The Rise and Fall of Heroes

By Peter Jensen

Google. Avengers VS X-Men

World War II: we all know about it and some of us remember it well. The American peoples saw and heard about all of the turmoil going on in Europe: Hitler rising to power, invasions of Poland and other countries, frightening alliances forming, subjugation of the Jewish people, and the threat of a world war that may make its way to our soil. Absolutely terrified of the possibilities, Americans needed strength; something to look up to and to idolize that would give them just that. What would accomplish this goal? What could possibly give Americans the ability to feel strong and just? It was in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1932, when a Jewish immigrant named Mitchel Siegel was shot and killed during a robbery at the clothing store that he worked at. Overcome with grief
Google. Superman.

and despair, his son, Jerry, would create a bulletproof superhero to help give him strength to carry on. With the help of his artist friend, Joe Shuster, he began penning someone who would go on to become one of the most iconic figures in history: Superman (Elsworth, Tragic Real Story).

Superman quickly rose to fame and glory with the American peoples. He became a symbol of courage, great moral standings, and strength. It was in this moment that America would look to a new source for comfort and leadership. Throughout the remainder of World War II, dozens and dozens of superheroes that are still popular today came in to being, most notably Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Captain America. All of these heroes would go on to be extremely popular in American culture and would continue to remain there for many years to come (Cohen, History of Comic Book Superheroes). After World War II was finished, and the
Google. Justice League.

American peoples were

no longer in fear for their lives or safety, comic books, specifically those of the superhero variety, began to decline in sales. Though still popular, America was not in need of saviors and protectors anymore. DC and Marvel Comics, the creators of the most infamous superheroes, needed to start

getting creative in order to continue keeping readers interested (Sticka, Comics Lost Audience). In the 1960s, Stan Lee, the lead creator for Marvel Comics, started creating teams of superheroes to battle increasingly difficult threats that were mostly based on real events in America that had its peoples feeling scared and threatened by change. The most noteworthy creations of this time were the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Avengers, and various other individual heroes like Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, and The Hulk. This sparked resurgence in the comic industry, not only with its new heroes, but also with storylines and adversities that hit close to home for many readers (Comic books during the 1960s, voices.yahoo.com). One storyline in particular took the world by storm: when the Fantastic Four faced off against the evil Galactus, the world eater. A cosmic being of enormous proportions, he set his sights on Earth, and the only people capable of stopping him are the Fantastic Four. With threats of nuclear war between Russia and the United States, increasing pollution, and theories of global catastrophes that could completely
Google. Galactus.

destroy the world as Americans saw it, this story was one of the best selling stories in comic book history at this point. (Top 100 Villains, IGN.com) Further evidence about how comics could bring out the worst fears in humanity and give them strength to face any oncoming threat is almost unnecessary at this point. Another rise that had some of the greatest effects in the comic book world was surprisingly the increase of gay and lesbian youths, who during the sixties and seventies, were extremely criticized, judged, segregated and feared by those who did not understand them. So was the story of the X-Men, a
Google. X-Men.

team of mutants who, though they wanted to help humanity and only wanted to fit in, were hated and feared by the very people they loved and wanted to protect. This drew in countless readers, not only because the characters were awesome but also because they could relate to what they were going through. Even today, X-Men remain one of the highest grossing comic book

franchises, and also remain very popular amongst people who feel that they cannot be themselves or who feel differently from everyone else. (Bohen, Mutant as a Codeword) During the 1970s, comic books saw further decline in sales due to their lack of interesting storylines, even though movies like Superman and TV shows like Batman were very popular. Every comic book was about the hero(es) saving the day and ending the story with no negative outcomes, no long lasting pains or hurts, and no tragedy. This was when comic books began to see darker days, not only with the darker storylines and more insidious villains, but also with character deaths, characters becoming evil or corrupt, and long lasting consequences that would leave the comic and the reader changed forever (Cohen, History of Comic Book Superheroes). One of the most popular stories that follow this line is the Dark Phoenix storyline in the X-Men franchise. In this, one of the longest running characters, Jean Grey, becomes the host of an evil alien entity, known as the Phoenix, that takes over her and mind and body and through her does terrible things to the world around her. In the end, to
Google. Dark Phoenix.

stop this evil entity from destroying everything Jean holds dear, Jean sacrificed her life in order to stop the Phoenix. This story had long-term repercussions, from tearing apart the team, to destroying the lives of two of
Google. Scary Joker.

two of the main characters that loved Jean dearly (Top 100 Villains, IGN.com). The 1980s, readers began craving even darker storylines from the comic writers. Alan Moore, a popular writer of the Batman series, wrote one of the most revered storylines to date, The Killing Joke, wherein the Joker wreaks havoc in Gotham City and tries to push Batman and Gothams Commissioner, Jim Gordon, into breaking their moral code and kill him. The Joker commits several terrible acts, including shooting Commissioner Gordons granddaughter through her spine, permanently paralyzing her. The Joker has been one of the darkest villains in comic history. His unpredictability, his intense savagery, and his lust for destruction and torment have led him to be revered as the most terrifying villain in comic book history (Top 100 Villains, IGN.com).

