A Musing On Carrie

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Lee9900

Deleted User
Jun 29, 2016
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I wonder if Carrie had an unintentional influence on comic books. And quite possibly even Star Wars.

here's how

After watching Carrie yesterday i've come to realize that what made her powerful was the pain and the hate and the anger she had been put through by people. The angrier she got, the more powerful was her Telekinesis.

It made me realize that this was a common trope in many forms of literature. More specifically, I had just watched my X men First Class DVD and in the early minutes of the movie, we see Sebastian Shaw shoot Eric's mother which causes him to lash out in anger and pain and causes his power to control magnetism to manifest.

In Star Wars Jedi are goaded into losing control and giving in to their anger because, according to the Sith (or dark Jedi) giving in to your hatred and anger makes yo more powerful.

In X men comics, powers often manifest at puberty, often under stressful situations.

So, Carrie might have been an influence there. To the best of my knowledge, i don't know of any other places where this has an influence before Carrie, except for maybe batman. While his anger didn't manifest powers, it is what his primary motivation is.

if it wasn't an influence, it certainly does seem to be a now commonly used trope after Carrie.
 

doowopgirl

very avid fan
Aug 7, 2009
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dublin ireland
....anger increasing "powers" is nothing new under the inked sun.....The Hulk is one that pre-dates Carrie as a comic example....and it is pure physiology as far as that goes, anger produces a flood of hormones that amp up all "systems"....no wild talents needed.....
True. We all know the Hulk warns us that we won't like him when he's angry.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
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Cambridge, Ohio
The funny thing about that line is he only says it once in the entire series.
[opening sequence to the episode: "A Death in the Family"]

Narrator: Dr. David Banner, Physician/Scientist, searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. Then an accidental overdose of gamma radiation interacts with his unique body chemistry. And now, when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs.

[while trying to change a tire during a thunderstorm, David changes into the Hulk]

Narrator: The creature is driven by rage and pursued by an investigative reporter.

David Banner: Mr. McGee, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

[McGee witnesses an explosion from a building]

Narrator: An accidental explosion took the life of a fellow scientist and supposedly David Banner as well. The reporter thinks the creature was responsible.

Jack McGee: [voice-over] I gave a description to all the law enforcement agencies. They got a warrant for murder out of it.

Narrator: A murder which David Banner can never prove he or the creature didn't commit. So he must let the world go on thinking that he too is dead, until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.
 

StephenKingDaily

New Member
Jul 5, 2016
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I might be nitpicking, but I don't think it's accurate to say that it's her anger that makes her power stronger. It would be accurate, however, to say that it's anger that makes her use her power. Otherwise, throughout the novel, she merely exercises her talent, and early on, in anger, there are aimless outbursts of the power.

What we gather, early on in knocking the child off the bike, is that she enjoys hurting others who make her angry.

In terms of influencing Star Wars and comics, there might be a connection between the popularization of telekinesis in Carrie and the use of "The Force" in Star Wars, or the abilities of X-Men.

After all, Everything is a Remix.
 

César Hernández-Meraz

Wants to be Nick, ends up as Larry
May 19, 2015
605
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The X-Men, and even telekinesis in X-Men comics (used by the redhead Marvel Girl) have been present since 1963, so no influence there.

If you had mentioned The Dark Phoenix Saga, where there is loss of control over great power, and a lot of anger/hate felt by the wielder of said power (the same redhead girl from before, now with another name), that would be something.

But the First Class movie example that gave you the idea and that you mentioned is not good to sustain your theory of influence on comics, since all of that was made up for the movie.

And, as others have said, Carrie's powers do not get stronger with anger. She just either loses control of them and they leak out, or is more willing to use them.

Magneto, in the First Class movie, does not get stronger with emotions. His powers were fixated to hate and he thinks he needs that hate to use them, but Charles proves him wrong, when he lets go of that hate and is able to use his powers freely. He was just blocking them unconsciously.