Why are we obsessed with superhero movies?

[WARNING: MAY CONTAIN ENDGAME SPOILERS. PROCEED ONLY IF YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE]

You are on the edge of your seat, crunching popcorn and swallowing soda drinks when that scene flashes on the scene—your favourite superhero fighting against a more powerful villain—and you are nervous and wonder if he/she will win. Then your hero inevitably wins and you realize your hands are sweaty all the while. This is probably a familiar scenario for you because most of us have already seen at least one superhero movie. We are living in Hollywood’s Comic Book Age. A global obsession, superhero movies are seen by millions of people, arguably the most liked stories in human history. It seems that most superhero movies are blockbusters. 46 of the top 100 superhero films released since 1978 grossed over 100 million dollars. But what element of those superhero movies causes this mass appeal, driving millions of people into theatres every year?

Superheroes are not that different from regular people. Even with their superpower, the superheroes in today’s films are portrayed with an astonishing level of humanity, struggling to deal with what it is to be a person. Audiences can often identify the human experiences the superheroes are trying to cope with in the movies, and this makes the superheroes much more relatable and inspiration to them. The origin of those characters stems from similar experiences. We all have our own unique experience and stories that make up our present personality and behaviour, and the way the superheroes respond to situations are what allow us to find common ground with or even to identify with superheroes. It is often inspiring to watch a superhero overcoming an obstacle, living a human life and ending up making the altruistic choices for everyone.

Humanity is a consistent theme throughout superhero movies. It is displayed as the heroes deal with obstacles and emotional influence and their vulnerability. Using the example of Captain America, although Steve Rogers is physically modified, he is still influenced by his emotions just like normal human beings. In The Winter Soldier, it is revealed that he committed to S.H.I.E.L.D. because of love for Peggy Carter, even when he doesn’t fully trust them. At the end of the same movie, Steve decides to not fight the Winter Soldier who is his old friend Bucky Barnes. Their past friendship and the love he has for his friend makes Steve believe that the real Bucky Barnes is still to be found somewhere inside. Steve also displays vulnerability, he often has to rely on others as a man out of time.  When he and Iron Man are trying to fix the engine on the helicarrier in The Avengers, his only option is to trust Iron man. Anyone who has been forced to rely on others can relate to Steve’s experience. Most importantly, he acts altruistically and chooses to fight with Shield agents when he could have walked away easily.

So why does this matter? At the end of the day, we walk out of the theatre feeling inspired. This kind of inspiration is important because it helps us with the little battles we face every day. If Iron Man can sacrifice himself to save everyone earth, you can donate to charity instead of being a shopping addict. And if the Avengers can figure out how to work together long enough to save the world from alien invasion, coworkers who dislike each other can work together on a project for the sake of the work at hand. When we can find common ground with a superhero, we find a source of courage, strength, and inspiration.