Exploring DC Superhero Movies: What Makes a Great Hero?

Why do certain superhero movies personally and emotionally resonate with you? Sometimes the reasons are obvious: a great story, memorable characters, stellar performances, cool special effects and awesome direction.

Maybe you wish you could have the superhero’s powers? Sometimes, it’s harder to put a finger on exactly why a particular superhero captures the imagination while others are forgettable.

Superheroes use their extraordinary abilities to perform heroic deeds. Their struggle to overcome conflict should imbue something meaningful.

There are many different types of heroes. Some don’t fit neatly into a category but the building blocks of a superhero are universal patterns. Here are several qualities you might see in a superhero and what they tell us about the human condition:

The Punisher Season 1: The punishing is just getting started

The Punisher Season 1 Review:

Be warned of spoilers ahead …

Superhero Movies of 2016 Ranked Worst to Best

This year has plenty to offer fans of superhero movies.  The cinematic universes expanding and superheroes battling each other is all the rage. Also Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles returned in the sequel Out of the Shadows (Full Review Here). For the rest of the superhero movie lineup, here’s a personal take on how they all stacked up.

Deadpool Post-Credits Scene Explained

Deadpool, the subversive superhero movie, is slaying box office records. To put the biggest R-Rated opening weekend in perspective, Deadpool’s domestic gross of $132.7 million from Friday to Sunday ($152.2 million Fri-Mon) handily beats out more established comic book franchises Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($95 million) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($91.6 million).

Deadpool is known as the “Merc with a Mouth” and he lives up to his name by delivering one-line zingers and pop culture references at a rapid fire pace. Just about anything is fair game to Deadpool’s razor-sharp tongue. He’s making funny barbs about Wolverine/Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds himself, many superhero movie tropes and even the movie studios.

Meet The Punisher & Sneak Peek at Elektra in Marvel’s Daredevil Season 2 Official Trailer Part 1

“No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.” A gun-toting vigilante named Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, is set to cross paths with Daredevil in Hell’s Kitchen.

Marvel’s Daredevil centered on Matt Murdock, a blind attorney by day and crime fighter by night, will stream the entire Season Two consisting of 13 episodes on March 18, 2016 on Netflix.

All-New X-Men, Vol 1: Yesterday’s X-Men Review

• All-New X-Men Volume 1: Yesterday’s X-Men (Collecting #1-5); Release Date: April 2013

• By Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (penciler)

• Featuring: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Angel, Iceman, Wolverine, Magneto

Standing above the glut of current X-Men titles, writer Brian Michael Bendis revitalizes the franchise by returning to what makes X-Men the preeminent super hero team.

Although the premise seemingly sets up a mutant vs mutant civil war scenario, Bendis wisely grounds the conflict within the original X-Men team from the past confronting their disillusioned present day counterparts.

Set after the events of the Phoenix Five, new mutants are popping up around the world after being on the verge of extinction. It’s here that we catch up with Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, formerly possessed by the dark Phoenix Force and now a renegade fugitive. His intent is on starting a revolution, but by attacking humans in order to get to the new mutants, Scott has become everything he once despised.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1, Episode 22: “Beginning Of The End” Review”

In Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s first season finale entitled “Beginning Of The End”, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) teams up with Coulson to put an end to Garrett. Meanwhile, Fitz and Simmons are trapped in a capsule at the bottom of the ocean.

Continue reading for a spoiler filled recap of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1, Episode 22.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1, Episode 21: “Ragtag” Review”

In “Rag Tag”, the team goes on the offensive to stop Hydra. Meanwhile, the secret to Garrett’s (Bill Paxton) mysterious origin is revealed.

Continue reading for a spoiler filled recap of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1, Episode 21.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1, Episode 20: “Nothing Personal” Review”

In “Nothing Personal”, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) teams up with the Agents while Ward forces Skye to decrypt the hard drive.

Continue reading for a spoiler filled recap of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1, Episode 20.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1, Episode 19: “The Only Light In The Darkness” Review

In “The Only Light In The Darkness”, Coulson must save his ex-girlfriend (Amy Acker) from a mentally unstable prisoner who recently escaped S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most secure base. Meanwhile, Skye uncovers an emotionally devastating betrayal.

Continue reading for a spoiler filled review of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1, Episode 19.