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Stan Lee on what is a superhero

What is a Superhero?

In What is a Superhero? , psychologist Robin Rosenberg and comics scholar Peter Coogan explore this question from a variety of viewpoints, bringing together contributions from nineteen comic book experts--including both scholars in such fields as cultural studies, art, and psychology as well as leading comic book writers and editors.

• By Stan Lee
• November 17 th 2013

What is a superhero? What is a supervillain? What are the traits that define and separate these two? What cultural contexts do we find them in? And why we need them? Editors Robin S. Rosenberg, PhD and Peter Coogan, PhD collected a series of essays examining these questions from both major comic book writers and editors, such as Stan Lee and Danny Fingeroth, and leading academics in psychology and cultural studies, such as Will Brooker and John Jennings. The following essay by legendary comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer Stan Lee is extracted from What is a Superhero? and entitled “More Than Normal, But Believable”.

A superhero is a person who does heroic deeds and has the ability to do them in a way that a normal person couldn’t. So in order to be a superhero, you need a power that is more exceptional than any power a normal human being could possess, and you need to use that power to accomplish good deeds. Otherwise, a policeman or a fireman could be considered a superhero. For instance, a good guy fighting a bad guy could be just a regular police story or detective story or human-interest story. But if it’s a good guy with a superpower who is fighting a bad guy, it becomes a superhero story. If the good guy is doing something that a normal human being couldn’t do, couldn’t accomplish, then I assume he becomes a superhero.

Not surprisingly, then, the first thing I would think of when trying to create a character is, what superpower will I give him or her? I’ll make somebody who can throw fireballs and fl y in the air. I’ll have somebody who can crawl on walls and shoot webs like a spider. So, automatically, those characters become superheroes. Of course, if they were evil, they would be supervillains, because the same rule applies: to be a supervillain, you have to be a villain, but you also have to have a superpower, just like a superhero has to. The word super is really the key.

There doesn’t necessarily have to be a connection between the personality of the alter ego and the powers of the superhero. When we created the Fantastic Four, I knew that I wanted each of them to have distinct powers. Even though Reed is mentally bright and flexible, Johnny is a bit of a hothead, Sue is a shrinking violet, and Ben is a big lug—which fits with their powers—I could have made Sue go on and on and speak with big words, or made Johnny the intellectual, or given Reed a temper. The powers of the characters don’t necessarily have to reflect the personalities of the characters, and the Fantastic Four would have been just as successful if there had been no link between their personalities and their powers. It just depends on how it works out. That’s the way things were back then.

The problem with telling superhero stories is that it naturally follows that you need a supervillain. You need a foe who can make the story interesting, someone who’s at least as powerful as—and hopefully even more powerful than—the hero, because that makes the story fun. The viewer or the reader has to think to himself or herself, how is our hero ever going to get out of this? How is he ever going to beat the villain? We have to keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat. So the most important thing is to have a supervillain who is equally as colorful as and even more powerful than the hero apparently is.

I try to make the characters seem as believable and realistic as possible. In order to do that, I have to place them in the real world, or, if the story is set in an imaginary world, I have to try to make that imaginary world as realistic-seeming as possible, so the character doesn’t exist in a vacuum. He has to have friends, enemies, people he’s in love with, people he doesn’t love—just like any human being. I try to take the superhero and put him in as normal a world as possible, and the contrast between him and his power and the normal world is one of the things that make the stories colorful and believable and interesting.

Superman was the start of the whole superhero thing. He had the superpowers and wore that costume with the bright colors and silly cape. It’s the costume that was different. Zorro didn’t have superpowers, Doc Savage * didn’t have superpowers; they could just do things a little better than the rest of us. The Shadow † could be a superhero because he could make himself unseen, and if he appeared in a comic book today, he might be a superhero, though he doesn’t really wear a costume. I’m not an expert on the Shadow, but I think he just had a dark business suit and a sort of raincoat and a slouch hat. Superman’s costume was different because of the bright colors, that silly cape, those red boots, his belt, and his chest symbol. I mean, it’s ridiculous, because you really don’t need a costume to fly or fight bad guys. If I had superpowers, I wouldn’t wear a costume.

