Popular culture studies are the practice of studying popular culture from the perspective of a theorist. Ranging from cereal boxes to drugs, many things influence the people of our society. In the United States, one of the most popular obsessions is with super heroes. Ever since the 1930s, superheroes have dominated American comic books and media. People believe that such characters were created solely for the purpose of entertaining those who admire such marvelous figures. However, little did people know that such foolish characters could have a great underlying meaning. In 1963, Stan Lee introduced Tony Stark, an insanely magnificent, talented, and wealthy character who has that special “cool” factor. However, Stan Lee created Iron Man as a challenge to himself in creating a character that people were supposed to hate, but inevitably fell in love with. Tony Stark represents the elite class and is much more intelligent and wealthy than the average American. Despite these characteristics, he still manages to grab the attention of the general population. Ever since the creation of Iron Man, adults and children are in awe of this character, who possesses …show more content…
The way Tony balances self-sacrifice, capitalism, and ego—generosity and gadgetry—makes him such a favored super Hero. Americans are forced to believe that one must be prosperous and intelligent in order to live a content life. Iron Man assists in this notion, as he is a wealthy character who maintains the title of being a “superhero.” In a way, figures like Tony Stark, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Steve Jobs have ingrained the idea that technology, power, and money are the keys to such success and happiness. Most recently, the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, purchased four homes for $30 million, solely for the purpose of his privacy. Things like these influence Americans into thinking that they need