One thing about All Might that I love is that he subverts the old adage of “never meet your heroes”. He’s a legitimately kindhearted, caring, self-sacrificing altruist whose biggest flaw is not being PERFECT. When Izuku Midoriya meets him, he’s been worn down by the burden of trying to be the perfect Symbol of Peace, and then the kid with a heart bigger than his whole self inspires HIM, reminds him of the value of the things he was starting to lose faith in... That’s real heroism. Not that of superheroes, but heroes in general.

The difference is that Homelander is a human who was raised in a lab while Superman was an foreign alien raised on the Kent farm. Superman is who he is because of the Kent’s.

"Being a hero is a learning process" truer words man.

There's also the fact of how upbringing affects these heroes. Homelander was raised as a lab rat devoid of love and, as a result, he himself is unable to love. Then, he became the greatest hero of his society and his narcissistic poison spread, creating a culture of toxic ass "superheroes" that are actually just villains in disguise. In contrast, the society of My Hero Academia was built on All Might's example that a hero is someone who helps and inspires others to help and, because of this, the heroes of that world are a lot more wholesome. So you can make the point that the way your culture's most significant public figures are and behave affects how Hobbes or Rousseau your world ultimately is.

“I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” ― Tupac Shakur

"I still like men" *nods in bisexual looking at kurt russel in the thing*

I do like the more hopeful direction stories like My Hero Academia take with our heroes. My favorite character is Eijiro Kirishima. He just genuinely wants to protect people. But he gets scared and he sometimes feels overshadowed by his friends, who have flashier powers. That feels real, it feels human, and he’s still ultimately a good person.

As a Superman fan and someone who was thinking just yesterday about how refreshing it is to see characters who are genuinely doing their best at being good people sometimes... This video was SO good. 💖 Thank you.

I love your comment on that realism is not about having your characters be dark and gritty because "that's realistic", as most people would argue. GoT often received praise for that same reason, because the way the characters acted was appatently "realistic". But in truth, it reveals more about the writer's or the viewer's view on humanity if that sort of dark behavior is deemed as realistic.

"Too often we make scepticism and realism synonyms" I've been trying to find words for exactly that feeling for quite some time now, thank you!

"We are taught to be mistrustful of kindness, and affection, and the people who show us their true selves to be good." This is a powerful point and spot-on when it comes to discussing cynicism about superheroes.

When you mentioned how writers have stripped away the Jewishness of a lot of these characters, I literally felt so seen and almost cried. So many people forget the context of when and why these characters were created. Anyway I always love watching your videos!!

I always viewed Homelander, and the boys as a whole, as more of a deconstruction on America than of the superhero genre itself. Never thought to compare it to My Hero. Great video.

I feel like the piece thats missing from your discussion about the boys is starlight, She is an all american girl next door cheerleader type who is legitimately good, her character isn't super cynical and even trusting to a fault but that isn't encouraged by the people and systems around her. She provides a nice counter argument to homelander that way

THANK YOU. Honestly, I've been trying to articulate why the "Superheroes are inherently fascist" hot take is deeply frustrating and you've done it so much better than anyone I've seen on this site. Thanks so much!

It's sad how master works of the late 80s damaged the idea of "serious comics". It has been said a million times, but a lot of people looked at Watchmen and Dark Knight Retuns and thought "this looks cool" without stopping for a second to ask themselves "why is this cool?". There's so much to say about Superman, but it always comes down to "but what if Supes bad?". Also, I love Kill Bill, but that speech about Superman is soooo wrong

"The Normies don't know who Namor is." That hit me in my little Namor fangirl heart.

this definition of Hero is inspiratonal because it allows people to act like a Hero in their own life, even when you strip away the the super powers. reminds me of a lot of Terry Pratchetts writing, especially the witches. "someone should do something...and I guess that's going to be me"

Homelander is suppose to be the version of Superman that was raised by a greedy corporation, in actuality, a facist corporation started by a nazi scientist, and that greed bleeds and infects heros that are brought into the fold. The Boys is just about showing what corporations would do if superheros were created instead of born.

