THE STUNNING AND TERRIFYING ASCENT OF THE AMERICAN SUPERHUMAN IN THE SUPERHERO GENRE

Abstract

The article explores and interprets the embodiment of the image of the superman within the framework of the superhero genre and American comics. The significance and degree of influence of Western culture on the cultural space of Russia is substantiated. A connection is made between such cultural symbiosis and globalization processes, as well as the development of the world information and communication environment. The influence of Western culture on the mass consciousness of Russians, on the formation of their worldview and on the standardization of the socio-cultural situation in Russia is emphasized. The article states the dominant status of mass culture and comics culture as its significant format, as well as the role of the Superhero figure as the central character of comics. The archaic, mythical and archetypal roots of superheroics are explored. The superheroic genre is considered as a field for the development of modern social mythology, in which archetypes, the central element of the Jungian theory of the collective unconscious, find their expression. A comparison and parallels are made between the modern Superheroes of Marvel and DC companies and the heroes of ancient myths. The status of the Superhero as a demigod and superman is substantiated, his corresponding qualities and cultural functions are analyzed. Violence is interpreted as a deep component of superheroics, and comics as a wide and diverse cultural phenomenon, as well as a significant tool of "soft power". The demand of the mass audience for superheroics is explained and the potential of this genre in American propaganda and its global cultural expansion is assessed.

For citation:
Losev, D. V. (2023). Stunning and terrifying ascent of the american Superhuman in the superhero genre. Experience industries. Socio-Cultural Research Technologies (EISCRT), 1 (2), 168-193. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.34680/EISCRT-2023-1(2)-168-193