Superheroes are among the most prominent figures in American society, despite them being just fictional characters. Children and adults both admire, become fascinated, and even obsess over these characters (including myself), partly because they possess extraordinary superhuman strengths, fight crime, and have the goal to protect and better humanity. It is not a surprise then, that due to the popularity of comic books, movies based off of them soon came about. One should note however, that all superhero movies follow a certain structure, patterns that are seen in almost all of these movies. This can also include both myths (social concepts and attitudes determined by history) and binary oppositions, (arguments between two oppositions against each other).
Superhero movies wouldn’t be complete without some type of conflict, whether by a person, a situation, or an environmental factor. In most cases the binary opposition for these types of movies includes a hero vs. a villain, almost like good vs. evil. This structure is evident in almost all superhero movies otherwise it wouldn’t have a strong enough plot without the addition of a villain. According to Will Wright’s essay, “The Structure of Myth & The Structure of the Western Film”, a myth contains structure so that they can be understood correctly. A myth to this binary opposition could be that there is just one hero and just one villain in superhero movies, and this would be wrong. Yes, there are some movies that have just one hero vs. one villain, such as 2002’s,”Spiderman”, which had the hero, Spiderman, and the villain, the Green Goblin. Other movies may have more heroes than villains, or vice versa, like “Fantastic Four”, which has four superheroes against one villain, Victor Doom. An example of the opposite is found in “Spiderman 3”, which has Spiderman the hero vs. Venom, Sandman, and New Goblin, the villains. (Towards the end of the movie ,the New Goblin represents the good side with Spiderman).Sometimes the ratio of heroes and villains can be balanced, like in the movie, “ Batman Forever”, which has Batman and Robin vs. the Joker and Two face.
When it comes to the characteristics of being a superhero in these movies, myths are common , often referring to one being characterized as possessing superhuman strengths and having the ability to fly .To have superhuman strengths is one thing, but the way in which each superhero defines those strengths can vary incredibly. For one, not all superheroes include the characteristic of flying. In “Superman Returns”, Clark Kent otherwise known as “Superman” has the capabilities to fly, as well as the Marvel superhero, Ironman who flies by releasing fire through the palms of his suit in both “Ironman” and “Ironman 2”. Spiderman can somewhat fly, but with the help of his webs, and the same goes for Batman, who uses special gadgets and his infamous bat mobile to get around. How these heroes get their powers also contains a myriad of explanations; the characters from “Fantastic Four”, took a flight into space using a device that Reed Richards created, which ends up breaking down and exposes the members in the rocket to cosmic radiation. This results in them gaining their amazing super abilities; Susan (Invisible girl) is able to become invisible, Johnny (The human torch) can fly and become a flame; Reed ( Mr. Fantastic) can stretch incredibly, and Ben ( The Thing) has great strength and durability. Bruce Banner from the movie, “The Incredible Hulk”, gains his strengths after supervising an experiment of a gamma bomb. He doesn’t gain specific superhero powers that are “positive” per say, but does include the ability to transform into the Hulk once his adrenalin is rushed, in which he becomes aggravated.
Another myth when it comes to superhero movies is that they all wear spandex. Although this statement is true for movies like; “X Men”, “Batman”, “Superman”, “Supergirl”, “Captain America”, “ Kick Ass” and the “Fantastic Four”, the only outlier to this myth is the movie ”Ironman”, with its main character sporting steel instead of spandex.
With all the superhero movies in the world, and for those to come, it is quite evident that the basis of these movies will always include the hero vs. villain. Not only that, but they will also include different ways in which they gain their superhuman strengths, how they fight their villains, and will still have the same sole purpose in the end: to save the day and protect humanity.
Referenced From:
Storey, John, and John Storey. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: a Reader. “The Structure of Myth & The Structure of the Western Film”, Harlow, England: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print.
Image from:http://www.collider.com/2009/11/25/justice-league-crisis-on-two-earths-trailer/
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