Introducing Superhero Tales into the Classroom: Greek Myth and the Changing Nature of Story*
In this article I explore how superhero tales can be used in the university classroom to help students think about the changing nature of Greek myth and narrative. In doing so I examine a handful of Batman tales in light of Walter Burkert’s ideas about myth. Applying these concepts to such tales allows students to get a better sense of how stories can adapt over time to their audiences. I conclude by offering practical suggestions on how to introduce this topic into the classroom as a fun and contemporary hook to get students thinking about how myth functions in the world, both ancient and modern.
myth, Walter Burkert, superheroes, Batman
The Problem: Misunderstandings of Greek Myth Myth as Historical Venture
Over the years I have encountered two fundamental challenges while teaching Greek myth. One is that some students, when first coming to class, view the study of myth as an historical venture that is essentially disconnected from their own lives. Although Greek myths are deemed to be fascinating, they are not considered to be relevant to life here and now. Of course, one way that scholars address this point of view, at least indirectly, is to remind us how a common meaning of the word mythos in ancient Greek is “story.”1 When we [End Page 347] start to think about how we use story in our own lives to communicate with each other, we can begin to see how it is one of the basic threads that connects us to our human ancestors. For this reason, at the beginning of my myth class, I typically encourage my students to think about how they encounter story in their own lives and how it can be adapted. The study of ancient myth is not simply an historical exercise to think about what humans used to believe, but it involves the kind of storytelling that we are actively engaged in, both as individuals and as a society, right here and now: storytelling is rarely simple or straightforward, since more often than not, we, as individuals and a society, use stories to affirm and subvert worldviews.2
Myth as Static
A second challenge to overcome in the classroom is that, though students might envision myth as historical, there is a tendency to view such tales as static and hence, disconnected from their cultural or historical context. This oversight is perhaps not surprising given that contextualizing Greek myths is challenging since it requires a closer examination of ancient sources and contemporary scholarship, not to mention the research skills to accomplish this. Moreover, if students have read Greek myths, apart from a series like Percy Jackson, they probably did so from some kind of an anthology of Greek myths that did little to address their literary and historical contexts.3 To some extent this is part of the legacy of ancient mythographers who seem to have been more interested in anchoring the details of individual Greek myths rather than exploring their meaning in a specific context.4 But if we hope to understand more about storytelling, including the way that tales adapt and change over time, we need to offer students some new tools. [End Page 348]
Basic Burkert
In addressing such questions about the function and changing nature of story, I find it helpful to introduce core ideas from the writings of Walter Burkert. In his study, Structure and History in Greek Mythology and Ritual (1979), Burkert makes the following well-known and often-quoted assertion about myth:
The specific character of myth seems to lie neither in the structure nor in the content of a tale, but in the use to which it is put; and this would be my final thesis: myth is a traditional tale with secondary, partial reference to something of collective importance. Myth is traditional tale applied… 5
Of course, many other scholars have highlighted the fact that Greek myths could be told (and retold) for different reasons.6 Certainly, to communicate effectively, myth must refer to something of collective importance to its audience, but in the end, as Burkert notes, it is the application of the tale itself that gives myth its specific character: an application that is not always simple for the listener to deconstruct and often leads to new interpretations in subsequent retellings. An additional level of complexity is added when we realize that traditional tales by their nature can undergo numerous changes over time since they are passed down through the ages and usually have been adapted to many different contexts. Burkert calls attention to the fact that every myth “bears the mark of its history, of multiple levels of application and crystallization.”7 [End Page 349]
But before applying Burkert’s ideas to ancient literature and culture, I often have my students begin by exploring something more familiar: the stories of contemporary superheroes. Although I readily admit that such tales fall into the category of fictional, not credence, narratives,8 I think there are compelling reasons to make this connection both from a narrative9 and pedagogical10 point of view. Although Burkert sees fable (a form of fictional narrative) as “invented for the sake of its application,”11 even so we find that such fictional tales are frequently adapted and reinterpreted over time.12 The same goes for fairytale.13 Thus, it is not a far reach to see how fictional superhero tales can help students see not only how stories can speak to us here and now, but also provide us with contemporary case studies of how they adapt and change over time. [End Page 350]
The Dark Knight Rises…Again: A Brief History of Batman
In exploring superhero tales, we are fortunate because in recent years it has become much easier to access comics and graphic novels whether in reprinted editions or online.14 Moreover, printed sources and internet sites also provide easy-to-read overviews and surveys of many superhero characters and their stories. Given the abbreviated format of the present discussion, I will restrict my focus here to the character of Batman, aka the Dark Knight,15 whose stories have been entertaining audiences for almost a century. By reading older superhero tales and then comparing and contrasting them with more recent films and graphic novels, students can begin to see how characters and stories have shifted over time and are inextricably entwined with their historical and cultural context. In this sense, much like Greek myth, the stories of Batman over the past century could be considered as a kind of traditional tale applied. Perhaps fittingly, Bob Kane, co-creator of Batman, was once quoted as saying, “Maybe every ten years Batman has to go through an evolution to keep up with the times.”16 Before students watch a contemporary film version of Batman, however, I always start by offering them a very brief overview of his history.
