Superhero Research Paper

In the media we see today, and movies that are continually coming out all have a central idea in common. They all show and represent the idealistic perspective of male versus female in society. From cartoons to chick flicks to romances and comedies we notice identifiable differences and trends represented between the two genders. In the movie I watched, “Clueless,” there are many examples illustrating male superiority over female, ideas of what femininity should be, and female appeal towards the male figures in the film.

The presence of media is prevalent in our technology savvy lives. Yet with inequality shown in media, we are constantly bombarded with sexist concepts. This issue was specifically exemplified in the movie “The Avengers” where a bunch of superheroes get together to collectively defeat an enemy.

Superman first appeared in an action comic book in June of 1938. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster are the creators of Superman. The Saturday Evening Post reported in 1960 that the two men were being paid seventy-five thousand dollars each per year. In 1964, Siegel and Shuster sued for more money, DC Comics fired them. They began a legal battle that ended in 1967, and the accepted two hundred thousand dollars. The two men signed away any further claim to Superman. Superman is like the Hercules of the modern science fiction realm. Batman was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane. He first showed up in Detective Comics number twenty-seven in May of 1939. Batman is a shadow of the night. The character is also referred to as the Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight, and the World’s Greatest Detective.

Few would argue against the notion that society has unrealistic and unfair expectations of women. However, little time seems to be spent talking about harmful societal expectations of men, specifically those associated with toxic masculinity. Toxic masculinity is when men feel the need to prove their masculinity by upholding traditional masculine values and behaviors in a way that is detrimental to themselves and others. These behaviors traditionally associated with men include a need to prove one’s strength over others, blocking out emotional attachments, asserting dominance over others, and denying traditionally feminine behavior, such as crying and showing emotional weakness (Hess). Michael Omi’s article “In Living Color: Race and American Culture” describes how the media has had a large role in perpetuating racial stereotypes, but all his arguments can very well be related to gender stereotype. Movies that glorifies toxic masculinity will inevitably legitimize its behaviors to the public. Therefore, media that critiques stereotypes is important to shifting audience opinions. Despite being a comedy film about a team of superheroes fighting aliens threatening the universe, the 2017 Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 tackles this subject of toxic masculinity through essentially all of its male characters. In particular, the movie’s protagonist, Peter, is the focal point of this commentary. Peter’s mother died when he was young and his father was absent his entire

Out of the seven point five billion people on Earth today, many of them trying to inspire others into and are trying to make this a peaceful place to live. They fight for the rights everyone deserves. They help make sure developing countries have enough food, water, and other supplies for the people who need them. They make sure the people who are serving this country make it back and can live a life free of fear. These people are the superheroes of today’s society. Most of these people are the celebrities with millions of dollars and give to dozens of charities. Some of them have charities of their own. But there is a large amount of these superheroes disguised as normal and everyday people. We will know them as the neighbor down the street

I crack up my entire city with a lot of fun. I spend with my cool, super powers with a lot of tone. I am a first man to fight the battle. I turn the villains in the battle. I turn myself in inside the majority of the battle. Save the city by the whole entire central city of the US. I am not a dangerous villain, you think that I am lying and I am a Super Hero the way I was flying. I made in the NFL playoff with the super bowl like Tom Brady. It was a good fresh air to be super hero like a superman! The city is so hot at the state of New York. I was planning a trip to go on a Zoo York. I can fly to the trip anywhere I can go on the state or country in the international place like a Superman!

Since the late 1920’s there have been many comic book companies, but only two have stayed the course, DC Comics and Marvel Comics. What has made these two such a staple in the industry. Great iconic characters that have stood the test of time, outstanding artists and writers, and in current times the use of their intellectual properties for other mediums such as movies and TV.

