Gender Stereotypes In The Unwritten Hero

Heroes are seen throughout television shows and in literature. Many heroic acts range from saving the damsel in distress to slaying the dragon. Heroes are those who are held to a high standard for saving and changing the world no matter how small or large heroic action they perform. Probably when asked who is a hero, answers can vary from individuals in one’s personal life like parents to fictional characters such as Superman. However, in the fictional world of heroes, it is more common to view characters like Batman, Superman, or Spiderman as real heroes who fight dangerous villains to ultimately save the world. It is rare to see female heroes and especially ones that do not necessarily hold a superpower. For example, in the television show

Many famous heroes as mentioned such as Spiderman or Superman are well recognized and loved. Like many other heroes, a majority of them are male and hold some superpower whether they have, super strength, impressive martial art skills or supervision. The pattern of gender and powers is not unknown to many that it exists. The unwritten hero standards can be classified as gender stereotypes within the universe of heroes which place limitations on who is praised as a hero. Gender stereotypes place typically men as the universal heroes in the fictional world of superheroes. According to the TED talk of Christopher Bell, “Bring on the Female Superhero’s”, there exists some gender equality like female characters who are heroes, but such equality lacks strength as male heroes are the ones more favored and produced. Iris West defies the identities of many heroes as she is not only a female but as well she does not possess superpowers. Both traits which do not exclude her from being a hero, nonetheless, strengthen her role in protecting Central City. Iris is a hero who saves Central City alongside Barry Allen because she holds the qualities that make her a hero like her

As talked about earlier, Iris is a female hero which consists of a minority group of characters. The majority of the time, heroes are thought to be male and have superpowers. Iris West’s persona contradicts this common belief with her gender and her lack of powers. Even though there are other female superheroes, the notion of having powers remains. Thus, Iris’s character proves in a large scale she is not your common hero. Her lack of powers does not make her weak or less of a hero but aid her to help Central City without the need of a costume at broad daylight. Many heroes wear a costume or mask to hide their identity from the world. Superman wears glasses; Spiderman wears a mask and many others do the same. For Iris, there is no need of a costume as her journey to be a hero was different from other common heroes. As stated by Jennifer Stasak in her article, “the writers of the show recognize that a hero’s journey isn’t necessarily one that follows the strict progression, or the cause-and-effect patterns so often portrayed in pop-culture”. When Iris became a hero, she did not hear a calling like most heroes nor did she have a mentor along the way. Iris became involved in the hero world unintentionally and her decisions to help were not due to a cause and effect relationship. Iris is a unique hero who fights battles on the spot or behind a computer screen giving orders. Her lack