Have you ever heard of a Superman story called "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" The storyline was published at the tail-end of the 90s Dark Age of Comics and feels prescient because it's like Superman vs. The Boys by having Superman confront a band of 90s Anti-Heroes called "The Elite" and coming to terms with whether he's old-fashioned or not. At first the world seems to cater towards The Elite's brand of crime-fighting by acting as judge, jury, and executioner as long as it gets results and the pressure weighing on Superman to maintain his principles in the face of public opinion. The story climaxes with Superman fighting the Elite. And Superman gives everyone what they want. . . or think they want: he lets loose. It's a horrifying example of what Superman is like if he shakes his morals and the story then turns it into a subversion in that he never truly hurt or killed the Elite, it was all misdirection. Nevertheless, Superman makes a point that it's easy to slip into cynicism and to indulge in our worst instincts, a weakness; true strength lies in maintaining our integrity and principles in the face of evil, and to aspire and dream of a better tomorrow.

"Sometimes goodness matters" the hottest of takes that shouldn't be a hot take

I like to think Johnny Bravo's father is All-Might

I think the biggest misstep of cynical themes is that you can be aware of the evil of the world without succumbing to it.

I honestly think that a lot of what the cynical view misses is that these comic book heroes are not meant to physically save us, the reader. But to give us hope, hope that there are other who will do the right thing. Hope that we will do the right thing when the time is right. I think that gets lost in our culture right now. Especially when I see stuff like “who would win in a fight?” discussions. It’s not about who is the strongest, or who could beat up who. It’s about who inspires you to be better. Comic fans seem to forget that. Thank you for the beautiful vid. It got me all emotional.

The strength of the Boys tv series is its critique of the military industrial complex through the metaphor of superheroes more than its critique of the other media superhero.

Me sitting through ads: don't do it. Don't hit skip. Support the creators you love. Me: *twitches for 2 minutes holding myself back*

Young and angsty teen me: Gawd, Superman and Cyclops are the worst. It is so unbelievable and uncool for people to be so morally good. Me now: Being morally grey does not by default make you unique and special. Being able to consistently lift people up and think of others is difficult and should be celebrated more. Also, those people exist IRL. They aren't mythical unicorns. This video does a great job expressing some of the conflicting feelings I had while watching the Boys, and the unbridled joy I get from MHA. Also, Deku Best Boi in a show filled with best bois.

If Superman was just Homelander, no one would have ever bothered to write Homelander in the first place!

To me it felt like The Boys is less comic book satire and more political satire. Like Homelamder to me isn’t a Steve Rogers or Clark Kent satire, but commentary on the real world privileged and powerful white men who have too much power and are motivated by petty things. (Like Elon musk if he got his hands on a Nuke). All the super hero stuff seems secondary and about how easily fascism can be dressed up as something else. The quote from the show runner definitely runs counter to how I interpreted the show, but the political and social commentary seems to be a much larger aspect than just parodying existing comic characters. Like if the show were made 50 years ago it would have been cowboys, 30 and it would have been space marines, it’s just about who the “strong man” character in popular culture currently is.

✨ They shouldn't have let me read, if they didn't want me to torment men ✨

An interesting thing in approach is that MHA also asks the question of what it means to be a hero more broadly. Is a hero someone who just beats bad people? What about a hero who saves people? Someone who works as a medic can be a hero too, just as disaster relief workers.

People behind The Boys may be cynical about superheros, but the commentary that hits hardest for me with characters like Homelander is not that Superman could ever become him (because I agree completely with you, Superman simply isn't this character, they share only a similar facade), rather it is the commentary Homelander embodies and how truly impossible it is to make that commentary hit home. There exists a dissonance in the USA with the atrocities committed in the name of patriotism by its government (among so many other tangential problems). I'm afraid to think that there is no medium with which to convey this idea, since the very nature of nationalism combats any notion that the United States could ever be at fault. For me personally, I feel an analog between my own feelings of helplessness to correct the course of the country I live in, with the helplessness felt by non-super people in The Boys, where regardless of how they feel, there is no way to advocate for change (in real life it being a political system that resists change and/or accountability to the degree of being seemingly immutable, and in The Boys being capricious individuals with god-like powers). I really liked your video, and personally value the perspective you offer, and it gives me a lot to think about. So I guess I'm trying to say, thank you for an awesome video!

I feel like a lot of "Cynic" authors see stuff like Alan Moore, Kentaro Miura, etc, and want to replicate what they do without knowing what makes those stories work. I love dark stuff but like with all writing, it has to be done well, just having someone dressed as Superman murder a bunch of babies and then yell "Corporations!" is like something an edgy 8th grader would write.

Thank you. I've honestly become so exhausted by the cynicism and lack of empathy that seem to be the only take on superheroes that U.S. media / pop culture are interested in these days. When even the faintest bit of hope in the capacity of humanity to help each other and be empathetic towards one another feels subversive, something's gone wrong.

