"- And Hulk.
Smash."
- Sometimes a superhero is just too super.
It seems like they can do anything.
And nothing can hurt them.
This trope can be unavoidable depending on the superhero.
But often an overpowered hero can eliminate the stakes,
deflate the tension and disconnect the audience.
"- Hulk, stop, you moron."
- How can filmmakers present a powerful hero but still keep the audience on their toes?"
Tropes and Antidotes - Invinsible Superheroes.
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And if there are filmmaking tropes you'd like an antidote for
let us know in the comments.
"- Peter, are you okay?- Yeah."
- Now, let's talk the great and powerful.
"- It's been an honor Spider-Man.
- What are you doing here? There's a dance.
- Looking...
...at porn."
- Superheroes have been capturing imaginations for a long time.
Think of the protagonist who one of the oldest pieces of writing.
Gilgamesh who was described in his famous epic
as two-thirds divine and one-third mortal.
Of course, ancient Sumerians didn't call Gilgamesh a superhero.
That term originated in the early 20th century.
Heroes and masks began to pop up in fiction in the 1910s
based on the vigilantes of the American west.
In the 1930s, the superhero as we know it today truly crystallized.
Superman showed up in 1938
and Captain Marvel and Batman followed the next year.
Today, it's undeniable that superheroes appeal to something deep in the human psyche.
People are drawn to stories about exceptional individuals.
"- The story of Captain America is one of honor."
- And what's more exceptional than someone
with superpowers kicking ass and taking names.
"- That is America's ass."
- But superhero stories can run into problems
when the superhero kicks too much ass.
Or in other words, when it seems like nothing can come close to stopping them.
Let's take a look at two different overpowered superhero tropes.
The trope - Unlimited Strength.
Have you ever watched the superhero film and thought at one point in the movie
wait they can also do that?
This reaction can deflate a scene.
It happens when a superhero's powers are too great.
Or not well enough to find.
Not only can this remove tension from the scene but it can also create plot holes.
If Superman can reverse time, all stakes are taken away from the entire film.
"- Hi."
The antidote - Work For It.
This doesn't mean your hero can't be all-powerful.
There have been plenty of great Superman films after all.
But it does mean that your hero should have to work for it.
In other words the superhero's magnificent feat should look like it requires effort.
Take the train scene from "Spider-Man 2".
"- Spider-Man! - Oh my God! This is it!
- Tell everyone to hang on."
- Director Sam Ramey goes through great lengths to show
just how difficult it is for Spider-Man to stop this train.
His first plan fails.
His second plan works but nearly kills him.
Emphasizing his effort through well-chosen close-ups of Peter's strained face.
There's also the duration.
It takes him nearly two minutes to bring it to a halt.
On paper, it seems ridiculous that Spider-Man would be able to stop a train.
But in this scene, we believe it.
Compare that to the 15 seconds it takes in this scene
with almost zero dramatic tension.
The antidote - No control.
Another antidote to this trope is for the
superhero to not be in control of their powers.
Jean Gray is a tragic character whose powers overwhelm her.
Rogue's abilities prevent her from having a normal life.
In "The Incredibles", Jack-Jack is the most powerful character.
But he's a liability because well he's a baby with zero control.
Bruce Banner's inability to control Hulk is the focus of his internal conflict.
He is a threat to both his enemies.
And friends.
Because of this, in "Age of Ultron" he exiles himself.
"- So help me out...
I need..."
This kind of character development gives substance and dramatic way
to what might otherwise be all-powerful
but one-dimensional heroes.
"- I'm gonna have to get off this planet."
- The lack of control that these characters have creates suspense for the audience
and keep the stakes intact.
"- Are you all right, Clark."
- Humor is another antidote for an overpowered hero.
"- Oh, oh-ho. Canada."
- If the filmmaker acknowledges the absurdity of a hero's powers
the audience is often more willing to suspend their disbelief.
"- All the dinosaurs feared the Rex."
- Perhaps, the most obvious way to avoid this
trope is to create a more flawed superhero.
Rather than a figure like Superman whose only weakness is kryptonite.
Many modern heroes have a myriad of weaknesses
lending them a vulnerability that keeps them as grounded and relatable as possible.
"- When they come out does it hurt?
- Every time."
