The Untypical Superhero: Super (2010)

Typical superheroes have great looks, a tragic past, incredible strength, and flamboyant weapons. However, not all superheroes are the stereotypical crime fighters that are pictured. The film Super (2010), directed by James Gunn, illustrates this notion in various ways exemplifying how an atypical man can find the power within and become the enticing, crime fighting hero that saves humanity.

Rainn Wilson is known for acting abnormal characters and is highly identifiable by his awkward personalities. Like previous characters: Dwight Schrute from The Office or more recently Det. Lt. Everett Backstrom from Backstrom, Wilson portrays the nervous quality in his character Frank Darbo who later becomes The Crimson Bolt. After his wife Sarah, a recovering drug addict, is victimized by a drug dealer, Darbo takes it upon himself to become her savior after researching non-super powered heroes. Despite his discoveries on common heroes, Frank lacks many usual superhero qualities that add to the unconventional, yet unique, hero he becomes.
 

Superhero Aftermath and its Portrayals

 

Disclaimer: There will be some spoilers, so it’s best to have seen Avengers, Man of Steel, and Dredd in order to avoid them

One thing most superhero films seem to have in common is that, by their conclusion, there is going to be a lot property damage and wreckage. In The Avengers (2012), most of New York is greatly bruised, with smashed buildings, broken streets, and more – but you never really pay attention to or much care for how badly the city is devastated by the battle between the Chitauri and the Avengers. You see both the heroes and villains smash into offices and possible residential areas, but you’re more focused on the action than the destruction and possible loss of human life. A previous scene shows Captain America organizing a citywide evacuation with the aid of the NYPD, informing viewers that innocent bystanders will be removed from harm’s way. This gives audiences the opportunity to watch the Hulk smash flying alien Leviathans into skyscrapers without worrying if a family was crushed in the process.