Superhero's Theories and Examples

Superhero's Theories and Examples

1. The Avengers

   • Jean Baudrillard (2002)
     • The Spirit of Terrorism (2002)
       • Method of attack > 9/11 brought a new kind of threat and terrorism in the sky
         • Spectacle of terror like video game and the use of computer networks in the attack leading to a mistrust in technology
       • Globalisation > capitalism under attack
         • Culture under attack > disappearance of relity
       • Capitalism responds with enforcment of reality and creating war with Afganistan
   • A band of superhero's protect America from alien invaders in Loki's army
     • Play on the anxieties today of Islamic state > we need hero's?
     • The spaceships flying in destroying buildings stirs images of the two planes on 9/11 which attacked the world trade centre

2. Marvel and the Cold War

   • Ideology of defending America
   • Iron man caught in Vietnam in communist country
     • American Moral Superiority
       • Captain America has the fair hair and blue eyes to represent purity
   • Deformity of communist villains to build up an ideology
     • The Hulk battles the deformed communist scientist The Gargoyl
       • Dan Hassler Forest (2012)
         • Disaster Capitalism and the traumatised Superhero (2012)
           • Superhero movies reflect and reference historical ruptures such as 9/11, Vietnam War and the Holocaust
           • The war on terror reflects and adopts ideologies in neoliberalism

3. X-Men and Civil Rights

   • The X-Men are segregated like African Americans in the 50's and 60's
   • Magneto is like Malcolm X
     • Magneto survived Nazi concentration camps only to focus on hatred for humanity
       • Clear line of good and evil
         • Ben Adams (2013)
           • X-Men intentionally draws a paralelle on black civil rights and fear of the other
   • The mutants are segregated, they are part of the human race but seen as different
     • Jeremy Pierce (2009)
       • Mutants and the Metaphysics of Race (2009)
         • X-Men is a helpful anology to help society understand race problems
   • Charles Xavier is like Martin Luther King

4. Aslami (2012)

   • The Dream Life of Citizens (2012)
     • Fantasy literature in 19th century had ideological assumptions in it already like today

5. Batman

   • Mixes good and evil as he saves Gotham but is driven by vengeance
     • Links with anger and vengeance western public members can feel against ISIS and terror threats
     • We can identify as he is a complex mixture of good and evil