I don't think that even in the world of The Boys all heroes are "MAGA" and bad people; Maeve is a jaded cynic, she's an alcoholic and she seems to be angry or depressed most of the time...but she does care, despite how often she says that she don't, that she's no hero that she doesn't care anymore, she does...I mean, she has saved Starlight, Billy, The Boys more than once, she did fight Black Noir and Stormfront to protect Starlight and the boys, even if she did yelled Hughie. Plus, Starlight herself is shown to be pretty heroic.

I think this is spot on. "People with power do bad things with it" isn't a compelling point, especially not to our generation- it's obvious. It's a "duh." What's extraordinary is the idea of people having power and doing good with it, and maybe the struggles on the way to that. Powerful sentiment.

i need to go rewatch into the spiderverse again now

Evil Superman will never not piss me off. No matter how good the story it always angers me.

It's so refreshing to hear someone talk about superheroes in this way. As I get older I realize that the world has enough cynicism in it without us making every story have that tone or perspective. Humans can be so much better than we give ourselves credit for. We need only the light to show us the way. ALSO did the people who made the Boys actually READ any Superman books? Like, for example, Peace on Earth, one of the most famous graphic novels ever written, which uses Superman's power and moral incorruptibility to demonstrate how a single person cannot solve a systemic issue, and how we need to empower people in need and work with them, that solutions must come from the ground up and not the top down? You know, the opposite of fascism?

I think The Boys among many other things is a response to the emptiness of the Marvel movies. Here we have these movies, that supposedly preach “good values” while being owned by a monopoly, one of the richest companies in the world. To me at least, the cynicism towards “superheroes” is deserved.

I'm reminded of a comment Moviebob made in his dissection of Batman vs Superman. About how if you're going to deconstruct something it helps if you have something to actually say about, a previously unrecognized or unexplored facet of the subject that may be present but often overlooked. While "Superheroes being people/having problems" was a concept that had been touched on or dabbled with before (see...pretty much all of Marvel) in Watchmen Moore took a much deeper and surprisingly nuanced dive into the subject. All the various characters, with the possible exception of the original Nite Owl, are some flavor of compromised, damaged, or misguided. Each one has very human and very flawed reason for putting on the cape and none of them end particularly well for it. But we also come to learn and understand who and why they are under those masks and capes. Even Doctor Manhattan, the resident "Superman" stand in, isn't portrayed as "evil" so much as he is apathetic. His great power gradually eroding his humanity and connection with the very people he is supposed to protect. And while there is much one can read in both text and subtext in the work one message that does come through pretty clearly is... Superheroes AREN'T supposed to be like this. Rorschach ISN'T some cool badass loner fighting uncompromisingly against what he sees as "evil." He's a dirty, smelly, violent and emotionally unbalanced and stunted tramp. The Comedian ISN'T some truth to power speaking, laughing at the absurdity of the world tough guy. He's a bully and a sadist who uses his work as a cape to hurt people. Nite Owl II is a schlub and ascended fanboy who puts on the costume because it makes him feel cool and powerful. Silk Spectre II is a pageant kid being lived through vicariously by her mother. Ozymandias is a megalomaniac with delusions of greatness and Dr. Manhattan, for all his power, is apathetic and an automaton just going through the motions. Now granted, true to Moore's skill as a writer, he does give them each layers and depth as he explores them each in turn so you do feel some sympathy or understanding for them. But in each the point is explored and dissected through various lenses with final message being this ISN'T how we should want superheroes to be. That looked through lens of "glass half empty" they stop being "Superheroes" and should not be recognized as such. Or to put it more simply: his deconstruction of the genre was a commentary and refutation on the very impulse to make superheroes "realistic." And I think that's where many of the works like The Boys or the Snyderverse or even the 90s antihero craze itself fall down. They "deconstruct" be don't have anything to really say other than "What if Superman was a dick?" And while that can indeed be fertile narrative ground in the short term or small doses it inevitably comes back the same answer no matter which path you take. What if Superman was a dick? Well, then he wouldn't be Superman. It is possible to write superheroes as compelling and human. To give them character flaws and troubles that offset their powers and daring deeds. You hit the nail on the head with Miles who, like Peter before him, was just a regular kid who won the superpower lottery and choses to put those powers to good use, even if he himself is scared as Hell and stumbles along the way. Even the strange visitor from another planet can be (and is) pretty interesting if you delve into him with more a perspective on the "Man" rather than "Super." I mean, think about it. His chosen career is that of journalist. Even if he didn't have all those powers he'd still be crusading for truth and justice and all that stuff. That's just who he is. That's who he will always be, big red S or not. And that's who all superheroes ultimately are. Yes, the powers and enchanted hammers and armored suits and magic lassos and super soldier serums help. But at their core the thing that really defines them is their courage. Their willingness to stand for those who can't stand and speak for those who can't speak and show us not who we should be but rather who we can be. After all, even Clark himself once opined: "In the end, the world didn't really need 'Superman.' Just a brave one."