Detective Comics (Volume 1) Number 27 (May 1939)
The character of Batman first appeared in May of 1939 in Detective Comics. Although the Batman’s origin story would not be told until later that year (November 1939), the first page of the comic announces that he is “a mysterious and adventurous figure fighting for righteousness and apprehending the wrong doer, in his lone battle against the evil forces of society…his identity remains unknown.” Artist Bob Kane (1915–98) and writer Bill Finger (1914–74) are now officially considered the co-creators of the Batman mythos. Although their collaborative legacy is complicated,17 both were involved in the initial formulation [End Page 351] of the character.18 In his short autobiography Kane mentions three eclectic inspirations for Batman including the historically more distant ornithopter drawing of Leonardo da Vinci19 as well as two silent films from his own era, The Mark of Zorro (1920)20 and The Bat Whispers (1930).21 Finger is cited as acknowledging a wide range of influences for his vision of Batman, including popular movies and contemporary pulp magazines. In The Steranko History of Comics, Vol. 1 (1970), he is quoted as saying, “My idea was to have Batman be a combination of Douglas Fairbanks, Sherlock Holmes, The Shadow and Doc Savage as well.”22 Indeed Batman’s first storyline would be directly based on a recent story about the Shadow.23 In addition to clarifying the contributions of Kane and Finger, scholars have more recently been re-examining the circumstances [End Page 352] that brought about the re-emergence of vigilante heroes,24 like Batman, in light of broader (and darker) movements of the early 20th century.25
The first Batman comic (“The Case of the Chemical Syndicate”) tells the story of the murder of a chemical king (Lambert), and how Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, the Bat-man, secretly solve the case: a tale that is fitting given the increasing importance of the chemical industry to the 1930s economy and Batman’s general ethos to combat the “evil forces of society.” Students can immediately identify core characters and elements of the Batman story, such as Bruce Wayne, the easy-going, wealthy socialite, and Commissioner Gordon, his elder and occasional confidant, who is unaware of Wayne’s alter ego (fig. 1). Batman’s disguise, though rather primitive by 21st century standards, is easily recognizable. As a vigilante hero, though, Batman has a harsh sense of justice in his early stories, perhaps the societal use to which they were put (= criminals have what is coming to them at the hands of the “law-enforcing” vigilante). After catching Alfred Stryker, the mastermind behind the killings, Batman knocks him into a vat of acid and rather casually remarks, “A fitting ending for his kind.” In a world that is ever-changing and seemingly filled with unpredictable and pressing dangers, Batman and similar vigilante heroes, hold out hope that criminals can be “stopped in their tracks” and “swift justice” can be served. Batman’s association with other vigilante “heroes” of this era also reflects the “marks of its history.” By the advent of Batman 1 (April 1940), however, an unspoken code—that Batman does not kill—would be established. Later that year a comic inset explored the thoughts of Batman and Robin on crime and being Americans.26 Not surprisingly, trust in government [End Page 353] institutions in Golden Age Batman comics was very high27 with nothing being said about inequities in the justice system. In reading the first Batman story, students will readily identify other cultural cues. For example, all the characters are white and male. Smoking is prevalent. Technology (cars, phones, etc.) and fashion (double-breasted suit coats and fedoras/homburgs) are befitting 1939. The art and medium of the story also reflect its time, as well as its language (including phrases like “Ho Hum!” and “chap”).
Detective Comics 27, May 1939, Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Gordon. Pencil, ink, and lettering (Bob Kane).
[End Page 354]
The Comics Code Authority
Batman became a very popular serial character after his appearance in Detective Comics. His acrobatic side-kick, Robin, would not appear until Detective Comics, volume 1, #38 (April 1940). Iconic villains soon became a familiar part of the storylines: Joker and Catwoman (called “the Cat” in Batman, volume 1, #1, March 1940), Scarecrow (World’s Finest Comics, volume 1, #3, September 1941), Penguin (Detective Comics, volume 1, #58, December 1941), Two Face (Detective Comics, volume 1, #66, August 1942), Riddler (Detective Comics, volume 1, #140, October 1948), etc. It is safe to say that the Batman story quickly became an established part of the post-WWII American cultural fabric. But in the 1950s, with newly perceived threats to the youth of America, the primary target audience of comics books, there arose a desire to regulate their content.28 Seeing the handwriting on the wall, in 1954 comic book publishers (including DC Comics, the publisher of Batman) established self-regulating censors known as the Comics Code Authority (CCA), which included a lengthy list of what comics could and could not include.29 The CCA stamp of approval first appeared on Batman, volume 1, #90 (March 1955). During this period Batman comic writers responded to the CCA by adjusting storylines and including
a proliferation of new Bat-characters designed to create a faux family atmosphere, the introduction of science-fiction villains whose cosmic crimes could not be imitated, and incessant distortions of the image of Batman himself…30 [End Page 355]
No doubt, the emergence of the campy and oftentimes tongue-in-cheek Batman of the 1960’s television show (1966–68) was one of the by-products of the regulations and changes of this era.
The Re-emergence of the Dark Knight
In 1971, after adjustments were made to the CCA,31 writers and artists took this occasion to push the envelope of the code’s boundaries. In “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge” (Batman, volume 1, #251, September 1973), Dennis O’Neil (writer) and Neal Adams (artist) offered a new Bronze Age interpretation of the Joker, portraying him as less of a prankster and more as a fear-inspiring, criminal clown.32 In time Neal Adams, now in the role of editor, would hire Frank Miller and others to redefine the Batman story. The resulting projects, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986) and Batman: Year One (1987), have left an ongoing and indelible mark on the Batman franchise, in many ways taking Batman back to his more vindictive Detective Comics roots. But “the key transition,” in the former tale according to Frank Miller, was Batman’s
recognition that he’s no longer part of authority … he’s no longer on the side of the powers that be anymore, because the powers that be are wrong.33
In Batman:Year One (1987) we encounter the return of Bruce Wayne to a now seemingly irredeemable Gotham City and thus, a perfect environment for Batman, since as Miller observes,
Batman doesn’t work when he’s a figure of authority … Batman works best in a society that’s gone to hell. That’s the only way he’s ever worked.34
James Gordon, the new Gotham City police lieutenant, is fighting his own battles against police misconduct and corruption, as well as personal demons (figs. 2 and 3). [End Page 356] On the East End of Gotham, a notoriously crime-infested neighborhood, we are introduced to Selina Kyle (soon to become the Catwoman), a former prostitute who is trying to make her way in life, while looking out for her friends. Miller’s generally dark take on Gotham City and humanity continue to be on full display in recent and much grittier film adaptations of Batman, including Matt Reeve’s latest offering, The Batman (2022).35
Batman: Year One, 1987, Lieutenant James Gordon reflects on Gotham City.
The Batman (2022)
Is the Vigilante Hero Still Viable?
