The Paradox of Superheroes of Today: Shared Universes, Teamwork and Humor.

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2015-06-15
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en
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This study is an initial attempt to determine what constitutes the cinematic superhero of today. In the 21st century superheroes on the big screen differ from their predecessors mainly because they live in shared universes, they work in teams, and they use a specific kind of humor. Using other studies on the transition from comic book to screen, seriality, group protagonists and humor, and by viewing the movies that were released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this thesis wishes to analyze what defines today’s superhero. The Avengers are used as the main case study. The findings of this thesis indicate that shared fictional universes degrade superheroes to the role of a superhero rather than the superhero, teamwork causes superheroes to admit that they make mistakes, and humor leads to insecurities as well as self-confidence. These results suggest that what defines the superhero of today is a paradox.
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