It's so wonderful to hear someone speaking so kindly of All Might... the fandom seems sometimes be so full of hate towards him, it sometimes make me feel ill.

"Everytime he wears a sweater I'm like "I am attracted to men still...wOW" is such a bisexual mood and had me wHEEZING

MHA is excellent for characters, they don't shy away from tropes, they toggle them a little, fleshing out characters and bothering with everyone. I see the appeal towards the likes of Bakugou, who in many other series would be a the textbook thoughtless bully, a side character there simply to be toppled, yet in this case, we have someone who takes everyone and everything seriously, has seen someone who wasn't on par with him as a rival from a young age and loves and admires the main superhero. My favourite is Kirishima, he's just on his own journey of improvement, he's supportive and portrayed as a bit dopey, yet it fits, as he's not looking to criticize others and his past criticism of himself was a very black and white thinking. I like how he's drew motivation and inspiration from a retro superhero and his female peer Mina, who's also one of my favourites (her charisma is inspiring even to me, she stands out everywhere she goes without opening her mouth and her attitude just fits), I like how these two now inspire one another, they're both upbeat and transparent. I have too many favourites.

I’m crying thinking about these sweet sweet heroes learning and growing! I think Prodigy said it best in Young Avengers “Saving the world from yourself is the first, most important step.”

Capitalism was the true nemesis all along :0

I’m sure I’ll like this video since the premise is A+ but I just wanna say the Froppy figure in the back of the intro is very cute. Comment brought to you by the algorithm engagement gang and the Tsu is best girl gang Edit: I have now watched the whole thing, and was 100% correct that it was, in fact, A+ content. Sometimes cynicism gets the best of you and you take good things and ruin them for fun. Sometimes, you gotta let your weary soul enjoy growth and change for the better and let your superheroes be who they were ultimately meant to be- figures of hope.

I dont think "the boys" talks about the characters, and how all of them are secretly a piece of sh**. I think the show talks about our society, and how it molds and corrupts our intentions, how it exploits our fears and hopes, making everything a product to gain power and control.

With the video briefly mentioning Alan Moore, I feel the need to point that Moore has long gotten sick of and moved away from 'deconstruction' (well, he's now moved away from superheroes altogether, but that's a different discussion). His series Tom Strong and work on Supreme were both reactions against his own Watchmen (and all the comics trying to ape it)

Kripke's statement is pretty hilarious given that he made Supernatural, one of the whitest shows in the history of television.

This AND Patrick's video about "gritty" superheroes in a row! 🙏🥺💖

You had me at the Oliver and Co. reference. That's my favorite song from the movie.

I’d say starlight is kind of the counterpoint to the general cynicism of the boys, also Mauve’s change in the end of S2

I would like to add one thing about MHA's heroes. They also help out at natural disasters.

💕💖 loved this!! i think the whole cynicism thing is a result of our fear of sincerity (maybe fear isn’t the right word but you know what i mean). it’s nice to see mha be so unapologetically sincere in its portrayal of superheros, it reminds me why i love the genre

Oh my gosh this tickles my fancy so well. Thank you for blending so many different interests that I don't hear talked about much together (the arts, scholars, anime, popular shows). Thank you!!

This is so good. Everytime someones comes with the "all superheroes are fascists" thing I always ask "what about spider-man?" Both Peter and Miles are guys who help arround - it's "your neighborhood spider-man" after all. How are they power hungry fascists? I feel the only point of harm superheroes do are their constant contact with the police. Even in Gotham, where it's cannonicaly entirely corrupt - and as such, negative even for the mainstream standard - you still get the "good cops" that help Batman. Even Spider-Man, who the cops frequently antagonize, often has such "good cops" characters. While superheroes aren't the only doing this, I wonder what the genre would look like without it, with a more critical outlook on the police.

