Superman and Late Capitalism (Production and Reproduction of Ideology in Superhero Narratives)

It seems that nowadays, the world is sinking into a political and cultural state of nonchalance, and the citizens of the world have accepted Thatcher’s famous axiom: “there is no alternative” to the neoliberal order. Under such circumstances, it is imperative for the researchers in the field of interdisciplinary studies to revisit the sociopolitical role of cinema and literature as two key media shaping cultural paradigms. In other words, late capitalism has tremendous power to assimilate the cultural forces that oppose it through employing media. Moreover, mainstream cinema and literature often carry the axioms of the world order’s status quo, consolidate the dominant ideology, and shape artistic imagination. Focusing on superhero narratives, Superman franchises in particular, the present article attempts to analyze the role of cinema and literature in producing and reproducing the status quo and then narrows down the discussion to the most recent adaptation of a comic book: Superman: Red Son (2020). Afterward, we will argue that mainstream adaptations usually fortify the dominant hegemony. However, they sometimes have been the principal arenas of waging war against the status quo and have challenged its hegemony too. Investigating the contradictory role of these two media becomes more significant in a world that seems to be facing a cultural and political deadlock. This article concludes that literature and cinema in today’s world can offer ways to criticize and overcome reproducing mainstream, stale ideas.