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Superheroes on screen: real life lessons for security debates

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Abstract

Superhero films and episodic shows have existed since the early days of those media, but since 9/11, they have become one of the most popular and most lucrative forms of popular culture. These fantastic tales are not simple amusements but nuanced explorations of fundamental security questions. Their treatment of social issues of power, security and control are here interrogated using the Film Studies approach of close reading to showcase this relevance to the real-life considerations of the legitimacy of security approaches. By scrutinizing three specific pieces—Daredevil Season 2, Captain America: Civil War, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—superhero tales are framed (by the authors) as narratives which significantly influence the general public’s understanding of security, often encouraging them to view expansive power critically—to luxuriate within omnipotence while also recognizing the possibility as well as the need for limits, be they ethical or legal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Business Information Ethics, Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan

    Andrew A. Adams & Kiyoshi Murata

  2. Department of English, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA

    Fareed Ben-Youssef

  3. Berkman Klein Center for the Internet and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA

    Bruce Schneier

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  1. Andrew A. Adams
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  2. Fareed Ben-Youssef
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  3. Bruce Schneier
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  4. Kiyoshi Murata
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Correspondence to Andrew A. Adams.

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Adams, A.A., Ben-Youssef, F., Schneier, B. et al. Superheroes on screen: real life lessons for security debates. Secur J 33, 565–582 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41284-019-00193-7

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