Superman: Intentionally Made a Hero
When you hear the word criminal, what is your prototype, or the best-fitting mental picture of a criminal? What comes to mind is due to the coding in a culture, or a rule-governed system of signs which are shared and used to generate and circulate meanings in and for that culture. Codes are used in order to convey meanings that constitute our cultural world, many of which are seen through television, films and other forms of media.
In Season 1, Episode 7 of Superman: The Animated Series, the hero and villain relationship is clearly seen throughout the film. John Corben, a criminal that escaped from prison with the help from a doctor, turned to Luthor to help him with his deadly illness. The only way to ensure …show more content…
Fiske claims that “heroes and villains are equally likely to use violence and to initiate it, but that heroes were successful in their violence, whereas villains finally were not.” In the film, Corben and Superman equally use violence to attack each other, but Superman eventually defeats Corben during the boat scene. After getting thrown overboard, Corben did not know how to swim in his new Metallo body, therefore leading to his death. This shows that even though they both were very powerful and used violence against each other, the hero, Superman, was successful in his violence. This perpetuates the idea that “good defeats all,” as even the strongest villains can be defeated in the name of …show more content…
Fiske asserts that “normal camera distance…is mid-shot to close-up, which brings the viewer into an intimate, comfortable relationship with the characters on the screen. But the villain and villainess are also shown in extreme close-up.” Many times throughout the film, the producers showed Corben in an extreme close-up shot in order to show his villainy. By seeing Corben’s many features up close, the viewers see how unattractive he really is, making the audience favor the hero and heroine. Once again, this subtlety reinforces the argument that the producer intentionally uses cultural/societal norms in order to differentiate the villain and the hero.
Overall, the producer of Superman: The Animated Series intentionally used many elements that John Fisk describes in his book, Television Culture. These subtleties include things mentioned such as camera shot, hero attractiveness, and hero versus villain success, as well as numerous other factors such as music, race, and dialogue. These subliminally conveyed elements allow individuals in a society to clearly differentiate the hero and the villain in these films based on societal and cultural norms, or things we have been taught or things we have observed in our
When you hear the word criminal, what is your prototype, or the best-fitting mental picture of a criminal? What comes to mind is due to the coding in a culture, or a rule-governed system of signs which are shared and used to generate and circulate meanings in and for that culture. Codes are used in order to convey meanings that constitute our cultural world, many of which are seen through television, films and other forms of media.
In Season 1, Episode 7 of Superman: The Animated Series, the hero and villain relationship is clearly seen throughout the film. John Corben, a criminal that escaped from prison with the help from a doctor, turned to Luthor to help him with his deadly illness. The only way to ensure …show more content…
Fiske claims that “heroes and villains are equally likely to use violence and to initiate it, but that heroes were successful in their violence, whereas villains finally were not.” In the film, Corben and Superman equally use violence to attack each other, but Superman eventually defeats Corben during the boat scene. After getting thrown overboard, Corben did not know how to swim in his new Metallo body, therefore leading to his death. This shows that even though they both were very powerful and used violence against each other, the hero, Superman, was successful in his violence. This perpetuates the idea that “good defeats all,” as even the strongest villains can be defeated in the name of …show more content…
Fiske asserts that “normal camera distance…is mid-shot to close-up, which brings the viewer into an intimate, comfortable relationship with the characters on the screen. But the villain and villainess are also shown in extreme close-up.” Many times throughout the film, the producers showed Corben in an extreme close-up shot in order to show his villainy. By seeing Corben’s many features up close, the viewers see how unattractive he really is, making the audience favor the hero and heroine. Once again, this subtlety reinforces the argument that the producer intentionally uses cultural/societal norms in order to differentiate the villain and the hero.
Overall, the producer of Superman: The Animated Series intentionally used many elements that John Fisk describes in his book, Television Culture. These subtleties include things mentioned such as camera shot, hero attractiveness, and hero versus villain success, as well as numerous other factors such as music, race, and dialogue. These subliminally conveyed elements allow individuals in a society to clearly differentiate the hero and the villain in these films based on societal and cultural norms, or things we have been taught or things we have observed in our