Corpus Heroica

Heroes Are Never Just Heroes

[corpus-heroica]

Capes, Culture and Power

Not sure if anyone on here will be interested in this, in that case this blog will serve as a way for me to stay motivated and organize my research on the superhero genre through different mediums like comics, manga, film, TV shows and of course peer reviewed articles and books. This specific post will serve as my introduction, what I'm currently looking into, and possibly my ever changing thesis.

I love superheroes, books of all genres, and of course TV and movies. I think they're a really fun way to start to think critically and reflect on ourselves and the society we live in.

Now maybe I am weird and the only one who likes to think about these things but just understand I have my degree in Political Science and English and I'm currently getting my MA in Clinical Psychology with hopes to get my PhD in English after. I'm at really cool intersection of all these things and I want to dissect my favorite characters and stories with these things in mind.

Personally, it really is deep and if we don't critically think about these things then we've lost the plot besties. We have to consume media, even our favorite stories, with this critical lens because it uncovers a whole lot.

CURRENT FOCUS: What is a superhero? What defines the genre? Who gets to be a superhero? Who isn't a superhero? etc

Right now my research questions/ topics are: 

What trauma makes a good hero? 

It’s a longstanding troupe that all main characters go through some sort of trauma like losing their parents, but why is that? Why is it so interesting for us? Can you have a superhero without this trauma and still be interesting?

Feminism 

It’s a fact Wonder Woman paved the way for super heroines, but what did this reflect of society at the time of her creation? What do super heroines say about us now? 

I love looking at Black Widow and Captain Marvel for this too. The characters are powerful but Black Widow was first reduced to a sexualized object (in film), and Captain Marvel was received with so much hate. 

Are super heroines inherently feminists? Or do they occupy another role? 

Masculinity 

How do popular superheroes reflect masculinity? I love looking at the shift between Snyder and Gunn’s Superman and the way those films were received. 

But even more than that, different super heroes reflect different types of masculinity. What do we as a society deem as masculine? 

Superheroes, masculinity, and male loneliness? 

Propaganda/Nationalism 

The Golden Age of comics started right before WWII and ended in the mid 50’s and it’s very common those comics had themes of patriotism, nationalism, fighting the Nazis etc 

But how has this evolved today? What about in films? Everyone loves to note Superman as an immigration story but what about Damian Al Ghul Wayne? Even Jason Todd is a victim of American propaganda

What about the latest Captain America movie? That is a clear example of propaganda if I’ve seen anything. How do these messages reflect our leaders and better yet the wants of the people? 

Justice 

I’m thinking about this in terms of the Justice League and especially early golden age comics. What do we constitute as ‘justice’? Who deserves justice? What does justice actually mean in the justice league? 

I remember there is an episode of the old animated show where Wonder Woman is turned into a pig by Circe and Batman and Zatanna are on a mission to find Circe to turn WW back. They end up going to Lady Justice to try and talk to Medusa but Lady Justice ends up saying something like how the league has done good things for her name which then brings my question again, what is justice? But more specifically how does this depiction of justice reflect our society? 

And is this justice ultimately a covert form of propaganda? 

LGBTQ+

I’m not super knowledgable about this topic in regards to superheroes and literature. But I don’t think we’ve made as much progress as we should have by now. 

I would love to learn more, but my main question is how do superheroes impact our view on the LGBTQ+ communities? Why are these characters always written and shown in *that* way, you know what I’m talking about. 

Race 

I don’t think I need to explain this one here. And there’s a reason I did this one last because I think it intersects so much of what I want to learn. DC has not had a black main character with an ongoing series in mainline continuity in over a 1000 days. What does that say about us? 

Better yet, let’s look at Chadwick Boseman and Black Panther for a moment. When he unfortunately passed, may he rest in peace, there were people saying things like “finally marvel is all white again” 

But I also want to look at Namor in the sequel. In a sense this team up with Shuri is a cheap way for Hollywood to send the message that BIPOC can unite and fight AGAINST our oppressors. When in reality this issue is so much more complex and nuanced BEACUSE of our oppressors and one where we need to reach class consciousness to ultimately reach 

BIPOC women. 

