The Superhero Effect: Idealism and Stereotypes in Comic Books

1565 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Misogyny in comics

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.
Idealism shown in comic books is a fruit of human perceptions and values. Society provides the material on which our superheroes and their enemies are based. Our perceptions of ideal figures are what drive their characterization and impact how we respond to them...

... middle of paper ...

... 298.3 (2006): 140-144. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Robinson, Wills. "Not Quite a Whizz in a Phone Box: Superman Fan Has 19 Surgeries over 16 Years to Look like His Favorite Comic Book Hero." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 09 Sept. 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. .
Rʼnžička, Jiří G. "American Superheroes And The Politics Of Good And Evil." New Presence: The Prague Journal Of Central European Affairs 12.2 (2010): 46-48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Siddiqui, Abdul. "DC Comics Fires Top Female Writer For Refusing to Comply with Company's Sexism." PolicyMic. N.p., 14 Dec. 2012. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. .

Show More
Related

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of Violent Media

    117 Words  | 1 Pages

    It has been happened frequently in today’s society that parents and teachers try to keep children away from violent media. Children are taught that violent is not right and dangerous. In the article, “Violent Media Is Good for Kids”, Gerard Jones asserts that allowing children to violent media instead of banned it can bring great benefit to children during their growing stage. By watching violent media, children learn to overcome fear, control the rage and prove the real self from the superheroes in the story. Jones believes that violent entertainment can assistance children to fulfill emotional and development need. In my opinion, Jones develops a persuasive argument because of his strong emotions, considerable evidences and reasonable assumptions.

    Read More

  • How Did Comic Books Influence American Perceptions During World War II?

    2110 Words  | 5 Pages

    Inspired by the way comics were able to illustrate the events of WWII I decided to investigate to what extent did comic books influence American perceptions during World War II. Comics turned into an apparatus to exploit racial and social contrasts and outlet for wartime purposeful publicity. The Golden Age of Comic Books portrays a period of American comic books from the late 1930s to the mid 1950s. During this time, present day comic books were initially distributed and quickly expanded in notoriety. The superhero model was made and some surely understood characters were presented, for example, Superman, Batman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel.

    Read More

  • Examining Hero Archetypes: Jekyll, Hyde, and Batman

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    The definition of a hero is subjective. Accordingly, Robert Ray believes the hero is able to be divided into three categories: the outlaw, official and composite hero. In most cases, a hero can be categorized into one of these categories. Through the examination of Jekyll and Hyde, the Batman movie from 1943, and film of Batman in 1989, qualities of the hero will be depicted as a function of time.

    Read More

  • Violent Media...Good for Kids?

    955 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Violent Media is Good for Kids” Gerard Jones introduces us to his fearful and lonesome childhood. He lived in a world where he was taught to be the violence fearing, and passive boy his parents wanted him to be. But, when one of his mother’s students gave him a Marvel comic book, his fearfulness was transformed into inspiration. He found a way to escape these discouraging feelings through the “stifled rage and desire for power” (Jones 285) that he had newly found. The popular comic book hero “The Hulk” freed him from his passive and lonely persona. Throughout the article he cites his testimonies and the testimonies of others as examples; and shows how they used violence as a positive realm for “overcoming powerlessness.” (Jones 287) Ultimately, Jones is trying to convey the message that violent media can provide kids with psychological tools for coping with the problems that they face as they grow. Although there are slight hints of biased evidence, “Violent Media is Good for Kids” should be considered for the top prize for persuasive essays.

    Read More

  • Race-Bending in the Media

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most avid comic book fans would agree that they were less than enthused when Marvel Studios decided to reboot the Spiderman movie franchise in 2012 – just 11 years after the quasi-successful run of the original trilogy (Proctor). As one of the aforementioned avid comic book fans, Marc Bernadin, writer for “io9” (a technology and lifestyle website), rightfully questioned this decision by stating, “in this day and age, does Spidey have to be a white guy?” (Bernardin). This question fueled an Internet phenomenon that forced creators and fans alike to re-evaluate the way that they see the characters they love so much in terms of their race. Media makers and content creators have an ethical responsibility to “represent the many facets of humanity” (Petrou, Jan. 27). ‘Race-bending’ is when a content creator dresses a character as someone of a different race, or changes the race of the character entirely from one race to another (Ibid). In this paper, I aim to explore the influence of social media on race-bending, as it applies to comic book culture and its meaningfulness to the fan community. My principle arguments will draw from an examination of the Marvel comic universe, the #donald4spiderman campaign and the “Amazing Spiderman” movie franchise in order to show that through the power of social media, we are changing the way we root for heroes regardless of their race or ethnicity– moving society forward as a progressive culture.

