Death and Super Heroes
Analysis why super heroes are very much welcome in people’s thoughts and imaginations.
Becker’s Denial of Death Theory is one of the most important aspect where this concept can be based on. In this theory, Becker states that all things that we do are related to denial of death. From the noisy music sounds, simple flowers in flower shops, buying a fully furnished catacomb for our dead relatives, and the like; are acts of people fighting against the anxiety that is brought by death. With this theory is where the concept of connection between death and super heroes in cartoons and movies comes from. Superman is one of the most well known character of all time; basically he can’t be killed, faster than a speeding bullet, he can fly, he has super strength and the like. Basically all of these things cannot be done by a mortal being and that all of these things defy death itself. It seems that superman is an idol when it comes the fight against death.
Another super hero that has been there for decades is Batman. There has been a lot of movies, series, cartoons and the like made for batman. The most recent is The Dark Knight movie where again, Joker was the villain against batman. Come to think of it, this “Batman vs Joker” has already been seen 2 to 3 times already in movies, but still why is it a very big hit when it was shown for the third time? Aside from the fact that it is shown to a different generation and that there are more enhancements in the new movie, we cannot subdue the fact that batman as a hero possess skills that saves lives, fight against forces of evil that presents death. Another is that batman himself, with his dark, mysterious, and unknown personality, represents death at its literal form which fights against death itself. It signifies hope for the viewers that death is not that bad of an entity afterall. In addition, batman is just a normal mortal being that can be wounded like anybody else, yet he seems so brave and so skillful in fighting crimes and against forces of evil; which is more appealing to viewers and fans since they try to think submissively that although they are mortal, they could also have the capacity to do the same things.
The X-men heroes also have the same effect when it comes to their fans, especially the character Wolverine since he can instantly heal his wounds and through the operation of adamantium, he becomes indestructable and saves a lot of lives. Other super heroes also have the same effect when it comes to viewers. The idea of fighting against death, saving lives, being to survive a very big problem and ending in a happy story seems to be a very good motivation for people who watch them to continuously survive and live an a world of mortality.
However, these ideas are just based from careful observation and personal insights. It is still important that researches are conducted regarding this theory to be able to understand better why super heroes are very attractive to normal people. This can also be the basis of the next well known comic character creator as basis for creating characters that would be accepted and loved by the viewers.
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7 Comments
choacharles, posted this comment on Sep 15th, 2009
Thank you for browsing through my simple article. Anyway, let me explain in to you the way I understood what Becker has explained in the theory. These are just examples of what people do in order to fight the anxiety against thinking about dying one day. We all somehow pretend to be happy and have fun in life for the fact that we do not want to face something that is unwanted and cannot be stopped. Thus, in effect we continuously to be happy in what we do since we all know that one day we are going to die. Even during the death of a relative or friend, we try to give it a colorful and happy ending by buying good quality catacombs, flowers for the dead, and candles that are lit so brightly just to try to make a love one’s end of life look better. These are small things that we do to somehow compensate for the sadness and darkness that has been brought to us by death.
Eunhye, posted this comment on Sep 15th, 2009
wow,, i saw those films but haven’t reflected upon them that
it’s all about people fearing for death and fighting for anxiety.
it makes sense and it’s quite interesting and new to me.
Smarty_Pants, posted this comment on Sep 15th, 2009
Yes I believe that somehow we always do things that would oppose those we fear – probably as a way of showing that we try to be brave or we at least try to conquer them.
And true, who else can best depict triumph over death but superheroes? Somehow they always have this excuse to be unique and special – something that we do not question nor wonder about. The logic is pretty simple. They are there to save us. And one does not need to ask how or why? It is just it.
Kit, posted this comment on Sep 15th, 2009
I have to agree that people tend to be attracted to superheroes that are \\\”invincible.\\\” Now does that reflect our fear of death? I think yes it does. People dream of having super powers so that they can save the people they love and at the same time, they can live forever.
By the way… catacombs?
Louie Pogi, posted this comment on Sep 16th, 2009
Nice observation and insight. 
I also like superheroes. Though i think my motivation for watching such movies are probably my childish desire of being invincible.
I agree that your points (or becker\’s theory) needs further research. . I would love to read such empirical article. If you need a research assistant for that, I can be one.. hehe..
choacharles, posted this comment on Sep 17th, 2009
Your idea Mr. Pogi gives me insights of new articles i can write. Regarding a response to your comment, i sense that the reason why you regress to your childhood years is because unconsciously you are trying to remember the time when you are still in the comfort zone of your parents. The time when you have totally no problems and is not required to go out of the comfort zone from time to time to adjust to the real world ahead of you. Still this shows that you want to be safe and sound again, and one of the many moments when you feel secured on your comfort zone is when you are watching cartoons and super hero movies. It gives you that childhood feeling where you are free from worries about life. This is related to the idea that you want to escape pain and uncertainty in life. Pain and uncertainty is brought by the notion of mortality. Think about this, if we are immortal for life, would people still worry about their adulthood thinking that no matter how long it takes them, they would have the phase in their lives where they can earn money. There is no rush in a life of immortality. Now you just ponder about that.
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Tyrone, posted this comment on Sep 15th, 2009
can you explain more about this line:
“From the noisy music sounds, simple flowers in flower shops, buying a fully furnished catacomb for our dead relatives, and the like; are acts of people fighting against the anxiety that is brought by death”