Modern American Culture

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Recommended: Superheroes and comics effect on society

Superheroes in modern and past society
Superheroes have grown quite popular these past years. With movies like Iron Man making 318.4 million dollars in 2008 and X-Men Origins Making 179.9 million (Harras 8). Whether you’re a DC Universe or a Marvel Comic Universe fan there’s no denying how vast these comic book companies have become on the big screen, but what makes these popular superheroes so captivating? The more a person relates to a superhero or if they have something that they can look up to the more likely they are to admire that individual. Superheroes are now becoming more and more relatable, maybe not facing the problems we do but taking on some issues of their own, for example, Spider-Man is a teenager who goes to school; while …show more content…

They were becoming popular among the audience but why? Writers needed to create that connection that I mentioned earlier. Comic books were also about cultural power in postwar America, at a time when Americans looked to define their culture. Influence over young people was important (Wright 87). Most comic superheroes were created during war times to symbolize American propaganda, and many of these characters are veterans. Comic books are political and have taken a stand in controversial issues for some time, while also reflecting the public's feelings towards war (Dipaolo 11). Since writers wanted relatable characters they placed their superheroes in the war’s. Wolverine served during World War I and World War II as well as Captain America, Nick Fury, and The Falcon. Captain America and Iron Man are the best examples of how writers used post war America to create heroes that would relate to what was happening at the time in order to get their audience hooked. Captain America is a well known loved Marvel character, and he symbolizes the American dream. During World War II many of his comics were used as propaganda with his most famous cover showed him punching Hitler in the face. This was in Captain America 1941 …show more content…

The comic book industries are not a niche market, they’re just showing what is happening in modern pop culture (Bradley 14). So what about superheroes that are different? The ones who have a magical hammer or are aliens from Mars? What is it about them that makes them so mesmerizing? MCU and DCU keep their superheroes relevant by going along with what's happening in pop-culture. After hitting the big screen Marvel and DC are gaining more popularity thanks to movies, video games and toys. After Marvel partnered up with Walt Disney their stock price jumped from $28 to $50 between January and September 2009 ( Harras 9). DC is partnered with Warner Bro’s and is in the race with Marvel as they’re planning to release movies like Wonder Woman and The Justice League in 2017, while Marvel will release Logan, Guardians Of The Galaxy II, and Spider-Man: Homecoming. The competition between these two huge industries gives fans more movies and comic books to look forward to. While doing this their superheroes are able to come to life in movies. Not only do the movies help but it’s also the celebrities. Celebrities who take on the roles of these popular heroes themselves are proud to play a big role of a superheroes. They also help keep superheroes popular by going out dressed as their characters and visit fans who are in hospitals, and spread awareness for important

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