With the Friday release of Marvel’s Ant-Man movie, a Wake Forest University communication professor can discuss the rise and fall and rise again of super hero themed movies, how they often reflect societal values and why the American public can’t get enough.
Stokes Piercy teaches a wide range of film production courses as well as writing and critical studies courses. His interest in the history and development of American graphic novels, particularly in their depiction and representation of power and justice, translates to the pop culture aspects of comic books, super heroes and related movies.
The Ant-Man plot deals with greed and the capitalism of corporate America, real-life themes the American public sees played out across its news headlines. The hero, Scott Lang (played by well-known comic actor Paul Rudd), doesn’t compare to more typical super heroes like Superman, Thor or Iron Man.
“In the case of Ant-Man, the hero is not like Captain America, or Superman, he’s ordinary and flawed, and he does some morally questionable things, but for good reasons - that’s why you like him.” said Piercy. “He could be a different, more relevant kind of hero. And he’s funny. The whole idea of a superhero whose power is 'shrinking' and assembling an army of ants to fight crime is hilariously absurd, yet some have stated that this will be the most important Marvel film to date. Small things matter, because some villains slip through the cracks.”
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