Andrew Kaufman's All My Friends Are Superheroes

In addition, we will explore the context in which the members of the group communicate with their intended audience using mass communication. The last part will try to examine the recent changes in the comic-book world in regard to giving the traditional male superhero role to a female lead and what changes might it bring forth by breaking some of the female gender stereotypes and norms.

Superman does not have to prove to anyone he is ready to be a superhero whereas Wonder Woman has to prove herself first before being allowed to be a superhero. In addition, O’Reilly’s article talks about how Wonder Woman gets punished for rebelling against an authority figure while a male computer genius is praised by his superiors for showing strength and resolve against their wishes. Popular children’s entertainment also demonstrates how females are treated as found in the article The Smurfette Principle. The basic premise behind this article is that fact that in children’s movies and television shows, boys take a more central role while girls are stuck at the periphery.

In the long legacy of DC comics there are two female archetypes who couldn 't be more different: one is a paragon of virtue and one is a psychopath. One has an abusive relationship with an insane criminal that defines her identity; the other encourages women and girls to fight for their independence. One has decades of historical canon and an inception full of purpose; the other was meant to be a one-off and a short amusement in a kids ' cartoon, but exploded into a phenomenon. Despite their many differences, they are both beloved the world over. They hold constant interest for fans over the years and, for many women, both mark milestones of feminism. To understand this phenomenon more we will take a closer look at the characters of

However, not all of those disrupting social values are unfavorable. Focusing on the masculine side of societal values, modern-day superheroes reinforce the idea of toughness

I had read this “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie narrative in my high school class last year. We discussed it in class and touched on the main topics. Yet, when I read it over and over this time, I discovered so much more I appreciated about it. Perhaps that I have a “fresh” college mindset that is more open than my wanting-to-be-graduated high school self. Alexie’s story is truly inspiring.

Bercuci, L. (2016). Pop Feminism: Televised Superheroines from the 1990s to the 2010s. Gender Studies, [online] 15(1), pp.252-269. Available at: https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/genst.2016.15.issue-1/genst-2017-0017/genst-2017-0017.pdf [Accessed 14 Jul. 2017].

The concept of a hero has been around for many generations, and the meaning of a hero is defined in ways people grasp its idea. A hero can be a person who has a superpower and is willing to make a personal sacrifice for the benefit of others or can be an ordinary everyday person who just wants to help people out of his or her own heart. Linda Seger’s article, “Creating the Myth,” tackles the idea of a “Hero 's Myth,” and shows the ten steps of how heroes are transformed from an ordinary person to the Savior. On the other hand, Robert B. Ray piece titled, “The Thematic Paradigm,” emphasizes that in modern films, it is either having an “Outlaw Hero or an Official Hero,” which he uses three stages to demonstrates how they are different each other in the way they perform in the society. Further, the article, “Out of Character: Wonder Woman’s Strength Is Her Compassion - What Happened?” by Stevie St. John, explains how Wonder Woman was viewed as a compassionate woman in the 1940s and 1950s, and in the 2000s she changes into a more violent person. In this essay, I argue that a hero is subjective, and is defined by the villain or event that they had to adapt to suddenly.

Since Charles Hatfield and his co-editors claim that the genre of superheroes is both a reflection and a shaper of values (XIV), the appearance of superheroes and -heroines of the past helps to draw conclusions about society’s “changing cultural perceptions about masculine and feminine norms” (Brown 44). Regarding the approaches of the afore-mentioned scholars, it can be generally stated that, reflecting superhero narratives in the 20th century, men represented the strong sex and were actors, while women were sexualized, weak, and helpless without men (Brown 146). Moreover, Alex Link claims that Supergirl lived in Superman’s shadow (1177) and that she was “the ideal heroine for a world in which adult women [were] themselves infantilized and living in the shadows of their own Supermen” (1186). While this description might fit the comic book Supergirl, the question whether the TV show Supergirl of 2015 still lives in the shadow of her famous cousin will be answered later on in the analysis, because “strong superheroine characters can also represent new and progressive roles for women” (Brown

Women are continually demeaned on television and are shown as the inferior gender. Hypermasculinity causes problems like gender inequality in our society, leading to the mistreatment of non-masculine characteristics in our culture. By presenting hypermasculine traits on television, this stigma is spread throughout society for everyone to indulge, creating mass conflict. More often than not, female characters are the victims or damsels in distress and the men are heroes that come to their rescue, usually expecting sexual favors as an award for their “manly” acts. This is the case for a multitude of superhero dramas that have surfaced recently over the years.

The portrayal of superheroes in films has changed in terms of their character, appearance, style and strength. Superheroes has been a popular theme in hollywood films since its inception. They are what peoples imagination can only think of. A perfect human being who saves the world .The first time superhero appeared on T.V was “The Adventures of Captain Marvel” in 1941. Superheroes was on the rise within popular comic books in 1930′s to the 1940’s as well in which they were considered the ‘Golden Age of Comic Books’ . Comic books became widespread and popular which translated into making films about them.

The physicality and violence of the hypermasculine hero is emphasized in the character of Edward Blake, the costumed crime fighter known as The Comedian, but this emphasis serves not to glorify him but to expose our acceptance of vigilante violence, especially when abstracted from morality. Many superheroes

Through my analyzation of these values, I have assessed the relevance of superheroes in cinema through the impact of American popular culture, the contrast of gender roles, and their impact on children. As a result, society should be gracious toward the immense popularity of superhero films, as they bolster American popular culture and positively impact children from a young age. Although the gender roles might be a bit skewed, many film companies are taking steps to include women in more empowering roles such as Wonder Woman in the DC cinematic universe. Therefore, superheroes in cinema tend to only create and preserve positive characteristics within society, which is glorious in the future of mankind. In closing, I end with the question, “Which superhero best depicts

The compilation of various essays in The Psychology of Superheroes by Robin S. Rosenberg provides an interesting psychological look at comic book world characters in the context of the contemporary and ever-growing success of the superhero genre in film and television. Themes the book covers are super characters and their positive attributes, group dynamics, environmental factors, introspection, gender roles, stress, and mental illness, just to name a few. The book does not have any original characters of its own, rather picking out noteworthy figures from galleries of superheroes and their rogues. Early on, it is concluded that superheroes have many positive facets that readers wish to underscore; however, the novel highlights that these figures

‘The Incredibles’ is an animated Pixar movie that focuses on two of Metroville’s superheroes who are married-- Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl (add more) The government creates a law stating that ALL superpower activities are prohibited. Consequently, they are obligated to conform to a “normal life” in their society and wind up assimilating to suburban life with their children Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack. After 15 years of living as a civilian and insurance claims specialist, Mr. Incredible decides to take advantage of the opportunity to live the life of a superhero proposed by a mysterious informant. However, it turns out to be a set-up by an adversary who once idolized him in his years as an adolescent. It’s up to his family to save him and the world from any danger that stands before them. In the movie, there are numerous ways the characters are portrayed as based on their ethnicity and power. The film ‘The Incredibles’ depict and display societal issues through the family’s inherited super powers, stereotypes in the movie, and what society defines a hero as.

To reiterate how important superheroes are to developing a character out of our human selves, Rosenberg later adds, “Superhero stories offer us models,” (p.