Are superheroic values still relevant ?

Superheroes are now part of our daily life: advertising, cinema, bookstores, fashion or food, the golden goose of the 21st century is constantly spreading to all fields. Beyond their media impact, they often reveal themselves as social mirrors of the epoch in which they evolve, not hesitating to get involved in political, social and cultural debates. In the age of new technologies and heightened marketing, are superheroic values still relevant?

Tools that reveal the social dynamics of our time.

The super-heroic stories of Marvel and DC Comics, the two most prolific publishing houses in the comic book industry, do not hesitate to touch the latent discomforts of our current society. Particularly today, at a time when news channels and social networks exacerbate a certain sense of insecurity attacks and terrorism are the most blurred subjects by the media – which plunge us into a dynamic of scepticism and tension. The superheroes are certainly there as a symbolic response, they who almost every time avert the threat, and one can reassure oneself in the face of a protective and heroic presence. This almost caricatural way that society finds itself a defender in the face of the various global tensions is illustrated by the affection of the superheroic values that many people share. The ideology of a leader who resists an invader to defend his own values makes certain political figures a substitute. Although Donald Trump looks nothing like Captain America, his patriotic speeches and his “Make America Great Again” speak to some and have placed the businessman at the head of the most powerful country in the world.

In another field, some narrative arcs of the comics are intended to make its readers think , obviously, no need of superheroes to deliver such messages, already seen in other works – “1984” and “Minority Report” to name a few, but a story featuring Iron Man and Captain America will attract more people and make it easier to talk to people, through the identification they can feel.

A means of reflection and propaganda.

If a large majority of super-iconic heroes were created in times of conflict and crisis of the Second World War when Captain America represented the American power in the face of the Nazi threat to the Cold War when Iron Man was fighting communism some have for other purpose of conveying a message.

Many do not hesitate to point the finger at superheroes, accusing them of promoting American Soft Power. However, the cultural hegemony of the United States over the world has long gone beyond that: lifestyle, music, cinema, fashion… Today’s world is American style. It is therefore normal if it is not logical that the big publishers and producers take this model in order, not only to speak to the largest number of spectators/ readers, but also to depict the current world as it is.

From a social point of view, the comics have constantly put forward tolerance, overcoming oneself and other values that can encourage young readers to behave better, or to bring a message of tolerance to the most closed-minded. The question of the role of women in comics, for example, has often been debated: too often in the background, "objectified", sex-symbol without psychological depth… In retrospect, it was unfortunately the mores of previous decades that made the role of women in comic books all too often reflect her role in society: erased. However, the women’s wave showed itself well: the super-heroines, who carry strong values, proved

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