Waiting for Heroes: An Examination of P.1ychologica/ Disorders, Existentialism, and General Strain Themy in Superhero Films

Abstract

For years following the release of the first superhero comics in 1938, comic enthusiasm boomed, leading to the creation of countless superheroes and crime fighters. However, these comics were regarded by many to belong solely to a certain group of people. According to Marvel Comics publisher Martin Goodman, the main audience for comics was young kids and illiterate adults (Goldin, 2003). A big contributor to this fact was the Comic’s Code, which was introduced in 1954 by the United States government to regulate comic books and ensure that they were appropriate for children through the banning of content that was considered to be too “adult.” This led to the cancellation of many comics and the proliferation of the idea that comics were supposed to be for children. It was not until the release of the film Superman in 1978 that superheroes entered the big screen and appealed to a larger audience of all ages. While there had been many adaptations of superhero comics up to this point in the form of live-action television shows and cartoons, the 1978 Superman film presented the world of superheroes to the general public in the most influential form yet. The success of this film resulted in three sequels and the release of four films about the vigilante Batman by Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher. The success of the Superman and Batman films then led to the release of numerous other superhero film franchises including Spiderman, X-Men, Iron Man, the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, and Thor. These films have been met with different levels of success, ranging from mockery to large-scale financial success. Regardless of whether or not they are successful, the films attempt to reinvent the characters for a modern audience while still adhering to the comics that serve as the base material. [Introduction]