People have always been interested in superheroes. Superheroes have taken different shapes throughout history and have influenced many cultures through literature, music, and the like. In the Middle Ages, knights were the superheroes. During wartimes, the superheroes are the soldiers. In the 1930s, cowboys became the new superhero, and were soon followed by comics. Superhero comics contained such characters as Captain America, Iron Man, and Green Lantern. Superman took the scene in the 1970s with becoming the first movie franchise to plan for multiple movies and actually filmed two at once. With John William’s iconic score, Superman started the trend of superhero movies. Boys and girls alike had so many action figures, T-shirts, lunch boxes, and comics. As well as the Marvel and DC superheroes, characters such as Doctor Who have become popular for their superhero qualities as well.
But the main question is: why are superheroes so timeless? And why do we seem to be obsessed with them? In the next four years, Marvel is releasing at least two superhero movies a year. They have projections for even more than that. DC isn’t quite up to that amount, but they are still managing at least one a year, with plans for more as well.
In times of trouble, people tend to wish for someone who is bigger than them to help them. Superheroes are strong, tough, and can kick some serious butt. They are always fighting the “bad guys” whether that be the Nazis or aliens. They help people. They make sure they stand up for the common man. And ultimately, they save people. When things get scary, we all want someone to save us, to tell us things will be okay. People go to stories because of this. I think deep down, we all wish sometimes that someone like Captain America or Batman will come and beat up the bad guys for us.
The other thing that intrigues people about superheroes is the special powers. Let’s face it, all of us at one time or another have probably taken a “what super power would you have?” quiz or at least fantasized about it with your friends. For me personally, I keep going back and forth between the ability to fly, move objects with my mind, and teleport from one place to the next. Although, being a huge fan of Doctor Who, time travel would not be a bad ability. The special powers, even the vices like kryptonite, intrigue us. We wish they were real, especially because then we could be superheroes and save people.
The superhero allure does not seem to be dying down any time soon. I think we shall always wish for them and want them to be real. And the draw towards someone who is stronger than us to help us through all the bad things that happen, will always be there.
