When I was little, I really loved the stories of superheroes. Then, when I grew up, I realized that the definition I learned of “superhero” is far from reality. The first superhero that I learned about was Superman. There he was, garbed in a blue jumpsuit and a red cape. At that time, for me, a superhero was someone who was very special, someone who was handsome and with a sculpted body. Also, he was someone who had super powers such as incredible strength and the ability to fly. There was a film made about Superman in 1978 and while many people liked it, there are many stereotypes in the story. For example, the super heroes are extraordinary beings who come from another planet. Also, a superhero needs to lie in order to hide his or her identity. …show more content…
For that reason Superman reaches Earth and is adopted by the Kent family. He has an ordinary life and after his adoptive father dies, he finally finds out that he is special and, after special training in solitude, he emerges as Superman in a big city called Metropolis. The idea that superheroes come from another planet, and are extraordinary beings, can be very confusing for children. First, because children do not know the difference between fiction and reality. For example, when kids are taught in school about the names of the planets, they may believe that Krypton was or is one of them. Second, because children cannot see or appreciate about real superheroes, which exist here in our world and do not look like Superman. These superheroes exist but they are just ordinary people who have a good heart, people who help others, and people who risk their lives to save …show more content…
For example, the Superman of the first film is a stronger character, more aggressive and aims to eliminate the evil to save the world. In contrast, the Superman of the latest version of 2013, is presented with as a more humanlike character, he is brave but noble at the same time, and his objective is to do justice. Furthermore, his physical appearance has changed. Now his body is much more robust than before, his face and his expression is much more thin and delicate. As well as the colors of his costume, now are opaque. It seems that the intention of the first version of Superman is that people were fearful of him and what people needed at that time was an invincible superhero in order to feel safe. In contrast, it seems like the latest version’s intention is set for people to have trust and confidence in him and people now want a character who has a good heart and do justice (Man of Steel,
Batman and Superman are superheroes whose qualities are exaggerated in a way that is reminiscent of the gods and heroes in The Odyssey. In Fact, the superheroes from comic books emerge from the epic tradition. Epics, as you know, celebrate the great deeds of one or more legendary heroes. This epic hero is generally involved with a quest to overcome hardship, and he (and it usually is a "he") succeeds. The hero performs superhuman exploits in battle, often saving or founding a nation or the human race itself. Sound familiar? And even in terms of the superhero's body, with his bulging muscles and larger‐than‐life qualities, such figures evoke the images of Baroque masculinity. What Becomes important in these retellings, then, is how the hero makes the journey, how he faces his obstacles, and what he learns in the process.
“What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely” (Reeve). As pointed out here, Christopher Reeve says that it’s not the superpowers that make a hero a hero, but the wisdom and maturity. Even though heroes can’t always fly, they make up for the lack of superpowers by maintaining an optimistic attitude and always putting others before themselves. This means heroes could be anybody; your parents, neighbors, or strangers walking down the street. This is because a hero doesn't always need to be robust, just cordial with the mindset to change the world for the better.
With reference to “Man of Steel” and “Superman 1”, Superman is much taller than Lois resulting in her constantly having to look up at him and having him shot with a low angle from the point-of-view shot of Lois Lane, having the effect of Superman seeming more powerful. Superman’s adoptive mother is also a stereotypical, stay at home mother while his adoptive father
Is this film about Superman or about a mysterious bearded man who protects people once in every decade of his lifetime? One problem that the film has lies within the first hour of the movie - in which the film, having up to that point not yet really established Superman as a hero. Opposed to the original Superman in which Superman would be fully developed within the first scene of the movie. In addition to his powers being fully developed, Superman would have already established his arch nemesis as well. This course of action took way to long, and while understanding that the director wanted a firm background of Clark Kent as well as Kal-El this action could have been more upfront. In Man of Steel Clark Kent should have transformed into Superman and shown the world who he really is and...
Today, many children would consider Superman, Spiderman, Batman & Robin, and even possibly Arnold Schwarzenegger in his old film The Terminator as great superheroes. These comic strip heroes even impress adults as courageous men because we cannot get over their legendary and their supernatural skills. For example, Spiderman is well known for the spider webs that emerge from his manly wrist. On the other hand, heroes are not just defined by comic strips or cartoons. Firefighters, police officers and even our fathers or mothers are heroes in many of our lives. The characteristics that we describe our heroes as having today are quite similar to those of heroes in Anglo-Saxon culture.
