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“The Marvels” and the Paradox of the Superhero Franchise
(www.newyorker.com)
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this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2023
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Was it ever that weird? I feel Superhero fiction has always been for teenagers and kids primarily. What separates it that much from Tokusatsu, barring MA-twists where characters aren't really superheroes?
There are also a ton of comics aimed at adults, and I do not mean porn or violence. Just themes that are more in depth than simple heroes save the world stuff.
Plus most of what you are thinking of as for teenagers and kids is just aimed at all ages. The fact that we think being straightforward and without sex or gore is primarily for kids says a lot about us and not who is creating the comics.
I wasn't specifically referring to gore or violence, but themes - and I wasn't referring to comics specifically, just the bulk of superhero media. There have been some revisionist examples of superhero settings that take an established character and place them in a different context, with more adult HBO-esque themes. But the bulk of the many repeated releases for film every year don't seem to be of that nature.
The blockbusters don't, but there have been adult or at least mature superhero movies around forever and not just existing popular characters in new settings. I think you are limiting 'superhero' to a specific subset that excludes anything that would not be aimed at kids.
Do you see Kick Ass as a superhero movie?
Darkman?
The Crow?
Constantine?