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Oh, y'all almost let this article slip past me! I know he's probably busy, but one day I want to chop it up with @RaynardFaux about the mission and worth of the superhero because I know we don't see eye to eye on it. https://time.com/5857064/defunding-police-superheroes-onscreen/
I've written about the superhero, power fantasies, and how they change according to identity before: https://cheryllynneaton.com/2016/09/21/power-fantasies/
I think the superhero has tremendous power and value, but I think the genre lost its way as power changed hands from the oppressed (white Jewish men dealing with rampant antisemitism) to the privileged.
Just look at how almost every Black American superhero has ties to the police or the military. Even characters like Luke Cage had their histories changed to placate white people. To keep Black people from even considering the idea of equality and liberation.
It's not a coincidence that this is what happens to Black heroes when a company and industry is devoid of Black voices.
Superheroes are now decidedly conservative and even authoritarian. And that needs to change. We need a spectrum. Characters should range from being a tool to bring order for the military to being a chaotic force of justice for the streets.
People who want to do good are going to disagree on how to go about it (and honestly, the same goes for evil). They've had different experiences. Endured different things. All due to one's identity and choices. All due to diversity. And the industry doesn't have that diversity.
And the superhero has suffered for it. Narrowed vision. But the problem isn't with the genre. The problem is who we allow to control the genre. The problem is who is left outside looking in.