The advent of streaming services has made it much easier for my Greek myth students to watch a film for class, not to mention that libraries often provide access to more popular titles. Most recently I have been having them watch The Batman (2022), but before that it was Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Whether The Batman is your favorite film or not, the evolution of the Batman story is on full display to anyone who compares it to Detective Comics 27 (1939). In describing the [End Page 357] new Batman, Philip Ball writes that the present incarnation of Batman provides us with
arguably the most flawed and disturbed portrayal of the caped crusader so far … Off duty, his lank hair and dark eyes make him look like an addict, as lost as any of Gotham’s lonely outcasts.36
Bruce Wayne as Batman lives and works in the shadows of a crime-ridden, Gotham City. At the beginning of the film, Batman is more like Miller’s “extremely violent character” who “works best in a society that has gone to hell.” After rescuing an innocent citizen from a merciless gang, Batman announces, “I’m vengeance,” once again taking up the cloak of the vigilante hero and even managing in the process to frighten the intended victim.37 But despite his initial approach to crime and society, Wayne eventually finds himself in a dilemma, as he pursues a new criminal, the Riddler,38 who shares similar impulses to eradicate the city of evil doers. But what evil doers should be eradicated seems to be a matter of perspective, which reveals the problematic nature of the vigilante hero.39 [End Page 358]
Batman: Year One, 1987, Lieutenant James Gordon reflects on Gotham City.
Family and Police Troubles.
While in pursuit of the Riddler, Bruce Wayne unexpectedly comes face to face with skeletons from his own family’s closet, including interactions with the crime boss Carmine Falcone. Apparently, Falcone, trying to avoid police contact, had once come unannounced to the Wayne Manor seeking medical help from Bruce’s father, Thomas. The Riddler claims that Falcone eventually returned the favor when he murdered an overly inquisitive reporter who was hounding Thomas during his mayoral campaign.40 In his investigation of the current mayor’s death, Batman crosses paths with Selina Kyle, who is trying to acquire information about her kidnapped friend and roommate, Annika Kosolov, while navigating organized [End Page 359] crime syndicates and corrupt politicians in the clubs on the East End of Gotham.41 One of Batman’s few allies in the city is the police lieutenant James Gordon, who is in a difficult position as he seeks to involve Batman in the case, yet is surrounded by corrupt officials who are anything but receptive to the “vigilante” Batman.
Shifting Cultural Issues
Although Batman, much like in Detective Comics 27, utilizes his detective skills while fighting crime to keep Gotham safe, in The Batman the “use to which the story is put” feels a lot different, especially since it is targeting a more mature audience,42 given the dark and violent nature of the story. Whereas the Golden Age Batman tended to view the world through a black and white lens, The Batman is more nuanced in how it presents the problems of Gotham city and in so doing delves into some of the more difficult societal issues of the 21st century (see the table below).43
| Societal Issue | Relationship to The Batman |
| (1) How trustworthy are personal and societal narratives, especially as they are disseminated on social media sites? How might such information lead to skewed insights and radicalization?44 | The use (or misuse) of social media appears throughout the film. For example, we see how the Riddler uses it to attract support for his final attack. However, we can also see how Thomas Wayne, as part of Gotham’s elite, utilized campaign commercials to leverage his family’s reputation and highlight their public service to the community. Of course, the Riddler exposes Thomas’ involvement with Carmine Falcone and the now corrupt “Renewal Fund,” which was heralded as a way to help Gotham’s poor, but instead ended up being hopelessly exploited by corruption. |
| (2) How are wealthy people treated differently than the economically disadvantaged?45 | The district attorney (Gil Colson) acknowledges that justice in Gotham City could be purchased for a price. The Riddler was himself an impoverished orphan and supposedly became embittered by Gotham’s favorable treatment of the billionaire orphan, Bruce Wayne. This same theme arises when Batman, discussing the disappearance of Selina Kyle’s friend Annika, tells Selina that “her friend got involved with the wrong people” and “choices have consequences.” In response Selina tells Batman, “You obviously grew up rich.” |
| (3) What role does race and ethnicity play in achieving economic success?46 | Selina Kyle, as an economically disadvantaged minority woman, acknowledges the challenges of living in the white and male-dominated power structure of Gotham City. At one point, she tells Batman, “All anyone cares about in this place are these white privileged assholes, the mayor, the commissioner, the DA, Thomas and Bruce Wayne.” |
| (4) How has society overlooked the mistreatment of women?47 | Selina Kyle grew up seeing her mom working (and then dying) in a Gotham club culture that continues to exploit women. By the end of the film, she eventually confronts Carmine Falcone about his role in the death of her friend Annika. |
| (5) What has been the impact of the illicit drug trade?48 | Mob factions are involved in the trafficking of “drops” whose users, called “dropheads,” are referenced throughout the film. Public officials are deeply involved in their use and even distribution. |
Certainly, the longer format of The Batman and its adult audience allows it to address a broader array of issues than the 1939 comic book ever could. At the same time the nature of these issues has changed over time in response to cultural demands.
A New Kind of Hero for a Different Time?
But by its conclusion the film still raises fundamental questions about the viability of the “vigilante” hero. Both the 1939 and 2022 Batmans seem to want to work with the police and within the parameters of the justice system even though the Gotham City of the 2022 Batman seems hopelessly corrupt, perhaps reflecting the current loss of trust in governmental institutions.49 Batman’s proximity to James Gordon while helping to solve the Riddler case suggests that he is working with the police (unlike the Riddler and Selina Kyle), even if this is not always the case. [End Page 362] For example, Batman is fully on board with beating up criminals with immunity and entering clubs to acquire information without search warrants, in essence seeking “justice” apart from the rule of law. But as he exorcizes his own demons, it appears as if he has an epiphany along the way. After defeating Riddler’s nameless, vengeance-seeking followers in the rafters of Gotham Square Garden, Batman deliberately (and symbolically) opts to descend to the helpless citizens below, huddling together in flood waters, acknowledging the common denominator of our humanity and at the end of the film offering perhaps a new framework for human and heroic action: 50
I’m starting to see now. I have had an effect here … but not the one I intended. Vengeance won’t change the past, mine or anyone else’s. I have to become more. People need hope to know someone’s out there for them. The city’s angry, scarred, like me. Our scars can destroy us, even after the physical wounds have healed. But if we survive them, they can transform us. They can give us the power to endure, and the strength to fight.
