Page - 76 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 03/01

76 | Simon Philipp Born www.jrfm.eu 2017, 3/1, 75–104 Joker [to Batman]: I think you and I are destined to do this forever.1 the 21st century is proving to be the Golden Age of superhero movies. Comic book stories about superhuman beings fighting evil, which have circulated in popular culture since the 1930s, are now being recognized and consumed by an even broader audience. the omnipresence of the superhero transforms him from pop-cultural icon into modern-day myth. Drawing on Joseph Campbell’s works, David reynolds remarks that modern myths like the superhero narra- tives are not confined to religious ideologies, but rather “develop from ethical perspectives as they relate to a political and economic world”.2 indeed, their stories about heroism, justice, virtue and villainy not only entertain us, but also function as a moral educator, reinforcing Western values and mediating norms of social behavior: “superhero stories bill themselves as tales of courage and friendship, representing American ideals at their best while attempting to pass on a strong moral code to the impressionable children who read comic books, play superhero video games, and watch superhero films.”3 in order to explain these stories’ widespread popularity, scholars like richard J. Gray and Betty Kaklamanidou have argued that superhero narratives respond to the general longing for “true heroism” and a clear distinction between right and wrong in an uncertain and morally ambiguous globalized world: “Superhero films pro- 1 The Dark Knight (2008), 02:08:31–02:08:35. 2 reynolds 2011. 3 DiPaolo 2011, 5. Fig. 1: Lives primarily in a world of darkness and shadows: Batman, Gotham City’s iconic superhero. Film still, Batman (Tim Burton, US 1989), 01:57:21.