“Seven of the 11 top-grossing films of 2017 were superhero movies, based on characters first introduced in comic books. The top two grossing films so far this year have been ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’..Films reflect the tastes and values of the period in which they are made. We can trace the changing status of women, evolving ideas about masculinity, war, crime, journalism, the C.I.A. or anything else by Hollywood treatments over the decades. So when historians look back at this glut of superhero flicks, what will they say about us? What are they about?” M. Bowden, The New York Times

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Excerpt: Why Are We Obsessed With Super hero Movies? By Mark Bowden

“There is no rule, of course, that says films have to be about anything. One way of looking at comic book movies is to see them simply as mental popcorn, meant to be rapidly consumed and forgotten — this may be precisely why so many people love them…why, for instance, do superheroes and villains persist in hurling large objects at each other long after it is clear this has no effect?

They showcase beautiful bodies in well-choreographed combat augmented by ear-blasting pseudo-Wagnerian music and dazzling special effects. Plot lines are an afterthought, and dialogue is often breezily incoherent (particularly when trying to impart deeper meaning)…

Even if they are not meant to be taken seriously by anyone older than 12, all stories mean something, even bad ones… They celebrate exceptionalism and vigilantism. The old American ideal of succeeding through cleverness, virtue and grit is absent, as is the notion of ordinary folk banding together to overcome a threat — think of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’or the original ‘The Magnificent Seven’ or any of a dozen World War II-era films. Gone is respect for the rule of law and the importance of tradition and community. Institutions and human knowledge are useless. Religion is irrelevant.

Governments are corrupt and/or inept, when not downright evil. The empowered individual is all. The superhero is an alien or outcast who possesses unique powers acquired either at birth or through some accident or gift.

Normal humans are mere bystanders, when they are not being crushed or vaporized. The average person is powerless and depends for survival on the good will of the gods. (It may be worth noting that in real life, the only way for a human to acquire anything like a superpower is to buy a gun, which may shed new light on America’s firearms fetish.)…When I was 12, living in Port Washington, N.Y., my friend Buzzy and I mixed a potion with his chemistry set and sprinkled ourselves with it, hoping to attain superpowers. We then raced around his house, anticipating a magical effect.

We were disappointed. We remained all too normal, and soon set our sights on more viable dreams. Even then, in the ’60s, I imagined how cool it would be if movies could capture the stories I devoured in comic books.

The old ‘Superman’ TV show was pathetic; poor George Reeves looked more padded than chiseled, and he flew like someone suspended from a crane…

The biggest reason for Hollywood’s booming Comic Book Age, of course, is technology. Computer imagery can now bring even the most outlandish images of comic book fantasy to life. They are exactly what I dreamed about as a boy.

I watch now with my discounted senior citizen ticket, ever hopeful of recapturing the thrill I once got from the static printed page. And despite the astonishing cinematic wizardry, I’m always disappointed.

The stories I read as a boy were no better and generally worse than those now on screen, but my dreams have all changed. Even as the utterly fantastic is made real, the superheroes seem silly, the stories fake. Still, the kid in me keeps coming back. I haven’t seen ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ yet. Maybe that will be the one.”