In the year 2020, you are not allowed to escape the world of progressive politics. You must be lectured to at all times, even if the matter of George Floyd’s death is no longer relevant to the discussion.

Progressives have done a damn good job destroying what we once referred to as superheroes with publishers like Marvel pushing for new inclusive progressive heroes such as Snowflake and Safespace. Now, according to Time Magazine, they want superheroes to progress even further, even if that means they no longer resemble the hero they were written to be.

Eliana Dockterman writes a piece in Time calling on Hollywood to reconsider how they view superheroes as “good guys” because they are cops with capes. Docketerman not only makes the argument that we should rethink how we view superheroes as ‘real’ heroes, but she believes that any superhero film that doesn’t deal in the progressive reality that police are inherently evil should be removed altogether

Dockterman begins her brilliant argument by stating the following:

Most superhero stories star straight, white men who either function as an extension of a broken U.S. justice system or as vigilantes without any checks on their powers. Usually, they have some sort of tentative relationship with the government: The Avengers work for the secretive agency S.H.I.E.L.D.; Batman takes orders from Gotham police commissioner Gordon; even the villainous members of the Suicide Squad execute government orders in exchange for commuted prison sentences. And even when superheroes function outside the justice system, they’re sometimes idolized by police because they are able to skirt the law to “get the job done.”

Right off the bat, the writer points the finger at straight white males as the problem in society so we know where the rest of this piece is going. She continues:

What’s more, given that the creators and stars of these movies have historically been white men, it’s hardly surprising that so few reckon with issues of systemic racism—let alone sexism, homophobia, transphobia and other forms of bigotry embedded in the justice system or the inherent biases these superheroes might carry with them as they patrol the streets or the universe.

In the eyes of Dockterman, superhero films are doing an injustice to its popcorn viewing audience by refusing to address the real-life issues of police relations with minorities along with social justice. Because when you spend an ungodly amount of money to watch the Avengers with your family, you should be thinking about combating systemic oppression across the world. Being able to sit down for three hours without having a gender studies professor lecture you about racism is simply white privilege.

Dockterman then proceeds to blame the heroic view that superheroes and society have on police on white writers and directors, calling for more people of color to take over so they can portray THEIR idea of justice in America. She ends her rant arguing that Hollywood should take existing heroes and retell their stories to fit a progressive narrative.

Writers must also shake the notion that they are bound by the strictures of outdated intellectual property. These days, few big-budget projects move forward unless they are based on existing IP. But the success of Watchmen suggests that creators can snatch up those familiar characters and still weave a new story, with new politics and a new perspective, using only fragments of what came before. 

Dockterman’s idea sadly isn’t as radical as it sounds because modern superhero properties have already been telling progressive stories against the history of it’s IP for many years and seeing how deep the claws of social justice are sunk into Hollywood today, Dockterman’s idea is only a couple of years if not a couple of months away from being a reality, coming to a theater near you.

When it comes to the progressive left, their ideology is much like the song ‘Ready or Not’ from The Fugees.

Ready or not, here I come, you can’t hide…
Gonna find you and take it slowly…
Ready or not, here I come, you can’t hide…
Gonna find you and make you want me…

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