But it does serve as a way of colorfully identifying the superhero, and it also announces him. When he gets into a fight with a bad guy, the costume sort of explains that he’s the good guy.

Although a costume isn’t required of superheroes, the fans love costumes. The characters are more popular if they wear costumes. (Don’t ask me why.) In the first issue of the Fantastic Four, I didn’t have them wear costumes. I received a ton of mail from fans saying that they loved the book, but they wouldn’t buy another issue unless we gave the characters costumes. I didn’t need a house to fall on me to realize that—for whatever reason—fans love costumed heroes.

I think people are fascinated by superheroes because when we were young we all liked fairy tales, and fairy tales are stories of people with superpowers, people who are super in some way—giants, witches, magicians, always people who are bigger than life. Well, as we got older, we outgrew fairy tales. Most people don’t read fairy tales when they’re grown-ups, but I don’t think we ever outgrow our love for those kinds of stories, stories of people who are bigger and more powerful and more colorful than we are. So superhero stories, to me, are like fairy tales for grown-ups. I don’t know why, but the human condition is such that we love reading about people who can do things that we can’t do and who have powers that we wish we had.

* Editors’ note: Doc Savage is Clark Savage, Jr., a pulp adventurer whose adventures were published by Street and Smith from 1933 to 1949 and who has seen numerous paperback and comic book revivals. He is also the subject of a campy 1975 feature film, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, starring Ron Ely. † The Shadow is a dark pulp vigilante who debuted in 1931 and went on to be the subject of a radio series, movie serials, paperbacks, comics, and a feature film. On radio he was voiced by Orson Welles and other actors, and he was played by Alec Baldwin in the 1994 film. He is often depicted as having the power to “cloud men’s minds” in order to be invisible. Writer Bill Finger was influenced by the depiction of the Shadow when he co-created Batman.

Headline image credit: Stan Lee speaking at the 2014 Phoenix Comicon at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo by Gage Skidmore . CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons .

Stan Lee’s name is practically synonymous with the word “superhero.” He co-created many famous superheroes during his time at Marvel Comics: the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Thor, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the X-Men, among many others. Stan imbued his characters and stories with an element of psychological realism, making it easy for fans to relate to the characters and their plights. Stan became an editor at Marvel when he was 19 years old and went on to become its publisher. Stan continues to create new superheroes under the banner of his POW! Entertainment company.

Robin S. Rosenberg , PhD and Peter Coogan , PhD are the editors of What is a Superhero? Robin S. Rosenberg is a clinical psychologist. In addition to running a private practice, she writes about superheroes and the psychological phenomena their stories reveal. Peter Coogan is director of the Institute for Comics Studies, co-founder and co-chair of the Comics Arts Conference, and an instructor at Washington University in St. Louis.

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[…] Stan Lee, from his essay for What is a Superhero?, from Oxford University […]

[…] to Stan Lee, “A superhero is a person who does heroic deeds and has the ability to do them in a way that a […]

[…] Stan Lee blog article […]

[…] superpowers to somebody and not get a look of serious concern. But Stan Lee made it clear in his essay (from the excellent What Is a Superhero?, a book of psychological essays on the questions […]

I’m not buying that a superhero needs powers. Ask anyone to name two superheroes and you’ll almost universally get the answer “Superman and Batman.” Batman IS a superhero. And if he’s not because he doesn’t have superpowers then you’re disagreeing with Will Eisner himself, not to mention the publishers who also brought us Superman since Bob Kane (who then hired Bill Finger) was tasked with creating another superhero to expand on the success Superman brought. As Eisner defined it, a costumed crimefighter is a superhero. In his words, a “costumed character” is what we’d today call a superhero. I don’t think you, unless you’re very accomplished in writing superheroes or in the study of superheroes, are qualified to disregard an aspect of superheroes included by Will Eisner. Or by Stan Lee, for that matter. So what we have here is multiple definitions. Disregarding a limitation is different from disregarding an inclusive criterion. As I said, Batman was specifically created to capitalize on the success of Superman (also not the first superhero and not the reason the word exists, by the way, as both predate Superman) so when it used to be said that superheroes meant heroes like Superman that was referring to costumes just as much as powers. So I can’t buy the “needs powers” definition.

