American Superhero

The superhero genre has been around for a long time, and has gotten widely popular since. Critic Tim Dirks said, “Although superheroes had already taken over TV, it took until 1978 for the first big-budget feature film to feature a superhero” (Dirks). Starting with the classic hero, Superman, who was introduced by DC comics in 1936, to more modern heroes like Gwenpool, introduce by Marvel comics in 2016. As stated by critic Caitlin Foster, “in the past decade the filmic superhero has increasingly grown in presence, to the point of becoming synonymous with the Hollywood summer blockbuster” (Foster). To clarify, superhero films have gotten so popular they mean the same as Hollywood summer movies. Originally, superheroes were aimed more towards children, it gave them a sense of creativity and allowed their imaginations to flow. The abilities of being able to fly, have super speed, or super strength is what every kid dreamed of. Later, these superheroes started having a mature feel, attracting more adult audiences. The stories were now

having deeper meanings, and mature contents. Now, superhero films are for everyone of all ages to enjoy. Two of the biggest comic contributors, DC and Marvel, have made the superhero genre what it is today. They have different styles and different approaches to the genre, but the concept of the superhero is the same. Over the years, the genre became polished creating a blueprint for future superhero films. There are many characteristics to the superhero genre that are prevalent in most films. Four major characteristics needed in a superhero film are the hero’s secret identity, the heroes’ special abilities or powers, the villain, and a love interest, these characteristics can be applied to the films such as Suicide Squad (2016).
One of the most important characteristic of a superhero film is the secret identity or alter ego. This attribute dates back to stories such as The Scarlet Pimpernel, who when not rescuing aristocrats, went by the name of Sir Percy Blakeney, and Zorro who wore a mask and went by Don Diego de la Vega in his ordinary life. The definition of a secret identity is basically hiding one’s true self. A hero or villain may change their name, wear a mask, or have a different personality. A lot of the times, but not always, superheroes or villains use alias’ that describe their personalities. For example, Batman, his outfit is completely black, he is active most at night, and he wears a cape. His name is Batman because his motif is that of a bat. The purpose of a hero or villain having a secret identity is to differentiate themselves from their everyday life and protect the people they love. With the secret lives they live come many dangers and liabilities, they must be able to not be recognized if ever out of costume. In the film Suicide Squad, a great example of this characteristic is Harley Quinn. As stated by character Amanda Waller, “Before she ran off and joined the circus, she was known as Dr. Harleen Quinzel. A psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. She was assigned to The Clown himself” (2016). Harley Quinn is the alternate ego of Harleen Quinzel, who lived a normal life until she met The Joker. He makes her insane by administering electroconvulsive therapy and throwing her in a pit of acid. Harley is nothing like Harleen, they are on two completely different spectrums. Critic Nicole Sperling stated, “Harley Quinn unites the squad as much as she messes with their minds” (Sperling). Her quirky attitude and mega sass is what makes the squad a little less serious. Harleen is a smart, introverted, independent woman who spent her day trying to help people as a psychiatrist. Harley Quinn is the reckless extroverted rebel who depends on and is obsessed with The Joker, the notorious villain in the Batman series. Harley Quinn may not ever go back to being Harleen Quinzel, but her character is still more or less a secret identity.
The next characteristic important in the superhero genre is the villain. Every hero needs an enemy to fight against. The super villain is the antagonist in the superhero genre. They cause chaos, they kill, they are bad people that like doing bad things. The villains are important in that they give superheroes a reason to be the hero, they are the foil characters. Foil characters usually contrast with other characters and they help emphasize the qualities of the other character. For example, heroes usually have colorful costumes, while villains have darker colored costumes. Another example is Batman and the Joker, Batman fights criminals, The Joker is a criminal. Batman is a serious guy, The Joker finds everything to be amusing and makes everything a game. Villains help the hero have a purpose, without them the hero really doesn’t have any crime to fight or any mission to complete. In the film, a good example of villains are all the main characters. In the Batman series, the heroes of Suicide Squad (2016) are really the villains. What makes them heroes in this movie is that Harley Quinn, The Joker, Deadshot, Boomerang, Diablo, Killer Croc, Slipknot, Rick Flag, and Katana are all working for government officials in fighting a stronger villain, Enchantress. They combined their powers to defeat Enchantress making them the heroes, for once, but they didn’t defeat the true evil. Amanda Waller, a government official, can be described as the real villain. Critic Christy Lemire describes Ms. Waller as a “shadowy government figure, who dares to put together this team of criminals” (Lemire). In the film Amanda states, “And if they get caught, we throw them under the bus” (Suicide Squad). To clarify, Amanda Waller wants to gather a group of some of the worst villains to protect the country. The reason she chose the villains is because if anything goes wrong or they get caught, she can just pin everything on them and leave them for dead.
Moreover, another attribute in the super hero genre are the special powers, traits, or skills that a hero possesses.

