10 Troubling Messages From Superhero Movies

7. Black Superheroes Need A White Guy To Prop Them Up - Hancock

Hancock You didn't think a film about Will Smith playing an alcoholic, destructive superhero could actually be about anything other than parting you with the cash in your wallet, did you? Well, let's look at the facts; there are very few black superheroes as it is, and the one that's depicted here - easily the highest-grossing movie starring a black superhero to date - is seen as lazy, boorish, violent, and essentially everything you don't want in a superhero. Oh, and then he's saved by this middle-class, middle-minded white guy (Jason Bateman) - who'dda thunk it? Also, we find out half-way through the film that Hancock has had a prior relationship with the guy's wife (Charlize Theron), who is herself also a secret superhero (or "God"), yet the only way Hancock can keep his powers is if he stays away from this gorgeous white woman. It's as though the film was written by a white supremacist who thought it'd be fun to subtextually mock a famous black actor under the thin guise of a brainless blockbuster.
 
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.