At the conclusion of the story, it would appear as if Bruce Wayne has found this “power to endure” and “strength to fight.” For now, his role as Gotham’s vigilante hero seems to be intact, though how he moves forward in this capacity remains problematic. Selina Kyle, however, has opted to leave Gotham and seek a better life elsewhere. The Riddler remains in Arkham Asylum, awaiting his next assault on the city.
Batman 2022 Overview
Whatever the film might be, students will be able to see that there are huge differences between new and old superhero tales. No longer is everyone in the [End Page 363] storyline white and male, e.g., in The Batman we encounter more diversity among its leading characters like lieutenant James Gordan, Selina Kyle, and mayoral candidate Bella Reál. All humans, including heroes, are flawed. Authority figures, past and present, are no longer idealistic nor morally pure, as we encounter with the deceased mayor (Don Mitchell Jr.) as well as the district attorney (Gil Colson), and even Bruce Wayne’s parents, Thomas and Martha. Of course, the film itself reflects contemporary culture in many other ways, whether that relates to its use of fashion, profanity (its misuse of religious language, in particular, is perhaps indicative of Gotham’s drift away from the sacred), or music (Nirvana’s deeply troubled “Something in the Way”). The film integrates contemporary technological, computer, and social media references (such as video phone calls, USB ports, thumb drives, URLs, livestreaming, etc.), and is itself representative of the highest level of contemporary film-making techniques. At the same time, Batman continues to bear the mark of his history, as he is still seeking to fight crime in Gotham as a vigilante hero, while dressed as a bat.
Connecting the Dots: Greek Myth and the Changing Nature of Story
Batman and Greek Myth
After discussing Burkert’s ideas and the Batman stories, the question still remains: what does Batman have to do with Greek myth? The answer that I suggest here does not seek to compare heroes and heroines in the contemporary and ancient world, as interesting and relevant a topic as that might be,51 but instead to spark a discussion about the use to which stories are put as well as the ways in which they adapt to culture in order to speak to their audiences. An easy and fun example of how an ancient tale has been adapted is that of Prometheus in Hesiod’s Theogony and Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound. These stories can be easily integrated into a Greek myth class early in the semester so that the idea of myth as “traditional tale applied” can be addressed throughout the class.52 [End Page 364]
Prometheus in Hesiod
In Hesiod’s Theogony, a work chronicling the origins of the Greek gods and the rise of Zeus in the Archaic Age (one of the primary purposes of the story as a whole), Prometheus is depicted as a notorious trickster deity who for some unstated reason continually stands up for mortals in the face of Zeus’ opposition and oppression.53 Prometheus deceives Zeus at Mekone, obtaining for humans the better portion of meats sacrificed to Zeus and the gods (Th. 535–61), but earning the retribution of Zeus, who takes fire away from them (Th. 562–4). In turn Prometheus steals fire from Olympos (Th. 565–7) which leads to the gift of Pandora (Th. 568–612) and her jar of evils (Op. 94–9) and Prometheus’ punishment at the fringes of the world where his liver is daily eaten by Zeus’ eagle (Th. 521–5). As a kind of succession tale, much like its Near Eastern counterparts, Hesiod’s story bears the mark of its history as it recounts how Zeus overthrows his father Cronos (who had also overthrown his father Ouranos) to become king of the gods. In addition to highlighting the trickster nature of Prometheus, Hesiod uses these episodes to explore the relationship of humans to the gods, especially in terms of their institutions of sacrifice, agriculture, and marriage in an age of decline.54 [End Page 365]
Prometheus in Aeschylus
We do not get another extended, literary treatment of Prometheus until Aeschylus’ play in the middle of the fifth century on the Athenian stage.55 I. A. Ruffell observes that
the myth’s reworking in Prometheus Bound distils two elements: the struggle between Prometheus and Zeus, and the element of hope in the face of hardship.56
But the purpose to which this story is put goes far beyond Hesiod’s tale of the rise of Zeus, and is a difficult, but excellent, topic for students to think about. Carol Dougherty makes some insightful general observations on how Aeschylus has adapted Prometheus’ tale, noting that (1) Aeschylus has
changed the very nature of the conflict between Prometheus and Zeus from a contest of wits to a political rebellion. By making Zeus out to be an insecure and power-hungry tyrant, Aeschylus invokes a political designation with specific negative connotations in fifth-century Athens.57
On the representation of Prometheus as a rebel opposing the tyranny of Zeus, Ruffell writes:58
The historical context of this account is one where an ideologically charged notion of tyranny was central to public discourse. From its first decade, the Athenian democracy sought to define itself against the Peisistratid tyranny, which it supplanted, with prominent public memorials of a false history that celebrated the supposed Athenian “tyrannicides,” Harmodius and Aristogeiton … For the Athenian audience and for many subsequent audiences, the play is an allegory for human resistance to tyranny.” [End Page 366]
(2) Aeschylus has adapted the myth “to enhance Prometheus’ prophetic rather than deceptive power in the play.”59 This includes the idea that Prometheus gave information to Zeus to help him win the Titanomachy (l. 219) as well as that he possessed prophetic knowledge about Zeus’ marriage that might lead to his downfall (l. 764). These ideas along with Prometheus’ enhanced genealogy help to elevate him to the status of a cosmic deity.60 (3) Aeschylus has transformed the idea that humans are living in a series of declining ages, emphasizing instead Prometheus’ role as a cultural hero and his technical contributions to the rise of humans,61 which befits the rise of the city-state of Athens in the 5th century. Ruffell, commenting on Prometheus’ introductory words in the first episode (lines 248–52) and those in the second episode (lines 436–71 and 476–506), notes:62
…This account is a complete reversal of the narratives of moral and material decline that are endemic in archaic Greek thought, including the aetiologies of decline in Hesiod’s Works and Days and the default assumptions of heroic epic…Prometheus has sparked off humanity’s ability to improve its circumstances through the discovery and application of new techniques and disciplines…This picture of human development follows a shift in Greek thought towards materialism: in metaphysics in the sixth century and in sociology in the fifth.
