Core Idea :
The core idea of this piece is to cement the idea of correlating some aspects of the superhero and neo-noir genres, and explain why they fit together so well using examples. Then, talk about its success and why it is significant. I want to make the argument, furthermore, that the neo-noir and superhero genres work so well together that it may be causing more prominence/a spotlight on the neo-noir genre.
OUTLINE
WHAT IS NEO-NOIR?
To first get a sense of what the neo-noir is, we must first define the ‘noir.’ This section makes use of a lot of the readings in our class to give context to later sections, specifically about character archetypes and film styles
RISE OF THE SUPERHERO GENRE
The Avengers, Marvel
DC, these two being adaptations from comics
(This section will be shorter and more historical based, as later on I return to this subject in terms of statistics and numbers)
THE DARK KNIGHT
The origin of the name The Dark Knight came from a Batman miniseries by Frank Miller in 1986, who used iterations of ‘The Dark Knight’ in each of his titles.
The etymology of the word and how it refers to his character (connotations of dark and knight, how the meaning changes when put together)
Now that we know what The Dark Knight means ‘out of story,’ to us the audience, what does the term mean to the characters themselves? As we know, it’s a term coined to refer to Batman without explicitly saying ‘it’s Batman!’ like Superman’s ‘man of steel,’ or Spider-man’s ‘friendly neighborhood spiderman,’ or even the iconic ‘Avengers Assemble!’ from Marvel. It’s integral to our understanding of the character at this point, but what about the character’s understanding of themselves?
2022 Article about the dark knight origin here.
When Was Batman First Referred To As ‘The Dark Knight’? (cbr.com)
https://screenrant.com/new-origin-of-batman-dark-knight-title-explained-bruce-wayne/
BATMAN AND THE NEO-NOIR
Nolan and film style. Angles (provide screenshots from The Dark Knight (YEAR) and Batman Rising, including their posters.
Note that there is not really a presence of shaky camera
On Nolan: why did he make the stylistic choices he did in directing the dark knight trilogy?
Why The Batman’s Noir Aesthetic Is Both a Blessing and a Curse (collider.com)
BATMAN BEGINS (2005)
“It is night, always. The hero enters a labyrinth on a quest. He is alone and offbalance. He may be desperate, in flight, or coldly calculating, imagining he is the pursuer rather than the pursued….” Christopher, 7.
Character of Batman and how it relates to noir:
Detective, lone-wolf etc.
Film style: (PROVIDE SCREENSHOTS AND GO INTO DEPTH)
THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)
Character of Two-Face and how it relates to noir:
Corruption, good becomes bad and there is nothing to do about it, the redeeming hope of the city gone etc.
Film style: Mostly to reiterate what was presented in Batman Begins section, and further cement Batman as a neo-noir
DAREDEVIL AND THE NEO-NOIR
Marvel studios, as mentioned before, has a history just as deep as DCs, and are distinctly different from their rival-studio in terms of the themes of their superhero movies. Both are full of action and captivating battle sequences with high stakes, as is expected by their target audience, but whereas DC focuses more on standalone films— Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman with the occasional crossover such as Justice League or Batman versus Superman—Marvel’s fame comes from their cinematic crossovers such as the Avengers series, which is almost ‘supported’ by their standalone series such as the Iron Mans or Spider-Mans that add context, instead of the other way around. As well, Marvel studios tends to be lighter than DC, whose characters tend to embody struggle and conflict as personal themes, compared to Marvel who tends to have more one-liners and comedic moments interspersed through to lighten the mood. The film style also tends to incorporate this, where DC films tend to be less saturated and/or exposed whilst Marvel films use intentional color theory with bright, saturated colors.
One of the main exceptions from the Marvel rule is the 2015 series Daredevil, which features [EXPLANATION OF SHOW HERE].
Characters: The role of the detective, and the lone hero. Then go into the grittiness and gore of (especially) the first few episodes, and then about his role as a lawyer (the law, but specifically the defense of ‘criminals’ as a personification of law) and how it relates to corruption in the city. Side-note on the Kingpin plot (relates to the two-face plot in Batman the Dark Knight), but focuses mainly on Matt Murdock’s role as a defense attorney and how he picks his clients, and how it relates to corruption in the city and noir.
Karen Page’s character as well, and Ben Urich and his death as representatives of corruption in noir.
Film style:
Desaturation in Hell’s Kitchen, High and low angles. Hollywood editing with noir color grading and shots. (PROVIDE SCREENSHOT EXAMPLES)
End of the show?
Daredevil (the show) was cancelled, but recently made a cameo in Spider-man: No Way Home and has a movie coming out in 2024. Why the sudden revival?
Explaining why show was cancelled, and why it coming back is significant.
GREEN ARROW AND THE NEO-NOIR
Debating removing this section because I cannot find sources to back me up, but also I still believe that this is a neo-noir and a good example of it in the television format. Would be formatted similarly to the Daredevil section, with:
Premise
Character Archetype
Film style (use of silhouettes, dramatic lighting to accompany the dramatic storyline)
What happened to the show? Why did it end (2020)?
RISE OF THE SUPERHEROS PT.2
The superhero genre as a growing group, and its prevalence today. Poses the question: is the superhero genre becoming the new foothold for neo-noir? Could it lead to a revitalization of the film style?
This section is more opinion-based than the others, with statistics and movie years to back it up.
