Marvel.  DC.  Independents.  Comic books.  Superheroes. But are they heroes... or are they something else?

 

(Note: all uses of the term "superhero" in this article should be considered general identification rather than descriptive or admirable.)

 

The Impact on Impressionable Youth

The first thing we need to look at is the superhero industry's targeted audience:  children, teens and young adults.  Now granted, even DC and Marvel may argue that some of their titles are not intended for children and that it's the responsibility of parents to oversee the form of entertainment available to their progeny.  However, the companies themselves make little effort to assist parents in doing so, making such products both visually appealing and easily accessible. 

 

Even if we ignore for the moment the modern "dark" trends comic book companies are taking... from the very beginning one has to question the suitability of this industry toward its targeted audience.  Even teens and young adults can be negatively influenced by poor role models.  So the question arises:  Do superheroes deserve the role model status vested on them by the companies making billions of dollars a year from those characters?

 

It is understood that many problems within the superhero industry are evident elsewhere in society-- especially in the entertainment industry.  The difference is that comic books and superheroes are targeted specifically at youths and teens-- an audience normally protected by law.  And of course, to an extent their industry is protected by some form of law (R rated movies, for example).  But even in this, one cannot help but wonder why a superhero movie (emphasis on "hero") would require an R rating in the first place. The answer is clear: money.  The industry went through a slump due to poor movie production and dull story lines until they brought in the darker themes... which the fans ate up.  So are we to believe they switched to such themes because they were incompetent in writing less-questionable story lines?  This would indeed seem to be the case.

 

In this article we will examine several areas of the superhero industry:

 

The Erosion of Nuanced Authority and Rule of Law- Vigilantes

The Normalization and Glorification of Graphic Violence

The Desensitization to Profanity and Aggressive Vernacular

Hyper-Sexualization and Unrealistic Body Standards

Toxic Individualism Versus Collective Responsibility

 

VIGILANTES

This concept is nothing new.  From the concept of Batman to Spider-Man and beyond, the term vigilante is used in the comics themselves. While Superman respects Batman's capabilities and intent, he has trouble with Batman's reactive violent nature.  Sadly, these days Batman is in the gray area when it comes to "taking the law into his own hands".  He's almost the boy scout he considers Superman to be when compared to characters such as Marvel's Wolverine or Deadpool.

 

Imagine if this was a real world scenario when anyone with a super power (or alternately, a gun) could just take the law into their own hands and "fight crime on the streets".  Would you feel more wary of the criminals, or the questionable-mentality vigilantes?   In such case you might have good reason to question whether the superhero was basically just "super"... with the hero part equating to clouded judgement.  

 

This may seem overly harsh, until we look beneath the hood and see the squirrels chewing on the wiring.

 

VIOLENCE -- INCREASINGLY GRAPHIC

Superhero narratives frequently rely on large-scale property destruction, vigilantism, and lethal or brutal force to resolve conflicts. When youth constantly consume media where high-stakes violence is framed as the primary or only path to justice, it can desensitize them to real-world harm. This promotes a simplistic moral framework where complex social problems are solved through brute strength and intimidation rather than diplomacy, empathy, or systemic reform. In this context the concept of "might makes right" comes across loud and clear.

 

In early years, violence was objectionable but... downplayed.  However consider two specific characters:  Wolverine and Deadpool, Marvel's front-runners in the popularity game.   With both characters their primary, dominant method of dealing with problems is "slice and dice"... literally.  Imagine razor sharp claws or swords slashing, slicing, dismembering, stabbing... well, you get the idea.  These characters are ultra-violent.  Anyone else would be imprisoned for such activities, but these are "superheroes".  And what are these two very popular characters teaching their readers, issue after issue, movie after movie?  You can commit hyper-violent acts with immunity, because they're the good guys.

 

The same point has been noted in Star Wars Jedi Knights:  what can be said about Obi Wan when he cuts off a man's arm rather than disabling him, and leaves his dismembered student by a lava pit to die?  Remember kids, this is all okay because Obi Wan is the good guy.

 

Aggressive Vernacular 

Defined:  A specific style of speech and slang characterized by hostility, hyper-competitiveness, constant verbal sparring, and sharp-edged sarcasm.  Rather than using language to build understanding or resolve conflict constructively, aggressive vernacular uses words as weapons—deploying insults, condescension, and verbal intimidation to assert dominance or score points against an opponent.  

 

Hostile Banter: Dialogue where characters constantly undermine, mock, or belittle one another, even among allies, framing emotional vulnerability as weakness.

 

Intimidating Posturing: Relying on threats, swagger, and aggressive posturing rather than calm communication or diplomacy to resolve tensions.

 

Cynical Dismissiveness: Using sarcastic quips to deflect genuine emotion or empathy, normalizing a worldview where kindness or earnestness is viewed as foolish or naive.

 

When youth are repeatedly exposed to this kind of dialogue as a default baseline for "coolness" or strength, it can heavily influence how they talk to and treat their peers, blurring the line between playful teasing and verbal bullying.  This is especially so when such is the common, typical, every-day mode of operation for superheroes.