Much like The Batman, Aeschylus’ Prometheus updates its message to be in conversation with its times, even if more technical issues, like the problematic dating of Prometheus Bound, present their own difficulties. Both Dougherty and Ruffell offer helpful, generalized insight into the adaptation of this story to contemporary Athens, which—it might be noted—was one of the few Greek city-states to have integrated the cult of Prometheus into its society.63 Though this Classical-era Prometheus story has clearly been adapted from the Archaic [End Page 367] period,64 it still bears the marks of its history (e.g., in addition to retaining many of the same traits of Prometheus—he is very clever, fights for humans, steals fire and is punished by Zeus—the story itself remains a succession narrative).
Introducing Superheroes into the Classroom
Although I have made a case for introducing superheroes into the classroom as a way of bridging the idea to students that story, including Greek myth, is in conversation with culture and can be adapted over time for different uses, it might be helpful to conclude by offering some tangible suggestions on how such stories can be effectively integrated into classroom activities. In my own case I teach mythology at the university level to classes of about 100–200 students during the regular school year and from 15–25 students during winter and summer terms. Whatever the size of the class, however, my approach to this topic remains somewhat similar in that I break down the material into smaller and more digestible units. In this way students can engage the subject in a range of shorter, low-stakes writing assignments and active group learning opportunities65 before integrating what they have learned into a higher-stakes writing assignment at the end of the first unit of the semester.
Step 1 (Burkert and Batman)
On the first day of class, when I am exploring the idea that story is a basic mode of human life and connects us to our human ancestors, I casually introduce Walter Burkert’s idea that
the specific character of myth seems to lie neither in the structure nor in the content of a tale, but in the use to which it is put.
Going further, however, I begin by briefly telling a simple story from my own life that I have shared with others, but in doing so demonstrate how it could be adapted for different “uses.” In this way students can begin to see how the stories [End Page 368] they tell or encounter in their daily lives might likewise be altered.66 This initial and brief introduction to Burkert’s ideas opens the door so that I can return to them in more detail, which I do later during the first week of classes while defining myth and discussing the idea of myth as traditional tale. It is at this point that I introduce students to Burkert’s Structure and History in Greek Mythology and Ritual along with an excerpted reading from it (pp. 22–9). This reading leads to an in-class discussion of Burkert’s definition of myth as “traditional tale applied” and the notion that myth can “bear the mark of its history, of multiple levels of application and crystallization.” As a part of this conversation, I introduce a number of easily recognizable and diverse stories, as case studies, that have been adapted over time, such as Batman. In doing so, I include images of Detective Comics 27 (1939).67 My students always have a lot of fun in class identifying aspects of this story that are anchored in the 1930s.
Step 2 (Building a Bridge: From Batman to Prometheus)
Once the connection has been made between Burkert’s ideas and the stories of Batman, I ask my students to watch the film, The Batman, which is readily available via streaming services. I typically create about a 10 minute-long presentation/podcast that chronicles the essentials of what students need to know about Batman’s history and provide excerpts of earlier comic versions of specific tales that might be relevant to the most recent film, e.g. in this case those of Catwoman and Riddler.68 After students have watched the film (spoiler alert: most have already seen it!), I find it very effective to divide them into groups, usually in online discussion forums, and let them explore the changing nature of the story in the context of the current film. [End Page 369]
Of course, right about the time I have students doing this work on a contemporary superhero, they are just starting a bigger unit on “Creation and the Gods” which includes readings and discussions on the “Rise of Zeus” and “Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound.” For the “Rise of Zeus” discussion, students are assigned excerpts from Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days (with accompanying reading guides). In class I give them an impromptu writing assignment (which I call a “points to ponder”) that asks them to describe Prometheus’ role in the assigned reading. This written exercise typically leads to a useful discussion exploring Prometheus’ connection to Zeus and humans, as well as his relationship to institutions of sacrifice, agriculture, and marriage.
The following week, I ask students to read Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, the first in a series of Greek tragedies that they will encounter in class. Of course, this assignment by nature requires a little more set up since students must understand the basics of Greek theater and, in particular, Aeschylus’ production. I again direct them to other tools for learning about the play, e.g. introductions to their translation, reading guides, discussion forums, links to recorded live productions, etc. I also give students a little extra motivation since their first quiz is on this play. It is as part of our in-class discussion, however, that we explore the changing nature of Prometheus’ story in Aeschylus’ version and the ways that it differs from Hesiod’s account.
Step 3 (Putting the Pieces Together)
In helping students synthesize their work, I like to conclude by giving them a short, written assignment (ca. 4 pages) that asks them to compare and contrast older superhero tales with the most recent film, in this case The Batman. As part of the assignment, I ask them to explain not only how Walter Burkert’s ideas are relevant to the topic at hand, but also how they could be applied to ancient stories, like those of Prometheus. If you are teaching a really large myth section, you might want to assign a shorter paper (perhaps even for extra credit) or reserve such a question for an exam essay.
Nonetheless, by offering a little guidance along the way, you can effectively introduce superhero tales into the classroom to act as a bridge in helping students see how ancient stories change over time. In doing so it is useful to break down the information into smaller units so that you can more easily assess student progress. Such assignments can include low-stakes writing tasks, e.g. in-class response pieces, as well as other kinds of active group learning tasks, e.g. online forums and in-class discussions, all of which better prepare students for a more formal paper [End Page 370] or exam essay. These kinds of assignments can also help students build upon what is already familiar to many of them, the tales of superheroes. Making these connections between the ideas of Burkert and both ancient and contemporary storytelling will give students tools early on in the semester that will continue to be useful as they read other Greek myths throughout the term.69
Conclusion
Greek myth is a subject that continues to inspire a wide range of students, especially in light of influential works, like Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. Here I have tried to highlight some of the difficulties I have encountered while teaching Greek mythology in the classroom, noting that the study of myth is more than just historical and that stories are frequently adapted to meet the needs of culture. In thinking about these issues, Walter Burkert’s ideas are helpful in making these connections. At the same time I have found that the introduction of contemporary superheroes into the classroom, such as Batman, is a fun way for students to continue to think about the changing nature of story within our own culture. Such insight can act as a bridge for discussing the shifting nature of story in ancient texts, like the representation of Prometheus in Hesiod’s Theogony and Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound. [End Page 371]
WORKS CITED
COMICS/GRAPHIC NOVELS CITED
*artists listed include cover artists, pencillers, inkers, and letterers
Footnotes
* I want to thank those who read initial drafts of my paper (including Kyleigh Phillips, Mike Duncan, and the CJ Forum Editor, Bartolo Natoli), as well as my myth students who have helped to inspire it. For whatever shortcomings remain, however, I am solely responsible. A special thanks goes out to my brother and educational philosopher, Alan G. Phillips Jr., with whom I spent many memorable hours as a child exploring comics in our local comic book/graphic novel store and whose input has been invaluable.
