Superhero Hype and Psychology

by Pamela Laserna and Ashley Cotter-Cairns

Superhero Hype: Wonder Woman

With so much superhero hype surrounding movies, comic books and graphic novels, I began asking myself: What is it about superheroes, anyway? Why are so many people attracted to comic book heroes and villains? What part of our psyche needs to feel empowered by 'following' (collecting and admiring) Batman, Superman, the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Spiderman or whoever?

To get enlightened, Pamela and I turned to a variety of experts. Some of them even collect comic books themselves (physician, cure thyself!), and they all had fascinating insights into the psychology of superheroes.

Background: Behind the Superhero Hype

The world has its fair share of real-life heroes: from cops, firemen, and soldiers to doctors and nurses, and even ordinary citizens who perform extraordinary feats that saved lives. And we even have our literal Real-Life Superheroes, a group of men and women who dresses up like superheroes and perform services that benefit the community in a variety of ways. But let's take a step back from reality and delve into the extraordinary world of fictional superheroes.

Superhero hype has been part of developed culture and consciousness as early as Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Superheroes have been recreated many times to fit society's circumstances; countless others have been added as a response to demand that groups be represented in the superhero genre.

Talented fans transformed their imagination into ink and created comic books solely dedicated to these metahumans. Fans with both talent and deep pockets took a step further by bringing the 'supers' to the silver screen. They've been deeply etched into our psyche, so much so that the question: "If you had one superpower, what would it be?" is a favorite one to be asked in college admissions and job interviews.

The Psychology of Superheroes

So what is this about the whole superhero hype that appeals to we mundane mortals? One very simple answer is that superheroes are fun! Come on, who doesn't enjoy Spiderman's web-slinging action or Wonder Woman's lasso prowess (and she’s got killer looks to boot!). Aside from this, however, our attraction to superheroes can be explained by reasons deeply-rooted in our subconscious.

Zapoint's chief futurist and strategist, Phil Bowermaster, puts it very well: "Superheroes represent an extension of our own capabilities. They help to close the gap (in our imaginations, at least) between what we can do and what we would like to be able to do." This view is supported by psychotherapist and author Dr. Tina Tessina, who gives an explanation of our desire to collect superhero memorabilia: "If a person is heavily into collecting and rooting for a superhero, they're expressing a suppressed part of their personality. For example, a shy person might fantasize about being Superman and being able to throw off the shyness like Clark Kent's glasses and be comfortable around people."

Superhero Hype: Batman

Their appeal is also thoroughly explained by Dr. Brian Kinnaird, a criminal justice/social psychology professor. According to Kinnaird: "Superheroes are the strongest and most potent mythological translators of heroism in the modern age. We personally identify with the character, but the character also embodies the ideals of the culture that creates them." Besides this, he also gave three additional reasons:
1) Superhero mythology is a symbolic solution to find order and meaning in a crazy world. It also becomes a symbolic expression of how to act and behave to function and thrive in that world;
2) We need examples to guide us in responding to situations with a sense of purpose; and
3) People dig mythology in general because its timeless themes touch us all: colossal struggle between good and evil, exploring powerful human emotions (desire, greed, jealousy, human ambition, attachment and loss, existence and purpose, inevitability of death, love and hate). There's more to superhero hype than meets the eye.

Richard Lee Byers, a psychologist and fantasy and horror writer, has another take on this superhero phenomenon. He stated: "One reason is that these characters embody courage and nobility. Possessed of abilities that would enable them to do pretty much any selfish thing they please, they instead choose to protect the innocent and fight for justice, always at great risk to themselves and sometimes at great personal cost."

Superheroes also satiate our desire to belong in a world of imagination and fantasy, since they "provide a fantasy of power (flying, super strength, mind-reading)" and "inhabit worlds full of marvels and wonders, where mythological gods rub shoulders with mutants and extraterrestrials, and magic and time travel are virtually commonplace."

The Psychology of Super-Villains

Like everything else in this world, every good comes with a bad. So alongside a superhero, there is and should be a villain. Of course, without these evil geniuses (and sometimes stupid people with a lot of ammo or cash), there wouldn't even be a superhero to begin with.

There are villains behind the anti-superhero hype are just so good at being bad that some fans love to hate them, and some just plainly adore them. There are even those who associate themselves more with villains and probably enjoy watching the superhero getting beaten up by the bad guys.

Superhero Hype: The Joker

According to Dr. Marcia Sirota, psychiatrist and founder of the Ruthless Compassion Institute: "Many people have a secret wish to act out or to break the rules but are bound by the constraints of society's laws and norms. By associating themselves with villains, ordinary people get to identify with the dark sides of these characters and indirectly express the 'shadow' aspect of their personality."