I don’t know that there is an all-inclusive definition of a superhero. I used to think you need a costume and/or powers to be a superhero and I think I still do on some level but that gets murky too. You could argue the Ghostbusters have the proton packs and that gives them abilities you and I don’t have. They wear distinctive uniforms and have a uniquely distinctive car. Certainly saving NY and presumably the world from Gozer, Vigo, etc. is heroic so are they superheroes? No, I don’t think so. But then we have to examine why. The Doctor has science fiction abilities, each incarnation has a distinctive outfit, and he even has a secret identity. So is he a superhero? Again, I say no.

So I think it’s a bit subjective and maybe even needs to be decided on a case-by-case basis but the definition certainly is not limited to someone with powers. There are debatable cases like Black Widow being part of a superhero team so does that qualify her or not, and there are cases where we seem to have a superhero at a glance but it’s probably not (Knight Rider with KITT for example) as well. I’m not sure that a comprehensive definition can even exist at this point.

[…] – What is a superhero? […]

Hey can u give me some idea to start an essay about what makes a superhero

Thought Walt disney has the rights to marvel now and owns Spider-Man iron man ect.Superheroes cartoons are the best.Love to watch them.You must continue your writing.My favourite character is of course Deadpool

[…] an essay for the book What is a Superhero, Stan Lee wrote: “A superhero is a person who does heroic deeds and has the ability to do them in […]

In my opinion, I think Stan did a PERFECT job defining what a super hero is, keyword, SUPER. Stan breaks it down and explains what sets a super hero, and a hero are. A super hero has a power, a SUPER power, that not just any hero can have. Stan even gives credits to DC with Superman, saying that he was the first Superhero there was. Stan explains how super heroes are different from heroes because they all have a power, that regular heroes don’t. Whether it is a physical or mental power. You see, your mail man can be a hero, I can be a hero, even YOU can be a hero, but we weren’t blessed with web shooting powers or a Penance stare.

[…] [1] Lee, Stan. “Stan Lee on What Is a Superhero.” OUPblog, 14 Jan. 2015, https://blog.oup.com/2013/11/stan-lee-on-what-is-a-superhero/ […]

[…] an article published in the Oxford University Press’s Blog (Stan Lee On What Is A Superhero), Stan Lee defined a superhero […]

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Superhero Influences: Connotations and Cultural Codes in Comic Book Culture

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The Hidden Power of Superheroes: The Ability of Superhero Movies to Influence Political Attitudes

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• February 26, 2019
• Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense
• Although the literature on superheroes has expanded in recent years, it has neglected to examine whether superhero movies can affect political views. This oversight is regrettable given the recent surge in the popularity of superhero movies that engage directly with political issues such as The Dark Knight (2008), Iron Man 3 (2013), and Captain America: Civil War (2016). After a lengthy historical exploration of superheroes and a thematic analysis of these superhero movies – which collectively demonstrate that superheroes are an enduring cultural phenomenon as well as provide the theoretical underpinnings of their ability to effect attitudinal change – this study used a two-wave panel experiment to evaluate the extent to which superhero movies could cause attitudinal change. Ultimately, this study found that a significant percentage of participants changed their views on various policies related to the war on terror including torture, mass surveillance, military spending, and foreign intervention as a result of watching these superhero movies. These findings demonstrate that further research in this area is essential, particularly so long as superhero movies continue to receive critical and popular acclaim.
• Captain America: Civil War
• Superhero movies
• Origins of superheroes
• War on terror
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• The Dark Knight
• Superheroes
• Superheroes and World War II
• https://doi.org/10.17615/rrkz-6j34
• Honors Thesis
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• Dauber, Cori
• Bachelor of Arts
• Peace, War, & Defense
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• April 26, 2018

