by A.J. Focht
Super heroes are in right now. While their popularity has been steadily growing for years, each blockbuster movie released only fuels the fanboy frenzy. Video games, movies, television, and merchandise have never been more adorned with super hero icons. The question though is: Who’s super heroes are they?
In the upcoming year some big names will hit the silver screen. Green Lantern, Thor, and Captain America are all part of the summer lineup. The one thing all of these heroes have in common is that we know who they are. Every hero worth his name is getting a blockbuster deal. Even underrated heroes, such as the Green Hornet, are getting the Hollywood treatment.
These are the same heroes that many of us woke up on Saturday mornings to watch. Comic fans or not, these heroes have a place in the hearts of Generation Y. While these heroes were born long before Gen Y, their escape into mainstream pop-culture came under our watch. Comics always have, and still do, attract only a small nerdy percentage of the population. It is beyond paper, through their subsequent cartoon series and movies that superheroes reach the majority of their fans.
There are several downsides to the mainstream cinematic glory however. First and foremost, many cartoon and movie-based fans don’t know any of the storylines outside of those mediums. For thousands of Spider-Man fans, Gwen Stacy is just ‘that dumb blonde from Spider-Man 3’. The stories have all been adapted, or bastardized, to fit the popular standards. This isn’t a large problem, but that is mostly because hardcore fans have become accepting of the many ‘alternate universes’ used by comic creators to work around continuity errors; cinematic portrayals of the heroes are easily filed off as separate universes.
The more pressing issue presented by putting heroes on the big screen is that they can only hold their appeal for so long. Spider-Man had only three movies, over the course of five years, before the franchise was set to reboot. These big name superheroes are all getting their screen time and then being recycled. It won’t be long before the remainder of the maquee-level heroes, like the Flash, Wonder Woman, and Deadpool, get their own movies. Then before we know it all of the superhero movies will be in reboot mode to keep the money rolling in.
I don’t believe reboots are the answer. I think that the next generation needs their own group of superheroes to look up to. The iconic ones we have been using cannot rule the industry forever. Both Marvel and DC are sitting on stockpiles of new and old heroes who never made it mainstream. These are the heroes that the next generation should be able to call their own.
I don’t know if Marvel is working toward this goal or not, but their choices for 2011 might suggest they are. The Fantastic Four will be losing a key member, becoming a trio. It has also been announced that February will see “The Death of Spider-Man” (in the Ultimate Universe). To top it all off there are the disturbing teaser images associated with Marvel’s next big project, Fear Itself. While it is doubtful that Marvel is really leaving any of their big names behind, we can at least hope for some forward progress.
Comic heroes are not immortal, and shouldn’t be treated as such. Even the best heroes need to learn when it’s time to hang up the spandex and take a back seat. I am not suggesting that we kill off our all time favorites, but perhaps they need to take a smaller roll. If Bruce Wayne can entrust Dick Grayson to be Batman, why can’t other heroes retire from active duty and train a new generation?
There are too many great young heroes that deserve their time in the spotlight. I am not saying we need to go and make a Wicaan movie or a Hulkling cartoon, but I think bringing in these characters to serve the next generation is a better idea than endless reboots. We’ve been blessed with a pool of highly thought out and personalized heroes to enjoy, but unless some new characters are brought to the fore, the next generation will be stuck watching reboots of reboots.
