Superhero Films

by

Bryan Mead

• LAST MODIFIED: 23 September 2024
• DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199791286-0381

Introduction

Superhero films are a direct descendent of superhero comics, and many popular comic book characters over the years have been adapted for the movies. These adaptations began in the 1940s with heroes such as Superman, Batman, and the character we now know as Shazam! appearing in weekly film serials. Many, though, consider Superman and the Mole Men (1951) as the first superhero feature film, though it was not until the character appeared in Superman (1978) that a superhero film finally attained significant box office success. The Tim Burton–directed Batman (1989) made a similar impact on the box office while also expanding into ancillary markets such as video games, action figures, and apparel. Still, the Superman and Batman franchises were stand-alone successes rather than initiators of sustained popularity for the genre. It was not until the string of popular superhero films appeared in the 2000s, including X-Men (2000), Spider-Man (2002), The Incredibles (2004), Batman Begins (2006), and The Dark Knight (2008) that the genre garnered sustained critical recognition alongside commercial success. The superhero genre then became a global phenomenon with the release of Iron Man (2008) and the subsequent development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Much of the published scholarship related to superhero films has arrived subsequent to Iron Man’s release. The General Overviews section includes textbooks and edited collections surveying the history of the genre as well as laying out the major areas of scholarship. Politics and the Post-9/11 World outlines the work in one such area, detailing the connection superhero films have to American political ideology since 11 September 2001. The section on Genre includes scholarship on the narrative strategies, thematic tendencies, and transformations of the superhero film during its history. Cultural studies have also played a major role in superhero film research as outlined in both the Gender/Bodies and Race and Ethnicity sections, while the impact of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has also garnered much scholarly attention. Connections to ancient mythology, religious tropes, and ethical decision-making are prominent topics of interest in the section on Morality and Supervillains. There is also a growing number of sources approaching the genre through the Reception and Fandom critical lens, charting the real-world impact of superhero films on society.

General Overviews

These sources offer general introductions to the superhero film genre and would be useful in undergraduate and graduate classrooms as well as for those beginning research in this field. McSweeney 2020 and Brown 2017 are well suited to classroom use and provide fairly comprehensive overviews of the genre’s history and its major areas of research. The connections between comic books and film are explored in Kaveney 2008 and Davis 2018 which both have several chapters devoted specifically to superhero films. Both Gray and Kaklamanidou 2011 and Rosenberg and Coogan 2013 are essay collections exploring the nature of superheroes and the narrative tendencies of the superhero genre, while Tetik 2022 offers a historical overview of the superhero film genre and how it has transformed over time. Some introductory texts focus more specifically on one area of superhero research, with Cocca 2016 focusing on gender representation, DiPaolo 2011 focusing on politics, Pearson and Uricchio 1991 focusing on the influence of Batman, and Zornado and Reilly 2021 focusing on national identity and consumerism.

• Brown, Jeffrey A. The Modern Superhero in Film and Television: Popular Genre and American Culture. New York: Routledge, 2017.

  Book-length overview of the modern superhero film (post-2000) with some discussion of the history of Hollywood superhero films prior to the modern proliferation of the genre. Specific chapters are devoted to major areas of study within the genre, including economics, gender, race, and national identity. Approaches superhero films through the lens of cultural analysis and argues that most films within the genre perpetuate societal norms, with some offering challenges to stereotypes.

• Cocca, Carolyn. Superwomen: Gender, Power, and Representation. New York: Bloomsbury, 2016.

  DOI: 10.5040/9781501316609

  A book-length analysis of female representation in superhero comics, television, film, and other media over the last eighty years. Superheroes discussed in the book include Wonder Woman, Batgirl, the X-Women, and Captain Marvel, along with other female leads in films and television shows that might not fully fit into the superhero genre such characters from Star Wars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

• Davis, Blair. Comic Book Movies. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2018.

