Super Powers

Since the start of superheroes in comics dating back to the Great Depression and World War II, they have continued to gain popularity through movies and TV shows. People of all ages still watch superhero movies and many younger children wish to meet one. The only downside to this is the fact that these superheroes they see in comics or movies aren’t real. Batman isn’t roaming the streets of Philadelphia trying to find his parents’ killer and Captain America’s frozen body wasn’t found in Atlantic City. In reality, these superheroes’ abilities show what people really want from society. They want someone they can look at as their protector who can jump between rooftops to catch bank robbers. Superheroes reflected America’s fears and gave them a chance to feel invulnerable.

Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, was written as a student who grew up to become a soldier. He fought Nazi troops and was viewed as a US hero in order to go against Nazi Germany’s propaganda. During the war, Captain America and his sidekick Bucky were a key symbol of hope for people. It seemed like after the war their popularity died down. In an article from Britannica, the writer says, “As the war wound down, the market for patriotic superheroes began to shrink, and Captain America and Bucky were literally put on ice.”  This suggests that people were no longer in need of these superheroes giving them something to look up to and a future they could wish for. These seemingly perfect figures were only popular when people felt in danger and would much rather read about an “ideal” story where someone comes to save them all, rather than trying to deal with what was happening during the war.

These superhero idols weren’t just used for hope during World War II. In an article by The New York Times the author says that superheroes started to reflect political realities when Justice League was questioning President Lex Luthor’s decisions to invade Qurac or Marvel heroes having to register their abilities with the government. The Superhuman registration was viewed as an invasion of privacy by the government since they had to give up their hidden identities. People don’t deal with these same exact issues where they have to give up their superhero identity to the government but invasion of privacy is still relevant to what the government can access through phones. When they see these superheroes dealing with issues that are in the world today it makes them feel like their situation could turn out the same way. The superhero simply saves the day and makes everyone feel safe again. It distracts from the fact that people feel like there is no way they can intervene in the situations people face today and make things better in the same way a superhero is supposed to do. That sense of safety and not having to worry is something that they don’t have so all they can do is look at a false situation and ignore the reality.

Captain America: Civil War came out in 2016 and shows two different superheroes with opposing views on how the country should be run. An article by Vox talks about how the original comic from 2006 was during the time of America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These disagreements between two superheroes that were friends show the reality of today. Whether it’s decisions over the country or disagreements with friends, people still use the stories as an escape. A point that supports this is shown in an article by The Atlantic where the writer says, “If American culture is indeed in a state of decline, these are the stories built to survive its demise.” The central idea of why the story relates is to provide that alternate ending of what could happen. People often want to forget about the reality and hope that a miracle will just fix everything back into place.  

Although people who aren’t superhero fans might not think that superhero movies or comics matter much, its influence goes beyond entertainment purposes to help people cope with the harsh reality of the world. These happy endings give people hope for their own issues. Things do not always go as planned in the world or exactly how people want them, whether it’s about politics or society, and the writers of these comics create a superhero born into that kind of environment that can overcome anything.

Works Cited

Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/Captain-America. Accessed 19 Apr. 2018.

Gustines, George Gene. The Superhero as Society’s Mirror, From World War II to Iraq. The New York Times Company, 14 July 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/07/14/arts/design/14comi.html. Accessed 19 Apr. 2018.

Abad-Santos, Alex. Marvel’s Civil War and Its Politics, Explained. Vox, 3 May 2016, www.vox.com/2016/5/3/11531348/marvel-civil-war-explained. Accessed 22 Apr. 2018.

Petaccio, Carmen. “How Superhero Stories Reflect American Anxieties.” The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2018, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/03/twilight-of-the-superheroes/475236/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2018.