Originally posted on Medium: https://kerenobara.medium.com/the-science-of-superman-keren-obara-f12d9076486b
Introduction.
We all grew up watching Clark Kent, whether it was Superman, Smallville, Lego Cartoon, DC Comics, the image of the responsible superhero with glasses, who works an everyday job is prevalent in the media today. The word ‘superman’ has also carried a life of its own in the modern English language. So, what makes this character so appealing and what made Superman a success as much as he is today? To answer that question, one has to look at the inner workings of the human psyche both at a micro level, and a macro level.
Superman in the collective psyche.
According to Carl Jung, it is possible for images to be etched onto the collective conscious/ unconscious (Stein 1998). This paper places the hypothesis forward that the success of the character superman would be due to the character’s correlation to images already present within the collective psyche. Superman has always been depicted as a god-like superhero that everyone looks up to (DiLeo 2018). And while many might argue that this makes him unrealistic (Nelson 2020), it is actually a unique character in itself (Tribute 2017). According to Carl Jung, the human psyche has a liking for superheroes like superman due to the need of a responsible/ inspiring figure that literally says ‘have no fear, superman is here.’ People like people they can trust and rely on. Superman’s character structure makes him someone that each person in the audience feels they can rely on. This is what makes the character unique.
Superman’s attractiveness.
What makes Superman attractive? Superman is a perfect blend of both ‘The Female Gaze’ and ‘The Male Gaze’ (Peppard 2022). In that the facial structure and drawing of superman’s facial features is orchestrated in such a way that he has an overall friendly and homely look. This blends with the muscular look, which psychologists have proved to allude to one’s ability to protect and provide (Hunt 2020).
How to create a character like superman.
To create a character like Superman in the future, one must carefully study what the collective psyche craves by carrying out thorough media analysis, sentiment analysis, and discourse analysis. These studies will enable one to fill the gap between what is desired and what is being delivered by the media. Therefore, this report is open for further future research and contributions in this area.
References DiLeo, A. (2018) Why Superman is the most successful character of all time. Available from: https://screenrant.com/superman-hot-attractive-dc-comics-canon-grifter/ Accessed 11/7/2022 Hunt, A. (2020) Men’s Physique. Available from: https://blog.dynutrition.com/mens-physique-and-the-perfect-beach-body-what-do-they-have-in-common/#:~:text=So%20men%20aspiring%20to%20this,are%20preparing%20for%20Men's%20Physique. Accessed 11/7/2022 Nelson, S. (2020) Superman doesn’t need fixing because he’s more relevant than ever. Available from: https://www.polygon.com/comics/2020/10/29/21540112/superman-powers-overpowered-clark-kent-problem-comics Accessed 11/7/2022 Peppard, A. (2022). “No One’s Going to Be Looking at Your Face”: The Female Gaze and the New (Super)Man in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Available: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7560/321607-010/html Accessed 11/07/2022. Stein, M. (1998) Jung’s Map of The Soul. US. Open Court. Tribute. (2017). What makes Superman unique? Available from: https://www.edmovieguide.com/news/what-makes-superman-the-most-unique-superhero-of-all-294967/ Accessed 11/7/2022
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