It’s a good year to be a superhero fan. You don’t need to be neck deep in the geek swamp to hear about all the new projects that we're being absolutely spoiled with these coming months.
From DC's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in June to Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday and the next season of X-Men ‘97; the fans are truly swimming in content.
But what does this mean politically?
In recent times, those on the right have been convinced that the ‘woke epidemic’ has contaminated our beloved caped role models. This was apparent in the response to James Gunn's Superman, which was heavily criticised for being “left wing propaganda” due to Gunn's depiction of Superman being an immigrant.
A well known fact among fans; he is an alien from the land of Krypton. This paired with the film's parallel to conflicts happening around the world, specifically the Gaza conflict. Although the film performed brilliantly at the box office grossing over 613 million dollars it still leaves the question.
Have our superheroes gone woke?
Before we delve deeper into this topic we need to develop an understanding of what ‘woke’ is exactly.
The term ‘woke’ rose to prominence during the 1930s, stemming from African American Vernacular English. The term originally meant being alert to social injustice, specifically racial injustice. This term became a staple for African Americans during the Jim Crow era when it was considered to be a call for vigilance during an era of immense systemic inequality. The term re-emerged during the Black Lives Matter campaign in 2014 in response to police brutality.
Sadly, recently, conservatives and right wingers have sullied the true meaning of this call for awareness. Conservatives claimed the term in 2020 in an effort to demean it. It's their ubiquitous stamp on any form of media that addresses societal issues and inequalities.
Nowadays when we hear the term ‘woke’ tied to forms of media it's used to degrade. The film/art/literature probably addressed societal issues or advocated for progressiveness which resulted in being given this moniker.
So this leads us back to the question: Have our superheroes gone woke?
No, they haven't. They have always been woke.
The late Stan Lee, co-founder and CEO of Marvel Comics, the home of famed heroes; Fantastic Four, Captain America and X-Men once said "Marvel has always been and always will be a reflection of the world right outside our window." This sentiment extends to DC, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics and every other superhero comic.
Superheroes originated as escapist media. During World War II, we saw a rise in superheroes. We got Superman in 1938, Batman in 1939, Wonder Woman in 1941 and Captain America in 1941. Most of them donned star spangled apparel and were depicted fighting Nazis and promoting democracy. They've been woke since their first introduction.
During a time where 69 per cent agree discrimination is a major issue in Ireland and 84 per cent hear negative comments about immigration or housing; are superheroes being woke really what causes uproar and outrage?
In a world becoming far more hostile, is Superman fighting for rights and equality really as contentious as the right claim?
Doesn't everyone need a hero? Shouldn’t we all be woke?
