The Problem with Superhero Movies — How to Avoid them & Make Superheroes Believable

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Superhero Movie Tropes — A breakdown of some common movie tropes we find in the superhero genre with some options for how filmmakers can avoid the pitfalls associated with them.

What is a Superhero? ►►
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Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:19 - Origins of the Superhero
02:47 - The Trope: Unlimited Strength
03:33 - The Antidote: Work for It
05:18 - The Antidote: No Control
07:58 - The Trope: Damage Tolerance Infinity
08:41 - The Antidote: Mental Pain
10:27 - Case Study: Thor: Ragnarok
14:22 - Wrap Up

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SUPERHERO MOVIE TROPES

Every genre has tropes and cliches they must embrace, and superhero movies no exception. But that doesn’t mean they can’t also be thoughtfully and interestingly done. In this video, we’re going to break down two of the most common tropes we find in superhero movies and how filmmakers can avoid the pitfalls associated with them.

THE TROPE — UNLIMITED STRENGTH

By definition, a superhero has abilities beyond us mere mortals. But at what point does the “all-powerful” hero become “too powerful?” Sometimes, this is due to their powers being poorly defined, so the audience is never quite sure what they can and can’t do. For example, we know Captain America is strong, but when we see him prevent a helicopter from taking off with his bare hands, it seems like a stretch. When these heroes are able to exert such power, the direct effect is an inability to suspend our disbelief (which is a requirement of fantastic movies like these).

The antidote for this trope is to show the effort it takes to pull off such feats of strength. For example, in Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker stops a runaway train. On paper, it might seem like this would be beyond his abilities, but director Sam Raimi and writer Alvin Sargent make sure we believe it. For one, they have Peter’s first plan fail — his second plan finally succeeds after a second attempt at it. There’s also the duration of the operation — it takes Peter nearly 2 minutes to stop the train. Finally, numerous close-ups of Tobey Maguire’s performance showcase the extreme strain he is experiencing.

THE TROPE — DAMAGE TOLERANCE INFINITY

Along with super strength, another one of the most common superhero movie tropes is when the heroes can’t get hurt. Granted, some heroes have healing powers while others are just super tough, but this, too, should have limits applied. If the hero can survive a nuclear bomb or have the power of a dying star blasting through them, there’s no real danger to our protagonist.

One way to combat superhero cliches like this is to create emotional pain. The hero may be impervious to physical damage, but their heart isn’t. For example, all of Dr. Manhattan’s god-like power makes him an isolated and profoundly lonely character. Another tactic is to transfer that damage to those the character cares about. Superman is bulletproof, but when he can’t save his father from a tornado, the pain pierces right through him.

We all like superheroes and their spectacular abilities. They are the perfect subjects to deliver the big, loud, and amazing images we crave from the theatrical experience. But filmmakers should remember that keeping our suspension of disbelief is just as important.


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♬ SONGS USED:

“Immigrant Song” - Led Zeppelin
“My Hero” - Foo Fighters
“Spider-Man Theme” - Michael Giacchino
“Superman Main Theme” - John Williams
“The Smithsonian” - Henry Jackman
“A New Alliance” - John Williams
“Civil War” - Henry Jackman
“Tell Me Everything” - John Ottman
“Train/Appreciation” - Danny Elfman
“Can You Stop This Thing” - Danny Elfman
“Multiverse of Madness” - Danny Elfman
“The Glory Days” - Michael Giacchino
“Arrival” - Alan Silvestri
“The Last One” - Brian Tyler
“Shoot” - Salt-N-Pepa
“Something in the Way” - Nirvana
“Gotham’s Reckoning” - Hans Zimmer
“What Did It Cost” - Alan Silvestri
“How the West Was Really Won” - Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
“Thor: Ragnarok Main Theme” - Mark Mothersbaugh
“Where am I” - Mark Mothersbaugh
“Hela vs Asgard” - Mark Mothersbaugh
“Planet Sakaar” - Mark Mothersbaugh
“What Heroes Do” - Mark Mothersbaugh
“Iron Man” - Black Sabbath
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme” - Nerf Herder

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