Deconstruction of the superhero subgenre in The Boys : A social satire through characters with mental disorders

IF 1.1 2区艺术学 0 FILM, RADIO, TELEVISION

Critical Studies in Television Pub Date : 2025-07-28 DOI:10.1177/17496020251360014

Alfonso Freire-Sánchez, Marta Lopera-Mármol

引用次数: 0

Abstract

This article analyses the deconstruction of the superhero film subgenre by examining the demystification of the idealised hero figure and exploring their darker sides. Using Friedrich Schleiermacher’s hermeneutic circle and Jacques Derrida’s deconstructionism applied to the analysis of The Boys (2019–present), the study reveals that the series’ superheroes, portrayed as villains, display behaviours aligning with DSM-5 (2013) mental disorders, breaking traditional heroism narratives. The series employs parody and satire to critique contemporary social movements, using mental health as a narrative tool. Nevertheless, it risks reinforcing stigma by linking mental disorders to violence through unrealistic and exclusionary representations, complicating its intended social commentary.

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解构《男孩》中的超级英雄亚类型：通过精神障碍人物进行的社会讽刺

本文分析了超级英雄电影亚类型的解构，考察了理想化的英雄形象的去神秘化和探索他们的阴暗面。该研究将弗里德里希·施莱尔马赫的解释学循环和雅克·德里达的解构主义应用于对《男孩》（2019年至今）的分析，发现该系列的超级英雄被描绘成恶棍，表现出符合DSM-5（2013年）精神障碍的行为，打破了传统的英雄主义叙事。该系列以戏仿和讽刺的手法批判当代社会运动，以心理健康为叙事工具。然而，通过不现实和排他性的表述将精神障碍与暴力联系起来，使其预期的社会评论复杂化，可能会加剧耻辱。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Critical Studies in Television FILM, RADIO, TELEVISION-

CiteScore

2.10

自引率

30.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Critical Studies in Television publishes articles that draw together divergent disciplines and different ways of thinking, to promote and advance television as a distinct academic discipline. It welcomes contributions on any aspect of television—production studies and institutional histories, audience and reception studies, theoretical approaches, conceptual paradigms and pedagogical questions. It continues to invite analyses of the compositional principles and aesthetics of texts, as well as contextual matters relating to both contemporary and past productions. CST also features book reviews, dossiers and debates. The journal is scholarly but accessible, dedicated to generating new knowledge and fostering a dynamic intellectual platform for television studies.