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Inventing the Latino Superhero: Same Myth, Different Masks

Mauricio Espinoza is a doctoral student in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and a recent recipient of support from the Iles Fund for the Study of Myth. About his work, he writes:

The Iles Fund allowed me to present my paper - "Inventing the Latino Superhero: Representation, Cultural Identity and Myth in the Construction of Latino/a Heroic Figures and Discourses in Contemporary U.S. Comics" - at the 2009 Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (KFLC), April 16-18, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. KFLC is one of the largest conferences of its kind in the United States.

My research on Latino superheroes in comics is part of my dissertation project, which deals with the construction, circulation and consumption of Latino heroism discourses in the United States. In addition to comic books and cartoons, I analyze several other instances of heroic construction and consumption in the discourses of war, immigration, civil and labor rights, and sports.

Latino superheroes - such as Eleggua and the Santerians (Marvel), the new Blue Beetle (DC Comics), or El Gato Negro (Richard Dominguez/Azteca Productions) - are a rather recent phenomenon in the U.S. comics universe, responding, perhaps, to what Arlene Dávila has referred to as the popularization of everything Latino in this country via marketing. My study seeks to put Latino superheroes in historical perspective and dialogue with iconic superhero figures from both Latin America and the United States, including Mexican luchadores such as Santo and Blue Demon and the ultimate Hispanic superhero prototype, Zorro. I also explore the creation of these comics in the context of the resurgence of the hero myth in contemporary U.S. culture - from the real-life heroes of 9/11 to the fictional characters of the TV series Heroes.

From a cultural studies lens, I argue that the figure of the superhero can be a useful theoretical and methodological tool/framework to analyze processes of representation of and by Latinos in U.S. culture - similar to the way Danny Fingeroth has explored the connection between Jews and American superheroes, and the underlying issues of identity formation and reproduction involved in such representations. Some fundamental questions arise in this analytical exercise: Is there something particular about these Latino superheroes that is informed by and responds to the aspirations, struggles or values of Latinos in the United States? Or are these superhero figures nothing more than an objectification and appropriation of the ethnic "other" for marketing purposes? Furthermore, could a "Latino" superhero constructed, marketed and circulated with such specific ethnic/identity "markings" become an "American" superhero the way Superman or Captain America have achieved such a cultural status?

To discuss my findings, add to the discussion, or share your interest in/knowledge about superheroes, please contact me at espinoza.15@osu.edu.

(This article was posted in May of 2009)