Heroes: Action and Super Heroes

Action Heroes

Popular early male action heroes, such as Ringo Kid, Dirty Harry, and James Bond, are depicted in film as active, aggressive, and, most important, masculine in both physique and behavior. They are not necessarily young or handsome, but they are both strong and savvy when it comes to overcoming their enemies. Violence is their primary means of fighting the antiheroes who confront them. Male heroes' sexual prowess is often evidenced by their ability to capture the romantic interest of the women they are assisting. While they may exhibit moments of sensitivity or even tenderness, they do not wholly give in to these feelings. Their masculinity is also underscored by their rejection of traditional marriage, [Page 162]parenthood, and in some cases the establishment. Television action heroes such as The Six Million Dollar Man in the eponymous series (1974–78) also reproduce these male gender types. In the 1980s, male action heroes like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), John Cutter in Passenger 57 (1992), and John Matrix in Commando (1985) also reflected these gender norms. Other male heroes, however, began to reflect a more modern version of masculinity. John McClane (Diehard, 1988) manages to maintain his masculine persona even though he is a husband and father. The television show MacGyver (1985–92) depicts an action hero who prefers science and ingenuity to guns. In Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001), Cordell Walker uses a combination of guns and martial arts to fight off criminals but also offers moral lessons about life and engages in community service. These activities are not offered as contradictions to their masculinity but as enhancements to their roles as men.

Lee Majors starred in the popular television show The Six Million Dollar Man from 1974 to 1978. Majors's role followed the stereotypical gender tradition of depicting a hero as an aggressive, powerful male.

(Wikimedia)

Action Heroines

Female action heroes, or heroines, offer a negotiated representation of gender. They reflect feminist notions of womanhood by possessing stereotypically masculine traits such as strength and aggressiveness while maintaining their feminine youth, beauty, and sexuality. Female action heroes often depict women playing traditionally masculine roles while operating within traditional gender expectations that reflect male power. Figures like Sarah Connor in The Terminator (1984), Ellen Ripley in Aliens (1986), and Charli Baltimore in The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) are physically strong, aggressive, and unapologetically violent in defense of themselves and others, using guns and other weapons. However, they negotiate their heroism with the expectations placed on them to take care of their natural or adopted children. Meanwhile, heroines like Foxy in Foxy Brown (1974) and Jane in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) also take on traditionally male characteristics, but their image is highly eroticized in order to appeal to male sexual desire.

Television heroines also negotiate patriarchal notions of femininity. Emma Peel of The Avengers (1966–69) possesses outstanding fighting and fashion skills. The women working as Charlie's Angels (1976–81) are physically strong and able to defend themselves using martial arts, guns, and other weapons, but they also reinforce male power by acting under the orders of a faceless male voice and by being sexually objectified in their occasional ditzy behavior and low-cut, cleavage-revealing outfits. After receiving surgical implants, Jamie Sommers becomes The Bionic Woman (1976–78), a government secret weapon thanks to her speed, strength, and enhanced hearing. Nevertheless, she is weaker than her counterpart in The Six Million Dollar Man and works for a male-dominated government agency.

...