9 Examples Of Superheroes Fighting More Than Just Bad Guys

Activists Assemble! Superheroes don't always save the universe, sometimes they tackle the everyday social issues faced by their readers.

1. CIVIL WAR HIGHLIGHTS POLARIZING VIEWS ON PRIVACY & FEDERAL CONTROL

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Captain America takes a strong political stance in Marvel's Civil War series by opposing the U.S. government's Superhero Registration Act. With the U.S. selling the increased surveillance of citizens as necessary for security, Captain America takes a stance for the freedom and privacy of Superheroes and citizens. Patriot Act anyone?

2. THE WATCHMEN ADDRESS GLOBAL SECURITY AND FREEDOMS

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The Watchmen takes place in a time when the U.S and Russia are caught in an arms race and regular people take it upon themselves to fight crime despite a law that persecutes vigilantes. Basically, this story is about unifying and creating a global utopian society at the expense of being manipulated and lied to. One man, Ozymandias, finds a way to achieve world peace by creating a fictional common enemy and destroying a whole city. Ozymandias also killed anyone that found out of his extreme plans to arbitrarily preserve the peace. This bring us to the question: would you rather live a peaceful lie with fewer liberties or in a conflicted society with all of your freedoms? For a unique interpretation, check out Thug Notes on the YouTube Channel Wisecrack. Trust me, Sparky Sweetz, Ph.D. doesn't disappoint.

3. THE DARK KNIGHT AND CELL PHONE SURVEILLANCE

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In Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight we see the implementation of a special surveillance software that allows Batman to infiltrate all data, memory and video captures from cell phones to help aid him in finding the Joker. Although he inevitably destroys the device, it definitely triggers a bit of the controversy that has been seen in recent months; especially with Apple's open letter to its customers and the San Bernadino case.

4. IRONMAN BATTLED ALCOHOLISM

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He’s a billionaire playboy and philanthropist who also happens to be a self-made superhero. All of those qualities make Tony Stark, also known as Ironman, quite a cool character but when he started to drink in order to forget his problems, he joined the millions of Americans battling alcoholism. The “Demon in a Bottle” comic book storyline forced Ironman to take a step back from the problems facing the world, in order to face his own addiction. Children reading the comics, who perhaps were affected by alcoholism in their family, then saw their favorite character on a PSA by The National Association of Children of Alcoholics.

I KNOW, RIGHT???

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5. ...OR WHAT ABOUT THE TIME GREEN LANTERN & GREEN ARROW TACKLED HEROIN ADDICTION???

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Decades before heroin addiction became a topic during the 2016 political race, DC Comics brought the issue to its readers in an anti-drug storyline within the Green Lantern comic series. Green Lantern and Green Arrow fight against drug dealers in the story “Snowbirds Don’t Fly,” only to find out that sidekick Roy Harper, known as “Speedy,” is also battling a drug addiction.

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6. THE FALCON AND POVERTY

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Captain America issue #117 introduces us to Falcon, the first African-American superhero. Falcon, otherwise known as Sam Wilson, is a social worker from Harlem fighting against black separatism and militancy. His “stay in school” message to young people is aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty.

7. X-MEN FIGHT AGAINST ALL KINDS OF DISCRIMINATION

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The X-Men characters were first introduced in the 1960’s during a time of turbulent race relations in our country. In the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, Americans were transported to a world of superhero mutants facing racism, bigotry and prejudice. In the series, the humans and the “good mutants,” who are the X-Men, are trying to work together to fight the discrimination through lawful means. The “bad mutants” are in conflict with the X-Men and want to react to the bigotry with violence against humans and any mutants attempting to undermine their plot. The article "The Racial Politics of X-Men" by Mikhail Lyubansky, Ph.D. addresses these themes head-on.

8. BATMAN BATTLES POLICE BRUTALITY

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We’re familiar with Batman taking on the Joker and the Riddler, but in a comic book series titled “Dark Knight III: Master Race,”, Batman takes on a corrupt local police force. The comic opens with Batman saving a young black man from police. It’s a storyline of police brutality with eery parallels to tragic real-life incidents that have fueled social movements such as Black Lives Matter.

9. AVENGERS TACKLE CYBER SECURITY IN AGE OF ULTRON

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Unlike other films that seek to unify the human race, the “Avengers: Age of Ultron” story arch would have humans eradicated. Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, completes an artificial intelligence global defense project named Ultron. Problem is, the sentient Ultron believes the only way to save the world is to kill all human life. It then sets forth to destroy the planet using the internet to spread its deadly intentions. The Avengers are then faced with the real prospect of fighting a cyber weapon. It’s not that far off from fiction - if Stuxnet (one of the best-known, and debated, examples of cyber weapons) had an evil physical body, it might as well be called Ultron.

There are hundreds of other social issues touched upon in the comic book world, such as LGBTQ, domestic violence, affirmative action and various types of disabilities. We want to know what superhero moment you think deserves a spot on the list. Share with us your favorite time when superheroes fought more than just the bad guys in the comments below!