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The duality of identity in the superhero film

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• Abas Ali Zadfar
• Aaron Kerner
• R. L. Rutsky
• Julian Hoxter
• San Francisco
• Liberal & Creative Arts
• Cinema Studies
• San Francisco State University
• AS36 2017 FILM .Z33
• 2017-10-18T15:23:16Z
• http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/197262
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The Death of Superman: Superheroes in Contemporary Hollywood Public Deposited

• For my undergraduate honors thesis, I propose a study on the evolution of Superman and Batman as superheroes in America over the course of the past century, ultimately leading to the creation of the comic book movie genre in contemporary cinema. The study will be done using the close analysis of two films, with each film viewed through the historical (social, political, religious) lens of the period it was made. The two films are as Superman (1978, Dir. Richard Donner) and Batman (1989, Dir. Tim Burton). Comic books, per the decade they are made, can offer a fantastic metaphor for what is happening socially in American culture. Although they are packaged as fantastic products for children, comic books are constantly fused with very adult, very sociopolitical themes. Movies tend to function in a similar way. Comics and movies aesthetically tell their stories in a homologous way as well. The blueprint for a movie is a storyboard, and a storyboard is basically a giant comic book. It is no surprise that the two art forms sutured themselves together. The marriage of comics and movies has unquestionably reached its peak in the new millennium. My study will catalog the history of the evolution of comic book movies, starting in the 1970’s with the first big comic book movie in Hollywood Superman, which really laid the blueprints for what a comic book movie should be like, and what a superhero should look like - uplifting and heroic. Superman was the cinematic comic book hero for over a decade (He was America’s preferred comic book hero for almost fifty years). Ten years later (on the tail end of the Reagan administration), Burton’s Batman looks like the polar opposite of Superman - a vinyl clad, gothic comic book world. Since then, Batman has dominated Hollywood. Although Batman and Superman were both born out of the Great Depression, there is a reason that Superman carries more popularity in the 1930’s through the 1970’s, but darker characters like Batman literally take over the movie, and comic, world by the end of the 1980’s and all the way through the new millennium. The study will compare and contrast the two films, while considering the social, political, and religious climates of the era each film was made in. The main focus of the compare and contrast will be on the superheroes in the two films, the environments in which they function, and the visual representation of the comic book on screen. Each superhero represents a certain set of ideals held by American culture, while the environments of these stories are often a direct reflection of the world we live in. In Superman, which takes place during the Jimmy Carter administration (usually viewed as a lighter period in U.S politics, particularly after the Watergate Scandal and Richard Nixon/Gerald Ford years). The film is light-hearted and funny. Superman is a hero that can do no wrong. He wears an incredibly bright costume that represents the colors of the American flag (red, white, and blue). When Superman flies overhead fighting injustice and protecting the American way, he literally becomes the physical embodiment of the American Dream. The country can rest easy because Superman is here to protect us, protect the “American way”. Superman is an alien, but more like a God. iiTim Burton’s Batman (1989) is almost the exact opposite. The film is very dark in tone and color scheme. Gotham City looks like an inversion of different time periods in American culture. Batman, who traditionally wore blue and grey in the comics, is given an all black, vinyl suit. Batman’s costume looks like something out of the BDSM culture (bondage, discipline, and sadomasochism). The world that Batman protects is a postmodern world of capitalism – Hell on Earth. Criminals run Gotham City - dirty cops, corrupt politicians, and leagues of brilliant psychopaths, just to name a few. Batman is considered a vigilante in the film world, not a superhero. He is human, but is incredibly skilled and has lots of wealth. This study will primarily treat films and comic books as texts, with the thematic and aesthetic analysis as a means to further understand the cinematic and social relevance of comic book movies, and superheroes, in American society. Research materials will include various books on the social, political, and philosophical function of comic books (both in print and on screen).
• Shaw, Corey
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• Barlow, Dr. Melinda B.
• Fobes, Dr. Alexander S.
• Acevedo-Munoz, Dr. Ernesto R.
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Rossetti, Lavinia. "Super Air : The asthma inhaler for superheroes." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för design (DE), 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-45143.

