Superhero film

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Superhero films are a genre of movies centered around heroic characters. These superheroes are often endowed with superhuman abilities, advanced technology or exceptional skills which set them apart from the average person. Traditionally they are benevolent and virtuous, using their abilities and resources to fight for the common good against villains who threaten communities, the world, the universe, or sometimes multiple universes, with multiversal based content. Recently, antiheroes have seen a rise in popularity within this genre with their moral ambiguity, complex backgrounds and unorthodox approaches to heroism.^[1] In order for antagonists to present reasonable conflict within the story, they are often also required to be equipped with superhuman abilities, technology and/or extensive wealth and are commonly called supervillains.

These films typically blend elements of action, romance, adventure, fantasy, or science fiction genres. They often address themes of power, justice, morality, immortality, and duty.^[2][3]

Superhero films usually follow either an individual or teams of heroes. There is a recurrent basic structure: an introduction of the protagonist(s) and a call to action at the appearance of villainy. In initial battles they may face setbacks which spark development of their character(s) and abilities, leading to the climax of the narrative where good is victorious and conflict is resolved.^[4] Individual superhero films frequently contain a character's origin story. ^[5] Successful films may lead to sequels and/or prequels which expand on their world.

Frequently, superhero films are adaptations of existing works.^[6][7] Comic books, especially those published by Marvel and DC, have frequently provided source material for these types of films. Many of these stories and characters have been based on pre-existing live-action, animation, or radio stories. However, some, such as The Incredibles (an animated film from Pixar Animation Studios), are original projects.