Superhero Genre

             Nowadays, superhero films give the audience a sense of escapism. What I mean is that viewers are able to go beyond the norm, and live in a world of magical powers and villains; whom which we grow opposed to, or sometimes even feel for. Movies such as X-Men, SpiderMan, Batman, Ironman and the Fantastic Four, have all gained huge crowds around the world. The reason why people have become so attached are because these characters have been around for decades! But instead of just seeing still images on pieces of paper, people would much rather see real actors playing these superheroes. The laziness in America, and around the world has increased drastically, making movies the go to for entertainment, and like I said before, an escape from reality. The overall delivery of superhero films has also changed dramatically within the past ten years. Thinking back to the first SuperMan, Clark Kent portrayed an everyday man, working for a newspaper during the day, but fighting crime, and indulging in love at night.

One thing that has been a constant for the superhero genre, is that they’re all men. Masculinity has played a huge part in the development of a successful superhero theme. Although there have been women superheroes in the past, production companies haven’t really thought about making films where the woman is the main character. Throughout the years there have only been a few women heroes, like Catwoman, Wonder Woman, and Mystique from X-Men; who is more of a sidekick than an actual superhero.

During times of war, films have become a hotbed of patriotism and heroism. Since the beginning of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, America and much of the world have been buried in the local and global repercussions of conflict. Superheroes are quite similar to military officers in some ways; they are charged with bringing peace, fighting violently if necessary, and trying to maintain a normal life. Some audience members may relate to that concept, either on a personal level or through their ideas about war. This makes for a very “real” tone in films, giving superheroes a more personal trademark.

But in the end, superhero films are an experience we never forget. Your friends say, “wow did you see that new Batman movie?” or “Ironman was the best movie ever!” These heroes stick with us; even though they’re fictional and have no importance in our everyday lives. The whole point of going to the movies is to have fun, and I believe that’s exactly what superhero films set out to do.