Van, de Water Wesley Colin. "The Bat and the Spider: A Folkloristic Analysis of Comic Book Narratives." DigitalCommons@USU, 2016. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4870.

Brown, Jeffrey A. "New heroes, gender, race, fans and comic book superheroes." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp02/NQ27882.pdf.

Taylor, James. "Hollywood superheroes : the aesthetics of comic book to film adaptation." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2016. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/93641/.

Woods, Brittany Nicole. "The International Community's Response to the Hypothetical Emergence of Superheroes." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2016. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1510.

Gillenwater, Chelsea R. "Enemy Mine." VCU Scholars Compass, 2016. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4215.

Mims, Sarah E. "The first adventure of Raspberry and Lime : a futuristic screenplay /." View online, 2009. http://repository.eiu.edu/theses/docs/32211131559243.pdf.

White, Daniel. "To Be a Hero - First You Must Believe That You Are a Hero." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/17999.

Lewis, A. David. "The superhero afterlife subgenre and its hermeneutics for selfhood through character multiplicity." Thesis, Boston University, 2012. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/32028.

Hubbard, Ariel Elizabeth. "Stagnant Supers: Amplifying the Superhero Genre Through Novelistic Maturity." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2018. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6755.

Corin, Gemma. "From "ambiguously gay duos" to homosexual superheroes the implications for media fandom practices /." The University of Waikato, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2367.

Bavlnka, Timothy. "Superheroes and Shamanism: Magic and Participation in the Comics of Grant Morrison." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1302288940.

Zarate, Tabitha Rose-Ann. "UTILIZING VISUAL RHETORIC: A NEW APPROACH TO COMICS, SUPERHEROES, AND RED SUNS." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/827.

Rosberg, Caitlin. "Capers: Would you rather we wear spandex?" Miami University Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1178290210.

Milosavljevic, Filip, and Philip Wernersson. "Kvinnliga superhjältar i en maskulin värld : En jämförelse av tre kvinnliga superhjältar på film och i tv-serier mellan 1974 - 2020." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för lärande, humaniora och samhälle, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-44038.

Hooper, Tegan. "Is it easier to make superhero films with male protagonists? What the X-Men can tell us about the challenges of adapting female superheroes to film." Thesis, Curtin University, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88379.

DeGalan, Anna Jean. "Crescendos of the Caped Crusaders: An Evolutionary Study of Soundtracks From DC Comics' Superheroes." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1598268218822254.

Rohrdanz, Jessica Lynn. "Superheroes for a Superpower: Batman, Spider-Man and the Quest for an American Identity." Connect to resource online, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1242442545.

Cruz, Gabriel Arnoldo. "Superheroes & Stereotypes: A Critical Analysis of Race, Gender, and Social Issues Within Comic Book Material." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1542044502896871.

Ernsth, Bravell Gunnar. "The Super-Male and the Super-Female : Gender Criticism in Watchmen." Thesis, Högskolan i Jönköping, Högskolan för lärande och kommunikation, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-42767.

Söderström, Gardevåg Rebecka. "Challenging Adamant Norms : An analysis of the portrayal of childhood and gender in the Handbook for Superheroes books." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tema Barn, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-160208.

Jeansonne, Christopher Clemens. "Superheroes in the Classroom, Or: An Autoethnography of Great Power, Responsibility, and Community in a Critical Media Pedagogy." The Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1563466464243994.

