Weekly Analysis Conclusion

Superheroes: Wrapping it all up

I think the theory that best related to my popular culture topic of superheroes was the theory of heroes. Heroes are defined as superior beings that provide good deeds without the intention of recognition (Browne, 2005). Certain qualities of heroes include sacrifice, bravery, and kindness (Murphy Jr, 2014). People created superheroes in order to depict those qualities that we would like to see in ourselves or in others. Superhero comics and movies gave people hope in time of war.

I think the most interesting findings that I came upon was that Captain America was created around Hitler’s reign and the belief that there are only the main superheroes that are popular. The very first Captain America comic showed the Cap punching Hitler. It was published on March 10, 1941 (Marvel, n.d.). This was before the United States even got involved in the war. Another interesting concept that I found was the amount of superheroes that there are beyond the most popular. I was even unaware that there was multiple Green Lanterns, let alone one!

I look at superheroes differently now and analyze them. I think beyond what we are shown like why they are that way and why the creators created them. I research the background on the superheroes now if I am curious. For example, I recently became interested in Black Widow so I conducted some research. She began as a Russian spy associated with Iron Man. She became part of the S.H.I.E.L.D., which has become the basis of a popular TV series, and fought alongside the Avengers. She came in contact with many superheroes like Captain America, Spider-man, and Wolverine (Marvel, n.d.). This shows that the heroes cross paths, which I didn’t realize either.

References

Browne, R. B. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture. Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America: The University of Wisconsin Press.

Marvel. (n.d.). Black Widow. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from Marvel: http://marvel.com/universe/Black_Widow_(Natasha_Romanova)

Marvel. (n.d.). Captain America Comics. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from Marvel: http://marvel.com/comics/issue/7849/captain_america_comics_1941_1

Murphy Jr, B. (2014, April 30). 5 Qualities of Incredibly Heroic Leaders. Retrieved October 23, 2014, from Inc.: http://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/5-qualities-of-incredibly-heroic-leaders.html

Weekly Analysis 4: Superheroes and Formulas

Superheroes: Formulas

Formulas are the list that allows the audience to know what to expect from a certain type of genre. There are many different formulas and combination of formulas for the variety of genres. Genres are used to classify our media. Some examples of genres include horror, action, and comedy. Media that genres are spread across include movies, music, and books. Formulas vary slightly but within each genre they generally provide the same formula. The varying of formulas provide for twists and turns to engage the audience further (Browne, 2005).

When I think of the formula for a superhero, it is as follows:

1. A crisis or disastrous event must occur

2. Some sort of transformation to the superhero must occur

3. That someone has to be willing to step up and save the day.

Let’s look at a recent movie example. In Captain America, the world was going through a war. The war would be classified as the crisis. Army officials and scientists decided to use an experiment to help build “super soldiers”. This would be the transformation of Steven Rogers into Captain America. Captain America crashed the plane that saved the world. This was also how he became frozen into present day (Johnston, 2011).

The superhero formula is evident in so many superheroes in comics and movies such as Batman, Spider-man, Superman, and Captain America. The formula I gave in the preceding paragraph was convention. Inventions for the superhero formula would include killing off Captain America or pairing up Batman and Superman in a fight. These types of inventions do not fit the norm of the convention but instead throw a curveball into the mix to keep the audience guessing what will happen.

References

Browne, R. B. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture. Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America: The University of Wisconsin Press.

Johnston, J. (Director). (2011). Captain America: The First Avenger [Motion Picture].