Special Area

Questions to Discuss

• Are there different kinds of heroes?
• Do different societies have different views on what a hero is?
• Are heroic decisions rational decisions?
• What is the so-called “hero’s journey”? Does it apply in real life or just in fiction?
• Is there such a thing as a “villain’s journey”?
• Is heroism a personality disorder?
• What is an antihero?
• How is an antihero different from a villain?
• Are there villains in the real world—and, if so, do they know they are villains?
• Is a superhero just a hero with superpowers?
• If you were a superhero, would you keep your identity a secret?
• In real life, do villains ever think of themselves as villains? How about in fiction?
• How is a hero different from a leader? Or are they the same?
• Is society biased in favor of male heroes? How about superheroes?
• Are there enough stories about women who are heroes?
• Does it mean something different to be a heroic woman than a heroic man?
• Can the superheroes of today be compared to the gods of the ancient world?
• Are superheroes portrayed differently in different media?
• Are superheroes more popular than they used to be? If so, why?
• How different would our world be if we knew that superheroes existed?
• If we were to discover people with special abilities living among us, would we celebrate them—or fear them?
• Are superheroes ultimately an American creation reflecting or serving American interests?

Origin Stories: Calling All Heroes

• Prometheus Unbound: Heroes of Ancient Civilizations
• Medieval Heroes: Long Live the King (and the Rogue)
• The Golem, the Monkey King, and the Original Superheroes

One for All: Understanding the Hero

• The Heroic Mind: Insights from Psychology
• The Hero in Society: Insights from Anthropology and Sociology
• The Monomyth and the Hero’s Journey

With Great Power: Superheroes of the 20th and 21st Centuries

• Emergence in Comic Books
• The Comics Code Authority
• The Social and Historical Context of Superheroes
• Ascendance of Film Franchises
• Role of Superheroes in a Postmodern World

Can We Be Superheroes? The Science of… (Examples)

• Enhanced Vision | Exoskeletons | Human Flight
• Invisibility | Rapid Healing | Strength and Super-strength
• Super speed | Telepathy | Telekinesis
• Teleportation | Time Travel

Additional Terms to Learn (Examples)

• Achilles’ Heel | Archetype | Byronic Hero | Comicon
• Bystander effect | Epic | Everyman | Fatal Flaw
• Great Man Theory | Hero Worship | Hubris
• MCU | Paragon | Pulp | Risk-Seeking
• Sidekick | Trope | Villain | X-Altruist

Additional Superheroes to Research (Examples)

• Astro City | Wild Cards | Squirrel Girl
• Batman | Iron Man | Ms. Marvel (2014)
• Captain America | Superman | Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Goku | Captain China | Wonder Woman
• X-Men | Spiderman | Sylar

Selected Film: The Dark Knight

Additional Questions & Cases to Discuss (Examples)

• Would Superman have been a Soviet hero if he had landed in Russia instead of Kansas as a baby? In other words, to what degree does the fate of a superhero depend on nature versus nurture?
• Should it be a goal of well-functioning societies to "destroy as many opportunities for heroism as possible"?"
• Why do some people sacrifice themselves to save others, while others stand back and hope for the best -- or run the other way? In other words, what is the psychology of heroism?
• Are Byronic heroes more popular than traditional heroes? Are they more desirable?
• Are there genetic and personality similarities between heroes and villains?
• Do Thomas Carlyle’s six types of heroism still apply today? Do they omit any kinds of heroism that have become prevalent in the 20th and 21st centuries?
• Can animals be heroes too?
• Should superheroes be more ethnically and culturally diverse?
• Did 9/11 jumpstart a new era of interest in superheroes? How long will it last?
• Are superheroes the Greek gods of today’s world?
• Why are there so few notable British (and non-American) superheroes?