1. Morford, Lenardon, and Sham (2024) 2: “The word myth comes from the Greek word mythos, which means ‘word,’ ‘speech,’ ‘tale,’ or ‘story,’ and that is essentially what a myth is: a story.” Johnston (2018) 9: “…myths are stories. What I mean by this is that the most influential mode by which myths were shared amongst the Greeks was through narratives that were meant to entertain and engage their listeners, rather than simply to convey information.”
2. Bruce Lincoln (1999) xii asserts that myth is “ideology in narrative form.” On Lincoln’s ideas, see Segal, “On Myth as Ideology, Lincoln’s Theorizing Myth” (2020) 154–68.
3. There are too many books like this to cite, e.g. D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths (1962); Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods (2014), etc.
4. Johnston (2018) 11: “…although mythographers such as Pherecydes and Apollodorus have preserved for us the basic plots and characters of some myths that we no longer have, mythographers have not preserved the myths themselves; the information they provide is typically dry in tone and scant in details. They do not tell stories; they summarize stories and leave us yearning to hear more.”
5. Burkert (1979) 22–3. Of course, Burkert makes a number of other generalizing statements about myth: Myth belongs to the more general class of traditional tale (“a tale becomes traditional …by being retold and accepted,” 2); The identity of a traditional tale is “to be found in a structure of sense within the tale itself,” 5 (Burkert focuses more attention on the programmatic actions in tales, like those laid out by Propp). “Tale structures, as sequences of motifemes, are founded on basic biological or cultural programs of action,” 18.
6. For example, Johnston (2018) 2 notes that many myths were “periodically reworked so as to deliver timely ideological messages.”
7. Burkert (1979) 27: “A well-structured tale, taken to elucidate some complex phenomenon or situation, may become, in a certain cultural environment, the established verbalization. It may take over characteristic details from there, which enlarge and modify its own structure; it may acquire sacred status and become immobilized, but if retold in a new situation, it will tend to crystallize again, still preserving some elements of its former application; in its new form it can again be applied to new circumstances, and so over and over again.”
8. On the difference between credence and fictional narrative, see Hansen (2017) 6 and 25–6.
9. Ball (2021) 9 seems to be making this point: “This, I think, is the best answer we can give to such questions based on the conflicting versions of myths that have survived (while no doubt many others have been lost): it depends on the story you want to tell.” But he does not introduce the theory of Burkert nor does he follow Hansen’s taxonomy differentiating between credence and fictional narrative, both of which are important points to be made.
10. Here I will be applying the ideas of Burkert to a contemporary medium to help bridge our understanding of its application to the ancient world. Svinicki and McKeachie (2014) emphasize the importance of using helpful examples in the classroom: “Move from the concrete to the abstract. To link what is in your head with what is in the students’ heads, you need to use examples that relate the subject to the students’ experience and knowledge…”(64).
My use of contemporary superhero tales and interest in how story operates in daily life is also reminiscent of aspects of the theory of aesthetics proposed by the American pragmatist and educational philosopher, John Dewey, in his work Art as Experience (1934). In it he argues for a broad interpretation of art (5–6): “The arts which today have most vitality for the average person are the things he does not take to be arts for instance, the movie, jazzed music, the comic strip, and too frequently, newspaper accounts of love-nests, murders, and exploits of bandits.” We can see how literature, broadly defined, can be integrated into the lives of everyone, even aspects of storytelling that are not always formally part of the university curriculum. Dewey asserts that the meaning of such tales is highly dependent on the pragmatic, experiential roots from which they are drawn. See also Durand and Lee (2011) 3-16 who specifically make a case for exploring ideas in Batman tales.
11. (1979) 23.
12. One has to look no further than the fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper/Cicada/Cricket (Perry, 1952, 475, #373 and Uther, 2004, 1.161–2, #280A = ATU 280A) which has been rewritten and reinterpreted in numerous and disparate contexts. See, e.g., Springer (2011) 60 and 63 and Giovanni and Raschka (2008) as well as Disney’s The Grasshopper and the Ants in their Silly Symphony series (1934) and Disney/Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1998).
13. Johnston (2018) 1–2 also observes how fairytale, another form of fictional narrative, can be used as traditional tales that are prone to being recycled and reformulated in different contexts and for different ideological reasons.
14. A number of comics have now been archived in print editions. One can also get access to a broader range of comics online (which, in the case of the DC Universe, requires a monthly subscription).
15. Although popularized by Frank Miller’s graphic novel, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986), the phrase “Dark Knight” is attested as early as Batman (volume 1) #1 (March 1940).
16. Daniels and Kidd (1999) 17 does not cite a written source for this quote.
17. Although a number of publications present stories about the creative origins of Batman, only in recent years has more clarity on the topic emerged. Bill Finger was finally recognized as a co-creator by DC in 2015. See Nobleman and Templeton (2012), the documentary Batman & Bill (2017), and Worth (2021).
18. Steranko (1970) 44.
19. Kane (1989) 35–6 writes that he first ran across a book of da Vinci’s inventions when he was 13. In his autobiography he includes 1934 Batman sketches showing da Vinci’s influence (34), though their authenticity was questioned by Nobleman in the documentary, Batman & Bill (2017).
