Superheroes have been popular since the
birth of comic books in the 1930s. Now
thanks to the rise of superhero movies
in the 21st century, superheroes like
Iron Man, Captain America, Batman, and
Superman have become household names. A
total of eighteen superhero movies have
already been planned for the next four
years. What caused the sudden rise in
popularity? In a post-911 world people
turned to superheroes. The industry
returned the favor by reflecting the
modern world and providing hope. The
superhero industry's response to the
tragedy was immediate. Spider-man which
would be released in May 2002 removed
scenes featuring the Twin Towers from
the film and marketing. 2002 would then
see a record high of 1.64 billion
moviegoers for U.S. admissions. Many comic
books also acknowledged the attacks
featuring salutes to the real heroes of
9/11 to show unity with and support for
the country. Despite being a flop even
Superman Returns was significant. The
state of the world after many tragedies
in the 2000s called for the rise of
superheroes. Superman's return to the big
screen fulfilled American sentiment for a
Messiah. America also needed their faith
in the government restored. The Marvel
Universe introduced an organization
called S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2008 Iron Man. S.H.I.E.L.D.
came to represent a counterterrorism
organization that protected the American
people as superhero stood united with the
government. It was a much-needed timely
response in an era when the American
public has been disillusioned with the
government. What could be more reassuring
for audiences to watch than S.H.I.E.L.D., a law
enforcement agency, recruit superheroes
to defend New York from Chitauri aliens
in the 2012 blockbuster The Avengers?
Marvel raked in 200.3 million
dollars that opening weekend beating all
previous records of domestic weekend box
offices yet the film still drew a line
between good and bad governments. At the
end of the film the world Security
Council votes to send an atomic bomb to
New York which Iron Man carries into
outer space barely averting disaster.
However the film ends with our
faith in the government funded S.H.I.E.L.D. still intact. That faith would not last for
long in both real life and on the screen.
In 2013 former CIA employee Edward
Snowden leaked classified information
revealing how big of a role the
government played in normal citizens
everyday lives as a direct result of 9/11.
The Big Brother trope and turn against
the government was reflected most
prominently in Captain America: The
Winter Soldier. The film essentially
analyzed government corruption through
the eyes of a traditionally morally
sound character. "This is project insight.
Gonna neutralize a lot of
threats before they even happen." "This
isn't freedom. This is fear."
Interestingly though America has
displayed an aversion to overtly
political movies post 9-11 such as those
shown all of which flopped at the box
office. Audiences seem to prefer
exploring current problems in fictional
worlds. The Dark Knight marked a series
of darker villains who embodied American
fears.The DC movies depicted very real
scenarios of terrorism as well and cast
doubt on the government's ability to
counter terrorism. Furthermore tropes of
terrorism seep into the movies as
America once again became rooted in the
victim mentality such as in Man of Steel.
9/11's effects on the economy
further the sentiment of us versus them
in movies on a different scale. In 2008
the recession occurred and served as a
good climate for Sony's Spider-man reboot
since he is the average American taking
down giant corporations.This trend
continued in Ant-man where Scott Lang
defeats Pym labs and it's corrupted
business leaders. The industry also
portrayed the wealthy using their
resources to protect humanity. The
recession also coincided with the
release Iron Man the origin story of a
billionaire weapons manufacturer who
eventually turns his genius to good
causes. In contrast The Dark Knight Rises
in 2012 told the story of a capitalist
CEO taking down a villain who
represented Occupy Wall Street. This
conflated anti-capitalist sentiment and
asked audiences to side with the American
capitalist hero. 2016 mark two highly
anticipated superhero movies: Batman V
Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain
America: Civil War. Both movies are
significant in their basis of
superheroes clashing. The conflict in
Batman vs Superman is built on a war
of ideologies. Batman thinks Superman is a
threat to humanity and Superman believes
Batman shouldn't be his own brand of
justice. Eventually the Capitol building
is blown up again emphasizing the
helplessness of the government. Civil War
divides the Avengers in half when the
government begins to require superheroes
to register. After witnessing firsthand
the corruption of S.H.I.E.L.D. Steve Rogers
can't trust the government whereas Tony
Stark believes superheroes need to be
regulated as a result of Ultron. The two
face off on both personal and ideological
levels marking a turn from the
archetypal tale of superhero defeats
antagonist. The post 9-11 society is less
black and white. The world is much more
complex than it was in the 1930s when
superhero comics began. It demonstrates
that even superheroes can be flawed.
Superheroes have always given Society
the Savior it needs though both heroes
and plotlines have evolved to reflect
modern events audiences will never stop
looking the superheroes for hope that
humanity will prevail
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