That scene in Spiderman 2 is among one of the greatest scenes in a comic book film

I just never really get into the cynical superhero stories (except maybe Deadpool, but that’s more black comedy). Because the appeal for me has always been people who, through whatever circumstances, have the ability to do more than others around them and are now trying to do the right thing. Because I know that there are people out there who want to do good, but for whatever reason can’t. It’s why, no matter how flawed and imperfect it was, Wonder Woman is still one of my favorite superhero films (competing with Into the Spiderverse and Mask of the Phantasm). I bawled in the theater when Diana climbed up into No-Man’s Land to save a town that wasn’t part of her objective just because the people there needed help. And again when Steve sacrificed himself to stop a horrible weapon from being unleashed and that sacrifice ultimately convinced Diana that humanity was worth fighting for even when staring the worst example in the face. The movie reminded me of what superheroes were originally. They did good just for the sake of it. I’ll admit that I’m more skeptical about humanity than Rousseau was (and definitely hard disagree about the sexism). But it’s less that people are inherently corrupt and more that people can be stupid and easy to manipulate (which describes the large portion of MAGA folks).

Thank you for injecting some positivity and optimism into discussion of these genres. I agree that much of it does fall into this kind of limiting dichotomy and that there are other less cynical lenses through which to critique. Solid video. Glad you used Spider-Verse to drive it all home, too. Made me feel hopeful, which is something I’m seeking more than ever these days. Cheers 🙏

I don't know what point Kripke what trying to make, and it sounds a bit monolithic. But, I think a point about many superheroes having fascist/authoritarian streaks tied into its DNA is very connected to the notion of "benevolent" wielding of disproportionate individual power. Superman is far from a fascist character because of how his personal morality is depicted most of the time. But the idea of relying on or looking up to such a centralized power structure and depend on its moral benevolence and virtue has a fair bit of overlap with the authoritarian ideology of people like Hobbes. Thinking of people who have immense power in terms of their personal ethics and virtue, rather than consider the position of power they hold as inherently the problem is kind of a biproduct of an authoritarian perspective. Hobbes wants benevolent "Supermen" on top to control/guide society, but I don't want "Supermen" in the first place whose personal character matters to me. For me, it ties into the problems with the majority of stories where individuals solve and cause grand/structural problems, rather than social movements creating and deconstructing social structures. That disproportionate "great man/ubermenschen" focus is a bit of a wink and a nod away from dear leader territory a lot of the time. At least that is my take on it.

Wow her face just lights up when she starts talking about My Hero haha love it

Me: [breaks down into tears the second princess starts playing the "United States of Smash" scene] Princess: "so beautiful I a l m o s t c r i e d" Me: [shoving gummy melatonin in my mouth and ugly sobbing at the spiderman 2 follow up] "o worm"

That scene in JLU is so, so good!!!

1:17 "He also thought women would torment men if we were taught to read...and ummm...I mean that's my goal every day!" XD

On point, and I still think the JL and JLU cartoons are the best depiction of the DC characters to date because they made them nuanced and layered and flawed without compromising their moral foundation, which is just as realistic as anything.

Adding to engagement... Some positive feedback: The script for this video is very good! Clear structure presenting great arguments to deliver a hopeful message during a dreadful year that is 2020. And using Miles and Into the Spider-verse near the end is just *chef’s kiss.* I haven’t seen either show but I’m interested in checking them out now. Thanks for this video!

I’m looking forward to watching this! Our culture needs to look on the bright side of life more. And it sucks how it feels people so often want to tear something down for showing genuine goodness nowadays. I like writing stuff all across the idealism-cynicism spectrum, though ultimately I do want to have some optimism in there. Like, I’ve been writing what is basically Arthurian fan fiction lately, and I’ve seen some BS takes on how these types of stories somehow support feudalism or whatever, or how they’re unrealistic. Knights are basically the medieval equivalent of superheroes after all if you get down to it. Despite the fact that these stories are way more tragic and complex than people give them credit for, yet good and joy still exists, and it’s that balance I really like. Hell I’ve been brainstorming a lot of heavily religious stuff recently despite being agnostic, and I think I’m drawn to the idealism that religion often preaches people should live by. I like writing dark stuff, but in the end I usually like coming back to the conclusion that ultimately, good ideals are worth fighting for.

I think cynicism can make things really one dimensional.

OMG praise the algorithm, this is such a good analysis! It gave me a fresh perspective that I've never considered before!

This was such an uplifting and thoughtful piece! I always enjoy your takes but this one really made me happy.

This essay brought the conversation to a whole new wider scope and was so thought provoking. Absolutely excellent ♡

This is the best video about the superhero genre I've seen in a long time.

