Superheroes: Force for Good or Relic of the Past?

So Shiu To Tobias, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man… is the prevalence of superheroes in media problematic? This essay explores the social and psychological impacts of this popular culture trend.

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A self-proclaimed pop-culture enthusiast and art geek, Tobias is entering his second year of study at PolyU majoring in Hotel Management. He dedicates most of his free time to film critique and pop music. As a local student, he also enjoys exploring different cultures around the world. He endeavours to be more confident and courageous in facing new challenges in both life and his career.

Author’s Introduction

This essay is the final coursework for ELC2014 Advanced English for University Studies. As an avid fan of American cinema and comics, I have always been interested in analysing trends within the entertainment industry. In 2019, the prestigious Hollywood director, Martin Scorsese, publicly expressed his dismay towards cinematic adaptations of comics. Such comments inspired me to ponder the legitimacy of his claims.

Due to the word limit of the course assignment, I was unable to dig deeper into some of the arguments related to the issue. Regrettably, I abandoned the opportunity to discuss the detrimental impacts of “escapism and wish fulfilment in comics” on public sentiment and ideology. That being said, the research and writing process of this essay has been a blast. I was able to form a holistic stance after comprehensive research and comparisons between various source materials. I would like to thank Mr. Thomas Grainger for the continuous feedback in the writing course, and Mr. Phil Todd for his kind patience and assistance throughout the editing process.

Photo Credits

Photo by Joseph Chan on Unsplash