Sunday, October 12, 2014

"It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!"


Superheroes: Popular Beliefs, Myths, and Icons

             “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Superman!” Everyone knows that saying for the famous Superman, what many people don’t realize is that there are many more superheroes than the most widely known. Many people are familiar with Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and the X-Men but they may not be as familiar with Blue Beetle, Static Shock, or Animal Man (Rozeman, 2013). I, myself, did not realize the scope of the superhero world until recently. It seems that the superheroes have exploded into extreme popularity recently. Movies such as The Amazing Spiderman and The Avengers are popular among the children as well as the adults.
            The myth behind superheroes is that they are used to convey the world that we live in. We use them for guidance on how we think our world should be played out, with the villains always losing. The age old good versus evil where good always wins is depicted time and time again in many medias. Superman was introduced after Hitler’s reign in Germany. Superman exuded good, honor, and protectiveness. The people looked to Superman as hope for the world we live in, that good will always conquer evil (Burger, 2014). This myth continues today as we have men and women in the service or police forces fighting against the bad guys every day.
            The most iconic superheroes are also the most famous or widely known: Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, among a few others. Batman is iconic because he is a regular guy, no superpowers. Superman is an alien that has super-strength. Spiderman was bitten by a radioactive spider that gave him his abilities. Wonder Woman is from an Amazonian tribe. Iron Man is much like Batman in that he is a regular guy that uses his brain to create weapons and a suit that protects him (midnightrain890, 2014). All of these superheroes, and many more, give us belief that good will prevail against evil.
References
Burger, J. (2014, September 10). American Mythology: Superheroes are Symbols of Fiction. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from Moviepilot: http://moviepilot.com/posts/2014/09/10/american-mythology-superheroes-are-symbols-of-fiction-2261551?lt_source=external,manual,manual
midnightrain890. (2014, August 26). Who are the top 5 most iconic superheroes. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from ComicBookMovie.com: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/comics/news/?a=106603

Rozeman, M. (2013, April 3). 12 Marvel and DC Superheroes That Should Have Their Own Movie. Retrieved October 10, 2014, from Paste Magazine: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2013/04/comic-book-superheroes-that-should-have-their-own-movie.html?p=2

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