The resurgent superhero genre in film gives insights into the American psyche and political identities post-September 11

The years after 2001’s September 11 terrorist attacks have seen revived interest in the fictional superhero genre, most noticeably in film. Annika Hagley and Michael Harrison take a close look at one of the most popular and successful iterations of this genre, Marvel Comics’ Avengers’ series. They write that each character in the multi-billion dollar film franchise represents a distinct identity or behavior with which the United States has been struggling to reconcile itself, while collectively the film series represents the reactions of a nation to a direct, domestic attack.