In a recent study about inequality in the film industry, it was found that for films released in 2014, 26.4% of women were shown with partial or full nudity compared to only 9.1% of men and this trend has been consistent over the past several years (Smith 10). This gap in the sexual representation of men and women as well as less representation of women as a lead or co-lead in films says a lot about how women have always merely been used as “eye candy” in cinema and television in order to satisfy

Superman is known for his many redeeming qualities, such as being charismatic, highly strong, intelligent, and all around an impressive being. One of his many skills includes being able to fly wherever and whenever he pleases (usually when he is defending the Earth against evil humans or aliens however). He can easily land, as you would assume he should be able to. Similarly, my uncle, Harry, was like Superman when I was around the age of 5 or 6. He was strong enough to play fight with my brother and I, had a decent amount of friends, was intelligent and willing to work towards being certified in the culinary industry. But unlike Superman, he did not have the ability to land when he flew.

Upon viewing both superhero films: The Incredibles and Wonder Woman, I was able to identify the distinctions between gender roles and gender portrayals among the characters presented. This analysis will include the comparison between both films and how they’ve immersed into a world of mainstream consciousness, as well as examining the typical and atypical ways in how male and female superheroes are portrayed. Furthermore, we’ll be demonstrating the transfiguration of mass media throughout the past decade and where it stands as of late.

Sexism seems to appear as a common issue in both today’s society and throughout all of history. When one thinks of sexism, he would probably envision a girl earning lower wages than a man. Although women face inequalities and prejudices, sexism is not one sided, especially in modern society. In present times, men face a multitude of issues; most significant being that boys are often objectified to the “masculine” stereotype of having strong physical characteristics, being emotionless, and not valuing academics.

Since the beginning of cinema, there has been an ongoing issue in regards to the representation of women, or in fact, the lack of representation that is authentic to real women. Women have often been reduced to token roles and sexualised for the benefit of the male gaze, thus this turbulent relationship between women and cinema was born. To this day we still have a long way to go, however, the representation of women has evolved significantly due to factors such as; the wave of feminism, changing of ideologies, and subverting hegemonic norms. In the majority of mainstream Hollywood films, we are introduced to the media-induced idea of the 'perfect woman '; beautiful, white, and thin. This is for the benefit of a presumed male audience; and despite there being a handful of rogue female heroines who subvert this idea, this idealized portrayal of women is the overwhelming consensus in most Hollywood films and forms of media we consume. Comic books have also frequently been criticized for this, as they have been guilty of consistently sexualising the female form and catering specifically to a male audience. However in recent years an influx of new heroin 's and the evolving of old characters has helped tackle this issue. The representation of women in comic books has seen steady progress, and most of the original superheroines were created during the 40s and 50s. This is a reflection of the time period they were made, and offers an insight into the ideologies of the time.

Frequently, most superheroes in cinema are portrayed by male characters rather than women, creating a distinction between gender roles. Indeed, through the passage, “These results may suggest to viewers that women are less important, knowledgeable, and capable than men – and less likely to be a hero” (Miller et. al) women are much less likely to be featured as the hero within the film, and more likely to be featured as the “damsel in distress” of the story. Furthermore, women are much more likely to be depicted in a sexualized fashion, even when displayed in the role of hero. This feature of women with a lack of dominance defies feminism, as they lack roles in superhero films and they are portrayed with the sole purpose of boasting

When you think of a superhero one normally thinks of Spiderman, Batman, or Superman, but there were superheroes long before these characters were created. First one must understand that the basis of this name is hero. What is a hero? A hero is a person who does something special or out of the ordinary in order to help others. It could also be someone who is admired for a characteristic about them, be it physical or mental. They are individuals that normal everyday people can look up to. This being the case, a superhero is nothing more then someone who is a hero, but not just that once and for that one person, but someone who helps many people, or leads them. As time went by the number of people who were true heroes diminished and just

“Superheroes are meant to get involved with solving social related problems including crime, law, and justice among others” (Vollum et al, 96-108). Many people seem to wonder if there exists a Superwoman whenever a Superman is mentioned in the films or magazine comics. Males majorly dominate the issues associated with Superheroes. According to my opinion, the superhero culture presents a strong sexual inequality. The reason for my argument is the existence of more male superheroes than female ones. “Most of the Superman related issues pose that men should be the saver of the society since they are strong enough to protect every aspect of life” (Weiler, 1). When a problem arises in the society men are presented as the major solution