I’ve always loved superheroes. I’d run home from school everyday, eager to see the Power Rangers fight Rita Repulsa’s newest monster or Superman swoop down to take out a rampaging villain. It was always entertaining to see the big heroes defeat the bad guys in spectacular fights, but as I grew older, my appreciation changed.
I’d always understood the messages they preached, but they started to ring true. I could empathize with Spider-Man’s struggle to juggle his chaotic life. Batman’s seemingly unwinnable fight against for a better future began to make sense. I looked around and realized that the X-Men weren’t the only ones suffering for the crime of being different.
We live in a dark world. There are no godlike beings in long underwear ready to leap out and save us. But superheroes give us a reprieve from the darkness. We get to peer into universes where good and evil are easier to discern. Where villains get the comeuppances they so rarely get in reality. Worlds where someone can go through the greatest of tragedies and still emerge as a messianic hero. Superheroes exist for one reason: To give us average Joes hope.
Superhero movies and TV shows can tell you a lot about the characters, but they often leave things unsaid to keep the plot rolling. That’s where I come in. I’ll tell you all you need to know about superheroes and supervillains. Their backstories, some of their modern tales, powers, personalities, and even who has played them on the silver screen. I’ve also got the occasional superhero top 5, little known facts, and reviews for the shows. Let’s roll.
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