  DOI: 10.2307/j.ctt227281j

  An introductory textbook with chapters on genre, myth, politics, and style. Each chapter provides a summary of how comic book films are both shaped by and shape the topic under discussion. Also examines the nature of the comic book film and, by extension, the superhero film, showing how the definition of heroism continues to shift with the changing political and social landscape. Part of Rutgers University Press’ “Quick Takes: Movies & Popular Culture” series.

• DiPaolo, Marc. War, Politics and Superheroes: Ethics and Propaganda in Comics and Film. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2011.

  An overview of superheroes in both comics and films, connecting the stories of these heroes with the political and cultural milieu of their release. Each chapter focuses on a particular hero or heroes as they relate to historical political situations, such as Wonder Woman and World War II, Superman in relation to Ronald Reagan, and the X-Men as representative of civil rights.

• Gray, Richard J., and Betty Kaklamanidou, eds. The 21st Century Superhero: Essays on Gender, Genre and Globalization in Film. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2011.

  An edited collection with ten essays that explore different facets of the superhero genre, including the role of globalization, gender roles, and narrative characteristics. The collection is interdisciplinary in nature and is meant to introduce readers to the genre and the contemporary issues superhero films touch on. Has several chapters devoted to films, but also has a few chapters discussing television shows.

• Kaveney, Roz. Superheroes!: Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films. New York: I.B. Tauris, 2008.

  DOI: 10.5040/9780755696635

  An introductory text released before the release of Iron Man and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that discusses both comic book superheroes and some filmic representations. Provides a general overview of comic history from the 1930s through the early 2000s, touches on genre conventions, and explores gender depictions in some detail. Also focuses on certain “fanboy creators,” including Joss Whedon, in case studies to show the influence of comic book culture on film and television.

• McSweeney, Terence. The Contemporary Superhero Film: Projections of Power and Identity. New York: Wallflower Press, 2020.

  DOI: 10.7312/mcsw19241

  Part of the Wallflower Press “Short Cuts” book series, this textbook provides an entry-level introduction to the modern superhero film. Chapters within the book introduce readers to the major scholarly issues surrounding superhero cinema, including genre studies, national mythology, gender, and race. While the book touches on historical aspects of the genre, much of the text focuses on films released since 2008. It also offers case studies to elaborate on the main points of each chapter.

• Pearson, Roberta, and William Uricchio, eds. The Many Lives of The Batman: Critical Approaches to a Superhero and His Media. New York: Routledge, 1991.

  A definitive collection of scholarship on one of the most important superhero figures. Includes interviews with important Batman comic and film creators, detailed analyses of Batman content, discussions of audience reception, and the examinations of the varying tone present in Batman narratives both in comics and on screen. Also includes analysis of the 1960s television show and subsequent film for its camp style and cult following.

• Rosenberg, Robin S., and Peter Coogan, eds. What Is a Superhero? New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.

  This edited volume of twenty-five chapters approaches the question “what is a superhero” from many different perspectives and offers a diverse range of scholarship on the superhero in comic books, television, and film iterations. Some chapters approach the question from the generic perspective, trying to define what it means to be a superhero, while others look at the wider impact superheroes have on culture, race, and gender.

• Tetik, Tuna. Marvelous Rise of Superheroes in Cinema. New York: Peter Lang, 2022.

  DOI: 10.3726/b19721

  Book-length study that overviews the history of superhero films, focusing particularly on the years from between 1978 and 2019. Traces the transformation of the genre during this time span, noting an initial reliance on sequels to the now more prominent use of multiverse narratives. Also traces the change from a reliance on DC superheroes such as Superman and Batman during the 1980s and 1990s to the surge in popularity of Marvel in the 2000s.

• Zornado, Joseph, and Sara Reilly. The Cinematic Superhero as Social Practice. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021.

  DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-85458-4

  A book on the social implications of superhero cinema viewed through the lens of psychological fantasy, seeing superhero films as fantasy fulfillment narratives trying to make sense of a violent and disordered world. The authors see popular superhero films as perpetuating nationalistic ideologies and consumerism, though parts of the book analyze superhero films and television which challenge these norms and break with the dominant superhero fantasy.