Searching for Super Heroes

A couple weeks ago I had the chance to speak to the Junior High group, and we talked about "Superman Returns." It's one of my favorite films to dissect for a few reasons. One of the things that always sticks out to me about it is the fact that at some level we're all searching for a hero or a savior. Superheroes come from a cultural desire to express that need absent faith. That, of course, is a bit of an oversimplification, but it seems to be a valid observation.

Consider Superman. The hero was born in the 1930s, during the midst of the great depression. The book was created and animated by Jews. Consider that combination for a moment, and you can see some of the genesis of Superman as it pertains to faith. He was born during a time of great unrest and hopelessness. He was created by writers whose faith system sought a savior that would come as an all powerful, conquering king that would right all wrongs. Throughout his history, Superman has lived up to that ideal in print comics.

Consider the flip side of that, Batman, the most humanistic of all superheroes. Batman is created for a world that wants to believe humans are capable of creating their own path to salvation. He represents the strength, ingenuity, and righteousness of men.

Many different superheroes have showcased a number of different social ideals and represent many different societal longings. They are cultural reflections of the deep longing we feel as humans, our desire to reshape the world, and to provide comfort about the possibility for our own salvation.

They also provide some good entertainment. But it helps if you begin to think about the deeper messages underlying the construct of the narrative, especially in a world where such films are becoming all too common.