Superheroes have become a major part of modern day pop culture. Every century has their obsession, The Greek era had its\u00a0obsession with pleasing multiple gods and the 80s went through its\u00a0obsession with neon colors and insanely poofy hair. So when and how did superhero movies become popular?<\/p>\n
It can be said that the beginning of superheroes becoming\u00a0mainstream in\u00a0cinema was\u00a0Spider-Man<\/em> in 2002. There were plenty of superhero films before Spider-Man<\/em>, but this was\u00a0where superheroes began having a big effect on millennials. Now we have the ability to portray them in a realistic way. The more technology progressed, the more realistic super heroes became.<\/p>\n Iron Man<\/em> is a playboy, and that isn\u2019t exactly the best role model. However, he does defeat terrorists, and considering that is such a prominent topic in\u00a0our media and politics today, Iron Man<\/em> is made relevant to us. Iron Man<\/em> began Marvel\u2019s phase one of the cinematic universe that we see today. There has been a superhero film almost every year since then and is all ultimately leading to Avengers Infinity <\/em>War,<\/em>\u00a0which will be one of the biggest films in history. It doesn\u2019t matter if it is good or bad–there has never been a film where so many previous films and characters lead up to it.<\/p>\n We also see the tone of the movies getting darker. In Christopher Nolan\u2019s Dark Knight<\/em> we not only see a Batman like we have never seen before–more dark, brooding, and self-aware–but also a Joker that leads the audience to question human nature itself. Heath Ledger\u2019s Joker was a darker and different Joker than we had\u00a0ever seen before. Normally fans would be outraged by any change to a long beloved character, but Ledger did it right. That sets up a type of superhero film that people wanted to see. It is the reason DC has been able to keep up with Marvel. Both companies have brought their own unique attributes and beloved characters.<\/p>\n Marvel has somewhat taken DC\u2019s darker approach with their release of the Netflix series Daredevil<\/em>, Luke Cage<\/em>, Iron Fist<\/em>, and Jessica Jones<\/em>–all of which leads up to the release of The Defenders<\/em>. The Defenders<\/em> are not fond of being called superheroes. They are much more complex, and audiences have shown fondness of such complex characters. In our modern world, complex characters and anti-heroes are becoming more popular. Deadpool for example is an anti-hero. He is a taco loving, fast talking mercenary with a morbid sense of humor. The reason for dark, complex characters to become popular\u00a0is most likely because of today\u2019s politics.<\/p>\n In today\u2019s world it is hard to distinguish good from bad. Even in Captain America: The Winter Solider<\/em>, Captain America struggles to find a side to trust when Shield, a once trusted institution, turns out to be taken over by Hydra, the all foreboding enemy. The audience is able to understand and accept that everything in life is not a black and white scenario; cinema is able to delve into such topics now.<\/p>\n Whichever way the superhero films go, they are here to stay. They may not be as popular in the future as they are now, but they definitely started something that reflects our views and generation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Superheroes have become a major part of modern day pop culture. Every century has their obsession, The Greek era had its\u00a0obsession with pleasing multiple gods and the 80s went through its\u00a0obsession with neon colors and insanely poofy hair. So when … Continue reading