The Superhero genre may have origins in
•
•
•
•
Neitzsche’s Overman, a vision of the Superior
Being transcending human moralities (twisted
into support of their political agenda by the
Third Reich);
Philip Wylie’s “Hugo Danner” (created in 1907),
and then “Gladiator,” which may’ve inspired the
creation of Superman;
American teenagers Jerry Seigel and Joe
Shuster, who created the first superhero comic
as we know it in 1933;
And other comic book publishers who hurriedly
copied their idea to profit from the explosive
success of DC’s new Action Comics spin-off
title, Superman.
The Superhero genre then expanded and further
defined itself in comic strips, early television
and movies, starting with Superman, reflecting
and feeding upon the commercialism, sexism,
militarism and racism of the time.
Superhero films/television series we are most familiar with include:
Superman (1978---)
Wonder Woman (1976)
Batman (1966---)
Hellboy (2004)
Others:
X-men (2000, 2002, 2003)
Spiderman (2002 & 2004)
Hulk (2003)
Smallville (2001-present)
Daredevil (2004---)
Unbreakable (2000)
and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
Captain America (1944 & 1991), Punisher (1989 & 2004), Crow (1994), Catwoman
(2004), Vampirella (1996), Supergirl (1984), Mystery Men (1999), and many more.
THE GENERIC SUPERHERO
Superheroes
•
•
•
•
are usually male, white, with extraordinary powers and an
occasional vulnerability;
live a relatively solitary life in an urban setting,
devote themselves to fighting crime or evil, and
are alone capable of defeating whatever criminals or forces
of evil are presented.
GENERIC MAIN CHARACTERS
Like most genre, the Superhero genre is peopled by predictable
characters:
•
•
•
•
•
a hero with extraordinary powers, dedicated to fighting
crime,
a sidekick (Robin),
a villain or two (Joker or Penguin),
a damsel in distress (sometimes Vicki Vale); and
secondary, usually ineffectual characters (criminals, police,
press, public).
GENERIC ELEMENTS OF PLOT
The Superhero genre’s plot-lines usually involve:
•
•
•
•
•
•
a normal person who becomes a hero, often
with extraordinary powers;
a romantic interest rescued by and/or
endangered by hero but seldom learning the
truth;
a powerful villain planning to do evil but
temporarily thwarted by the hero;
a hero forced to choose between
extraordinary obligations and a need for love
and a normal life;
the villain learning the hero’s secret identity;
and
forcing a decisive confrontation and the
hero’s triumph.
GENERIC ELEMENTS OF THEMATIC &
MORAL DISCOURSE
The genre’s thematic and moral discourse, which supports the
action and conflict, may include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the possibility of transformation beyond what most of us are
capable of;
endowment with extraordinary powers, including a
sometimes fatal weakness which prevents hubris;
a story establishing a myth of origins, legitimizing the
exercise of one’s powers;
unavoidable dilemmas wherein the hero must choose
between a normal life and the heroic role;
tensions between reality’s complexities and a comics vision
that is usually black-and-white, good-and-evil;
facing the injunction that “with great power comes great
responsibility,” which poses questions about the extent of
one’s power and one’s responsibilities;
living the phenomenon of the misunderstood outsider,
sometimes driven by a passion to better the world;
the necessity of lies, secrecy, secret or dual identities,
costumes, significant symbols, to make the heroic role easier
to realize and an occasionally “normal” life possible.
Superhero stories often make similar assumptions about the nature of our world. Here
are two examples of the types of assumptions they make:
Assumptions about the Nature of our Problems:
• Our fate is in the hands of a single, heroic individual.
• We lack supernatural powers, so we cannot solve our own problems.
• Women, in particular, are weak and require saving by the superhero.
Assumptions about Morality:
•
•
•
•
Everyone – even superheroes – have to obey moral rules and responsibilities.
Although some rules can be violated (lying about identity) in pursuit of higher morals
(saving the planet).
Some people, like the villains, are pure evil.
Physical confrontation is the only way to deal with such villains.
The previous assumptions provide some insights into limitations of the
genre:
•
•
•
•
•
It plays into our fascination with crime and evil
However, it offers no realistic messages about how to deal with our
problems given that we don’t actually have supernatural powers.
For example, negotiation or compromise cannot solve the problems in
the story. (Image if they could: you’d have characters with skills like
“supernatural negotiation skills” – that would not fascinate or sell!)
It commonly perpetuates stereotypes about women and minorities.
Oversimplifies problems of crime and good vs. bad.
Like any genre, the Superhero genre changes as the times
change:
(note: these could each get a slide with pictures of each
comparison case maybe?)
•
•
•
Early adaptations to television were much less violent
than their comic book equivalents. For example, the
“Justice League of America” became “Super Friends.”
By the 1990’s television adaptations such as Fox’s
Batman was more dark, complicated and geared
towards older audiences as well.
Early televisions adaptations of Batman and Superman
featured superheroes who looked like men with plain,
ordinary bodies in brightly colored tights. Later
adaptations, such as the Batman movies of the 1990s,
featured a muscular character dressed in a darker
costume and environment.
In recent years, film adaptations such as The Hulk and
Spiderman have tried to incorporate more elements of
the comic book into the movie. Technological advances
have helped spur these efforts.
TWISTS
Of course, there are many
variations to the generic
superhero story outlined
above:
•
•
•
•
•
Sympathetic Villains –
(Villains in Spiderman)
“Normal Guy” superhero
– Unbreakable
Women as superhero –
Catwoman, Wonder
Woman
Anti-heroes – The
Punisher, Wolverine,
Hellboy
Out-of-control
Superhero: The Hulk
TEACHING IDEAS
•
•
•
Fan Fiction.
Discuss changes over
time, tying them to social
context.
Analyze & critique values,
morals, themes in one
particular comic.