What Makes a Superhero: A Discussion

Currently doing a mini unit on "Heroes" in my grade 9 class, and although we're looking at the theme at a pretty superficial level, it got me thinking: Why is this such an engaging theme? Why is it taught? Why does it infiltrate the silverscreen? And why are scholars ever so fascinated by the idea of being a super human? Below is an academic discussion I've developed.
____________________________________________________

If we look up "(super)hero" in a dictionary, we will find something along the lines of, "A figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon, endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime."

Let’s break that down. I think we can accept the first part of the definition being a “figure,” although we should still acknowledge the few exceptions who are composed of more than one figure such as Marvel’s Multiple Man, who makes copies of himself, or DC’s Firestorm, where two people combine to make one single hero. But as a general rule, a superhero is a singular individual.

Let's keep moving on to "endowed with superhuman powers." Here we hit a major point of contestion because the list of superheroes who have no superhuman powers is lengthy. Batman, Robin, Iron Man, Green Arrow, the Black Knight, Hawkeye, and many others, all have no superhuman powers. They do all make use of extraordinary equipment to varying degrees, but for many of the characters, the only thing seperating them from the average person is their access to technology. If we strip away the costumes and secret identities, for some of these characters, we simply have ordinary humans who use truly extraordinary devices to do superhuman feats.


Still, it is hard to say that superheroes aren't defined by having abilities beyond those of ordinary humans. It might be extreme levels of training, or high-tech device, or the study of magic, but they certainly have the ability to do things no normal human is able to. If we consider this, we would have to change the definition from "endowed with superhuman powers" to "having abilities, either inborn or through external influence, that are greater than those of ordinary humans."

The final part of the definition, refers to fighting evil or crime, which is also a bit problematic as more than just superheroes do this. While superheros are interested in the betterment of society, one could argue that so are policemen, firefighters, and doctors. The only difference from a superhero and a hero is the prefix “super” which can be something which is attained through technology.

Taking the example of Iron Man, this seems to be a character who made a conscious choice to become a superhuman rather than being born with a power like Superman. Using his skills in engineering and weapon manufacturing, Tony Stark's self-constructed suit is what makes him able to do things like flying and lifting large objects. If you take Tony Stark out of his armor, you are left with an individual who is certainly not endowed with superhuman powers, but why do we still consider him a superhero?

One argument is that we value technology as post-human, allowing us to do things that a human could never do. Characters like Batman and Iron Man embody this notion, as both can be likened to cyborgs because each of them has been enhanced by technology. Lastly, there seems to be something more to our definition of a superhero. There is both a mysticism and moral code connected to this definition that makes them naturally know what is the “right” thing to do. For many superhero purists, being a superhero means holding yourself to a higher standard than a human as they never take the easy choice. Even though superheroes don’t have to fight evil, it is almost inevitable that they will choose to do so.

A superhero is a symbol that represents the ideal. He is our hopes and aspirations, those qualities we admire in ourselves and in others as well. The superhero is not perfect; he is burdened with greater troubles than ours, and is time and again defeated by the evil he sets himself against. Yet it is because of this, not in spite of it, that he is truly a hero; not because he is strong, but because he does not surrender.

Sample of my essay entitled, "Colouring Outside of the Lines"

20 page essay. Here are the first two paragraphs...


It is widely understood that globalization has affected the sociological conception of identity. The process of identification, through which we project ourselves into our cultural identities, is becoming more subjective, variable, and ultimately, problematic. The subject, previously experienced as having a unified and stable identity, has become fragmented, as it is composed of not a single, but of several unresolved identities. This change has produced what Stuart Hall calls the “postmodern subject,” conceptualized as having an essentialized, or fixed identity (2006). Despite this shift in identification, there is still a practice of defining race and ethnicity as permanent, impermeable categories. Having a single, fixed identity is a fantasy, as race is not literally imprinted in our genes. That said, there remains an intrinsic need to identify ourselves as part of a greater social network, and this is asserted by the Canadian government and dominant members of society (Scruton 1986). Identity thus stitches the subject into the structure, stabilizing both subjects and the cultural worlds they inhabit, making both reciprocally more unified and predictable.

Despite the ideals of liberal multiculturism which aim to encourage individual choices of identity, race continues to be formed and transformed within a system of cultural representations. Although citizens know what it is to be a Canadian according to our social policies, calling oneself “Canadian” is still not accepted as a way to define one’s racial identity. There is a false sense of security in Canada’s multiculturalism policies, as the dominant group continues to have the power to define what constitutes a subordinate group using physical and social features as justifications. A complex issue arises, however, when an individual does not “fit” within one of the pre-set categories of race. There are an overwhelming number of Canadians who identify as a “mix,” or hybrid of ancestries, and they find themselves struggling to find their place in society. Looking specifically at the precariousness of mixed races within Canada, it is clear to see that there is an ongoing struggle to find a frame of reference if you do not fall within the boundaries of racial categories. Exemplified by those who claim to be multi-racial, cultural identity in Canada is far more complex and problematic than what our multicultural utopia implies.

Bones.

I gave him the key this morning and it felt good not to worry about him finding any skeletons.