The HBS hosts discuss the role of superheroes in culture and popular media.
In American graphic fiction and contemporary film, the superhero stands at the center of many popular narratives. Superhero stories published by DC Comics and Marvel are a multi-million dollar per year industry and, in 2019 alone, superhero movies grossed 3.19 billion dollars in revenue. Although it may seem to the novice as if these publishing houses and film studios just recycle the same stories (and sequels) over and over, connoisseurs of the genre know that the figure of the “superhero’ has changed and evolved dramatically over the last half-century. What does the figure of the superhero represent? Who does it serve? How has it adapted to reflect broader culteral, political, and social change?
In this episode, Dr. Charles F. Peterson– and bona fide connoisseur of comics and superhero films– schools his novice co-hosts on the nuances of superheroes and their development, as well as the deep and often profound philosophical truths that the figure of the superhero helps to reveal about us ordinary (not super and no heroic) humans.
Full episode notes available at this link. You can listen to Episode 23 below.
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