Can I like this video more then once? I love my unironically heroic heroes.

This is only the second video of yours that I've seen, but it has honestly really helped me to feel just a little bit more optimistic about life, the world, and humanity. Even if it's only a bit, that bit means more than I can adequately communicate. I'm going to be keeping an eye out for your videos in the future.

That "United States of Smash" made me tear up a little, too. The old flames going out, the end of an era of Shadow Emperors and their lieutenants and the beginning of an era of chaos and New Heroes rising. All slammed into a giant right hook that literally blew the old era away with a tornado.

venture brothers really should be part of this conversation

why doesn’t melina have more hype??? this is one of the best and most interesting video essays I’ve seen in 2020

Wow, just discovered your channel from an interview you had with The Proffesor in Tolarian community college channel, and just watched literally 2 hours straight of your videos. Thank you for this amazing content!!

my goodness just found your channel, you’re so OG it’s crazy, you don’t find many folks with such a wide breadth of content over the span of a decade I’m subbed

18:47 this this this. People are so distrusting of genuinely kind people. There just always has to be an agenda when there is none. So sad

7:40 I was so hyped for Cyclops embracing Magneto's philosophy and Marvel just...squandered it

i just wanna say i really appreciate ur talks/discussions they’re always so interesting and informative and just great over all 😌

omfg this is amazing and nails so much of what i’ve felt and attempted to express for years while lacking the talent you have... also MIDORIYA IS MY BB TOO 🥰

" Good doesn't mean perfect"- Superman

Preach!!! I'm right there with you. I have always thought the point of Super heroes is to show us something to strive for. especially Superman

That was everything I ever wanted to be validated in a superhero analysis. Well done!!

Earned my sub for that fantastic "torment men" joke. 10/10 Stories that are stories meant to just bring joy are powerful in their own right. These tales and characters have the incredible power to carry hope into the dark places stretched through and around reality. And that is no small thing.

It makes my heart happy that you appreciate the wonderful good boy that is Deku.

While I love what you're saying here about the fundamental misunderstanding a lot of people have of Superman, I also do think you're projecting too much of your affection for the Justice League onto their analogues on the Boys, who only serve to share the same powersets and aesthetics as them but none of their background and upbringing. Homelander simply isn't Superman, even a non-cynical take on his character history would likely still lead to fascism. I also personally feel there needed to be a balance in the superhero genre. Yes, the industry was filled with bad, bad cynical take on superheroes post-Watchmen-but that time has long past, we're in the Marvel Cinematic Universe era now, where superheroes are innately designed to be awe-inspiring and hopeful. The new media these stories are told now, TV and films, haven't really had their "But maybe superheroes are bad" phase yet until the Boys. And what a breath of fresh air it is even to someone who's tired of gritty superhero comics.

This is an excellent and well spoken video. Having seen both series, I thoroughly enjoyed your perspective.

You’ve given me a new perspective on media I wouldn’t typically engage with. Thank you🌸

The most recent issue of Captain America has a back up story called the Promise where Steve is speaking at the funeral of a friend of his who came here for a better life for his family. It's a really frank discussion of the realities of America compared to it's ideals and how Captain America fits into that and it's fantastic

Thank you for this video. The "Evil Superman" thing is super lazy in my mind and incredibly boring but it seems to be the only place a lot of "serious, adult" filmmakers/writers/producers know to do with superheroes. That extends to cynical superhero takes also. They're always predictable and carry a sense of sneering down their noses at the superhero genre, fans, etc. There's always an element of "Take that, neeerds!"

This was so good! I just started watching both and this summed up exactly how I felt about both. As well as giving me more perspective that I definitely needed. You are amazing!

Damn, you know it's good when you have to set aside your strong aversion to spoilers to watch. Thanks for your wonderful content 💜

"It's about the banal, not the inherently dreadful." This video perfectly said so many things I have wanted to communicate to people as a comic fan. Thank you!!!

If you watch the first five seasons of "Supernatural", what you find is Kripke`s a cynical humanist as in "Sure, people suck but everything else sucks more so there!We`re all we`ve got"

Excellent assessment of heroes. You have a great understanding of the topic as well as the compassion needed to understand the value of the inherent goodness within them. Great work

A very nuanced take on superhero media thank you!! I was looking for something like this since I couldn’t put into words how I felt about the dark gritty superhero concept. Also it reinforced my love for into the spider verse, gonna go watch that now