ABOUT
Super heroes are usually based upon characters out of the original Marvel and DC Comics. They stereotypically possess powers which enable them to be able to do something out of the ordinary for example spider man is able to shoot webs out of his wrists, have super fast vision and super strength. All superheroes fight a type of crime ranging from street thefts to government scandals. Most super heroes will wear a mask to conceal their identity from the outer world, they also wear distinctive costumes which are normally tight fitting to reveal their large muscles. All super heroes have their own distinctive logo which enables members of the public ect.. to recognise that hero for example supermans logo is a large ‘S’ which is displayed across his chest in striking blue, yellow and red colours. Super heroes normally work to a moral code which contains the stereotypical crime fighting. Most superheroes have a hiding place / a base for example batman who takes cover in his so called ‘bat cave.’ More or less most superheroes have an alter ego for example Clark Kent who has the alter ego as the superhero superman. Superheroes are generally not team players and like to do their tasks on their own.
There are several conventions used in Superhero films. Many films of this genre have typical settings which may include being set in a big city where the crime levels are high and there are dangerous threats to everyday citizens. Also the police department have generally failed to stop crime and therefore the superhero has to save the day. For example the city of Gotham in the film ‘The Dark knight’, the villain ‘The Joker’ starts to terrorise the town, robbing banks and crashing parties. The police fail to stop him so Batman has to come in and stop the destruction that he causes. There is generally a dominant theme of Good vs Evil throughout most superhero films. Other persistent themes include Right vs Wrong and the victory of good over evil. The general stereotype of superheroes includes features such as: Capes and Masks, Muscles, Tight fitting lycra costumes, High tech gadgets ect. Most props used in superhero films include powerful items that can do extraordinary things, for example Thors’ hammer. Other props include glasses, masks and cars. Most superhero narratives conform toTodorovs’ theory of equilibrium such as superman, batman and spiderman. Logos are used in nearly all superhero films for example the bat symbol in batman and the spider on his suit in spiderman.
EXAMPLES OF SUPERHEROES
SPIDERMAN
BATMAN
When bitten by a genetically modified spider, a nerdy, shy, and awkward high school student gains spider-like abilities that he eventually must use to fight evil as a superhero after tragedy befalls his family.
Batman is the secret identity of Bruce Wayne, an American billionaire, industrialist, and philanthropist. Having witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, he swore revenge on criminals, an oath tempered with a sense of justice.
Wayne trains himself both physically and intellectually and wears a bat-themed costume to fight crime. Batman operates in the fictional Gotham City, assisted by various supporting characters including his crime-fighting partner, Robin, his butler Alfred Pennyworth, the police commissioner Jim Gordon, and occasionally the heroine Batgirl.
He fights a large assortment of villains, which includes the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face,Ra's al Ghul, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superpowers.
SUPERMAN
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.Clark Kent, one of the last of an extinguished race disguised as an unremarkable human, is forced to reveal his identity when Earth is invaded by an army of survivors who threaten to bring the planet to the brink of destruction.
Superman conforms to the archetype of the typical superhero