“The old guard” -A comic series and a brilliant movie that explores the theme of immortality

If there is one thing, Man will pay any price, sacrifice everything; it is to live physically young forever. The glorious prospect of ageless immortality has been mankind’s abiding search since the time we became conscious of ourselves. Over the ages, we have come to intellectually accept that our bodies will age and eventually disintegrate; but, deep inside, we still desperately crave permanence, we continuously stoke the burning desire for bodily perpetuity. In the brilliant Oscar Wilde novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” Doran thinks aloud: “ If it were I who was to be always young and the picture that was to grow old! For that… I’d give my soul for that…” Don’t all of us wish for such an eternal ageless body, some kind of transference of our wriggling wrinkles, our flagging cheeks, and greying hair to something other than us? (Industries worth billions of dollars promises to keep us young and not become aging caricatures of ourselves) Is it a possibility that our search for a soul or God, may just be a psychological compensation, an escapist indulgence, to help us cope with the blunt inevitability of death? One wonders, if Man was given an imperishable body, would religion have ever become necessary to him? Deep questions!! These are themes explored in the marvelous comic series “The Old guard” and the brilliant Netflix movie starring Charlize Theron. More on this in the coming paragraphs.

In 2017, the first volume of a five-part comic series titled “The Old Guard,” written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by Leandro Fernandez took up this theme of immortality and gave an interesting twist. Comics have always had a strange fascination and influence over the reading public. Their surreal premises and extraordinary tales have entertained all ages, and in many cases, have made readers reflect on deeper questions by couching them within simple stories of good versus evil. It is the adventure and the incessant action in these tales that often enthrall the reader, some stories, however, strangely leave behind shadows of deeper meanings. Is there a reader who hasn’t celebrated the heroism of a Superman or a Spiderman, and, at the same time, not felt the pain the heroic gifts bring to their lives? The Clark Kents and Peter Parkers of the comics are troubled beings; they have difficulty reconciling their destiny with what they want. Extraordinary powers, while good and useful to society, can be a huge liability, source of burden, and often come at a high personal price for the heroes possessing them.

The first volume of “The old guard” is about a small army of immortals soldiers — in fact, four of them. By a strange biological destiny, their bodies heal, even when they are battered, bruised, and ripped open beyond recognition. The Old Guards have lived through several seminal historical events, fought many battles, saved many human lives, who have lived to make valuable contributions to mankind. These warriors are the guardians of continuity. Their gift makes them invulnerable — biologically speaking, but the catch, according to Rucka the creator, is their longevity is not guaranteed. There is an existential uncertainty about their immortality. They can die any day by a single bullet wound or a knife cut, but the point is they don’t know when that can happen. Death could occur now, tomorrow, decades, or centuries later. After thousands of years of living and fighting, they look forward to death both with a mix of joy and trepidation. Joy in the fact that death will finally end their prolonged burden of living, and trepidation because, with each death, the group gets smaller and lonelier. It is uncertain when the next immortal will join the group. There is an overwhelming sense of existential loneliness that comes with the rarity of such a power. After all, an immortal is not a common commodity. The old guards are a small select group, joined together over centuries, bound only by the ties of immortality and their fate. The moment they wake up to realize and comprehend the reality of their uniqueness, that is the moment when all personal relationships undergo a change. They realize they have to sever relations with family and friends. The rest of the world will find it impossible to understand their power of longevity. And to the Old guards themselves, the pain of seeing their loved ones pass away, while they continue to remain young, can be heart-wrenching and completely unjustifiable. The healing power of the body is both a boon and a curse, and those who are elected to possess it are unwittingly trapped in their undying bodies, whether they like it or not, and forced to live the destiny of a warrior, anonymous, and away from the crowds.

In the comic, the eldest member of the Old guards, Andy, (once known as Andromache of Scythia) has survived several millennia, lived far too many lives, has fought innumerable wars, and faced imminent death more times than she can remember. She is the leader, the mentor, and the oldest of the group. Two others in the group, Joe and Nicky, are nearly 100 years old. Their story is that they fought on opposite sides during the first Crusades but couldn’t kill each other despite many bloody encounters. Once they realized that bodily resurrection was their fate, their hatred mysteriously bloomed into undying love for each other. The fourth immortal, Booker, a French soldier in the Napoleonic wars is an enigma. He was tried for desertion after the wars and hanged multiple times quite unsuccessfully. Chronologically, he is the man with more recent concerns, the others don’t even remember their childhood. The first volume of the comic series, interestingly, begins with the recruitment of a fifth immortal warrior, Nile, a young US marine soldier deployed in Afghanistan. The realization, discovery, and adjustment of Nile to her extraordinary powers and fate is a fascinating episode in the book.

Comic books are great material for action movies. It wasn’t long before Sky Dance media and Netflix picked up the rights for the series and appointed Gina-Prince Bythewood, the maverick filmmaker as its director. The casting of Charlize Theron as Andy was a masterstroke. Andy, the oldest of the team, is a strong, ax-wielding, emotionally stable, intellectually vigilant soldier with a deep sense of personal destiny, and who understood the meaning of sorrow and alienation. And anyone playing this role had to metamorphize into an action heroine with all the bells and whistles involved, and at the same time, project a depth, a force of personality that is healing, provocative, and forgiving in equal measure. I have always admired Charlize for her choice of roles and impeccable performances: daring, risky, and never conventional, she gives her characters a staggering authenticity. In 2003, she played the Serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a Florida prostitute in the movie “The Monster”, a personality so complex and vulnerable to portray. Charlize brought her to life almost effortlessly. That was my first movie of Charlize, and since then I have watched most of her work. In the Old Gaurd, Andy is the pivot, and Charlize imbues the character with dignity and charisma. All it takes from Charlize is a glance to convey the deepest of thoughts and emotions. That is a rare talent.

The rest of the cast and the technical crew have done a brilliant job. The special effects are stunning without overwhelming the viewer, and the script is taut and moves at a swift pace, pausing and pondering once in a while, on life’s deeper questions. The Old guard ends with a new beginning, which means a sequel is bound to follow. Rucka and Fernandez have written a second volume of the comic series ‘Force multiplied”. it was published in 2019, and it won’t be long before we see Andy and Charlize Theron back on-screen continuing the adventure. I look forward to it.

Already, in the last eight months, I have seen “Old Guard” three times. It is a movie one can watch without the tug of boredom. It is also a movie that strangely makes me think each time. I had the same experience with Batman and Superman. These superheroes actually look very vulnerable to me. They may have powers that most of us would crave, but behind the screens, they are confused, doubtful, and would rather live a normal life. I love that irony.

I strongly recommend “Old guard”, if it has somehow missed your radar of attention. It’s on Netflix and has already made it to my all-time favorite list.

God bless…

Yours in mortality,

Bala