Over the last century, we have seen many variations of the superhero genre. From the comic pages to the big screen, the superhero craze has, without a doubt, taken over the entertainment space. With so many superhero stories, a question that gets brought up a lot is, “When does this get stale?” However, through multiple innovations, superhero stories continue to be told in a unique way. This article explores how superheroes stay relevant by providing us, the audience, with different perspectives on life in the real world.
Marvel and the MCU
Marvel Entertainment has been expanding its huge Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since the debut of Iron Man in 2008. The MCU is the most popular superhero universe and sets the tone for many movies in the superhero genre today.
The MCU’s narrative focuses on teamwork, the value of friendship, and staying true to character. In almost every MCU movie, the climax involves the main characters coming together after their disagreements and devising a plan to turn the tide. This approach has been very significant to the genre and success of their movies. However, in recent years, fans have turned their noses up at the MCU due to the repetitive, predictable nature of the movies. A lot of this issue goes back to “Avengers: Infinity War,” which was a historical movie in the genre because it is the first superhero movie in which the heroes lose. This plot twist shocked the entertainment space and created a new precedent for movies as a whole, as movies of every genre have never taken a risk like it. While the ratings have dropped in recent years for MCU movies, its prime was historical in the genre and popularized multiple themes apparent in many other movies.
DC, The Universes, and Recycling Characters
DC is Marvel’s direct competitor, and up until recently, its films could never amount to the hype that the MCU created. They had their successful properties, such as Batman and Superman, which have so many renditions from different perspectives that it’s impossible to be unable to find entertainment in one of their movies.
Batman, most notably, has been written as a comedy, a dark drama, a mystery, and a serious action. DC has also tried to copy Marvel’s format, and created their own multi-movie superhero universe. However, the studio has struggled with cohesion and consistency with both the themes and quality of its movies. While there were many good movies in the franchise, multiple movies just didn’t live up to the same quality.
The DC Universe films have also struggled to connect individual films and characters with a broader struggle that builds over several movies and characters, something the MCU mastered in its prime. As a result, DC films don’t have a sense of broader stakes beyond individual heroes. While the DCEU was eventually discontinued, there have been changes of positions at DC, with James Gunn being the co-chairman. Rather than trying to replicate the MCU (for which he also directed films), he takes a different approach to superhero storytelling and offers a new vision” With multiple movies like “Suicide Squad”, “Superman”, and the TV show “Peacemaker”, he has made a universe that tells many different stories with a uniting story that doesn’t distract from the respective individual formats. With “Suicide Squad” and spinoff show “Peacemaker” being a narrative of redemption and making up for past mistakes, “Superman” has a narrative of hope in a polarizing world and helping those in need no matter the cost. With a growing audience and a new storyline, the DCU has shown promise of being something new and refreshing in a repetitive space.
The Boys and the Reality of Superheroes in Our World
The Boys has an interesting format because it explores the idea of superheroes existing in our universe, instead of being a different universe where heroes are real. In this reality, Vought creates heroes using lab serums and uses them as mascots instead of super-abled people saving the world. The series investigates what superheroes look like as assets instead of possessing human-like identities and what that means for politics and society.
The story follows a group that are trying to stop the corruption of the world and expose the “heroes” for who they really are. The lesson of this show is that people given too much power will not use it for the betterment of others, but for their own benefit. Most of the characters are written in a way that makes it hard to form a true opinion about them. Their sense of morality is unclear, giving the show a philosophical lens and creating tension and complexity that you don’t normally see in the genre.
Invincible and the Moral Complexities of Super-Heroism
Robert Kirkman has created a large image around the Invincible universe, most notably through his show, “Invincible,” which is a more in-depth on-screen version of his comic run. Invincible is about Mark Grayson struggling with the responsibility of being a superhero, along with his heritage of planet-conquering aliens, which his father kept secret from him. The story follows moral complexities, such as the difference between doing what is good and what is right. There are many characters that represent moral issues, including Mark, who struggles with whether people can actually redeem themselves. Another notable example is Nolan, Mark’s father, who battles with his loyalty to his people versus his sympathy for human life and love for his family. The show has an interesting narrative in that it gives every character some form of depth, whether it makes the character irredeemable, deeply complex, or anything in between. This approach gives the show an edge compared with other superhero formats because it reveals a human aspect to every hero and villain, making them more like us and less like fictional characters to idolize.
The Uniting Message
These superhero universes all have unique storytelling qualities that anyone can enjoy. There are multiple formats and narratives with different themes and stories. While they are clearly unique in their delivery, all these superhero stories are important because they speak to us about daily life and our sense of the world, while utilizing action and unrealistic abilities that keep viewers in awe.