I also argue very strongly for this point I’m about to make because I’ve started to do some digging with it. But although comics have progressed and has changed with the times. At the end of the day, a white man is the arbiter of justice even though he has gone through none of what an oppressed woman has gone through. A little interesting to me 

Superheros as a form of colonization

The superhero genre is unique to American culture and from it has spread globally. I think this is really interesting when we look at when superhero media becomes particularly popular, and what message that sends not only to American citizens but globally.

If superheroes (and media) can be a form of colonization, how do superheroes from other countries fight back?

What do superheroes from other countries tell us about this specific society and culture? How do they differ from American superheroes?

So if you're also interested in any of these things, let's chat! Let's ask each other questions, learn and build together! I'd love to hear what other people think about these things and learn. What questions do you guys have?

I just really love analyzing literature, art, film, etc and taking into context history and society to paint this picture about us as humans

[corpus-heroica]

What is a Superhero?

Definitions are important. And when asked the question "What is a Superhero?" a plethora of examples come to mind. Superman is a superhero. Batman is a superhero. But is The Hulk a superhero? Is John Constantine a superhero?

Peter Coogan, an American comics scholar and co-founder of the Comics Arts Conference (CAC), argues that the trifecta of what makes a superhero a superhero is this: mission, power, and identity.

In Coogan's chapter titled "The Definition of the Superhero", he uses Detective v. Bruns (1940) as a way to showcase how these three concepts are central to the superhero genre. Judge Learned Hand ruled in favor of DC Comics in this lawsuit, showing that the definitional characteristics of mission, power and identity are central to the genre.

Hand states that both Superman and Wonder Man are both "'champions of the oppressed' who combat 'evil and injustice'" (qtd. in The Definition of the Superhero). This reflects the superhero’s mission as fundamentally pro-social and selfless. The superhero fights injustice within society rather than for personal gain. Without this central mission, the superhero would only be a helpful person. However, this also suggests that the superhero mission carries a certain ideological agenda, as beliefs about justice, morality, and protection often intersect with politics and propaganda.

The mission also distinguishes the superhero from other hero types and genres. In Sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopia, the heroes are often reluctantly drawn into the mission. For example, Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games is arguably a heroic person, reluctantly drawn to the center of the revolution, while Superman is someone who actively seeks out situations in which he can help others. In this case, the superhero actively seeks to protect their communities.

Superpowers then, are the first real area of difference in comparison to other genres. Hand states that Superman and Wonder Man are both described as the strongest in their worlds, and uses examples of both crushing a gun in their hands, stopping bullets, and leaping from buildings. These powers are used in a way that emphasizes the exaggeration of the genre compared to the sci-fi, westerns and pulp fiction also popular at the time and preceding. Superpowers often symbolize exceptionalism, reinforcing the idea that superheroes are uniquely capable individuals set apart from society. However, the presence of comparatively ordinary or mediocre heroes complicates this notion and raises questions about who is allowed to embody heroism.

The identity element then is made up of the codename, and the costume, with the secret identity being a typical counterpart to the codename. The identity convention itself is what marks the superhero as different compared to its predecessor. Coogan uses characters such as The Scarlet Pimpernel and Zorro to further this point. The Scarlet Pimpernel does not take after the roadside flower whose name he takes, and Zorro doesn't resemble the Spanish fox whose name he takes. Although these characters have minimal connections to the name in which they have taken, it did serve as models for superhero creators in their portrayal of the hero's alter ego.

Coogan states that the connection to name and one's inner character or biology came from pulp mystery men like the Shadow and Doc Savage. The Shadow is a shadowy presence while Doc Savage combines the skill and rationality of a doctor and the fighting ability of a savage. Superman is a super man and represents the best humanity can hope to achieve, showing his name is a connection to his character.

