Superhero History of the Superhero films The first

Superhero

History of the Superhero films “The first true superhero movie arrived in 1941, in the shape of a 12 -chapter serial from Republic Pictures: Adventures of Captain Marvel. This crude attempt to bring comic heroes to the big screen suffers from the usual stop-start cliffhanger-itis of the episodic form, but the foundations of the genre — an origin story, a secret identity, a costume and an arch-nemesis — were all cemented into place. ” � “Next came a 15 -chapter Batman serial in 1943, which marked the first filmed appearance of the legendary Caped Crusader (Lewis Wilson) and his sidekick Robin (Douglas Croft)” � “ Richard Donner’s Superman (1978) blasted onto screens as one of the most expensive productions of its time. The success of Donner’s experiment spawned an equally popular sequel — Superman II (1981)” � “Tim Burton’s take on Batman, starring Michael Keaton as the titular hero and Jack Nicholson as the Joker, was released in 1989 and quickly became a pop-culture juggernaut. ” �

� � � “Despite the fact that Marvel could boast of an equally well-known roster of superheroes and had managed to score a hit on TV with The Incredible Hulk series in the late Seventies, the company (under its corporate name, Marvel Entertainment) went through a turbulent period in which its ownership changed hands several times, with each new regime attempting to license Marvel Comics characters for the screen. Yet only Howard the Duck (1986), The Punisher (1989) and an early stab at the story of Captain America (1990) emerged during this period, each more horrid than the last. ” “Batman resonated so well with the public that Warner Bros. proceeded to wring every last cent it could out of the franchise, releasing three more films in the next eight years. ” 2000 s – Xmen 2000 s – Spiderman films “Starting with Iron Man in 2008, Marvel launched an interconnected series of films in which characters starred in standalone stories linked to a grander overall narrative. ” Marvel continued to make blockbuster hits that changed the landscape of Superhero films I used this website: https: //www. rollingstone. com/movies/movie-news/from-avengers-to-x-men-a-brief-history-ofsuperhero-movies-74706/

Sub-Genres of the Superhero film �Heist e. g. Ant-man �Sci-fi e. g. The Avengers �War e. g. Captain America: The First Avenger, Wonder Woman �Fantasy e. g. Thor �Action e. g. Ghost Rider �Supernatural e. g. Blade

Iconography of the Superhero film �Superhero costumes e. g. capes, masks, suits, armour �Spaceships �Guns – laser guns, ray guns, normal guns �Magical weapons that bend science laws

Actors/Directors associated with Superhero films � Robert Downey Jr – Ironman/Tony Stark � Chris Evans – Captain America/Steve Rodgers � Scarlett Johansson – Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff � Brie Larson – Captain Marvel � Gal Gadot – Wonder Woman � Christian Bale – Batman � Kevin Conroy – Batman � Michael Keaton – Batman � Jack Nicholson – Joker � Russo Brothers – Marvel films � Jon Favreau – Marvel films � Kevin Feige – Marvel films � Zack Snyder – DC films

Box Office – Top 10 films of the Genre 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Avengers: Endgame Avengers: Infinity War The Avengers: Age of Ultron Black Panther The Incredibles 2 Ironman 3 Captian America: Civil War Aquaman Spiderman: Far From Home

Budgets – Top 10 films of the Genre (dollars) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Avengers: Age of Ultron – 365 million Avengers: Endgame – 356 million Avengers: Infinity War – 316 million Justice Legaue – 300 million Spiderman 3 – 258 million Captain America: Civil War – 250 million The Dark Kinght Rises – 250 million The Dark Knight Rises – 230 million The Amazing Spiderman – 230 million Man of Steel – 225 million

Critically acclaimed examples �Black Panther: Oscars – best picture, original music score (winner), costume design (winner), production design (winner), sound mixing, sound editing �Avengers: Infinity war: Oscars – visual effects �The Dark Knight: Oscars – best supporting actor (winner), sound editing (winner), cinematography, sound mixing, visual effects, production design, editing, makeup and hairstyling

Stretch and Challenge: Ideologies/Contexts �World War 2 – e. g. Captain America: The First Avenger �World War 1 – e. g. Wonder Woman �Moralism – e. g. Avengers: Infinity War �Feminism – e. g. Captain Marvel �Capitalism – e. g. Ironman

Subversion �Megamind – instead of the narrative and plot revolving and focusing on and around the superhero character, it focuses on the villain and pokes fun at the stereotypes of an all good superhero