What Is A Superhero?

[MarkB]

In this context, are the Guardians of the Galaxy movies superhero movies or just sci-fi movies? They feature exceptional individuals, but not to the extent of being out of scale with others around them. Peter Quill's gadgets are mostly off-the-shelf Ravager gear.

 

[Umbran]

I think it's actually okay to say that RoboCop was sci-fi in it's first 1987 incarnation, but morphed into a superhero later

Folks, embrace the power of AND. There's nothing that keeps him from being both, even in his origins. There's no problem with him being both.

 

[Deset Gled]

This doesn't make any sense to me. RoboCop is a superhero. The first RoboCop movie was his origin story.
Batman is a superhero. Year One was his origin story.

Well, it's certainly hard to argue with that.

Folks, embrace the power of AND. There's nothing that keeps him from being both, even in his origins. There's no problem with him being both.

That's fair. I'd also say that when you consider shades of gray, sometimes things move along the gradient to change from being closer to black or closer to white as time marches on.

 

[Umbran]

In this context, are the Guardians of the Galaxy movies superhero movies or just sci-fi movies? They feature exceptional individuals, but not to the extent of being out of scale with others around them. Peter Quill's gadgets are mostly off-the-shelf Ravager gear.

So, if we are thinking just about powers for the moment, all the MCU GotG have abilities far beyond those of normal humans, and normal members of galactic civilization (or the GotC couldn't be beating up foot soldiers and guards with such impunity).

Quill, both in the MCU and in comics continuity, is part-alien, and more durable and agile than your garden-variety human.

 

[billd91]

A superhero is someone with superhuman abilities and/or gear AND who uses them to make the world a generally better place for other people. Lacking that second factor either makes them a supervillain (out for themselves) or just a superhuman (just living life).

 

[Willie the Duck]

I don't think it's what they are, it's what they do. And what they do has to be super-human -- and that is a know-it-when-you-see-it thing.

Batman, regardless of how it is justified, does the superhuman -- he leaps off buildings and/or swings from ropes in a way my brain tells me is not possible to survive doing, and just that good is equally as good an explanation as being bitten by a radioactive backstory.

Punisher is iffy because what we (in particular we who do not read all his comics) see him do is run around and shoot guns. We (think we) know what those do and how they work and what the limitations are.

 

[payn]

In this context, are the Guardians of the Galaxy movies superhero movies or just sci-fi movies? They feature exceptional individuals, but not to the extent of being out of scale with others around them. Peter Quill's gadgets are mostly off-the-shelf Ravager gear.

Guardians are like batman split into 5 parts.

 

[Umbran]

That's fair. I'd also say that when you consider shades of gray, sometimes things move along the gradient to change from being closer to black or closer to white as time marches on.

Or can flip-flop between genres in different works.
Like Captain America is a super hero in Avengers movies.
But in The First Avenger, he's a War Movie Hero.
In The Winter Soldier, he's a Spy Movie Hero.
and so on.

 

[Umbran]

Guardians are like batman split into 5 parts.

"I'm Batman" = "I am Groot!" ?!?

 

[Willie the Duck]

"I'm Batman" = "I am Groot!" ?!?

Pretty sure the How It Should Have Ended animated Youtube channel had a scene where the GotG joined Batman and Superman at their restaurant table and they had a back and forth of those.