Let’s discuss a little bit of comic book history for starters. The most iconic superhero in all of American comic book history has got to be Superman. He was created near the beginning of superhero comic books and debuted in Action Comics #1 in 1938[1]. He would remain as the blueprint for many superheroes for years to come as the atypical white American male. But as the years go by there were comic book heroes that came out that go against this archetype such as Wonder
There are various stories on the history of Superman causing one to believe that he was mischievous insurrectionist. Superman was born on Earth and founded by earthlings, Jonathan and Martha Kent in his starship that crashed in Smallville, Kansas. In another story, Superman was also found in the middle of nowhere, but was sent to an orphanage soon after. The original Superman is quoted to be “half Huckleberry Finn and half Robin Hood” (Tye 31). He had the technique to be straightforward and purpose as pure as gold. However in another comic rewrite, Superman is said to have been “a spineless, unbearable coward!” (Tye 31) by a woman that he is trying to pursue. Superman’s personality and character changes multiple times through the years making the reader think one thing, but if analyzing another comic make them think otherwise. It is believed that his purpose in crime fighting is not the same as most other superheroes tend to be. While Superman does have a personal trauma, he “cannot ritualistically redress this past by fighting criminals in hand-to-hand combat, as Batman and Spider-Man do” (Yockey 26). Superman generally protect great numbers of people, unlike the rest of the superheroes; he saves the whole world from catastrophes. Seeing how Superman’s home planet has been destroyed is unknown, but allows one to understand that the reasoning for his heroic d...
Superman and Batman, they serve they same purpose and fight for the same outcome, good over evil. But the only thing similar about Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne's childhood is that they were both young. The fact that people are most influenced when they are young and start to obtain their personalities around the age of five suggests that if different circumstances had derived from either situation that Metropolis would have never had a Superman and Gotham City would be a crime ridden vicinity without the Dark Knight. I am glad that the world has the opportunity to partake in the adventures of these DC Comic hereos. Their stories proves that any can go from zero to hero.
The core of American myth is Superman consists of a few basic facts that remain unchanged throughout the infinitely varied ways in which the myth is told – facts with which everyone is familiar, however marginal their knowledge of the story. Superman is an orphan rocketed to Earth when his native planet Krypton explodes; he lands near Smallville and is adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who inculcate in him their American middle-class ethic; as an adult he migrates to Metropolis there he defends America – no, the world! no, the universe – from all evil and harm while playing a romantic game in which, as Clark Kent, he hopelessly pursues Superman, who remains aloof until such time as Lois proves worthy of him by falling in live with his feigned identity as a weakling. That’s it. (Engle, 678).
Superman, a fan favorite super hero, has many other qualities that make him a super hero
Superman experiences many stages on the Hero’s Journey cycle, like challenges and temptations and Abyss. He experiences these stages in his journey so that he can become complete and accept who he is. He experiences temptations and challenges when he meets Louis Lane which made him want to show off and make his true identity known. He also has trouble fitting in on Earth. He doesn’t feel comfortable hiding himself and trying to be two different people at the same time. He also feels the stage of abyss when he metaphorically dies and Louis Lane dies.
... an impact on people all throughout America. From having 130,000 people visit the Superman panel at comic-con to having an original Action Comic Book being sold at more than $2,000,000. Superman is known for wearing his blue suit with a red and yellow ‘S’ but many artists have their own color tones and facial and body features.
Superman was a hero, person, and a compassionate man. Most people recognized him for his powers but I recognize him for the way he uses them. He doesn’t use them for evil. He is willing to risk his life to help anyone in the ominous face of danger. This can relate to Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird because he is compassionate, courageous, and Tranquil.
There are many qualities that people think a hero should have. To name a few of those qualities there is; courage, determination, focus, compassion, dedication, honesty, loyalty, responsibility, and wisdom. (http://www.personalitytutor.com/qualities-of-a-hero.html). Most people believe these are very important qualities to have, probably because they themselves wish they had more of those traits. Most people believe that these traits are not just traits of “superheroes”; they are also the traits of everyday heroes, or real heroes-not super heroes- throughout history.
When you think of a superhero one normally thinks of Spiderman, Batman, or Superman, but there were superheroes long before these characters were created. First one must understand that the basis of this name is hero. What is a hero? A hero is a person who does something special or out of the ordinary in order to help others. It could also be someone who is admired for a characteristic about them, be it physical or mental. They are individuals that normal everyday people can look up to. This being the case, a superhero is nothing more then someone who is a hero, but not just that once and for that one person, but someone who helps many people, or leads them. As time went by the number of people who were true heroes diminished and just doing something for someone was no longer big news. There had to be something more to make them stand out. The American culture needed someone or something to admire and that is where our common day superheroes come into play. It gave them a goal which could never be reached in hopes that people would never stop trying.