Superhero Research Paper

Glen Ritchie
Professor C. Scott Nesbitt
COM 122
9 November 2015
Popularity of Superhero Movies In the 1978 rendition of the classic movie Superman, Superman declared that he was fighting for “truth, justice and the American way” (Donner, Superman). This hints at the role Superhero movies play in American culture, in that they embody the values that define what it is to be an American. These movies consist of an ordinary person with extraordinary capabilities who manages to overcome hardships in a world similar to our own. The ‘superhero’ was born in 20th century America where it has since been an iconic part of American culture, and as the advancements of special effects spiked in the 21st century, so did the popularity of superheroes. …show more content…
In this way, superheroes bring comfort by fantastically bringing justice to whatever crisis or seemingly unsolvable problem that we may be facing as a society at the time. For example, Iron man was originally created during the time of the Vietnam War; however, when the recent Iron Man film was made the plot was altered and he instead became a hero of the current war in Iraq. “In the 2008 film Iron Man, when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is actually kidnapped by Middle Eastern terrorists who need him to build a bomb. This is a modern twist on the original early 1960s story, in which said character is kidnapped by the Vietnamese Military” (Darin). One of the reasons why these stories are seen as a source of comfort is because of the flexibility that they possess, in that the details can be altered to fit the context in which they are made, and still have the same effect. It brings comfort to us seeing that a powerful being is fighting for us. Also the saving of major American cities that takes place in superhero movies gives solace to our post 9/11 culture by taking a real life situation and giving us hope. For example, in the most recent Captain America movie, Captain America, the hero, was seen standing outside of Ground Zero. “To see Captain America standing at Ground Zero… It was like he was there helping get people out of the debris… and Captain America was like, ‘Let's hold it all together’” (Wright). This movie takes one of the greatest American tragedies and very subtly gives us a sense of consolation and justice. This brings solace to Americans because superheroes resemble our everyday heroes (policemen, firefighters, etc.) that dedicate their lives to keeping us safe; however, the addition of their superpowers makes for a greater sense of comfort and allows us to believe that no matter how bad a situation may be, we will always be

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