Another difference between Superman and earlier figures is that of the costume. Superman was not the first costumed hero, but his costume does mark a clear departure from pulp heroes. A pulp hero's costume did not emblematize the character's identity. Superman's costume does. The "S" symbol clearly marks him as Superman, a symbol of hope. The bat symbol also proclaims Bruce Wayne as Batman once the suit is on.

The costume itself also plays a narrative function. Once the superhero genre was established, the costume identifies the superhero's role within any encounter. For example, in Nightwing: Year One, Dick Grayson leaves behind his Robin identity and visits Superman in Metropolis. There the two of them confront a pair of suicide bombers meant to kill the president. The person Superman went after clearly understands who Superman was and why the bomb failed. Dick Grayson, dressed in jeans and a hoodie, confronts the bomber but is only meant with confusion. Dick thinks "Without the mask and company colors I had to explain myself. Obviously there's a slight credibility gap when you're a hero in a hooded sweatshirt and tennies" (qtd. in The Definition of the Superhero). This example then shows that the superhero's costume places their actions in a comprehensible context, much that of a doctor in scrubs or a police officer in uniform. It announces who the superhero is and explains what they are doing.

Although Coogan argues that these three components, mission, power, and identity, are central to the superhero genre, he also notes that not all characters have a strong affiliation with all three. For example, he states that The Hulk is a superhero without a mission. Stan Lee claims Frankenstein's monster as inspiration to The Hulk. Lee states that the monster never wanted to hurt anyone and that he was merely trying to defend himself in his torturous life. The Hulk was Kirby and Lee's attempt at making a monster into a hero. The Hulk primarily fights for his own self-preservation but ultimately ends up doing good. He acts as a superhero, but does not have the drive or motivation for the mission itself. The Hulk’s place within the superhero genre complicates rigid definitions because he embodies the tension between monstrosity and heroism. Unlike Superman, whose mission is deliberate and idealistic, Hulk’s heroism often emerges accidentally through survival and rage.

Although some characters may lack one of these aspects—mission, power, or identity—that does not necessarily disqualify them from being superheroes, as seen with The Hulk, but also with characters such as Batman and the Fantastic Four. Batman lacks superpowers, but makes it up with his intelligence and physical strength, and the Fantastic Four don't have secret identities. The secret identity convention is typical in the genre, but not necessary, Coogan states.

In his chapter, Coogan also makes it a point that generic distinction is a slippery slope of defining the superhero genre. The distinction between super heroes (heroes who are super) and superheroes (protagonists of the superhero genre) overlaps. Coogan uses Buffy the Vampire Slayer as example of this as she is often put forward as a superhero. Buffy has a mission to fight and slay vampires and demons, she has powers, which is her training, and has an identity as The Slayer. But this identity is not a codename and isn't separate from her ordinary Buffy identity the way Clark Kent is to Superman. Coogan also notes that Buffy doesn't have a costume, and although not needed is a significant genre marker.

After reading Coogan's chapter, many ideas and concepts stood out to me. As I begin my research defining what is a superhero is crucial, otherwise my scope may be too big and I simply can't cover so much media. I am still reading articles and another book written by different scholars on the definition of what a superhero is to try and find the best definition for my purposes.

I think Coogan's main argument of a superhero's mission, power, and identity being central is important and I will definitely take aspects of it into my own research. However my working definition is still just that, working. I now find myself asking is this character a superhero or not? Is this character just heroic or a protagonist of the superhero genre?

After reading this chapter, I believe Aang, the Avatar from Avatar the Last Airbender, is a super hero (a hero who is super) and Usagi Tsukino or Sailor Moon is a superhero (protagonist in the superhero genre). This article has helped me narrow down my focus, but has not quite left me with knowing what truly is a superhero.

So, how do you define a superhero?

Sources

All pictures are from Pinterest

Coogan, Peter. “The Definition of the Superhero.” Super/heroes: From Hercules to Superman, edited by Wendy Haslem, Angela Ndalianis, and C. J. Mackie, New Academia Publishing, 2007, pp. 21–36.