20. Kane (1989) 36–8 attributes many aspects of his Batman to Zorro as played by Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., including his role as “the foppish and wealthy Spanish count” (a model for Bruce Wayne), his secret identity, and the Batcave (“Zorro rode a black horse called Toronado and would enter a cave and exit from a grandfather clock in the living room”). He also idolized the “non Superman-like” athleticism and acrobatics of Fairbanks in other films, like The Black Pirate.
Some of the captions in The Mask of Zorro could easily be applied to the Batman story: “Then— out of the mystery of the unknown—appeared a masked rider who rode up and down the great highway—punishing and protecting—and leaving upon the vicious oppressor the mark of Zorro;” “Oppression—by its very nature—creates the power that crushes it;” “This Zorro comes upon you like a grave-yard ghost—and like a ghost he disappears;” “The heaven-kissed hills of your native California swarm with the sentinels of oppression! Are your pulses dead? Thank God, mine is not…” But Batman, who himself is a masked vigilante, seems to be trying to uphold Gotham’s systems of justice, unlike Zorro, who is fighting against a Mexican government portrayed as corrupt.
21. Kane (1989) 38–41. This film was a remake of a silent film called The Bat. In it a detective seeks to track down a mysterious Bat killer, but in the end the audience discovers that the detective himself is the killer. Kane cites the influence of the Bat’s costume as well as the sign of the bat that would appear right before a murder would occur.
22. Steranko (1970) 44. On Finger’s involvement in Steranko’s book, see Worth (2021) 114–5, and also Steranko (1970) 45.
23. Daniels and Kidd (1999) 28–9 quotes Bill Finger as saying that this story was inspired by a Shadow story, “The Partners of Peril,” The Shadow Magazine (volume 1) #113 (November 1936).
24. White (2019) 207 notes that “Vigilantism usually refers to any law-enforcement activities that take place outside of the official system, and therefore in the absence of any safeguards required by the system, such as humane treatment of suspects, guarantees of a fair and speedy trial under the presumption of innocence, and proportionate punishment conducted in a dispassionate way …”
25. See Gavaler (2013) and (2018) 77–97 (“The Vigilante Superhero”).
26. In Batman (volume 1) #3 (Fall 1940) there is an inset called, “The Batman Says.” In it Batman expands upon his thoughts about his approach to crime and criminals: “I think Robin and I make it pretty clear that WE HATE CRIME AND CRIMINALS! There’s nothing we like better than to crack down on the distasteful denizens of the underworld. Why? Because we’re proud of being AMERICANS—and we know there’s no place in this great country of ours for lawbreakers! … We’d like to feel that our efforts may help every youngster to grow up into an honest, useful citizen … And not only must you guide your OWN life in the proper channels – you must also strive to be a good influence on the lives of others.”
27. However, government corruption, like that associated with Tammany Hall, was not unknown.
28. In particular, the psychiatrist, Frederic Wertham, in his Seduction of the Innocent (1953), suggests that Batman and Robin types of stories might cause children and adolescents to become homosexual (“Several years ago a California psychiatrist pointed out that the Batman stories are psychologically homosexual. Our researches confirm this entirely,” 189; “…so the Batman type of story helps to fixate the homoerotic tendencies by suggesting the form of an adolescent-with-adult or Ganymede-Zeus type of love-relationship,” 190; “The Batman type of story may stimulate children to homosexual fantasies, of the nature of which they may be unconscious. In adolescents who realize it they may give added stimulation and reinforcement,” 191). See also Daniels and Kidd (1999) 84-5.
29. See Nyberg (1998) 166–9 (1954 code) and 170–4 (1971 code). One can also readily find the details of the codes online.
30. Daniels and Kidd (1999) 85. This included the addition of a dog (“Ace, the Bat-Hound”) on which see Daniels and Kidd (1999) 85–6; Greenberger (2008) 4, s.v. Ace the Bat-hound; Manning (2014) 57.
31. For an overview of these adjustments, see Nyberg (1998) 140, who also includes the 1971 code in his appendix.
32. Manning (2014) 114 and Farago and McIntyre (2019) 86.
33. Sharrett (2015) 37.
34. Sharrett (2015) 41. On Miller’s two seminal works, see Daniels and Kidd (1999) 147–52; Manning (2014) 158–9 and 164–5; Farago and McIntyre (2019) 116–33; Manning and Wallace (2022) 132–5.
35. Frank Miller’s work also casts a long shadow over elements of earlier Batman films, like those of Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan.
37. This echoes a scene from Batman: Earth One (2012). Ball (2021) 343 notes that from the beginning of the Batman series, “Bruce Wayne alleges that his costume serves only to terrify lawbreakers, but it is demonic enough to make honest citizens uneasy too.”
38. The Riddler originally appeared in Detective Comics (volume 1) #140 (October 1948). In The Batman the Riddler was modeled after the Zodiac Killer who, according to Matt Reeves (Mullally 2022), also created “a costume for himself and he wore a black hood, he had his own insignia. He was an early anti-superhero, a scary figure who terrorized California.” In the film the Riddler, somewhat like the Zodiac Killer, leaves ciphers for Batman. The Riddler’s plot to flood Gotham City comes from Batman: Zero Year (2013–14).
39. Later in the film, one of the Riddler’s followers will echo Batman’s earlier declaration by proclaiming to Jim Gordon, “I’m vengeance.” White (2019) 202 notes, “Batman’s assertion of special privilege violates the universality that is a key aspect of Immanuel Kant’s system of deontological ethics. One of the versions of Kant’s much-beloved categorical imperative holds that, in order to consider the permissibility of a plan of action (or maxim), we have to ask ourselves what would happen if everyone could also follow the same maxim at the same time: ‘act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law’.” Drake and Lloyd (2019) 75 raise an additional problem presented by Batman’s behavior, namely “what are the costs to Batman and the citizens of Gotham from a guard who refuses to govern?”