These powers or traits help the hero fight crime, and is also what makes them stand out. Every hero has a special ability or power, Thor has super strength, Bruce Banner turns into a green giant, and Spider-Man has spider senses. Super powers are given to make individuals seem extraordinary, they are make an average person become above average. With these powers or abilities given, heroes have to put them to good use. A lot of heroes don’t exactly know how to use their powers at first, which is why they train and learn to control them. Everyone knows that with a lot of power comes great responsibility. Having a super power for heroes means they have to be responsible for the well-being of the citizens in their cities, and doing the right thing. Villains, on the other hand, use their powers for evil and for more

power.
The film gives a great example of this with Diablo, who makes fire came out of his hands. He didn’t know how to control his ability, and he ended up killing his entire family. In the film he states, “the more power on the street I got, the more fire power I got” ( Suicide Squad). To clarify, Diablo began getting more street creds and it affected his ability. They went hand-in-hand, the more he kept using his power for bad things, the stronger his power got. The power of being able to make fire come out of his hands is eventually what saves him and the others when going against evil soldier creatures. His powers are what makes him special, he had trouble adjusting, but in the end he ended up using his powers for good like a true hero would.
The last, but not least, characteristic of the superhero genre is the love interest. A love interest is the person the hero has a relationship with, and most of the time will do anything for. Love interests give superhero films a more dramatic aspect, they get into the emotional part of the hero. They help show the side of the hero that otherwise would not come out if films were always just action packed. Also, love interests make movies a bit more fun for women and little girls. Showing affection triggers an emotional response with the audience, and it’s a bit of a reliever from all the fighting. Love interests are also sometimes the main target for villain, going after someone you love is one of the most personal thing someone can do. In suicide squad, Harley Quinn’s love interest is The Joker. As stated earlier, she was his psychiatrist who ended up having a case of Stockholm Syndrome. Falling in love with him, she broke him out of the asylum and began committing crimes with him. She became obsessed and her love for him was the motivation he had for being bad. In a scene, The Joker asks Harley if she would live for him, her response was yes. Then he goes on to say “careful, do not say this oath thoughtlessly, desire becomes surrender, surrender becomes power” (2016). What he means by this is that once she tells him that she would basically do anything for her, he has control over her. Although they have a toxic and abusive relationship, they love each other nonetheless.
In conclusion, the long-lasting superhero genre has been getting bigger and bigger as the years go by. This genre has certain characteristics that pertain to the way superhero films are made. Those characteristics of a hero having a secret identity or alter ego, villain, special power or ability, and a love interest can be seen in many films. A film that shows examples of these characteristics being applied is Suicide Squad. Harleen Quinzel has the alter ego of Harley Quinn, previously a psychiatrist. The main villain in Suicide Squad is Amanda Waller, a government official who doesn’t care if the team dies. Then there’s Diablo, the guy that saved team by having the ability to shoot fire coming out his hands. The major love interest in the film is The Joker, Harley Quinn’s companion. All these elements and more are prevalent throughout the film. The superhero genre is one for everyone to enjoy, and it’ll only get bigger as the years go by.