|
|
Post by moviemouth on Sept 4, 2020 16:47:30 GMT
I don't know where people draw the line with that term.
I tend to draw it with Batman. Batman has no superpowers, but he does stuff that nobody else can because of his money and extreme training. Similar to Iron Man, who is basically the Batman of Marvel.
|
|
|
|
Post by Rey Kahuka on Sept 4, 2020 16:54:40 GMT
No, he's more of a folk hero than superhero, like Robin Hood.
|
|
|
|
Post by lowtacks86 on Sept 4, 2020 17:03:32 GMT
No, he's more of a folk hero than superhero, like Robin Hood. Superheros are basically modern day folklore heroes though. In fact one of Superman's allies is modeled after John Henry: 
|
|
|
|
Post by lowtacks86 on Sept 4, 2020 17:05:50 GMT
This is a bit tricky, I never really technically considered Batman a "superhero" as he doesn't actually have powers. Masked crime fighter would be more appropriate.
|
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on Sept 4, 2020 17:10:19 GMT
I'd consider him more like a pulp hero like Shadow or Doc Savage.
|
|
|
|
Post by taylorfirst1 on Sept 4, 2020 17:12:21 GMT
Yes Zorro is a superhero. He has extreme skill which he uses to fight crime outside of the normal justice system and wears a costume and maintains a secret identity.
|
|
|
|
Post by Rey Kahuka on Sept 4, 2020 17:15:57 GMT
No, he's more of a folk hero than superhero, like Robin Hood. Superheros are basically modern day folklore heroes though. In fact one of Superman's allies is modeled after John Henry: That's the distinction. Superheroes are contemporary, guys like Zorro or Robin Hood or John Henry are folk heroes. Steel being modeled after John Henry is like Green Arrow or Hawkeye being modeled after Robin Hood. The former is coopted version of the latter put into a modern setting. You can do the opposite and use the modern formula for 'superhero' teams using historical fictional characters (like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), but that still doesn't make them 'superheroes' to me, no more than Beowulf or Gilgamesh or Sinbad or John Carter are superheroes simply because they appear in fantastic tales filled with superhuman feats. You wouldn't be wrong to say they were the 'superheroes' of their day I suppose, just as you could say Batman & Co. are the folk heroes of today; but again the nuance in the label (of their day; of today) shows the distinction. Maybe it's a semantic argument, but I think a culturally/historically relevant one.
|
|
|
|
Post by Rey Kahuka on Sept 4, 2020 17:25:02 GMT
Yes Zorro is a superhero. He has extreme skill which he uses to fight crime outside of the normal justice system and wears a costume and maintains a secret identity. He might be the archetype for modern superheroes, I still wouldn't consider him a part of the superhero genre. Also, some superheroes don't maintain secret identities, wear costumes or operate outside of the law so that can't be the criteria used to define superheroes. By that definition, Ivanhoe (or even King Richard as the Black Knight in Ivanhoe) is a superhero.
|
|
|
|
Post by kolchak92 on Sept 4, 2020 17:37:38 GMT
Never thought of him that way, but I guess technically yes, he would qualify as one.
|
|
|
|
Post by Feologild Oakes on Sept 4, 2020 17:51:15 GMT
I would say he is a hero but not a superhero.
|
|
|
|
Post by taylorfirst1 on Sept 4, 2020 19:00:45 GMT
Yes Zorro is a superhero. He has extreme skill which he uses to fight crime outside of the normal justice system and wears a costume and maintains a secret identity. He might be the archetype for modern superheroes, I still wouldn't consider him a part of the superhero genre. Also, some superheroes don't maintain secret identities, wear costumes or operate outside of the law so that can't be the criteria used to define superheroes. By that definition, Ivanhoe (or even King Richard as the Black Knight in Ivanhoe) is a superhero. So in your opinion, what is the criteria to be a superhero?
|
|
|
|
Post by moviemouth on Sept 4, 2020 19:01:24 GMT
This is a bit tricky, I never really technically considered Batman a "superhero" as he doesn't actually have powers. Masked crime fighter would be more appropriate. I disagree. Batman is "super" because of his capabilities and tech. The term "super" doesn't just have to mean superpowers. Zorro doesn't have those things, but he has many other attributes that compare to comic book superheroes. The mask and costume, the duel identities, he is a vigilante and he leaves a signature behind. All of those match very well with Batman specifically.
|
|
|
|
Post by Vits on Sept 4, 2020 19:28:09 GMT
Yes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Marv on Sept 4, 2020 19:30:06 GMT
No. Vigilante? Yes. Superhero? No.
|
|
|
|
Post by taylorfirst1 on Sept 4, 2020 19:41:42 GMT
Zorro Batman The Punisher The Lone Ranger The Green Hornet The Phantom
None have superpowers but all are superheroes. |
|
