Sunday Sub-Genres: Superhero Fantasy

This week, we’re back with another fantasy sub-genre post! As a quick update, the plan is to move posts on this topic to Sundays as part of a new Sunday Sub-genres blog section. The posts will be every other week, just as they had been when they were on Fridays. This post is the first in that set of posts.

As I build up content, there will be some other new blog sections as well that will be posted on other days of the week. So, keep an eye out for those.

With that announcement out of the way, this week’s fantasy sub-genre is Superhero Fantasy. Most people might not think that superhero stories are fantasy, but given the elements they possess, almost all superhero stories are considered fantasy. Let’s take a look at the sub-genre.

Defining Superhero Fantasy

As mentioned earlier, most superhero stories are fantasy. However, let’s discuss a little more of what this sub-genre’s definition entails. Superhero fantasy usually involves a main character with some sort of super human ability, a strong sense of morality, and a hidden identity. Usually, the genre centers on fighting crime because, after all, that is what a superhero does.

Typically, superhero fantasy also involves villains that are unforgivably flawed. They must be stopped at all costs because they won’t stop unless someone makes them. There is no redeeming quality about the villains of superhero fantasy. Often, the villains also have a super human quality to them in superhero fantasy. Whether or not it’s an actual superpower may depend on the story.

Now, that’s all well and good, but what makes a superhero story truly a superhero fantasy? Well, the biggest thing that makes it fantasy is the presence of strong fantastical elements. Does the superhero have their abilities because they come from another planet like Superman? Or do they gain the abilities because of some strange, mystical (and definitely non-scientific) circumstance? If they do, chances are your superhero story is considered fantasy.

On the other hand, if your story has superheros with powers because of special suits or science experiments gone wrong, it’s more likely that your superhero story would be closer to the sci-fi side than fantasy. And if that’s the sort of story you’re writing, that’s okay. It’s just not the focus of this post. (Though some of the elements for writing it may end up being the same regardless.)

Writing Superhero Fantasy

With the definition of superhero fantasy clear in our minds, let’s take a look at writing it. These elements can actually be used to write any superhero story. The way you use them is what will determine whether it’s fantasy or sci-fi.

Superhero

It goes without saying that a superhero fantasy needs a superhero. The trouble is that superhero fantasy and heroic fantasy can get their lines crossed a bit here, so some discussion of what a main character should and should not be in a superhero fantasy is needed.

First off, a heroic fantasy usually involves one or more heroes, and those heroes may or may not have special abilities. That’s pretty straightforward, mostly. If they don’t have powers or it’s not one main character with the powers, chances are, you’re not writing about a superhero.

The more subtle difference in superhero fantasy versus heroic fantasy is in the character of the characters. Heroic fantasy’s characters are almost always going to be flawed. Sometimes even fatally so. Morality can be a bit of a gray area for these characters.

Not so with superhero fantasy. If you watch even a little bit of the superhero genre on TV or read comics, you’ll quickly notice that the main characters of these stories don’t have any gray areas with their morality (for the most part). They know right is right and wrong is wrong.

The bad guys aren’t going to get away on their watch if they have anything to say about it. Don’t bother trying to bribe these guys or throw them off the scent because they’re not going to give up until the villain is behind bars (or subjected to some form of justice).

This is an important part of crafting a superhero. The powers have to go hand-in-hand with a strong moral compass and unwillingness to compromise with evil, whatever that may be in a given story.

Despite their high moral code and strict adherence to it, superheros still have struggles. Often, superhero fantasy will go into the psychological struggles of the characters and will show why they ultimately choose good over evil. Or don’t if the goal of the story is to have a superhero gone bad.

Either way, superhero fantasy is going to explore who the superheros really are and what made them that way. The genre is heavy on characterization, so good characterization absolutely cannot be ignored.

Supervillains

This was mentioned earlier, but one of the defining traits of the antagonist for a superhero fantasy is that they’re a supervillain. Like the superhero, they have some sort of special power, but they’re using it for evil. Whatever their motivations, they won’t stop until the superhero puts an end to it.

Also mentioned above was the note that the supervillains have no redeeming traits. This is the biggest difference between heroic fantasy and superhero fantasy. Heroic fantasy might afford the villain some quarter by way of a redeeming quality or saving grace. Superhero fantasy doesn’t. After all, you have to balance out the unflinching, morally pure hero somehow. And what better way to do that than to have an utterly despicable antagonist?

But just because the supervillains are entirely evil doesn’t mean they’re flat. Superhero fantasy thrives on deep characterization, so if you’re going to write this genre, your readers are going to expect you to get deep into the psychological and emotional aspects of the villain. Why are they doing this? What’s their intention? What drove them to do what they are? All of those questions are ones superhero fantasy often explores.

Crime

Usually, superhero fantasy deals with crime. The superhero needs somewhere to turn his mind when he has such a hatred for evil. This comes out in fighting crime.

Fighting crime could occur in a number of ways. First, the character may be a vigilante, working without sanction or help from the local authorities. Arrow and his gang are a good example of this. Second, they might be working independently of law enforcement but with full support from the local authorities despite that. This would include heroes like Superman.

The final category is the superhero that works with law enforcement, even if law enforcement may not know about their two identities. For example, Barry Allen works for the police department in Central City, but he’s also the Flash. Not many of the cops he works with know this, but even as the Flash, he has the goodwill (if not the support) of the police department. A twist on this one that does seem more popular is to have superheros who worked with the government or in the military at some point or another. Quite a few popular superheros have done this, with Captain America being one of the better known heroes.

Conclusion

These are only the main things that make superhero fantasy what it is. There’s certainly more that can be learned about the genre. This should help you as you get your feet wet in the genre, but it should only be the starting point. I’ve added some additional resources and some examples of superhero fantasy below to help you as you do further research.

If you enjoy reading in the superhero fantasy sub-genre, what books do you recommend? You can put them in the comments. Just please ensure that you make a note in your comment if the book isn’t clean and appropriate for children since I do have some younger readers who may be reading through the comments too.