“But the life of a superhero is fraught with stress: Saving the city (or planet) from nefarious plots of evil-do-ers; and the hassles of daily life…” (deLusé 187). Superheroes are known to save mankind and defend the Earth, but what most people do not consider is the amount of stress these heroes deal with on a daily basis. The obstacles they must overcome include coping with their alter ego and superhero stress, keeping a secret identity and surpassing the expectations set for them. Essentially all Superheroes have an alter ego to hide their true identities, but what most don’t realize is that they have to handle their alter ego stress along with their superhero stress. Heroes such as Superman or Batman carry on double lives where they both …show more content…
Peterson and Park state that “There is an absence of personal relationships in the lives of superheroes” while Hancock goes on to say that their alter egos are depicted as “mild and shy” (10 &114). Having to constantly worry about being identified either by a random citizen or their enemies is a full-time job in itself and makes heroes more reluctant to form relationships with others (Peterson & Park 12). Professor Xavier from X-men first concealed his groups identity thinking that the world was not ready for them yet considering he knew the world wouldn’t be ready for such a “multiculturalism” group (Lyubansky 75). When Professor Xavier decided to come out into the open “humans initially seemed to be pleased with the X-Men’s contribution to law enforcement” but were later oppressed (Lyubansky 77). This put stress on others in the group who went into hiding, trying to conceal their identities so they wouldn’t be killed or taken in to have their “X Gene” removed (Lyubansky 78). Regular people had nothing to fear and nothing to worry about considering they were not being oppressed. To emphasize the ordeals of constantly being in the shadows with their identity is a task hero must deal with
Although not every hero shouts “Avengers Assemble” before a worthy deed, heroism is shown in all aspects of the everyday world. Webster Dictionary has exactly 5 definitions under the word hero and still no two people explain heroism the same. Superman and Captain America are a glimpse of the fictional characters society titles a hero. Firefighters and Military portray heroism each day in the lives of every civilian. As Sullivan and Venter stated “individuals are referred to as ‘heroes’ for seemingly different reasons” and even through endless studies the adjectives referring heroes is ever changing. Among the various ideas of what it means to be a hero, boldness and valiance capture the essence of heroism.
We are currently living in the Golden Age of Superheroes. They dominate our cultural life, and have become seemingly permanent fixtures in modern media. Since X-Men burst onto the screen fifteen years ago, we have witnessed the release of over forty superhero movies. By 2020 we will have seen the release of more than twenty-five more. Today, the much anticipated film Superman vs. Batman has come to theaters. Though a plethora of superhero movies have been released, it is to the dissatisfaction of many, having long been exhausted by the stories of the Hulk, Batman, and Spider-man. Although I must agree that it is quite easy to get bored with the constant action, and flashing colors of these films, if one looks deep enough into the story they will discover universal themes and metaphors. Though they may be fighting off alien invasions, these heroes are also battling with their personal challenges, challenges which we can
In Superhero Worship by Virginia Postrel published in The Atlantic explores the glamour of comic heroes coming to live, and what that glamour really is. From paper to screen superheroes have caught the wonder of the American people. The most wellknown superheroes were introduced in the 1930s through the late 1950s, during the time of warfare and national pride. Superman was welcomed in America in 1937 to keep spirits alive during the breakout of WWII, fighting Nazis or the Japanese Imperial Army. These heroes that were created used propaganda
The difference between a superhero, as we know from movies and comics, and a traditional hero is rather unclear for many people.. In modern times, a superhero is often a being with supernatural abilities. For example, the movies depict them as individuals with super strength, night vision, the ability to climb walls, and so on. The majority of audiences have been spoiled with these unrealistic depictions and are unable to recall the real or “traditional” hero. In the texts, The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Book of Job, and Bhagavad Gita, heroes are not “as seen on television”, but something more. The heroes in these stories carry great strengths such as wisdom, patience, and pride. To illustrate these characteristics, the protagonists themselves
Some of the world’s most-loved and well-known superheroes include Superman, Batman, and Spiderman. However great these superheroes may appear, their fictional stories also include stressors that they face everyday, such as the villains that they encounter and the pressure of being a hero and an everyday citizen. In this way, stress often negatively impacts the lives of the ones who watch over every neighborhood, every street, and every house. Such is the job of a police officer. Because stress has become an important topic in the community of law enforcement, things that are commonly discussed are the causes of stress, the effects of stress, and the handling of stress in the lives of police officers.
Day by day, individuals are faced with challenges that lead to extremes. People confront hurdles while achieving everything they are obligated to do. Every day, ordinary people are to some extent heroes. It is normal for people to face obstacles and barriers when performing their duty of duty. But within those people, the ones that do not quit due to their frustration are the real heroes.
Everyone dreams of being a hero however the path is narrow. The mantle of responsibility is important aspects and the presence of the heroic traits must be shown in some form. However, there will always be outliers and deemed delusional who attempt to be heroes. In Watchmen, Moore creates an omnipotent hero who lacks humanity in the portrayal of the Dr. Manhattan as a psychopathic anti-hero.
