The Myth of the American Superhero

Drawing widely from books, film, and television, the authors trace the development of the American superhero during the twentieth century. Arguing that the superhero is a distinctive form of the classical "monomyth", they show that the American version of the monomyth derives from tales of redemption. Thus the 'supersaviors' of pop culture are replacements for the Christ figure, whose credibility has been eroded by scientific rationalism.