Jupiter's Legacy arrived on Netflix this year and added itself to the long list of post-modern comics that seek not to uphold the traditional ideals of the Golden Age of comics but to critique them and display their effect on the modern world. The Utopian's sacred Code is a clear example of how Golden Age heroes operated - they don't kill, and they stand as symbols of how to be better. However, in a world that hasn't listened what good is The Code? The superhero community's attachment to The Code puts them at a constant disadvantage to the many villains and criminals.
Stories like this have existed for many years. As comics have been around for nearly a full century the values and effects on society these characters have has become a more often explored subject.
10 Catch Invincible's Animated Adaptation on Prime
Recently soaring onto Amazon Prime, the animated adaptation of Robert Kirkman's Invincible series highlights a more realistic approach to a world full of super-powered beings and aliens. It follows young Mark Grayson as he must learn the ropes to being a hero after inheriting his father's powers. Whilst one part of the story follows Mark fighting to balance his real life and his superhero life, the sudden murder of the Guardians of the Globe shows Mark how truly terrifying it is to be a superhero.
9 Irredeemable, For All Your Evil Superman Needs
What if the most powerful superhero on Earth suddenly became the most powerful villain? That is the premise of Mark Waid's Irredeemable. The world's greatest hero - The Plutonian - has suddenly switched his stance and becomes a dangerous enemy. A graphic and gory comic that shows how dangerous a Superman-esque character can be and has no desire to hold back. As he hunts down his former allies and their families, the heroes of the world have to band together and find a way to defeat the most powerful being in history.
8 Read One of the Best Storylines for Comic's Most Iconic Character
A great comic storyline that has also been adapted into an animated film, Allstar Superman is considered to be the quintessential version of the Man of Steel. Fans get to see what kind of experiences go into creating 'The Superman' and what his thoughts on the world are. Set during his final days, this example of a finale for the character excellently captures Clark's idealism and hope for the future of mankind and how he will go to any length to ensure their safety, even at the cost of his own life.
7 How Do Superheroes Effect The Future of our Society? Find out in Kingdom Come
Taking place in one possible future for the DC Comics timeline, Kingdom Come presents us with a society that has lost the message behind the original superheroes and the example they had set. Now the streets are filled with super-powered individuals thrashing about with one another with no concern for civilian life. After the public lost faith in the original ideals of the Justice League and glorified the acts of less heroic crusaders, it created this cycle of destruction with no reasoning behind it.
6 What do the Achievements and Exploits of 60s Marvel Heroes Look Like From the Ground? Find out In Marvels
Seen through the point-of-view of a journalist during the 1960s, Marvels shows the rise of superheroes like Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men and follows the public's reaction to them. Whether it is a riot against the emerging mutant population, or an attack from Galactus the World Devourer, Marvels shows how frightening, yet awe-inspiring the presence of these larger-than-life characters can be. Marvels grounds the Marvel universe and expands the view of the classic storylines out to the average onlooker, and shows the effect they have on society.
5 Alan Moore's 'Watchmen', A Classic of Comic Critique
A starting point for many comic critique stories, when it was initially released in the 80s, Alan Moore's Watchmen was a revolutionary title that not only sought to present heroes realistically but in an almost entirely negative light.
Showing how giving someone so much power and presence in society can create a truly vicious person eviler than any villain, or how the separation between hero and identity can be harder and harder the longer someone takes up a mantle. All encompassed with a main plot that asks the question 'How far will you go to achieve world peace?'
4 What Happens When Superheroes Become Jaded? The Boys Shows Us On Prime
Speaking only of the Amazon Prime TV series, The Boys diverges from the original comic to present a much more morally ambiguous world. Where instead of the corporate heroes being incomprehensibly evil, they are jaded and privileged so much so that they no longer connect at all to the people they claim to protect.
Even characters as morally bankrupt as Homelander have many layers, and fans get to see how those layers unravel as he realizes he is not the publically-adored god he once thought he was, and that he and the rest of the Seven are very vulnerable.
3 What Does it Mean to Be a Hero? One Punch Man Shows It's Not All About Power and Fame
Studio Madhouses' adaptation of the beloved manga One Punch Man uses its wide cast of characters to depict and display varying sides of the superhero community and their individual ideals. From the lovable Saitama - the One Punch Man - and how he fights evil for the good of others regardless of how much criticism he receives to the more power-hungry heroes who use their abilities to give themselves higher social status and take advantage of the world that loves them. And the fan-favorite Mumen Rider, a regular human who has shown unstoppable willpower in the face of the greatest of foes.
2 Brightburn is an Exploration Into the Mind of a Child With God-like Powers
Although Clark Kent is often shown as a simple every-man, his circumstances are incredibly fortunate. To land on Earth and have parents so wise and loving that could teach him to understand the responsibility of using his powers. Brightburn shows what happens when the super-powered alien child lands to the other 99% of families. With the temperament of a child and the powers of a god, this film takes on a horror aesthetic as the parents come to fear the murderous beast their child grows to become.
1 Umbrella Academy Shows The Damage that Being a Family of Superheroes Can Bring
Written originally as a comic by My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard Way, The Umbrella Academy shows the aftermath of a family of superheroes. Being raised as celebrities from such a young age, each member of the team has been affected in a different way, and each has a different relationship with their adopted father, whether it is adoration or resentment. Currently, with two seasons on Netflix, The Umbrella Academy is the perfect choice for someone who wants to see the absurdity of the superhero genre put to the max.