Byers suggests that fans having these "rebellious [but controlled] impulses" would much prefer to insert themselves into villains who are charismatic and powerful, rather than repulsive or pathetic ones. Rooting for the fictional villain is still a much better alternative than actually being a felonious member of the real underworld, don't you agree?

The Psychology of Superhero Costumes

Aside from millions of sales of superhero comics, billions at the box office made by superhero movies combined, and sold-out collectibles, one more proof of the monumental influence of superhero hype on society is that in every costume party, you would expect to have at least one guest in five dressed up in some sort of superhero costumes get-up, or dressed as their favorite super-villain.

Dr. Tessina has a very simple reason for this: "They're pretty comfortable and easy to wear, but usually it connects to the shyness. One can feel braver and more comfortable around a lot of people with a cape on. There also may be a desire to attract the opposite sex."

Imagine yourself dressed in tights with your underwear outside for everyone to see, with a cape, mask and occasionally, gloves. Would you dare wear this ensemble outside a costume party? I think not. Most superheroes can get away with these ridiculous costumes since they're, well, superheroes! As if their ability to fly, shoot lasers from their eyes, lightning speed and other super powers aren't enough, they had to be given otherworldly beauty and perfect physique.

This is perhaps another contributing factor as to why superheroes appeal so much to us ordinary citizens. They are our epitome of physical perfection. Dr. Sirota states that this pathological belief of achieving this same type of superhero hype focusing on bodily perfection can lead to discontentment of our own body. Byers concurs: "We all tend to fantasize about what we don't have in reality. Comics fans don't have to fantasize about being bright. By and large, they are bright. In many cases (by no means all), they're not particularly athletic, and perhaps that's part of why they enjoy reading about Spider-Man and Daredevil."

Super Hero Sex: Why We Adore Sexy Superheroes

I’ve reserved the more controversial question for last: Is there a link between superhero patronization and sexuality?

Superhero Hype: Super Hero Sex objects -- normal, or immature?

Byers thinks that "a person's entertainment of choice is apt to influence their sexual fantasies. Wrestling fans fantasize about the ring girls. Footballs fans fantasize about cheerleaders. Guys who watch Burn Notice fantasize about Fiona, and guys who read the X-Men fantasize about Storm and Phoenix. I don't think this makes their sexuality fundamentally different than anyone else's."

Dr. Sirota begs to differ, saying that: "Adults who are obsessed with superheroes have an undeveloped, immature sexuality. They focus their attention excessively onto idealized, safe (because they're unavailable) fantasy figures rather than pursuing normal relationships with imperfect but available peers."

Yes, Superman looks hot in those tights and yes, Phoenix doesn't look too shabby either, but it would even be more awesome if you could meet your own Clark Kent and Jean Grey, in other words.

Why I Love My Superhero: Hype or Instinct?

Superhero hype is simply marketing spend perpetuating myths. Superheroes are a phenomenon that has transcended time, because they meet a need, and will continue to grow exponentially (so expect more glossy superhero movies).

In the current state the world is in, sometimes we just need to escape reality and transport ourselves into a place where the bad guys always pay for their crime and the good guys win, a place where we could have a taste of justice even for just a little while. So don't feel bad about that comic book collection. You're perfectly normal!

Contributors

Thanks to everybody who lent their expertise to this article:

Marcia Sirota, MD
Dr. Marcia Sirota is a board-certified psychiatrist practicing in Toronto, Canada. She works as an individual and group psychotherapist, specializing in the treatment of addictions, PTSD, creative blocks and relationship difficulties.

Dr. Sirota is a writer and blogger, and author of the book Never Diet Again, a New Approach to Overcoming Compulsive Eating and Other Addictions. She is a regular contributor to Moods Magazine and to Huffington Post Canada, and is founder of the Ruthless Compassion Institute.

Phil Bowermaster
Phil is a futurist who runs the blog Transparency Revolution. He is chief futurist and strategist for Zapoint.

Tina B. Tessina, PhD
Dr. Tina Tessina is an author of several books on relationship psychology, including It Ends with You: Grow Up and Out of Dysfunction. Dr. Tessina is a divorce expert, running the website Divorce360, and is also known as "Doctor Romance" for her advice columns.

Dr. Brian A. Kinnaird
Dr. Brian Kinnaird is a criminal justice and social psychology professor. Kinnaird was formerly a law enforcement officer, and is an avid follower of superhero culture who attends comic book conventions regularly.

He is the author of three books, a lecturer and police training consultant.

Richard Lee Byers
Richard Lee Byers is an author and superhero expert. Byers is a lifelong comics fan with a Master's degree in Psychology. He has written over 30 novels, including the X-Men prose novel, _Soul Kille_r. Byers is currently launching a new series called _The Impostor_, which is a superhero series in prose.

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