The Man Within: Depictions of Blackness in Superhero Adaptations
Spearman, Peter.
2018
-
Abstract: Superheroes star in simultaneously moral, secular, and entertaining stories. Introducing race into comics complicates the moral structures that dominate these worlds. This thesis explores how the representations of race and racial politics undergo mutation when superhero comics are adapted into other forms of media. I examine how the representational languages of film, television, and ... read morevideogames frame and depict black superheroes. The interdisciplinary scope of this project requires an equally interdisciplinary methodology. Uniting the close reading practices of film and English studies with the body-centric approach of performance studies, I am able to unpack the metaphoric constructions of race found in my case studies. The findings show that while the superhero genre stratifies race, it is possible for black superheroes to resist these power structures. Narrative marginalization often maintains the racial status quo for black superheroes. Greater opportunities for resistance appear as black superheroes move closer to the center of narratives.
Thesis (M.A.)--Tufts University, 2018.
Submitted to the Dept. of Drama.
Advisor: Noe Montez.
Committee: Kareem Khubchandani, and Tasha Oren.
Keywords: African American studies, Film studies, and American studies.read less - ID:
- mg74qz806
- Component ID:
- tufts:25083
- To Cite:
- TARC Citation Guide EndNote
