Superheroes!

The DC/Marvel franchises have the monopoly on the superhero sub-genre. Together, they have 80% of the market. The collective franchises are both extremely massive, far beyond any singular individual. They are a tale about humanity. The hero and villain suffer similar tragedies, the difference is in their conclusion. The hero rises above it, while the villain tragically allows it to consume them. They are all or mostly outsiders; the product of society. They are not the real enemy (sometimes). However, there does exist a problem in the need to regurgitate and protect the status quo. Because it’s safe. This leads to repeating the same stories over and over again. The stories are not allowed to end.

The superhero genre is invariably focused on superpowers and there’s much to note with that. Superpowers are partially a longing for something more than standard mundanity, for the power to stand above the average person. What if we could stop horrors in the world through bombastic physical strength? We could save people from a bullet, transcend our limitations! Safety and security from the unpredictable chaos of life. The hero has excitement, they are loved (typically), they are special! A superhero is somewhat a manifestation of base fantasies within the individual.

The superpowered fantasy begins as a one-dimensional wish fulfillment, starting with humanity's imagination of these great larger-than-life figures. It then evolves, the formula is mixed up and altered to make it more provoking. The idealized classical superhero existence is contrasted with a cynical realism in almost all superhero stories. Though, the degree of cynicism depends on what type of film/series it is. Some prefer to stay lighter and vice versa. Certain superhero media do intriguing things with the concept of superpowers.

For a famous example, there’s the X-Men. The mutants were a juxtaposition of the superpowered fantasy combined with the sobering reality of challenges for civil/gay rights. What if, instead of loving the heroes, wanting to be the heroes, inspired by the heroes, people hated the heroes? Because they fear them, they envy them, ‘them’, the other. The superpowered mutants face prejudice, just as oppressed groups do. They were a subversion of an ideal, the superhero fantasy. This jarring juxtaposition sparks thought. The fantastical world of superheroes is played against a serious and surreal reality, tying in ever-present cultural anxieties. It also mixes up the formula because the X-Men have to constantly prove their worth to a society that rejects them. The easy thing to do would be to give up the masses, but they continue forward nonetheless, on the difficult path.

Although the X-Men, despite having a commendable message of tolerance, do also pose a clunky odd metaphor in some regards. While mutants pose a physical danger to normal humans, gay/coloured/women/trans people pose no danger whatsoever. (I’m reminded of Zootopia, which raised slight unfortunate complications where the predators (a metaphor for racial minorities) are depicted as people that are only good now because they have overcome their tribal, savage history.) But then again, metaphors/allegories are never absolute, it’s merely a comparison between two different things, in order to see our world in a different light.

Doom Patrol (which some say X-Men was inspired/ripped-off from) also compares outcasts to superheroes; the Doom Patrol are dysfunctional and maimed individuals, who have been alienated partially because of their powers, which further deviate them from the norm. Spider-Man also deconstructs the superhero genre, although differently. Spider-Man suffers personal dilemma after personal dilemma, the burden of his superhero and normal lives wearing heavily on him. He holds the lives of people of the people he saves in his hands. He has to face villains trying to find out his secret identity, and hurt his loved ones to get to him. He is constantly smeared by the Daily Bugle. The idealized fantasy of superpowers is, again, reimagined as a burden instead of a blessing. As mentioned, there are tons of examples of subversions and twists on the superhero formula, some milder than others and vice versa.

Superheroes have gotten very popular in the past decade or so, owing partially to the MCU and the smorgasbord of accumulated content in comics, allowing for the many film adaptations we see now, as well as animated adaptations. The explosion of superhero media is mainly in film, though it also redirects people to the more obscure comics they’re based on. It also seems to be a consequence of ‘nerd culture’ being reclaimed as mainstream. Some people are actually reporting ‘superhero fatigue’, a result of how omnipresent they are. This raises questions. Why are superheroes so popular now? Is it the idea of people, in this interconnected age of being drowned in information and stimuli, who are empowered and can defeat evil? The fantasy of  someone coming to save us? Despite the subversions made to make superheroes darker and distressed, it may still be a fantasy. Almost like the zombie genre, in which the individual is freed from the shackles of society and is personally empowered (a possible reason why people fantasize, although zombie apocalypse comes with many tribulations). There’s also that it’s escapism, something interesting because it’s different from reality and therefore exciting. Though, speaking of fantasy and fantasizing, it is vital to note that the great majority can distinguish between reality and fiction.

I'm quite fond of the post-superhero story format, where there is a society that treats superheroes as normal. It's the idyllic and fantastical dream merging with and changing reality, featuring societal development and their impact on the world and the characters. There is a dichotomy between the fictional, fantastical elements, and realism. The web-series Worm explores the kind of society that would arise from a post-superhero mindset (hero culture merging with celebrity culture, the prominence of superheroes within culture, and their usage in warfare.) There is also genre-fusing (a combination of genres), which I love in any form. The superhero genre often crosses over with many other genres, to the point that the ‘superhero genre/sub-genre’ isn’t a genre in the same way as regular genres, in that it’s always put atop of another genre. (hence why I referred to it as a sub-genre) There are many, many examples; The Fantastic Four was a more personal sitcom-esque type of series, X-Men and the Avengers deal more heavily with science-fiction, Doctor Strange deals with surrealism, and Batman features a lot of elements of crime-thrillers.

The masterpiece Watchmen uses the post-superhero framing and subversions/inversions of superheroes to challenge the very idea of superheroes, and Marvel's Civil War attempts to portray a post-superhero world conflicted regarding privacy vs. security. The people protecting who protect the innocent are indeed heroes, but surely they require oversight to prevent abuse of power? How much should the public know about such powerful people? Is it not ethical for people to keep their identities from the government, when they possess such immense power? But how much control should the government and authorities have? Is more government an invitation to have it all drowned in paperwork and bureaucracy? These ideas are deconstructions of the fantasy, and they ask thought-provoking questions within their stories. For example; why are people drawn towards superheroes and powers and what does that say about them, about us? Why do people want an all-powerful force to make decisions for them?