Sjöström, Thomas. "Maskerade åsikter: Den popkulturella propagandamaskinen : En överblick av amerikanska serietidningarsom politisk uttryckssätt under åren 1950-2000." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för humaniora, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-15281.

Gillespie, Ian Trent. "Social Supers: A Content Analysis of Non-Physical Aggressions in Popular Superhero Movies." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2016. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6127.

Jeffery, Scott W. "Superhuman, transhuman, post/human : mapping the production and reception of the posthuman body." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/19464.

Monk, Ryan Michael. "Pretty/Violent: Cinematic Action Heroines From 2015 to 2020." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1617382007581432.

Plencner, Joshua. "Four-Color Political Visions: Origin, Affect, and Assemblage in American Superhero Comic Books." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/18748.

Moore, Abigail. "With Great Power: A Narrative Analysis of Ethical Decisions in Superhero Films." Master's thesis, Temple University Libraries, 2019. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/558570.

Shively, Bradyn M. "Men in Tights, Women in Tighter Tights: How Superheroes Influence and Inform the Perceptions of Gender and Morality in Children and Adolescents." Kent State University Honors College / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1482164420864626.

Covich, Anna-Maria Ruth. "Alter/Ego: Superhero Comic Book Readers, Gender and Identities." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Social and Political Sciences, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/7262.

Edholm, Rosalie. "Portrait: A Graphic Novel and Artist's Book." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2010. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/24.

Cardoso, Pablo Ribeiro. "Biotecnologias e super-heróis: aproximações pós-humanistas." Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, 2018. https://tede2.pucsp.br/handle/handle/21577.

Mason, Paul James. "‘Page 1, Panel 1…” Creating an Australian Comic Book Series." Thesis, Griffith University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367413.

Åberg, Johan. "Expanderande universum : Den amerikanska serieindustrins superhjälteuniversum och islam." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för idé- och samhällsstudier, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-100018.

Junior, Francisco de Assis Nascimento. "Crise de identidade: gênero e ciência nos quadrinhos de super-heróis." Universidade de São Paulo, 2017. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/48/48134/tde-07082017-155126/.

Buehner, R. James. "“I WARN YOU MING, STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!”:THE LANGUAGE OF SUPERHERO MYTHOLOGY IN FLASH GORDON." Cleveland State University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1462995644.

Nicosia, Matthew. "Performing the Female Superhero: An Analysis of Identity Acquisition, Violence, and Hypersexuality in DC Comics." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1476751594815625.

Costa, Thiago Sanches. "O salto transmidiático dos super-heróis: HQ - Filme - Game." Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, 2012. https://tede2.pucsp.br/handle/handle/18111.

Gomes, João Pedro Fernandes. "A construção intertextual de Mulher-Maravilha : o mítico, o maravilhoso e o super-heroico /." São José do Rio Preto, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/192451.

Welty, Justin. "Superfriends for Life: An Analysis of the Relantionship Between the DC Comics "Trinity" in the "New 52" Justice League." Digital Commons @ Butler University, 2017. https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/grtheses/490.

Kilbourne, Kylee. "With Great Power: Examining the Representation and Empowerment of Women in DC and Marvel Comics." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2017. https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/433.

Ghirotti, Joaquim Cardia. "Frank Miller e os quadrinhos pelo que vale a pena morrer." Universidade de São Paulo, 2017. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/27/27154/tde-05092017-092333/.

Junior, Francisco de Assis Nascimento. "Quarteto fantástico: ensino de física, histórias em quadrinhos, ficção científica e satisfação cultural." Universidade de São Paulo, 2013. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/81/81131/tde-23042013-113427/.

Pinheiro, Victor Souza. "Mito Desmascarado: o super-herói Americano em Ex Machina." Universidade Federal da Paraíba, 2016. http://tede.biblioteca.ufpb.br:8080/handle/tede/9790.

Nyberg, Evelin. "Leadership, assembled : A narrative analysis of the construction of leadership in relation to democracy in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame." Thesis, Jönköping University, HLK, Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-53618.

