4) Introduction to

superheroes

National 4: Heroes
What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but
that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power
wisely.
Christopher Reeve
We are learning to:
• We are learning to recognise the
features of a superhero.

Success Criteria:
I can use the features of a superhero
to create my own.
What is a superhero?

1.Someone who has

extraordinary powers
2.Fights day-to-day crime
3.Also has an archenemy who
wants to take over the
world
4.Usually wears a costume or
disguise.
 Common traits of a superhero

Superheroes Never Give Up

Superheroes Always Get the Job Done
Superheroes Are Crystal Clear
of their Purpose
Superheroes Are the Best at
What They Do
Superheroes Are NOT Flawless

Superheroes Do Not Seek

Superheroes Accomplish Huge
Glory…But They Get it Anyway Superheroes’ True Strength
Feats
Comes From Their Character

Superheroes Can Do it By
Superheroes Help Others Themselves But Are More
Powerful in Teams
Why do we have superheroes?

Flawed as she is, as they all are, that only

serves to make her more empowering as a
role model. You can imagine a young
generation of girls watching this movie
and thinking they want to be like her,
now fighting for good, able to take down
aliens and bad men and get bruised and
bloody but never give up.
Today’s task:

You are going to use the

features of a superhero to
create your own.
This will demonstrate that you
can take information from one
source and apply this
information in a new way
Features of a superhero;
Superpower
Superheroes need a superpower in order to do things that
ordinary humans can’t. It will form part of their identify
and what makes them unique. This superpower will also
allow them to inspire an ideal.
Some are born with superpowers (e.g. Superman) while
others are attained deliberately or by mistake (e.g.
Spiderman). Some superheroes, like Batman and Ironman,
use technology to create their superpowers.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE;
Superpower
Decide what your hero’s superpower is and how he/she got
it. (Born with it/Mutation/Man Made)
Possible superpowers include:
 X-ray vision
 Regeneration
 Total Recall
 Teleportation
 Weather Control
 Force Fields
 Underwater Breathing
 Super Strength
 Mind Reading
Features of a superhero;
name
A Superhero’s name can come from:
 Their powers (e.g. Cyclops or Storm)
 A positive adjective (Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman)
 Something that reveals the characters story (Spiderman
or Green Lantern)
 A name that sums up something about their character
(Wolverine or The Punisher)
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE;
name
Create a name for your superhero.
Below are some examples from The 50 Greatest Superhero (and Villain) Names of All
Time List

Steel Oracle Sabertooth Storm The Maxx

Thing Iron Monger Mister Fantastic Magneto

Mystique Gambit Black Widow Batman

Dr. Manhattan The Incredibles Rampage Quicksilver

Black Knight Blade Daredevil Silver Surfer

Catwoman Wonder Woman Flash Iron Man
Features of a superhero;
Human Flaw
It is important that a superhero has a flaw or weakness.
This makes them more believable and likeable to the
audience, who will then care what happens to them.
This clip from film critic Mark Kermode helps explains this
in more detail.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE;
Human Flaw
Write down a flaw for your superhero:
- It could be related to their power (e.g. Bruce Banner cannot
control The Hulk when he is angry)
- It could be something that makes them weak (e.g. Superman
and Kypronite or The Green Lantern and the colour yellow)
- It could be a physical weakness (e.g. The Daredevil is blind)
- A piece of equipment (e.g. Wonder Woman’s bracelets)
- Their personality (e.g. Peter Parker’s sense of responsibility)
Features of a superhero;
ALTER EGO
Most superheroes have alter-egos that
keep them safe from enemies and help
them navigate the normal human
world; this is a huge part of what
makes them so good, as most people
feel like they have to hide their true
selves from others.
It can also create tension in the story,
as the character fears exposure to his
alter ego
Applying knowledge;
ALTER EGO
One of the ways that a superhero
protects their identity is to wear a
mask (unless you are Superman) It also
helps create their superhero identity.
Decide if your superhero wears a mask
and draw it onto your character

Create a name and job for your

superhero’s alter ego.
Features of a superhero;
the costume
The whole reason superheroes have
costumes is so that they can stand out.
Also, superhero costumes are outward
sign of what that character represents.
There needs to be a distinctive look for
the character, whether it's Batman's
cape and cowl or Captain America's
blue scale mail. They need to be visually
different than a normal person.
 APPLYING KNOWLEDGE;
The Costume
Design your costume. Think of the colour that you want to use to represent something
about your character.
Red The colour red is a warm and positive colour. It exudes a strong and powerful energy. Red is energizing. It motivates us to take
action.
It signifies a pioneering spirit and leadership qualities, promoting ambition and determination.
Yellow The colour yellow relates to knowledge.
The colour psychology of yellow is uplifting and illuminating, offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness and fun. Yellow is the best
colour to create enthusiasm for life and can awaken greater confidence and optimism.
Green The colour green is the colour of balance and harmony.. It renews and restores depleted energy. Green is an emotionally positive
colour, giving us the ability to love and nurture ourselves and others unconditionally. A natural peacemaker, it must avoid the
tendency to become a martyr.
Blue The colour blue is one of trust, honesty and loyalty. Blue hates confrontation, and likes to do things in its own way.
Blue is reliable and responsible. This colour exhibits an inner security and confidence. You can rely on it to take control and do
the right thing in difficult times.
Pink The colour pink represents compassion, nurturing and love. It relates to unconditional love and understanding. It is the passion
and power of red softened with the purity, openness and completeness of white. In color psychology, pink is a sign of hope. It is
a positive colour inspiring warm and comforting feelings, a sense that everything will be okay.
Gold The colour gold is the colour of success, achievement and triumph. This color is linked to the power of the sun. Optimistic and
positive, gold adds richness and warmth to everything with which it is associated - it illuminates and enhances other things
around it.
Features of a superhero;
Ask an expert
Stan Lee is considered to be the expert on superheroes,
he has created Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk and The
Fantastic Four to name a few!
In this clip he discuss how he creates characters and
what is needed to interest the reader.
Consolidation: Superhero evaluation

You are now going to peer assess

someone’s superhero.
How successful were they in:
 Creating a superhero name?
 Creating a alter ego?
 An interesting costume?
 A superpower and flaw that seem
believable?