Superheroes: An Argumentative Analysis

When it comes to superheroes, most of them have costumes, nickname, and certain powers that make them unique. The Google definitions of the term “superhero” is “fictional characters with superhuman powers.” In today’s world, there are superheroes who do not have superhuman abilities but use human materials to fight crime. Are those with natural abilities denied the title of a “superhero?”

Gary Engle describes Superman as the ultimate American, “Superman is the greatest American hero” (Engle, 677). After reading three comic books I notice an occurring theme of wanting to protect what is good, even though the comic books chosen span over eleven years. Several distinct things to Superman’s personality are his cape, the respect he has for others, the respect others have for him, his intelligence, his protection of all life and what is right, his origin, and the sacrifices he makes. Superman is considered to be the greatest American hero of all time.

Superman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman—what do all these characters have in common? They are all products of the human aspiration to be saved. The word hero is passed around too much these days. A hero is not a football player that scores the game-winning touchdown or the goaltender who saves his team from a loss. A hero is usually an ordinary person that did extraordinary things. A true hero is really never a hero at all; at least not in their own mind. However, there are various cases today in which we see the exact opposites of these characters, the anti-heroes. The anti-hero is one who cannot be classified as a hero, for that said character lacks natural heroic qualities. However, the anti-hero cannot be described as a villain either.

Batman, Superman, and Catwoman are all examples of a vigilante, any person who takes the law into his or her own hands, as by avenging a crime. We have come to love and grow close to the idea of superheroes saving the day, but whether or not they’re doings are good, many debate. When there is a government that fails to fulfill its responsibility to its citizens, waves of rebellion from the people longing for a higher more just power are created. Vigilantism is justified when the government has failed to fulfill their duties in protecting their citizens.

Good and bad a requirement in all superhero stories, without either one of them the story just remains incomplete. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons two well-known writers in the graphic story medium. Both authors worked together to create a fantastic piece of work; The Watchmen. In the graphic novel, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, the central theme portrayed throughout the graphic novel is the good versus bad. Throughout history, us humans have tried to obtain powers over others, for example, the World Wars, British rule in India, Rwanda Genocide; they were all a big fight for power. Some used the power for good things while other used it for evil things. It isn’t necessary for a hero to have super powers they can just be seen as anyone that helps out the society and

Superheroes, everyone knows them as the ones who fly or run around defeating the villains, then there are the vigilantes who like to keep their actions in the dark. These two groups have always been confused with one another and there really is not a clear difference in their goals. However, there are many differences in the way they will reach them. They protect the world in many different ways, and they leave people in admiration.

With great power, comes great responsibility. Anyone who is a fan of superheroes has heard those words about power and responsibility. What many of these fans have not heard of is where the purpose of this phrase came from. Another way it could be said is, why superheroes do good with their power and not bad. What is the reason that Superman doesn’t use his power to rob a bank?

In the essay by Kristin Lewis writes that “Many characters have been around for decades, with many people that look up to them”. People see them as heroes who do the impossible.Superheroes

Some of the biggest comic book houses out there include Marvel, whose characters include, Spiderman, Ironman, the Hulk and Thor. DC, on the other hand are the creators of such characters of Batman and Superman. There is no denying that some of these characters are not only pop culture icons, but characters of high moral standards. These characters were created as heroes for the people. According to Wikipedia, "In modern popular fiction, a superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a type of heroic character possessing extraordinary talents, supernatural phenomena, or superhuman powers and is dedicated to a moral goal or protecting the public."

The superhero genre is so popular and influential that many studies have been done on its depictions of the groups and the impact it has on a large part of society how it has “become a staple on film, television, and in video games” (Darowski). The genre is so influential in fact, that it dates back all the way to the Ancient Greeks, and possibly even further (Haynes). Every group in history has had their mythologies and epic tales of crime fighters, they just did not call them superheroes. For example, Achilles only had one weakness (his heel) and was by the Greeks definition, considered a hero (greek-gods.org). The same goes for heroes like Perseus, Theseus, and even Heracles. Back then though instead of being changed into a super soldier in a lab by a German scientist or creating a flying metal suit in the desert, these heroes were part god which explained their extra-ordinary abilities. Super crime fighters have always existed, but when comic books began in the 19th century a new set of rules was created to guide their content to be more appropriate than the Greek tales (Coville).

When we think of superheroes, who do we normally picture? Most of us will probably think of Superman who embodies the traits of a hero and even has the word “super” in his name. These superheroes that we think of are often symbols of power, justice, and freedom. Although not all heroes have these attributes, one of the key aspects of being a hero is their virtue. These heroes were created with an immense sense of morality. Particularly, Watchmen reverses this moral belief. It is consistently reminding us that in a real world with actual people that they will make mistakes or considered as villains. This holds true for everyone, even for the heroes in the book because under their costumes they are humans as well, with the exception of Dr. Manhattan. For example, Edward Blake represents a lack of remorse and is often depicted as someone who enjoys the act of killing. When he refuses to take responsibility for impregnating a woman he met during his time in Vietnam, she slashes him across the face with a broken bottle (Chapter 2, Page 15, Panel 2). Blake retaliates by shooting

“Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary” Gerard Way. What do Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America all have in common? Well, the obvious answer would be that they are all superheroes. From the time one is little they are told magnificent stories of charming princes, handsome knights, and cheeky vigilantes who all, in one way or another, save the day. At a young age a hero is someone who is always courageous, fearless, and willing to do whatever it takes to win the fair maiden's heart. However, as one grows up and matures, the ideas of what makes a hero can begin to change. With age comes wisdom; and with that wisdom comes the knowledge that sometimes the bravest warriors are the most unexpected.

The superhero archetype is traditionally a staple of the comic book medium. The Golden Age of comics, a period of comic publishing between the 1930s and early 1950s, was rife with larger-than-life super-human figures, who often served as an escape from the anxieties produced by war and everyday life. Superheroes like Superman, Batman, and Captain America function as cultural representations of idealism and the American Dream. However, representations of heroism in comic books has shifted significantly since the bright-eyed idealism and Romanticism of the Golden Age. In the Modern Age of comic publishing, contemporary comics tend to appropriate, adapt, and deconstruct tropes from the Golden and Silver Age of comics. Ultimately,

The above mentioned novel is based in an alternate reality of 1985. The Superheroes of the novel have been banned by the government nine years before its commencement. This move of the government is not very surprising considering the fact that almost no superhero abides by the law. So, if the government sides with them, it means that the government is not only incapable of protecting its citizens but also that the laws that it upholds are not good enough for the country. Except for Dr. Manhattan, none of the Superheroes in the novel have any superpowers.

Hands on your hips, chest puffed up, the wind blowing into your cape. BANG! BOOM! POW! Down goes a villain and up comes a new hero, a superhero. Superheroes represent light; they give hope to people and let them know that whenever there is bad, good comes to counteract it. Superheroes are people who may not fit in, or may come from hard backgrounds, but rise to the occasion to change and help others when it counts. It does not matter how one might look or what gender one may be, but the amount of effort and courage one puts into his/her work distinguishes them from the others. Superheroes teach the world how to bounce back after tragic events, how to believe in oneself, and how to get confidence. Superheroes have become very important in American