“Justice Has a Bad Side”: Figurations of Law and Justice in 21st-Century Superhero Movies
Superhero narratives have always been deeply entangled with questions of justice, and their characters, crisis situations, and narrative solutions have changed in close relationship with the socio-historic contexts they responded to. Hence, the article argues, it is fruitful to read current superher...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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European Association for American Studies
2019-03-01
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| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/13817 |
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| author | Nicole Maruo-Schröder |
| author_facet | Nicole Maruo-Schröder |
| author_sort | Nicole Maruo-Schröder |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Superhero narratives have always been deeply entangled with questions of justice, and their characters, crisis situations, and narrative solutions have changed in close relationship with the socio-historic contexts they responded to. Hence, the article argues, it is fruitful to read current superhero movies as both reflections of and comments on the post-9/11 legal and political landscape characterized by an ongoing state of exception and the resulting suspension of certain laws and civil rights. Analyzing Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Captain America: Civil War (all released in 2016) in terms of genre, narrative as well as characters and their symbolic implications, the article shows how the films comment in ambiguous, even contradictory ways on the current terrain of justice. Although they are critical of the loss of a democratic conception of justice, in which laws and the ways they are upheld and enforced are subject to independent control instances, the films also emphasize the necessity of suspending laws during crisis situations, thus supporting an ongoing state of exception in the face of contemporary terrorist threats. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-94363e651d7c45aeaeb6d0d2c8a4d52c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-94363e651d7c45aeaeb6d0d2c8a4d52c2025-01-06T09:08:55ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362019-03-0113410.4000/ejas.13817“Justice Has a Bad Side”: Figurations of Law and Justice in 21st-Century Superhero MoviesNicole Maruo-SchröderSuperhero narratives have always been deeply entangled with questions of justice, and their characters, crisis situations, and narrative solutions have changed in close relationship with the socio-historic contexts they responded to. Hence, the article argues, it is fruitful to read current superhero movies as both reflections of and comments on the post-9/11 legal and political landscape characterized by an ongoing state of exception and the resulting suspension of certain laws and civil rights. Analyzing Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Captain America: Civil War (all released in 2016) in terms of genre, narrative as well as characters and their symbolic implications, the article shows how the films comment in ambiguous, even contradictory ways on the current terrain of justice. Although they are critical of the loss of a democratic conception of justice, in which laws and the ways they are upheld and enforced are subject to independent control instances, the films also emphasize the necessity of suspending laws during crisis situations, thus supporting an ongoing state of exception in the face of contemporary terrorist threats.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/13817popular culturelaw9/11state of exceptionexceptionalityterrain of justice |
| spellingShingle | Nicole Maruo-Schröder “Justice Has a Bad Side”: Figurations of Law and Justice in 21st-Century Superhero Movies European Journal of American Studies popular culture law 9/11 state of exception exceptionality terrain of justice |
| title | “Justice Has a Bad Side”: Figurations of Law and Justice in 21st-Century Superhero Movies |
| title_full | “Justice Has a Bad Side”: Figurations of Law and Justice in 21st-Century Superhero Movies |
| title_fullStr | “Justice Has a Bad Side”: Figurations of Law and Justice in 21st-Century Superhero Movies |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Justice Has a Bad Side”: Figurations of Law and Justice in 21st-Century Superhero Movies |
| title_short | “Justice Has a Bad Side”: Figurations of Law and Justice in 21st-Century Superhero Movies |
| title_sort | justice has a bad side figurations of law and justice in 21st century superhero movies |
| topic | popular culture law 9/11 state of exception exceptionality terrain of justice |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/13817 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nicolemaruoschroder justicehasabadsidefigurationsoflawandjusticein21stcenturysuperheromovies |