What Makes a Super Hero?

When a person hears the word “superhero”, what is the first image to come to mind? Superman seems the obvious choice. Some others might think Spider-Man or Captain America. But how do we define the term superhero?  Is everyone with powers a hero? In that case, Batman is not a super hero. Does a mask and costume make a hero? Well then Jenny Sparks does not count.

There have been many people from many walks of life who have been given the mantle of super hero. But did they deserve it? Do we need to subdivide and reclassify how we use that label? I think we do. A recent film that came out this past year was Chronicle and it was advertised as a Superhero/Found footage film. But the characters in this film had no secret identities or colorful costumes, just amazing powers, specifically telekinesis. But by that standard, you could claim that Carrie is a superhero movie and yet I, and most people, have only ever considered Carrie to be a horror movie.

On the opposite end of super hero films from Chronicle is Kick-Ass. In that movie there are no powers. The characters for all intents and purposes exist in a very real world. But people in that world choose to don the colorful costumes of characters normally seen only in comic books. There is nothing super about them but they call themselves super heroes.

Perhaps it is merely the name. “Super hero” certainly sounds much more noble and dignified than “vigilante”. But in reality that’s what they are. From Superman to Spider-Man to The Avengers, they are all vigilantes. Sometimes they report to the police or government but for the most part these teams and individuals are operating outside the law by their own set of rules. They do not arrest criminals simply for breaking the law but instead for violating some sort of moral code that is completely arbitrary to the hero.

It is only by their deeds that super heroes are allowed to operate in public. Characters like The Punisher regularly commit murder and hence are hunted down by the police. But a noble character like Captain America can operate without intervention from the authorities. The worst he does is bruise people with his shield. Though The Punisher and Captain America are not so different. Both were trained as soldiers. In fact, The Punisher has been established as idolizing Captain America. Cap represents the patriotic ideal and as a soldier, Frank Castle (aka The Punisher) would strive to be that. But then his family was brutally gunned down and any sense of nobility left in Frank Castle died with them.

So what makes a super hero? The Punisher certainly isn’t heroic but many call him a super hero. Same with characters like Spawn and others. Why?  If the Punisher is a super hero, we might as well say that Bernie Getz (the Subway Vigilante, google it) was also a super hero. I certainly don't think he was.

"We're Superheroes!"

Costumes do not make a super hero. Powers do not make a super hero. Codes of conduct do not make a super hero. And yet all those things are important to the super hero genre. Perhaps there is no definitive formula for a super hero. You can use a multitude of ingredients and circumstances to bring a super hero to life and the only thing required is that they be identified as such.