super hero is an outsider and in some cases an outlaw (or perceived to be an outlaw by the general public). Despite his or hers outsider status the super hero still strives to help and protect their respective communities. J. Jonah Jameson continues to slander Spiderman in The Daily Bugle turning public opinion against the friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Despite being an outsider and sometime outlaw Spiderman strives to protect NYC largely due to his personal dogma, “with great power comes great responsibility”. The X-men are often depicted as outlaws and the mantra used to describe Marvel’s mighty mutants is, “…fighting for a world that hates and fears them.” The X-Men don’t let hate or bigotry stop them from doing what is right including laying their lives on the line if need be. Leon lives a Spartan and sparse life and until he meets Matilda his best friend is a house plant. Despite having little connection to the community Leon goes out of his way to protect a young girl (Matilda) even though it complicate his regimented lifestyle and chosen profession. This action early in the film gives us insight into Leon’s personal code long before he articulates it to Matilda. Leon views children as innocent and that they should be shielded from the seedy often violent world of adults.

          Ironically it’s Matilda not Leon who follows the hero’s journey as outlined by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In the traditional hero’s cycle Leon would be the wizard who initiates Matilda into a greater world and teaches her lessons she can bring back to aid her community. Matilda has very ordinary origins. Many of the people closest in her life like her father and older sister pay little attention to her. Leon empowers Matilda and makes her feel valued. One of the scenes that is in the international release cut that was not in the U.S. theatrical release was the Russian roulette scene. The scene has such gravitas because this is the scene where Leon finally comes to grips with how much Matilda means to him. Despite Leon’s life being easier and simpler without Matilda in it he prefers having her in his life. This is when he fully commits to being not only Matilda’s guardian but also her mentor.    

          Leon is a super hero. He even has a uniform consisting of a long wool coat, sunglasses, and a knit cap he dons before going to work. He is methodical in his preparation, he’s an outsider with his own code and protects the weak from predators, he’s an expert in his field, and he has an antagonist who is a distorted grotesque mirror image of himself. During the course of his relationship with Matilda he makes sacrifices for Matilda until he eventually commits the ultimate sacrifice for her. According to Joseph Campbell it’s not just brave or grand gestures that define a hero it’s those actions combined with the willingness to make sacrifice that makes someone a hero. The last and most strong piece of evidence of Leon being a super hero is the fact he fights for justice even when the community he fights for may not be deserving of his sacrifice. Chris Nolan’s Batman wasn’t the hero Gotham deserved but he was the hero Gotham needed. Leon was Matilda’s Batman and hopefully when confronted with evil and injustice. When the weak are being preyed upon, we will ask ourselves, W.W.B.D.?