    Read More

  • Understanding the Heroic Spectrum

    1781 Words  | 4 Pages

    Grossman, Lev. "The Problem with Superman." TIME Magazine. Www.time.com, 10 May 2004. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. .

    Read More

  • The Transformation of America

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    In no field other than politics does the justification for action often come from a noteworthy event and the true cause stays hidden behind the headlines. The United States’ transformation from a new state to a global superpower has been a methodical journey molded by international conditions (the global terrain for statecraft), the role of institutions and their programmed actions, and ultimately, the interests of actors (the protection of participants in making policy’s items and i...

    Read More

  • Alan Moore's The Watchmen

    1623 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hughes, Jamie A. "Who Watches the Watchmen?: Ideology and 'Real World' Superheroes." Journal of Popular Culture39.4 (2006): 546-557. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 25 Feb. 2010

    Read More

  • George Bugs Moran

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kaczynski, Theodore, Givseppe Zangara. American Villains: Volume 2. Hackensack, New Jersey: Salem Press, INC, 2008. Print.

    Read More

  • Summary: From Impressionism To Anime

    1474 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the United States, comics have a largely consolidated genre of superheroes that only appeals to a single demographic; white post-adolescent males (Mescallado, 2000), whereas, in manga you have appeal to essentially every possible demographic group conceivable. The storylines are incredibly widespread and create numerous themes within the context. Antonia Levi mentions how there are three dominant themes in anime that attracts the western audience: environmentalism, technoterror, and sadness. She claims that although environmentalism and technoterror are universal themes, sadness is something relatively new to the west, where the classic happy ending is most prevalent (Levi, 2013). The novelty of sadness therefore also entices foreign audiences. The world of manga and anime is so amazingly diverse, it is almost impossible to find something audiences do not

    Read More

  • Film Industry: Arrow or Oliver Queen

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    Anna Godberson once said, “She should have known that villains often come with pretty faces”. This is regularly the case in the film industry. Hollywood has an abundance of beautiful villains that steal people’s hearts. But, even though physical beauty is a common theme for glamorous Hollywood villains, there are many more means to ploy an audience to love an antihero. In a diversity of films, the audience is manipulated in to liking the bad guys in many divergent ways. With the use of enticing looks, schemas, and the fundamental attribution error (Keen, McCoy, and Powell 129-148) film developers master piloting their audience to love their villains. The directors and actors alike make these characters appeal to everyone who watches the film. Television shows including Arrow, breaking bad, and weeds all glamorize criminals that people have come to recognize and respect.

    Read More

  • Is Batman A Hero Or A Villain Analysis

    462 Words  | 1 Pages

    The terms "hero" and "villain" are as distinct as the terms "good" and "evil." They are mutually exclusive; the hero is courageous, popular, strong, morally, and willing to save the people at whatever cost, while the villain is despicable, hated, and heinous to his core. However, when we turn away from the archetypal world of comic books, this distinction is no longer as clear. When we look at real human beings we do not see a hero as a hero or a villain as a villain, but rather individuals composed of varying degrees of both extremes. No hero is perfect, and no villain is completely heinous. The most recent film adaptation of the DC Comic series Batman presents this truth of human nature. The Dark Knight Rises effectively communicates the

    Read More

  • Heroism in Watchmen

    971 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In Hollywood Film

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    While watching movies, have you ever noticed that the villains in almost every single Hollywood film are of Middle Eastern or European descent? In a reoccurring theme of Hollywood, the villains in these films are almost always foreigners or people of color. This is a stereotype. On the other side of the spectrum, we often see that the heroes of these films are most often than not white males. This is another stereotype. Within the last few years, we’ve seen actors such as Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, and Zoe Saldana take the lead roles, so it can’t be said that there are no non-white heroes, but there certainly isn’t many. Hollywood action movies, moreover than other genres, are typically loaded with an abundance of stereotypes. The way these movies are composed and structured can tell us a great deal about the views held within the American psyche and who holds the social power. The harsh reality is that the media ultimately sets the tone for societal standards, moralities, and images of our culture. Many consumers of media have never encountered some of the minorities or people of color shown on screen, so they subsequently depend on the media and wholeheartedly believe that the degrading stereotypes represented on the big screen are based on fact and not fiction. Mary Beltran said it best when she stated in her “Fast and Bilingual: Fast & Furious and the Latinization of Racelessness” article, “ultimately, Fast & Furious mobilizes notions of race in contradictory ways. It reinforces Hollywood traditions of white centrism, reinforcing notions of white male master while also dramatizing the figurative borders crossed daily by culturally competent global youth – both Latino and non-Latino” (77). This paper will specifically look...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Batman And Iron Man

    1248 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

More about The Superhero Effect: Idealism and Stereotypes in Comic Books

Open Document