The Deconstruction of the Superhero in Watchmen

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 2,0, RWTH Aachen University, language: English, abstract: This paper analyses the deconstruction of the superhero and its stereotypical features in Watchmen. The paper assumes that the deconstruction serves as a way to show the dispensability of superheroes. The papers’ thesis is therefore that the superheroes in Watchmen and their stereotypical features are dispensable and that a life without them is definitely possible and even desirable. In order to prove this thesis, the paper first presents a definition for stereotypical superheroes. Then, with the help of the definition, it analyses a few of the protagonists of Watchmen and their features with respect to their differences to other superheroes and their dispensability. In the conclusion, the results of the analysis will be summarized and a final statement about the dispensability of the superheroes and their superhero features is given.