In the superhero genre, the superhero is portrayed as wholly good and the arch-villain as wholly evil. There is no grey area between these two opposites.I will explore to what extent this is true in Spiderman and Batman.

The first 200 words of this essay...

"In the superhero genre, the superhero is portrayed as wholly good and the arch-villain as wholly evil. There is no grey area between these two opposites."

To what extent is this true in the two films you have studied?

Superheroes originated in Victorian fiction. Superheroes had many characteristics that defined them as superheroes: a secret identity, superhuman powers and a colourful costume including a symbol and cape. Superheroes grew popular during World War II, as people needed simple stories of good mastering over evil. Publishers created stories in which superheroes battled the enemies of the USA with patriotically themed superheroes. However, superheroes lost popularity in comic form after the war and regained popularity in the cinema. Superheroes were no longer totally portrayed as wholly good and the arch-villain as wholly evil but there tended to be some grey areas in the film versions of these stories. In this essay, I will explore to what extent this is true in 'Spiderman' and 'Batman'.

The mise-en-scene of the films helps portray the heroes as wholly good characters. The clothing of Spiderman suggests that he is the traditional superhero in the film as his costume is colourful and patriotic, and