On superheroes and meaning -- inspiration or distraction -- with YouTubers Hayley and Kayli
Wokeness intrinsic to genre?
By Chilltown Blues
It’s been said stories about superheroes are the newest form of mythology. Superhero stories also happen to be a great template for populist storytelling like big (not necessarily) dumb action films. When these stories have any depth at all, they can be the go-to for the way some people think about the ideas therein and how they should be integrated in their lives and the world at large.
“A lot of these superheroes are seen as outsiders in some fashion. They’re either judged by their appearance or their abilities, some innate quality that they can’t change.” - Kayli
Arkham Asylum is probably the most recurring representation of any kind of mental health institution in pop culture, and who would say it does people with mental health challenges any favors? A film like “Joker” (2019) was supposed to be deep precisely because it tried to take a character who initially had no depth beyond chaotic good time and forming a story about how “the clown prince of crime” perpetually defeated and then relegated to an asylum (until he breaks out) would be birthed in the real world. Shot partially in Jersey City, the film’s reception was probably warmer for the main actor’s performance, its atmosphere and Joker-as-“rebel”-fandom rather than it having something keenly insightful to say; mental health challenges are, after all, a huge part of society’s underbelly — or what it prefers to be its underbelly.
But Superman is the character who’s in the light. He’s often literally in the sky, is empowered by sunlight. Along with Captain America — another figure with an idealized American appearance … post-serum that lets him overcome polio (pre-cinematic universe) — he’s synonymous with one popular definition of “All-American.”
YouTubers Hayley and Kayli review movies (usually horror) and TV shows, and have been doing it long enough for a viewer to notice their lack of hype-surfing when they talk about something superhero-related they’ve watched. Because of this, Chilltown Blues thought they would be great to ask what they make of Superman and the dialogue around James Gunn's “Superman” as an immigrant story.
“There are some people taking issue with Gunn calling Superman an ‘immigrant story,’” Kayli said. "But the basis of Superman is that he comes from an outside world, crashlands in the Middle-of-Nowhere, USA, and becomes this ‘All-American’ superhero. There’s even a scene in ‘Smallville’ where Clark compares his story to that of an immigrant, stating, ‘Was it legal when you forged my adoption papers? I’m an illegal immigrant, Mom.’ Smallville came out in 2001! My boy has been saying this!”
“I’m no super fan of superhero movies but I’ve always appreciated the progressive themes throughout their storylines, plots, and characters,” Hayley said. “It’s no secret the creators of Marvel based many characters off minorities and marginalized groups. ‘X-Men’ is an allegory of the Civil Rights movement beginning in the 1950s and directly illustrates Black Americans' plight for equality in America. Black Panther and Storm were born out of the need for minority representation in comics and film along with countless others. DC is also no stranger to diversity and inclusion with characters like Green Lantern, Blue Beetle, and the first openly gay DC character, Extraño, who was introduced in the 1980s.”
Kayli’s feelings on what can arguably be called a genre at this point are smiliar. “Superhero movies have never been my go-to,” she said. “Even growing up, I would much rather watch ‘Courage the Cowardly Dog’ than ‘Teen Titans.’ That being said, I can appreciate the real world metaphors that superhero movies and shows create. A lot of these superheroes are seen as outsiders in some fashion. They’re either judged by their appearance or their abilities, some innate quality that they can’t change. This can easily be translated to real life issues like racism. Even if that’s not how people initially see the story, the metaphor is still there.
“I know that most movie-goers want to watch a movie to escape our real world issues,” Kayli continued. “But with superhero movies, there is always going to be some kind of element of today’s world in the storyline. When you want to talk about a hero’s journey in the world of good versus evil, the context of good and evil will have to be inspired by the real world in some capacity. The better the movie, the more realistic it will be!”
Some critics of the casting of Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic in the upcoming “Fantastic Four: First Steps” would say the “realism” should be in comic-depiction accurate casting, but it does it really seem that far-fetched that the retro-futuristic alternate Earth that movie takes place in has … what’s really just a slightly less uber white-appearing template for its protagonists? The trailers for the film seem to present a version of NYC which is the kind of diverse retro-futurism (or at least “Star Trek”) aspired to.
With both of the two dominant comic book brands having intrinsic touchstones for cultural outsiders, Hayley finds it confusing when fans protest the “wokeness” in the big or small-screen depictions … “When, from my perspective, it’s always been an integral part to their stories,” she said. “ I suppose some viewers want to suspend reality, but films have always been a form of art and give insight into the world we live in and changes to come. If you want to suspend reality, go watch ‘My Little Pony’ — which still might be too progressive.”
(Predictable Fox News alert: https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/my-little-pony-gone-woke-netflix-progressive-creatures)
“Superman is the perfect superhero movie to release in 2025,” Hayley continued, “since immigration is one of the most polarizing topics in America thanks to our reckless ruler. Idolizing an alien who crashlanded on Earth and welcoming him with open arms because he ‘looks American’ is absolutely wild when you think about those who harshly oppose immigration. But people fall in love with Kal-El’s1 story and think he’s special because they grew up with him and he sports the good ole’ red white and blue. Maybe it’s time to get to know more stories and extend grace to all humans on Earth, and potentially, the aliens beyond.”
To Kayli, all the chatter about immigration centers on coming to the U.S. the “right way.
“But I think Superman challenges this perspective,” Kayli said. “If he didn’t look the way he did, would he have been locked up in a cage or shipped to another country entirely? The fact that the humanity of a person is stripped away as soon as they are labeled as an ‘illegal’ immigrant is the problem. From what I’ve heard, Gunn wants to show that the first thing we should do is treat people with kindness and the humanity they deserve.
“I’m interested to see how much this issue is even present in the film. To me, it seems like all of this is just a ridiculous outcry to distract us from the monstrosities the current administration is conducting on a daily basis.”
Both of Superman’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were the son of immigrants.
Check out Hayley and Kayli’s latest episode on “28 years Later” below and their channel worth subscribing to at https://www.youtube.com/@hayleyandkayli4713.
They’re also at pressedpocast.com; Instagram @hayleyandkayli;TikTok @pressedpodcast; and on Spotify and Apple.
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Superman/Clark Kent’s birth name is Kal-El.