Hutton, Zina. "Queering The Clown Prince of Crime: A Look at Queer Stereotypes as Signifiers In DC Comics’ The Joker." FIU Digital Commons, 2018. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3702.

Larsson, Vix. "Låt ingen komma undan : Hanteringen av främmande kroppar i Marvels filmuniversum." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för humaniora, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-25607.

Pelissier, Clément. "Quand la multimodalité narrative rencontre l’imaginaire multisensoriel des super-héros." Thesis, Université Grenoble Alpes (ComUE), 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017GREAL036.

Bonadè, Sophie. "Des superhéroïnes à Gotham City : une étude de la (re)définition des rôles genrés dans l’univers de Batman." Thesis, Université Paris-Saclay (ComUE), 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019SACLE024/document.

Lucas, Justin. "Beneath the cape and cowl: Batman and the revitalization of comic book films." Ohio University Honors Tutorial College / OhioLINK, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1244074493.

REL C303/R532 Superheroes and Religion

• Finding Books
• Develop a Research Question
• Primary Sources
• Cite Sources
• Scholarly vs Popular
• Thesis Statements
• Religious Studies LibGuide

What Is a Thesis?

A  thesis  is the main point or argument of an information source. (Many, but not all, writing assignments, require a thesis.)

A strong thesis is:  

• Arguable:  Can be supported by evidence and analysis, and can be disagreed with.

•  Unique:  Says something new and interesting.

•  Concise and clear:  Explained as simply as possible, but not at the expense of clarity.

•  Unified:  All parts are clearly connected. •  Focused and specific:  Can be adequately and convincingly argued within the the paper, scope is not overly broad.

•  Significant:  Has importance to readers, answers the question "so what?"

Crafting a Thesis

Research is usually vital to developing a strong thesis. Exploring sources can help you develop and refine your central point.

1. Conduct Background Research.

A strong thesis is specific and unique, so you first need knowledge of the general research topic. Background research will help you narrow your research focus and contextualize your argument in relation to other research. 

2. Narrow the Research Topic. 

Ask questions as you review sources:

• What aspect(s) of the topic interest you most?
• What questions or concerns does the topic raise for you?   Example of a general research topic:  Climate change and carbon emissions Example of more narrow topic:  U.S. government policies on carbon emissions

3. Formulate and explore a relevant research question.  

Before committing yourself to a single viewpoint, formulate a specific question to explore.  Consider different perspectives on the issue, and find sources that represent these varying views. Reflect on strengths and weaknesses in the sources' arguments. Consider sources that challenge these viewpoints.

Example:  What role does and should the U.S. government play in regulating carbon emissions?

4. Develop a working thesis. 

• A working thesis has a clear focus but is not yet be fully formed. It is a good foundation for further developing a more refined argument.   Example:  The U.S. government has the responsibility to help reduce carbon emissions through public policy and regulation.  This thesis has a clear focus but leaves some major questions unanswered. For example, why is regulation of carbon emissions important? Why should the government be held accountable for such regulation?

5. Continue research on the more focused topic.

Is the topic:

• broad enough to yield sufficient sources and supporting evidence?
• narrow enough for in-depth and focused research?
• original enough to offer a new and meaningful perspective that will interest readers? 

6. Fine-tune the thesis.

Your thesis will probably evolve as you gather sources and ideas. If your research focus changes, you may need to re-evaluate your search strategy and to conduct additional research. This is usually a good sign of the careful thought you are putting into your work!

Example:   Because climate change, which is exacerbated by high carbon emissions, adversely affects almost all citizens, the U.S. government has the responsibility to help reduce carbon emissions through public policy and regulation. 

More Resources

• How to Write a Thesis Statement IU Writing Tutorial Services
• Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements Purdue OWL
• << Previous: Scholarly vs Popular
• Next: Religious Studies LibGuide >>
• Last Updated: Feb 23, 2024 2:23 PM
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