Popular Culture Review Vol. 18, No. 2, Summer 2007 | Page 48

44 Popular Culture Review DVD release of the film replaces the older version of Anakin with a younger version from the newer movies depicted by Hayden Christensen digitally inserted in its place. This choice not only alters the scene, but erases one actor’s performance completely in favor of another. Certainly, the “Director’s Cut” of a given movie is now commonplace. Yet Lucas does not want to simply provide audiences with an alternate take on the original films. He systematically eliminates previous versions of the movies and limits access as much as possible to their former incarnations. It was not until September 12, 2006, that Lucas agreed to release the original, unaltered trilogy to DVD, albeit only until December 31, 2006. For Lucas, Star Wars exists as a “never-finished text” (Johnson 42), yet he fails to take into account that the films as they were, complete with sparse (and sometimes lacking) special effects by today’s standards, enthralled moviegoers all over the world. Bloo’s appropriation of Darth Vader’s dialogue brings up the question of textual authority and ownership. Star Wars exists as an essential component of American popular culture, and as such, the culture which brought the films to mythic status feels a sense of ownership over the story. Lucas holds all creative reigns over the Star Wars universe, deciding which events are “canon,” and changing the story at will. While as author, he certainly has the right to amend his own material, he stands on a precipitous point. He runs the risk of completely alienating his audience permanently when he tries to stifle the ability of the film’s fans to make the films their own, perhaps expanding or altering details of their own in their imaginations, by writing fan fiction, or creating their own movies. Bloo may completely misuse dialogue from Star Wars, but he exerts ownership over the material, making it his own. “Challenge of the Superfriends,” as the title implies, also takes aim at comic book superheroes, who may also be found in cartoon or movie versions, and are now “part and parcel of modem pop culture” (Fingeroth 23). Movies like the X-Men or Splderman series appeal to a wide audience, no longer strictly the domain of a small cadre of fans. Imaginary Man and Nemesis exemplify the superhero and the villain. Imaginary Man’s appearance is hyper-masculine, complete with bulging muscles and booming voice. He always shows up in the nick of time to avert disaster, and especially to thwart the plots of the aptlynamed Nemesis. He also uses the invented term “awesomerific” as his official catchphrase. Nemesis dresses primarily in black, although she sports an alarmingly large mane of pink hair, and pink accents on her clothing. She constantly seeks to destroy Imaginary Man, primarily by wielding pansies, his kryptonite. The gender stereotyping continues as the episode unfolds. Danny Fingeroth writes, “Somehow, the superhero—more than even the ordinary fictional hero—has to represent the values of the society that produces him” (17). “Challenge of the Superfriends” deftly forces the viewer to question what these values might be, and how they relate to both boys and girls. The episode blurs the line between Imaginary Man and Nemesis expressing gender