Monomyth and Superhero, Recycled Themes
Heroes and superheroes are a significant part of people’s culture, especially popular culture. As a result, the mass population is given numerous heroes and superheroes, including Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Supergirl, The Arrow, and Batman. Mass media is significant in sharing heroes and superhero stories through films and comic books, among other media types. According to Miles (2018), superhero stories are a genre under the heroes’ genre that constitutes the American cultural myths. The superhero characteristics distinguish them from heroes who are superior to their environment and other men, and depending on whether the hero is romanticized, they can either be human or supernatural. These characteristics contribute to the monomyth, which is also the hero’s journey. Further, with the advancement of time, new superheroes are created to reflect the current eras, while the monomyth is maintained by recycling the themes (Burke et al., 2019); one such superhero is Dr. Strange.
Dr. Strange
One superhero in popular culture is Dr. Strange. Dr. Strange is a comic book superhero created in 1963 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, being featured in Strange Tales no. 110 in July 1963 (Gruber, 2015). Dr. Strange is portrayed as a magician with Buddhist practices and views who goes through numerous adventures historically valuable for that era. The significance of historical portrayal reflects the popular culture of a given era while illustrating the continuous changes in culture. The culture in 1963 is apparent from the impacts of the histories of that era (late 20th – early 21st century) on the social, economic, and cultural background of the society. America went through numerous political changes in that century, including the Cold War and civil rights movements, followed by the assassination of President Kennedy, which had numerous economic impacts on society. Further, the sociocultural aspect of society continued to evolve with advancements in mass media through television, shows, and programs such as Star Trek and Batman, and music, with the British invasion with artists such as The Beatles and Rolling Stone, among others as leisure activities (Reading Through History, 2019). Additionally, fashion was also distinct in that era with changes in grooming and clothing.
Many other aspects of culture are represented in Dr. Strange. These aspects include quasi-religions, especially Buddhism, focusing on tantra or Tibet, a practice with subtle body energy (Gruber, 2015). Accordingly, the character of Dr. Strange reflects some of these cultural aspects, from his appearance to his story.
(Akbar, 2019)
From the image above, his clothing and grooming are unique in the colors with a cloak and a unique hairstyle; during the 1960s, society opted for alternative dressing and grooming from the traditional styles with longer hair and colored clothing. In the storyline, Dr. Strange was born a talented human without any supernatural abilities. Later in his life, when his neurological surgery career was at its peak, he got into an accident that injured his hand in a way that other doctors could not remedy. Consequently, in a quest to find a solution, he turned to Tibet for a remedy, where he came across magic and mysticism.
How Dr. Strange Resonates With The General Era In Which He Was Written
Consistently, these occurrences display the challenges that Dr. Strange went through, representing the uncertainties in society represented in fear in the political and economic systems and transformations in music, dressing, and other forms of mass media such as television. Moreover, the focus of Buddhism illustrates the quasi-religions of the 1960s. Thus, the depictions of Dr. Strange’s character and story reflect the culture of the 1960s, and it became popular for this reason and the increase in leisure activities. Accordingly, this hero would resonate with the mass population of the 1960s. The call to adventure as Dr. Strange embarks on fixing his damaged hand represents the state of the 1960s, as people ventured into new music with the British invasion and the advancements in television with a diverse genre of films and programs. The change in dressing, grooming, and civil rights movements represent the changing times and the adventurous aspect of society in the 1960s.
Elements of the Monomyth
Dr. Strange’s journey possesses characteristics of the monomyth. The monomyth is also defined as the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey outlines the steps the hero took during an adventure where they faced a crisis, became victorious and returned to their homes successfully. The monomyth, as elaborated by Joseph Campbell, consists of steps as illustrated below:
The ordinary world – Doctor Strange was a normal human being while growing up and while working as a neurosurgeon. During this time, he gets involved in an accident, damaging his hand and limiting him from practicing surgery since other doctors cannot come to his aid.
The call to adventure – Dr. Strange decides to visit the Tibetan Palace to get a remedy for his injured hand, embarking on an adventure in his journey.
The refusal of the call – After meeting the Ancient One, Dr. Strange is given an opportunity to learn mysticism, but he refuses.
Meeting with the mentor – Dr. Strange meets the Ancient One, who becomes his teacher and mentor.
Crossing the threshold – In the desire to protect the Ancient One from Baron Mordo, Dr. Strange agrees to learn mysticism and magic.
Tests, allies, and enemies – In his new role, Dr. Strange undergoes numerous tests while creating allies and enemies, such as Baron Mordo, illustrating his superhero traits.
Approaching the innermost cave, Dr. Strange was destined to be Sorcerer Supreme, and in this journey, this destiny is met.
The supreme ordeal – Dr. Strange undergoes a near-death encounter, earning him an ankh-shaped mark on his forehead and an ageless life.
Reward, or seizing the sword – The ankh-shaped mark on his forehead and an ageless life are the rewards Dr. Strange obtains after surviving.
The road back – After studying and learning magic and mysticisms, Dr. Strange has to return to his ordinary world.
Resurrection – The supreme ordeal that led to his transformation represents his resurrection.
Return with the elixir – Dr. Strange returns home with elixirs such as wisdom and knowledge.
These steps repeat themselves every time a new challenge presents itself.
In conclusion, superheroes are a significant part of popular culture. Numerous superheroes are created for the mass population for consumption. Accordingly, these superheroes have similar characteristics represented in the monomyth or hero’s journey, as illustrated in the superhero Dr. Strange. Dr, Strange undergoes the hero’s journey numerous times, illustrating the recycled themes.
References
Akbar, T. (2019). Visualization of the Character of “Doctor Strange” in the Creation of the Wayang Avenger. IICACS: International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Arts Creation and Studies, 3, 210-218. https://doi.org/10.33153/iicacs.v3i1.34
Burke, L., Gordon, I., & Ndalianis, A. (2019). The Superhero Symbol: Media, Culture, and Politics. Rutgers University Press.
Gruber, J. (2015). The Dharma of Doctor Strange: The Shifting Representations of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism within a Comic Book Serial. Implicit Religion, 18(3), 247-371. https://doi.org/10.1558/imre.v18i3.19420
Miles, J. (2018). Superheroes and their ancient Jewish parallels. McFarland.
Reading Through History. (2019). History Brief: 1960s Daily Life and Pop Culture [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me1n9dOM6xA.
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Question 
Heroes have always been a part of written stories. Heroes from Greek mythology often had super-human characteristics but also had fatal flaws and often met with tragic ends because of these flaws. The post-World War I and II era created comic book heroes that did not seem to have any flaws. The current superheroes all seem to be dark heroes – heroes that may not always do acceptable (legal) things but overall may have good intentions. One similarity that many hero stories share is the monomyth, or hero’s journey, as you read about in this week’s unit.
Monomyth and Superhero, Recycled Themes
Be sure to address the following in your paper.
Discuss how the character of one Hero or Superhero (fictional) reflects the times that they are written. You may select a fictional hero from any era. However, you should be comfortable describing that era’s culture as well.
Explain why this hero would resonate with the general era in which they were written.
Describe the elements of the monomyth that are apparent in this hero’s story. HINT! Utilize a template like the one listed below to break down each part of the monomyth.
A visual overview of the Monomyth/Hero’s Journey can be found at https://thetrojanwar.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/monomyth.jpg