- The Trope - Damage Tolerance Infinity.
We've seen it a million times.
A superhero was beaten to a pulp.
(inaudible) stories.
Or even gets hit with an atomic bomb.
Some have healing powers and some don't.
But in the end, they're totally fine.
Like with unlimited power,
the hero with unlimited damage tolerance can suck the stakes out of a scene.
If they can't be hurt why do we care?
The antidote - Mental Pain.
Your hero may not be able to get physically injured but nobody is mentally invincible.
"- Mr. Stark.
I don't feel so good."
- A great way to subvert the invincibility trope
is to put your superhero in emotionally charged situations.
"- I don't want to go. I don't want to go. Sir, please.
Please, I don't want to go. Don't want to go."
- Like dealing with the pain they've caused others.
Or those they couldn't save.
Dr. Manhattan is probably the most mentally tortured superhero there is.
What makes Manhattan an effective character is
that his anguish stems from his unending power.
He's unable to connect with humanity and the result is profound loneliness.
Likewise, some of the most tense Superman scenes are ones in which he's not in danger
but people he cares about are.
"- The hell is that?
- Easy, miss. I've got you. - You've got me?
Who's that you?"
- Here his invincibility doesn't matter.
The stakes lie with the innocent family.
Let's take a look at a film that could have fallen
victim to both the overpowered and invincible superhero tropes
but instead masterfully avoids them.
"Thor" is one of the most powerful Marvel superheroes.
He's nothing less than a god.
So in the third film of the "Thor" series
writer-director Taika Waititi was presented with a problem.
After two films of invincibility and endless power.
How could he maintain the audience's interest for a third time.
"- This drink. I like it. Another.
- Sorry, Izzy. Little accident."
In the opening scene of "Thor: Ragnarok",
Waititi directly addresses Thor's unlimited power.
When confronting Surtur
Thor is hardly tested at all.
Easily wiping out Surtur and his minions.
Waititi makes up for the lack of tension in the scene by injecting humor.
"- Stay."
- And eye-popping visuals.
Waititi is also sure to emphasize the importance
of Thor's hammer in this opening scene.
Which makes this all the more impactful.
After his hammer is destroyed, stakes have been raised for two reasons.
Hela is proven to be all-powerful.
"- Bring us back. - No."
- While Thor becomes powerless.
With Thor in a weak in position, we're able to watch him struggle with his new reality.
Which includes comedy...
"- You are now meeting The Grand Master."
- And some introspection.
"- We're the same, you and I.
We're just a couple of hot-headed fools.
- Yeah, same. Hulk like fire, Thor like water.
- We're kind of both like fire.
But Hulk like real fire."
- Waititi also establishes the emotional stakes.
Hela is out to destroy not just Thor but his entire home.
Everything that he loves is in danger.
In the climatic fight near the end of the film,
Waititi continues to emphasize Thor's vulnerability.
Even having him sustain a significant injury.
Waititi said of the decision,
'That kind of just evolved, just throughout the script
process to just keep stripping that character down,
having him lose the hammer and all those things,
and to kind of create a broken version of the character.
And at the end, he sort of becomes a refugee.'
"- The damage is not too bad.
As long as the foundations are still strong,
we can rebuild this place.
It will become a haven."
Now those foundations are gone. Sorry."
- By breaking down Thor,
Waititi helped revitalize the character.
"- Yes!"
- Waititi shows us that bringing a superhero back
down to earth can in fact make them stronger.
"- Hi. Would you mind taking a picture with us? - Oh, sure."
- People love a powerful superhero.
But that doesn't mean they love watching them walk easily toward victory.
Remember...
"- And with great power, there must also come great responsibility."
- For us, that responsibility is for filmmakers to give us powerful superheroes
that we can still believe in.
By subverting some tired superhero tropes,
the well-worn genre can continue to feel fresh.
"- Ha-ha-ha.
Not necessary.
- There shall be no knifing one another.
Everybody knows who's in charge."
- What are some of your favorite overpowered superheroes?
How do directors keep them compelling?
Let us know in the comments.
And remember with great storyboards comes great superhero movies.
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"- All right, let's do this."
Until next time, keep harnessing your filmmaking superpowers.
"Intriguing.
- You know, I'm something of a scientist myself."