 

Desensitization to Profanity

There was a time when superheroes in comic books kept their language clean.  This is no longer the case.  Today, this seems almost nit-picking considering the worst of "sailor language" has become the norm among younger ones, not only in movies and television but on the streets and in school hallways. 

 

But how did this become so wide-spread among society?  Movies have a very strong influence on societal behavior.  If your role-model superhero drops an F-bomb or worse, M*F* and equally obscene language every other line, it must be okay, right?  They're heroes.

 

"Obscenity is the desperate refuge of those without anything more intelligent to say."  When we see scripts for superhero movies, this bit of wisdom is not difficult to understand.  Now remember parents-- aware of it or not-- your children are likely being exposed to this kind of language in movies that are presented as role models.  Then we wonder how sweet little Jimmy suddenly popped out with that word... and wonder where in the world he learned it.   Why, he learned it from Green Lantern, his favorite superhero, pops.

 

Understand, I recognize that such language is prevalent among modern movies.  I'm not singling out superhero movies as the source of such.  But superhero movies are supposed to be different.  They are supposed to be saving the world, not dragging it into the gutter.

 

SEX SELLS

Characters in comic books, animated series, and live-action cinematic adaptations are frequently drawn or cast using extreme, hyper-sexualized anatomical proportions... and barely dressed at that.  Your typical female super hero may be wearing costumes so scanty they would make a hooker envious.   

 

For young impressionable audiences, viewing these scantily clothed or anatomically impossible ideals can trigger severe body image insecurities, low self-esteem, and disordered eating habits. Furthermore, framing these characters primarily through the lens of physical allure objectifies them, reducing complex narratives to superficial visual appeal.  It sexualizes female "heroes".  One must wonder why it is that a superhero would go into battle wearing a sport bra and a thong rather than a flack suit.  

 

As one graphic novel preface stated:  'The reality of superheroes is that with some exceptions, they're really not all that powerful.  Most superheroes could be met face on and taken out by a standard criminal carrying twin Uzis.'  

 

That being a reality, we would expect super heroes to be highly armored, not walking around in a string bikini.  Many people would consider the sexual objectification of female superheroes to be a negative influence on younger ones, especially teenagers.  Anyone who has ever attended a science fiction convention and seen the cosplay there would have double the reason to question such influence. 

 

I had to credit Marvel in their release of the first X-Men movie. While the violence was through the roof, they at least had their characters dressed in believable protective uniforms.  They even commented on the absurdity of the typical superhero costume when Wolverine looks at their black leather team uniforms and asks, "You actually go outside in these?"  Cyclops fires back, "Well, what would you prefer, yellow spandex?"

 

Yet, even when a film acknowledges the ridiculousness of hyper-sexualized or impractical costumes, it immediately turns around and leans right back into the trope with other characters. Mystique dropped them back to Marvel-standard sexualization by being basically an almost naked blue female rather than wearing the much-less-revealing costume in the original comics... and of course younger audiences ate it up.  This makes sense because shape-shifter Mystique couldn't possibly add clothing to her body, could she?  Okay, yes, it makes sense that Mystique would flaunt herself to those who rejected her for her looks.  And she is a villain, not a superhero.  Still the message is clear: "Hey kids!  It's okay to walk around naked if you have scales!"  So that was pretty much a wash on that one.  

 

TOXIC INDIVIDUALISM

Superhero tropes heavily lean into the "lone wolf" or rogue operative who bypasses standard legal and civic institutions to do what they believe is right. This persistent theme teaches youth that laws, rules, and social processes are merely obstacles to be circumvented by those with moral superiority or power. It fosters a cynical view of community leadership, law enforcement, and institutional checks and balances.  

 

These narratives frequently center on a singular, exceptional savior rescuing passive masses, reinforcing a narrative of toxic individualism. Instead of encouraging youth to engage in cooperative community building, collective problem-solving, or grassroots activism, the genre implies that meaningful change only stems from the heroic intervention of extraordinary, self-appointed elites.

 

At the same time, these roles involve major body count tolls even in the Superman movies-- where entire skyscrapers are toppled by two supers battling in a manner that made 9-11 seem like child's play.  No, I am not making light of the 9-11 incident.  I question a movie-- especially a Superman movie... a superhero that is supposed to be the pinnacle of life protection-- taking out multiple skyscrapers without a thought for the people within.  Noted, the characters are fictitious.  The writers are not. This was all those writers could come up with?

 

The "collateral damage" in most superhero movies is astoundingly high. What good does it do to refuse to use your powers to kill a super villain when you kill hundreds of innocent bystanders by toppling a skyscraper or three in a heavily populated area-- rather than taking your battle to an unpopulated area.   In the words of an old friend, "What were they thinking?"

 

SUMMARY

When we consider these things:  the violence, the vigilante nature, the hyper-sexualization, the increasingly obscene language, the disregard for authority and public safety... it is not unexpected that we as individuals may realize that superheroes are anything but heroes.  They are fictitious characters, yes. But they also serve as role models for our youth.  That being the case... we have to question whether these are the kinds of role models we would want our children to be looking up to.

 

"Jimmy, I don't want you running around with Superman any more.  Guy is dangerous."

 

-- Pathfinder