Why do we just like to watch superheroes confront each other?

When the model is good - the bad guys become boring, it is also the time when the filmmakers choose an alternative to attract the attention of many audiences: forcing superheroes to face each other.

Say it this small, in the movie "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" , if you want, Batman can completely defeat Superman in less than 30 seconds. Especially when Batman is equipped with "teeth " with Kryptonite gas can weaken Superman, along with a Kryptonite spear with the ability to destroy Superman easily. And if the episode takes place like that, then the title of the movie will probably need to be changed to "Batman destroy Superman: Wow, quick!". But no, on the contrary, Batman did not do that, but instead was a "preaching" and prolonged game waiting for Superman to recover gradually.

Why did Batman do that? Simply because, he wanted Superman to experience the extreme desperation that the people of Metropolis suffered from the battle with Zod - the event that ended the movie Man of Steel. Besides, if Batman simply destroys Superman quickly, it may cause his "hero image" to collapse completely.

A battle between two heroes that ended so quickly, there will be nothing interesting.

But, the last reason , is also the most important reason to prevent Batman from being straight-forward, because filmmakers want it. A battle between two heroes that ends so quickly, it will be nothing interesting, it will not create any value - both in terms of content and entertainment - for the movie. The audience does not come to see the movies there, the heroes confront each other, with a one-way battle. They want each episode to be deep, each action scene takes place in detail. Audiences want to see all that can happen, in a confrontation between their favorite characters. They want to know, what heroes will be able to do in their "best to throw" situation.

In short, what the audience wants, is a special emotional-chain, does not appear in battles where the good / bad sides are clearly defined.

The hero confronts - from the story pages to the screen

Heroes in comics are often people who possess extraordinary abilities (or without superpowers, they will be rich "cracked down" ), with the noble mission of saving the world from the hands of names. Cruel villain. However, there is a rather funny paradox, that is, many times, the true value of the heroes is reflected in the moment they confront each other. Since the time when Western comics began to exist , publishers have always created special events for superheroes to compete with each other - as a simple way to increase sales. .

DC Comics confronted Batman and Superman against dozens of times, for various reasons: from being manipulated by guys, to dissent. Marvel is equally impressive, with well-known events such as the X-men Avengers , or the Civil War - portrayed as the third Captain America film and preparing to be released worldwide. Not only did it not stop in its own "multiverse" , Marvel and DC also worked together to create editions where Superman could confront the Hulk, or Batman to fight Captain America.

With Marvel's cinematic universe getting more and more heroes, their confrontation becomes inevitable. Iron Man and Captain America clashed with Thor, the Hulk attacked Black Widow, Ant Man confronted Falcon, . the list continued, with the peak likely to be in the upcoming Civil War event. audience on silver screen.

Why are the authors interested in giving their heroes such a talent? Simply put, when the hero confronts, the story becomes more interesting, and readers will also enjoy it more.

In comics, we all know that good will always win evil. The cause of victory - that is absolutely obvious. But when people who represent "goodness" confront each other, who will be the winner? Obviously, this becomes much more unpredictable, very much compared to the good person model - the common bad guy. The discussions see who is stronger than the ones who often break out at different and small comic forums. Everyone wants to believe that his "hero" is the strongest. And so, we gradually consider heroes to resemble our favorite teams. We want to see them win, as a way to prove that their hero is number one.

In comics, we all know that good will always win evil.

When we watch comic books for a long time, the protagonists' conflicts become more concerned. There is an interesting fact happening in Western horror movies like "Friday the 13th" or "A Nightmare on Elm Street" : after a while, readers gradually stop caring about victims, instead focus more on the main characters like Freddy and Jason - even though they are completely unkempt murderers. It's understandable, because readers spend a lot of time watching any character, making them more familiar and familiar. When looking at superhero comics, most villains appear only a few episodes, then have to give way to others. Therefore, a more famous villain will make the hero even greater - the best example of this is Joker and Batman.

And because of that, the fact that another hero like Spider-Man appeared in the trailer of Civil War attracted a lot of attention - something would not have happened if Marvel replaced him with a villain. some other. The audience will be curious how he can "shoulder" and confront other superheroes.

Another emotion also occurs when watching superheroes confront each other, sympathy - when having to witness the war between those who were former comrades. Most of the emotions that the Civil War trailer created for the audience came from the words of Iron Man when confronted with Captain America: "But I'm also your friend?". It is these conflicts that create a new level of emotion for the battles between superheroes - regret, regret when confronting people that you love. These emotions create a completely different experience that audiences will not be able to see when watching superhero movies.

However, creating confrontations between superheroes is a trivial challenge for the author. A typical example is the battle between Ant-Man and Falcon in the movie Ant-Man . The filmmakers must do so to display the power of both heroes, bringing a satisfying experience to the audience. At the same time they must ensure victory for Ant-Man, but not through "immersing" the Falcon. Normally, the chosen option would be to creatively apply environmental, psychological, and superhuman abilities to make the character show off everything they have, and does not make the loser "lose face".

Heroes often never lose.

And it is these restrictions, which create the biggest drawback of superhero battles - often the results will not be clear. The author will have to make sure that after the confrontation events, his character can still continue the story without any significant damage.The motif is often seen in Marvel's cinematic universe: both sides will be "inconclusive" , will respect each other's views and abilities. Because, heroes often never lose.

So, when the films that the heroes fought together were introduced, the audience's expectations were often much greater than what would actually happen . The idea of ​​a confrontation between favorite superheroes evokes imagination, interest, and emotions across the audience. However, the greater the expectation, the more likely it is to disappoint. Batman v Superman received many negative feedback from critics as well as mass audiences. The upcoming Civil War is likely to be more promising, but it may also become another failed product.

And then, after the movie was released, no matter what the outcome, both DC and Marvel will return to the usual "good guy - bad guy" formula, with Wonder Woman, Aquamen, or Doctor Strange. , Black Panther. Perhaps, after many films about superheroes confronting each other, the traditional recipe will become new and more successful. It is also possible, filmmakers will switch to another method that has pushed comic sales to high levels: forcing superheroes to cooperate with bad guys. And maybe, maybe, if Suicide Squad succeeds, we'll see the movie Batman Joker vs. Superman Luthor came out in 2022.