Deconstructing the archetypes of superheroes, how many types can there be?
The typical American archetype of a superhero is literally a savior, protecting people and saving them from everything is traditionally a dashing young gentlemanly person, who has taken it upon themselves to save the world and make it a better place. However, there are various times when this has been broken and subverted, and questioned. Can’t superheroes be of different types, all united with the common goal of saving the world? Here are some departures from the archetypes in media nowadays!
Female superheroes are a significant addition
This is a popular trend. Characters such as Wonder woman, Cat woman, and captain Marvel are famous. However, a lot of new female superheroes are drawn upon. Even in traditional superhero stories, where women are not given a very active story, women are suddenly seen with immense bravery and grit, and determination, and often more intelligence than the male superheroes. Moreover, one can see how the image of this strong woman has transferred to films of similar genres, which although not about a superhero is action-oriented. For example, in the latest James Bond film, there is a hint that the next 007 would be a female. In the film, mirror, Snow White is shown to be a fierce feisty woman who ultimately takes revenge on her evil stepmother. She is shown as a woman who is pretty yet extremely capable of yielding a sword and facing danger.
Superhero with a flaw
All the major superheroes, are depicted as people who had a tragic past. However, they are usually shown as perfect individuals. While deliberately introducing a flaw in superheroes would be upsetting to an entire fandom, it is possible to also subvert the perspective by reading the story from the perspective of the anti-hero. This is a popular trend nowadays. For example, the Oscar-winner film, Joker gives a whole new perspective on Batman’s anti-hero, Joker It is interesting how the context of the antihero and how he became like that owing to the trauma he faced,vis.a.vis the privilege of Batman. This makes the whole world of the superhero more interesting, and the good vs evil binary is broken.The plot becomes more interesting!
Intellectual genius
Although not completely within the same genre, one new emerging type of superhero in a lot of television shows and films is the “superhero” that is bound to his chair, and extremely talented and capable of complex computer operations, which is an increasingly necessary supplement to superheroes. For example Finch from Person of Interest, and Lupin from Lupin, who is action-oriented and uses complex technology!
