Everyone’s favorite spandex superheroes have evolved over the years, with their stories–along with new ones–having adapted to a modern audience.
What brings wonder to the many who have watched these heroes on the big screen is not simply the superhuman capabilities characters possess, but how they grow as people.
For generations the genre has held the spotlight in pop culture, with the first appearance of what people typically consider as a superhero appearing in the first issue of Action Comics, where Superman is introduced in 1938. However as the media has adapted into films and television series, more and more supers have appeared.
“The superhero genre, I feel is very enjoyable because it’s a lot of action [and] very compelling,” junior David Bonnet said. “Abilities are like one of the greatest things about it. If you can’t make a really interesting ability for a superhero, it makes it a lot more trouble to watch.”
Bonnet has watched superhero content for years, whether Marvel and DC movies or superhero-adjacent media like the anime “Jo-Jo’s Bizarre Adventure” which is not about superheroes but individuals that have superhuman capabilities through their psychic manifestations called “stands.”
What separates superhero media in the 2020s from the titans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe is not a lack of abilities, but an added emphasis on the human side of being a hero, the physical and emotional sacrifice, a high amount of gore and what happens when people use their powers for selfish motives, or to make poor moral choices.
Invincible
“Invincible” began as a comic series by writer Robert Kirkman, along with artists Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, published by Image Comics in 2003. Amazon adapted the source material into an animated television series beginning in 2021, reigniting the story and bringing in millions of new fans.
This story follows Mark Grayson, a teenager that inherits Superman-like powers of flight, super speed and super strength from his father, who is Earth’s strongest superhero, Omni-man. The audience watches Mark find his footing as the hero Invincible as everyone slowly uncovers his fathers secret.
“Nowadays, you get more and more [emotional development] and it fleshes out the character,” sophomore Hariz Siddiqui said.
One thing that makes the series stand out among other shows is how it does not shy away from showing brutality on screen. Season 4 features a gory rematch between Invincible and his enemy Conquest, whom he fought in the previous season. With Mark being severely outmatched, watching the desperate measure he takes to defeat the powerful foe, left many viewers uncomfortable.
“It did rattle me a little,” Cummings said. “I know that sounds kind of weird, seeing as I wasn’t actually there, and it’s fictional, but some of the violent scenes really did get to me.”
The first season of “Invincible” wrenches heartstrings for its exploration of the evil Superman trend in Superhero media, as Omni-man’s actions reveal his role as a loving husband and father was simply a tool for him to assist his alien race, the Viltrumites, in galactic conquest. As the show progresses, the fallout from Mark’s unwinnable fight with his father shows Mark redefining himself separate from Omni-man’s brutality while the villain himself slowly takes genuine steps towards redemption.
What makes the show inspiring for so many is how despite the immense physical and emotional toll Mark endures, is how he retains his goodhearted spirit and moral compass. “Invincible” is a story about not being scared to tackle the hardships of life, and showing how life is worth protecting, whether on a global or individual scale.
“Seeing how [the show] affected not only Invincible, but Omni-man as well, how he grew as a person and realized what he did was wrong, I like how they touched up on that,” Cummings said. “I like it because it shows how someone can be bad, but can be good at the same time and change. Obviously it depends on what the person did, but we should learn to forgive people and not be so hard on people who are trying their best.”
“Invincible” received an IMDb rating of 8.7/10 and a 99% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Boys
The message of putting one’s best foot forward despite hardship presented by “Invincible” is only one side of the coin of modern superhero content, with “The Boys” flipping the idea on its head. In this world, superheroes are not benevolent helpers sacrificing for others, but products used by the fictional company Vought to make money, with corruption at every level. This leads protagonist Hughie Campbell, an ordinary man with no powers who was hurt by the carelessness of the speedster A-Train, to join a small group of people like him willing to sabotage and fight back by any means available.
While Homelander, the leader of this universe’s superhero group “The Seven,” acts as another evil version of Superman focused on fame and self-centered glory, A-Train’s actions are what introduce the audience to the corruption in this world. Despite being a symbol of hope, his egotistical drive leads to him hiding behind Vought’s lawyers to avoid accountability for the harm he has done, especially to Hughie, adding to the scene of depravity painted by the show.
While the show has satirical elements, this goes hand in hand with its political messaging about America, with excessively gory scenes meant to disgust the audience. The idea of ordinary people forming plans to take down superheroes–where the superheroes are horrible people–is what draws people to the show, with many staying for its deep emotional moments paired with absurdities like deadly flying sheep.
“The Boys” is revolutionary in the lengths the show is willing to go for a joke, showing brutality and showing a world that redefines corruption in a way that hits close to home for some. Viewer discretion is advised. The final episode of “The Boys” is to release on May 20, ending the series’ fifth season and the show that began in 2019.
“The Boys” received an 8.6/10 on IMDb and a 97% from critics at Rotten Tomatoes.
Peacemaker
“Peacemaker” is a series starring John Cena as Christopher “Chris” Smith, a hero from the 2024 Suicide Squad movie, who is known for his humor and his willingness to go to great lengths for, as his name suggests, peace. This series focuses on a balance between gory action and real character development as Chris deals with violent impulses and a past of abuse.
The character’s mind is shown through humor and jokes Peacemaker dishes out during bloody scenes fighting aliens, revealing a disconnect from the violence he is constantly exposed to. Bonnet takes inspiration from how superheroes like Peacemaker and Batman use creativity, strategy and technology to make up for a lack of superpowers.
“I like when creativity [is] put into [superheroes’] abilities, and their shows inspire me to put creativity into how I develop in my own works, and also how the world will respond to those abilities,” Bonnet said.
This show differentiates itself from other media of the modern day hero in how it discusses serious topics by using the very humor that the MCU is criticized for in order to build character complexity. The plot serves as a series of tests, an opportunity for Chris to grow, which a modern audience can often identify with. “Peacemaker” meets all the criteria of superhero media with all of its action and clashes to save the world, while adding its own elements that make it deeper, the most notable being how to find self-esteem in the midst of a trial.
“Peacemaker” has two seasons each with eight episodes. The series received an 8.2/10 on IMDb and a 93% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Modern superheroes share less and less similarities with their predecessors, with characters and stories themselves focusing more on the emotional development of gifted people as they use their power for good in a world that tries to break them. This concept is applied to shows like “Invincible” with the burden of power that befalls Mark, “The Boys” which explores the price superheroes have to pay for moral degradation, with happiness always out of reach, and “Peacemaker” with facing one’s problems amidst fear or reluctance in order to achieve a stronger self.
“I feel as time progresses, originality is less prevalent in universes that have existed for a long period of time, but there’s newer [universes that] invoke a lot more creativity, and it’s a lot better,” Bonnet said.
