From colorfully costumed crusaders to edgy avengers to ambiguously idealistic public figures, superheroes have gone through a dynamic evolution over the numerous decades of their traceable existence. Nowadays, these larger-than-life characters and their stories are ubiquitous in our pop culture, earning worship, derision, and scholarly analysis.
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At this point, the elements and conventions of superhero lore are easily recognizable and have expanded, adapted, and been subverted in multitudinous forms as the eras changed. But much of the genre's admiration and iconography are owed to a few essential and prominent tropes that established a solid foundational mythology of captivating personas, narratives, and themes for people to care about and get excited by.
The Tragic Backstory
Every hero needs a strong origin and the best ones are those that contain a bit of tragedy. Batman witnessed his parents' murder, Superman was the sole survivor of his home planet, and Spider-Man feels immense guilt over not preventing his Uncle Ben's death when he could have.
Those characters are regarded as some of the most iconic and compelling superheroes of all time thanks in no small part to their motivations being rooted in simple yet profoundly affecting events. Heartbreaking misfortune immediately generates sympathy for them and provides insightful context for their actions.
Secret Identities
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Superheroes are generally either ordinary individuals who somehow became super or beings that were already extraordinary who act normal to blend in with the world at large. Whatever the case, their peculiar circumstances usually necessitate the separation of their superhero and civilian identities to preserve cherished relationships and/or protect those loved ones and themselves from possible retribution at the hands of entities such as the government or vengeful enemies.
The duality of this trope also offers a fascinating avenue to explore a character's psychological depth. Though a lot of current superhero stories have done away with secret identities for the sake of practicality and realism, among other reasons, they remain a fundamental feature of the genre.
The Archenemy
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Classic superhero tales typically revolve around a central hero confronting a new or returning threat or villain in every chapter, episode, or arc of their continuing narrative, creating a rogues' gallery unique to the hero's own mythos. But often there is one member of that collection with whom the protagonist has a particularly bitter and intense rivalry.
Batman has Joker. Superman has Lex Luthor. In both cases, their conflicts are defined by the two nemeses being diametrically opposed in areas like appearance, abilities, and ideologies. Sometimes an archenemy is determined by how far they have hurt their rival personally. For example, while Spider-Man has several notable adversaries, Green Goblin has arguably caused him the most grief by instigating his beloved's demise and being closely related to his best friend.
Sidekick(s)
Every protagonist needs allies, even superhuman ones. Throughout the illustrious history of superheroes, many of them have been assisted by sidekicks who work alongside them battling criminals directly or supporting them behind the scenes by providing information, resources, alibis, and so forth.
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In plenty of instances, superheroes routinely receive help from a select few among their circle of civilian friends who are aware of their super alter ego and serve the majority of the same functions as sidekicks. But from a deeper storytelling perspective, superhero companions are perhaps most indispensable because they act as the hero's confidants, present different points of view, and facilitate character development through dialogue, thus giving dimension to the overall narrative.
The Sanctity of Life
Being a superhero traditionally means operating outside the boundaries of the law and authority. In order to not stray too far to where they may be considered no better than the evil-doers they fight, these heroes adopt a personal code of ethics or morality, affirming acknowledgment that certain lines should never be crossed, and the biggest one has always been killing.
The superhero credos is to uphold justice in its purest sense and protect the lives of others, including foes, for no matter the severity of their crimes and the laws that heroes themselves feel they need to break to carry out their responsibilities, no one should have the right to decide who deserves to live or die. However, many equivocal crime-fighters do not trust this belief to varying extents and challenge its value, alienating them from conservative peers and sparking endless powerful debates.
I Just Want to Be Normal
Some choose to take up super-heroism because they want to while others do so out of a sense of obligation when they would rather live more modest lives. Consistently putting oneself at risk, jeopardizing treasured connections, sacrificing the various joys in life, and all for little to no reward can take a toll to the point of giving up on altruistic pursuits. However, those who do ultimately come to realize the importance of their duties and return to being heroes.
Their desires may seem selfish but are also indicative of their humanity, making superheroes relatable despite their exceptional positions. And when they finally resolve to continue helping others before themselves, we respect them all the more for demonstrating such nobility.
Dating The Other Side
Regardless of their accomplishments, superheroes are infamous for a number of shortcomings, like having very turbulent romantic histories. Maintaining a stable relationship can indeed be a struggle when half your time is spent diving into danger and keeping secrets unless your significant other happens to be in a similar situation, though it seems that such persons tend to lean closer to the darker side of right and wrong.
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Probably the best-known representation of this trope is the Batman-Catwoman romance. Despite their love seemingly forever doomed by the fact that one thwarts crime while the other thrives on it, they are constantly drawn to one another, perhaps because few others could truly understand the lives they lead. Other comparable relationships include Spider-Man and Black Cat, Daredevil and Elektra, and more.
Enemies Turned Allies
Just like our universe, the one occupied by a superhero can be vast, enough to accommodate more than one of them, and chances are, in a well-told tale, they meet and end up duking it out. Either through a misunderstanding, contrasting views, or any conceivable plot device, two or more heroes come to blows upon first acquaintance to establish character and attitude before inevitably becoming friends.
This also works for heroes and villains, who oftentimes have more in common than they realize, whether that is some belief or a third-party enemy. The alliance is usually temporary and may even end badly, but such things are always fun for the audience.
Teams
When there is a supervillain or equivalent menace, one hero is typically sufficient to stop them, maybe even two. But sometimes a threat is just too formidable to be defeated by a single superhero or only a couple of them. Fortunately, their realm is likely full of champions facing the same problem. The obvious answer is for them to join forces and combine their respective strengths to save the day.
The only thing in superhero fiction that seems to multiply as fast as the heroes themselves and their villains are the teams they form.The Avengers, Justice League, and X-Men are merely a handful of examples. The bad guys are also prone to assembling their own groups to take down the pesky do-gooders, like the Legion of Doom or Sinister Six.
The Climactic Showdown
No matter if it is a comic book, a movie, a television show, or whatnot, a story involving superheroes and villains almost always finishes with an epic final battle between the opposing combatants. An explosive clash of superpowers, weapons, or fisticuffs. Meaningful words are exchanged. Innocent souls hang in the balance.
It has become such that this cliché is frequently cited as a criticism of modern superhero fare. But in all honesty, these are not straightforward crime dramas or sci-fi commentaries. These are stories about people in elaborate costumes that can fly or shoot lasers taking on maniacs with world-impacting agendas or extraterrestrial invasions. How can all that not build to a climax that is a bit over-the-top? They are called SUPERheroes after all.
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