Almost everyone has some type of an alter identity. Some alter identities may be obvious and others might hide them better. The Hulk’s alter identity/ego is Bruce Banner. Bruce transforms into the Hulk under emotional stress or his will power to accomplish things. When Bruce changes physically to a green muscular figure, he changes emotionally as well because he is living a double life. Comic heroes tend to disguise their hero identity because it may be based on their past, and what they want to accomplish. Dual identities not only create two characters, but two appearances as well. It is hard to control their emotional state at all times, which leads to complications in life. Having an alter identity creates a life where they can go
In our society, certain ideals are held in high regard. Individuals relentlessly pursue these ideals to achieve a perceived perfection. These principles are often depicted in media that further glorifies and establishes a desire to pursue these paragons. In a medium such as comic books, however, these standards and perceptions are heavily distorted by the characterizations and settings. Particularly, the superhero genre absorbs the ideals we strive towards and regurgitates them in an extreme and unrealistic manner. The superhero genre is often reflective of societal changes in ideas and morals. These ideals are then molded into misleading representations that influence the behaviors of viewers. Comic books absorb elements of our society and transform them. For example, as the enemies of America change, so do the enemies of our superheroes. However, the enemies are transformed into supervillains that are extremely dark and villainous. Such characterizations cloud people’s understanding of real threats and enemies affecting our society. Also, to cater to the value that American society places on intelligence, attractiveness, and physical strength, comic books create characters that epitomize these characteristics. Though the represent society’s ideals, these characters manipulate the ideas and convey them back to the audience in an unrecognizable manner. In developing such distorted representations, the superhero genre affects human behavior and perceptions of these ideals.
Conquering the Enemy Christopher Reeve, the actor who played the iconic comic book superhero, Superman, on film, once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Mr. Reeve had an excellent point that is relevant to any human being, especially us students who are marching on to the bigger challenges that life has to offer to us, whether it be through school, work, or even life in general. As we move on to the next chapter of our lives, we will have some monstrous foes to face, that consist of stress, fear, and ultimately life itself. Stress is a terrible by-product of hard work, but it must be faced by every single person as they go forth on their journey to
The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with an insight into the Super Hero Series Batman. This crime fighter originally appeared in Detective Comics issue #27 in 1939. It later became a comic book series, a TV series and a movie series. The character Batman is second only to Superman as a Super Hero. Amazingly Batman has no super powers, but he does have a lot of neat crime fighting gadgets. In this paper, we will explore the creation of Batman, his supporting cast of characters both good and bad and the gadgets he used.
To conclude, the graphic novel Watchmen presents the non-fantastic representation of a superhero, implying that not all heroes are like Superman. This notion is explored within the novel by mentioning the realistic motives of the characters choosing to become superheroes, by Rorschach’s representation and through the heroic reactions of the New Yorkers to a street crime. These elements all contribute to Watchmen’s uniqueness and complexity as a superhero comic.
James Whitlark’s article, “Superheroes as Dream Doubles” articulates “that contemporary superheroes are more psychologically complex” (108). As a result of this complexity the superheroes show double identities the person “.... is divided into two selves: one ineffectual, the other heroic” (107). This idea of superheroes with dual identities is prevalent in “Heat” an episode from the Smallville television series. Throughout the episode the viewers see the main character, Clark Kent struggle with controlling his unconscious thoughts which are brought on by Desirée Atkins who also happens to have a doubling side. Though hers is predominantly evil. Throughout the episode the viewers get to watch Desirée try to spread her evil ways on Clark and it is up to him to be able to control his unconscious thoughts and expose Desirée’s secret.
All novels and movies have heroes who struggle to save the day. No hero can go through their journey alone, however. Heroes and sidekicks appear in multiple stories, novels, and movies and are responsible for having each other’s backs in resolving the conflict of the plot. Heroes and sidekicks are seen throughout the world in fiction and nonfiction, and they are viewed as the people who go through a crazy journey, but end up saving the day. In the beginning, heroes and sidekicks strive together because of their polarizing personalities and their disagreements. However, their disagreements turn into arguments and they are split one way or another. Heroes and sidekicks always reunite because of their belief in the journey and that they
Being a hero means that one can show courage when it comes to facing a problem. It is a person who helps others in many ways, such as a person in danger. In the modern era, the creation of superheroes have become popular when it comes to producing films. Viewers can choose their favorite heroes due to the idea that there a many of them. However, most fans argue which superheroes are better. Two of the most popular superheroes are DC’s Batman and Marvel’s Iron Man. Although Batman and Iron Man are loved by many viewers because of how they help people in danger, they still demonstrate imperfections which can cause viewers to dislike them. However, both superheroes share similarities and differences between themselves. Batman and Iron Man have