Why Do Americans Love Superheroes So Much? By Adam Hogue

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?”

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.

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.

I believe we as a society are intrigued with shows like Dexter because they allow us a temporary escape from reality. A reality in which we witness injustices occur in our court systems such as a legal loop hole allowing a guilty person to essentially walk free and justice not being served for the victim. I will attempt to explain why these characters are thriving as pop culture icons.

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.

Veterans are honored yearly with Veterans Day and every day in our hearts. We are very thankful for everything that they do for us and our country. Our veterans go out and risk their lives to give us freedom, they leave their families behind, and they come home with diseases that are horrible. All for our freedom. We are very grateful for all that the veterans do each and every day.

An archetype is an universal theme or pattern in literature, television, and character. One of today's archetypes is superheroes. They all tend to start from a tragic, usually family death, background, but somehow they constantly want to ameliorate the world. Then at some point, they will discover a gift they have and use their inhuman powers towards the benefit of humanity. However, they all have a weakness that reminds them that they are human. They will learn to cope with their problems and eventually overcome it. My example of this archetype is Supergirl on the CW. Her family dies on Krypton, when it explodes, but sends her to Earth to take care of her cousin (Superman). Because he was already Superman when she arrived, she had

Why are SuperHeroes so popular today? Heroes inspire us to be our better selfs and do better things. The have inspired us to Never Give Up. SuperHeroes inspire us to be our better self by showing us to not give up.

Comic book industries have been the main establishers for the new American youth culture. This has also been well used to settle a cultural representation for communism, wartime-propaganda, and, to those adults who thought their child acting rude was caused by comics, a sign of the decline of comic books, thus making the industry fall into consensus and conformity. Ever since the first comic book was created in the 1930’s, Americans have been greatly influenced because of its vast enjoyment. Whether from romance to war or justice to crime, comic books have forever changed popular culture and can definitely portray how, at different times in U.S. history, people understood and interpreted events around the globe. This becomes apparent in the film Comic Book Superheroes: Unmasked when the

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,

When you think of the phrase “American Superhero,” does it make you think of a machine with gadgets and bolts. Little do you know it a human-being under all of the armer and capes. The way The Urban Dictionary defines the word Superhero is; A being with extraordinary physical or mental powers, far beyond the range of normal human ability. (“www.dictionary.com/browse/.“) In order to be classified as a superhero in America; you need to have three major characteristics.

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

Back towards the beginning of American history we see superheroes arising for the first time in our culture. They were not necessarily able to fly or see through walls. However, they were still extraordinary people. Their stories were passed from father to son and the story grew with every telling. People like Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill were just two of the many tales of the time which spoke of men doing extraordinary things. These tales wouldn’t excite forever, though. As years go by our country and its people become less and less naïve and craved more. A giant man with a blue ox and an axe just could not suffice. People become more and more numb to pain and murder, and needed more than these tall tales.

When asked what makes the character of Spider-Man so popular, most people would probably say that it is due to his relatability. Peter Parker is just a kid, like all of us are or were, and that instantly makes him accessible to a wide audience. However, I never thought about that when I was a child. I grew up on the Sam Raimi films, which I still hold near and dear to my heart. I suppose I wasn’t smart enough at the time to realize the massive appeal of the Spider-Man character. For me, Spider-Man was just cool because of his colorful costume and his amazing powers. I was just a kid who loved awesome superheroes, and Spidey checked that box. Having graduated high school and preparing for college, I am now more aware of subtleties and nuances in film, while still retaining that childlike excitement for massive blockbusters. I have been anticipating the latest Spidey film for a very long time, and upon viewing the film twice, I’ve realized a glorious truth. For the first time in my life, at the age of 18, I finally related to the character on a deeper level than I ever thought possible, and that is what makes this film shine.

A superhero’s main characteristic is to be able to a unique individual which will separate them from being categorized with the typical other “heroes”. Coogan states that a “superhero” is an individual that exemplifies the three main characteristics mission, power and identity. A unique superhero must have a mission that involves the main motive to save civilians without there being any personal gain from this experience. Coogan states that without this personal mission that this “superhero” would just be a ordinary person that would be an extremely helpful in the event of a dilemma. A unique superhero must posses these extraordinary but mystical powers that reflect their human identity or personality. These powers have been greatly exaggerated