The popularity of superheroes in the modern era: a deconstruction of Spider-Man, the hero, his role and his enemies

This dissertation is aimed at examining the concept of the hero. I first set up what a hero is and then show how Spider-Man fits within this model, whilst at the same time challenges it. As a further investigation of the hero I look into the morality of such characters and ask why they are good. To round off my arguments I then look at, in opposition to the hero, the villain, once again questioning the dominant notions of such evil characters. I will specifically look at American literature/film to see how my chosen text of Spider- Man both conforms to and reworks the archetypes that went before. Using publications expressly about comic book heroes, I also link elements of psychology and philosophy to my arguments. I aim to show that while Spider-Man is a classic example of a hero, true to its comic book roots, it also involves itself with more weighty subject matters that go beyond what most people think comic books are about; revealing truths about human nature attractive to everyone.