Readers have become almost as drawn to the villains in these series as much as they have the heroes. Why, you may wonder, would anyone long to see villains in their most maniacal and violent stages? The answer simply is this: the bigger the threat, the bigger the triumph. Psychologically, every day there are millions of people around the world who constantly struggle with feelings of helplessness, weakness, and the inability to change the world around them for the better. By seeing their favorite superhero overcome such a huge, unpredictable, dooming foe, they feel empowered and like they can take on the challenges that
Google. Batman.

face them daily. Much like the people who lived during World War II, this trend continues to be prominent even today (Belk, Effects of Identification.). In the 1990s, heroes and villains had found their way more prominently into the lives of Americans through more television shows based on Spider-Man and X-Men, to movies like Batman and Batman Returns by Tim Burton. But even through all of this media attention, comics

and the comic companies themselves plunged ever further into financial difficulties. The American
Google. Iron Man.

people simply didnt feel the

need to seek further power as a whole than they had in previous decades. In 1996, Marvel Comics filed for bankruptcy and was almost completely wiped off of the map of comics forever. In their desperation to stay afloat, they began selling movie and television rights to their programs to various companies like Sony, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount Pictures (Howe, Avengers Assemble!). It wasnt until the 2000s where heroes would see their real rise into popularity. The release of Spider-Man, directed by Sam Raimi, in 2002, completely redefined the term Comic Book Movie and moviegoers around the world fell in love with it. Since then, almost every comic book movie that has ever been released has broken box office recorders, most notably The Dark Knight trilogy by Christopher Nolan, The Avengers by Joss Whedon, and Iron Man 3 by Shane Black, all of which far surpassed the billion dollar mark world wide and are among the highest grossing movies of all time (Box Office Records, imdb.com).

So what caused such a high resurgence of comic book stories and characters? Well, the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City occurred in September of 2001, leaving America shocked and overcome with grief and fear. Shortly thereafter, we attacked Iraq and began our invasion of the countries out there for at least a decade. American soldiers were dying almost daily, and our economy was crashing all around us. Never had generations of Americans known this kind of turmoil, fear, and vulnerability. They needed anything, anyone, to help them up and to give them courage (Hyde,
Google. Captain America. 1

Superheroes). What better than extraordinary heroes with amazing gifts, skills, and morals?

Heroes, and the villains that push them to do the good things that they do, have saved America in a way that most cannot fathom or admit. These fictional characters have given us strength that nothing else ever could. They have united a country and stood fast to guide us through the haze of fear and

10

doubt. Whether it be the dark, brooding Batman, the millionaire playboy Iron Man, or the always morally straight and ever strong Captain America, it is undeniable that every citizen has been touched and guided by their influences several times in their lives (Belk, Effects of Identification). Will heroes and villains always remain as popular as they are now? With how America has begun idolizing them so openly and obviously, it is doubtful that anyone could ever deny the impact that they have had in our world. So in this humble authors opinion, I doubt we will ever see the end of these brave individuals who put their lives on the line and show true bravery every time we see them anywhere in the world.

Google. Marvel.

11

Works Cited Page: IMDb. All Time Worldwide Box Office Grosses. IMDB.com, n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. Cohen, Sharon L. "History of Comic Book Superheroes." - Mania.com. Comic Art, n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. Elsworth, Catherine. "The Tragic Real Story behind Superman's Birth." TheTelegraph.com. Telegraph Media Group Limited, 27 Aug. 2008. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. Sticka, Tyler. Comics Lost Audience. http://tylersticka.com/2009/07/13/comics-lost-audience/. N.p., 13 July 2009. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. Howe, Sean. "Avengers Assemble! How Marvel Went from Hollywood Also-ran to Mastermind of a $1 Billion Franchise." http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_pivot/2012/09/marvel_com ics_and_the_movies_the_business_story_behind_the_avengers_.html . Slate Magazine. 28 Sept. 2012. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. Top 100 Comic Book Villains. http://comics.ign.com/top-100-villains/. IGN.com., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2013.

12

Hyde, Douglas. Superheroes Rise In Tough Times. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/books/03/18/superhero.history/, CNN.com n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. Belk, Russell. Effects of Identification With Comic Book Heroes and Villains of Consumption on Materialism Among Former Comic Book Readers. http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conferenceproceedings.aspx?Id=6938, Association For Consumer Research., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2013 Bohen, Michael. "Mutant" as a Codeword for "Gay" in the X-Men Movies. http://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2011/11/03/m utant_as_a_codeword_for_gay_in_the_x-men_movies/page/full. Town Hall. 03 Nov. 2011. Web. 08 Sept. 2013 Comic books during the 1960s. voices.yahoo.com/comic-books-1960s1504119.html. Yahoo Voices. 30 May 2008. Web. 08 Sept. 2013.

13

14