40. When Bruce Wayne encounters Carmine Falcone at Mayor’s funeral, Falcone says to his entourage, “His father saved my life. I got shot in the chest. Right here. I couldn’t go to no hospital so we showed up on his doorstep, operated right on the dining room table. Kid here he saw the whole thing, up on the stairs, looking down. I remember your face. You don’t think that meant something he did there?” This storyline comes from Batman: The Long Halloween (1996–7), on which see Manning (2014) 224–5; Farago and McIntyre (2019) 264–6; Manning and Wallace (2022) 144–7.
41. On Selina Kyle, see Greenberger (2008) 82–5, s.v. Catwoman. The relationship of Annika to Selena Kyle is not clearly delineated in the film, perhaps on purpose (Tannenbaum 2022). Although she might be interpreted as being Selina’s partner, which would be consistent with later depictions of Selina Kyle, post 2015 (Catwoman, volume 4, #39, February 2015), it seems more likely that Annika is one of the “strays” that Selina protects, her depiction here being influenced by the character of Holly Robinson, a young prostitute that Selina watches out for in Batman: Year One. This would be in line with some of Matt Reeves comments about her character (Blum 2022): “The portrayal of Selina Kyle in the seminal Batman story ‘Year One’ played a huge role in actor Zoë Kravitz’s interpretation of Catwoman in The Batman, director Matt Reeves revealed.”
42. It is worth noting that the Comics Code Authority became defunct in 2011.
43. Ball (2022) observes that “An undercurrent barely explored yet in the Batman mythos is race. One can hardly now watch the scenes of mob fury at official indifference and corruption in The Batman … without thinking of the Black Lives Matter protests. The Batman ducks the issue with a politely multiracial cast: Gotham has many woes, yet enjoys implausible racial harmony.” See “societal issue #3” in the accompanying chart. It is of note that African American hero figures only began to appear in Batman comics during the 1970’s, e.g. the Black Spider (Detective Comics, volume 1, #463, January 1976), the Bronze Tiger (Detective Comics, volume 1, #485, September 1979), Lucius Fox (Batman, volume 1, #307, January 1979), etc.
44. In Itzkoff (2022) Matt Reeves says: “When I was writing, I was thinking a lot about social media. We know that the algorithm drives you in certain ways and it drives you toward the thing that provokes you the most, and that has changed the way people perceive the world around them dramatically. And it changed in the pandemic, where, literally, people were living through the computer—this virtual community where things can spread to them, that get people inflamed and passionate. Half-truths and total outright lies and even things that are absolutely true but are inflaming.” In the same piece he clearly points out that the January 6 Capitol riots occurred after the script of The Batman had already been written.
45. Again, such discussions echo ongoing debates about the discrepancy of resources between the rich and the poor in contemporary society, e.g. the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement.
46. Such topics have most recently been highlighted through contentious debates regarding Critical Race Theory. Fortin (2021) writes: “Critical race theorists reject the philosophy of ‘colorblindedness.’ They acknowledge the stark racial disparities that have persisted in the United States despite decades of civil rights reforms, and they raise structural questions about how racist hierarchies are enforced, even among people with good intentions.”
47. Such scenes are, no doubt, informed by the #MeToo movement (2006) which was intended to shed light on sexual abuse and sexual harassment.
48. Whether the topic is drug trafficking or drug addiction, questions surrounding potential solutions to them remain volatile political issues.
49. According to the Pew Research Center, the percent who say they trust the government to do what is right just about always/most of the time remains at close to an all-time low in America since the data started to be kept in 1958 (around 20% as compared to 77% in 1964).
50. Itzkoff (2022): Matt Reeves notes: “When I was looking at the comics and ‘Batman: The Animated Series,’ Kevin Conroy’s speech about ‘I am vengeance. I am the night,’ something about that really connected to me. He’s doing this to get back at what happened to him, so he’s striking out. That is a form of vengeance, but that vengeance is not enough. He has to become more, and that’s the message of the whole movie. I want him to go from somebody who is projecting vengeance to somebody who’s letting people know that somewhere in all of this darkness, there’s hope. That was his arc.”
51. Given Burkert’s emphasis on the programmatic actions in tales, it would be possible to analyze these hero stories in terms of such structures, e.g. the journey of the hero/heroine. See Rogers (2011).
52. Of course, there are countless examples that could be suggested here, including, but not limited to the following: (1) In Hom. Od. 11.405–34, while in the land of the dead, Agamemnon tells Odysseus about his tragic homecoming and in so doing offers a warning of sorts as to what might happen to Odysseus should Penelope be unfaithful too; In Aeschylus’ Oresteia, however, the story of Agamemnon’s homecoming and death is a vehicle for explaining how justice has come to Athens; (2) In Hom. Il. 9.529–99, an elderly Phoenix tells Achilles, who is no longer fighting the Trojans because of his feud with Agamemnon, the story of the hero Meleager and what happened when he refused to fight the Curetes after the famed “Calydonian” boar hunt; but in Bacchylides Ode 5, in praise of Hieron of Syracuse, an Olympic victor, Herakles, while traveling to the underworld, encounters Meleager, who tells him about his death and references his sister Deianira, whom Herakles will eventually marry and at whose hands he will die. These examples underscore one of the broader themes of the poem, which is that no mortal is in all ways fortunate. (3) In Hom. Od. 4.351– 569, Telemachus, while in Sparta, learns that his father Odysseus is alive after Menelaus tells him about his encounter with the prophetic shapeshifter Proteus in Egypt; in his Dialogues of the Sea Gods 4, however, the noted satirist Lucian of Samosata parodies Menelaus’ encounter with Proteus to ridicule the idea that Proteus could have been a powerful shapeshifter. (4) In Met. 10.1–85, after telling the story about Iphis’ unexpected marriage, Ovid relates the tale of the ill-fated marriage of Orpheus and Eurydice, with both tales involving the god of marriage, Hymenaeus. In Verg. G. 4.453– 527, Proteus tells the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice to Aristaeus, but in doing so, he uses it to explain why Aristaeus, whose pursuit of Eurydice led to her death, lost his bees.
53. Griffith (1983) 2: “Hesiod does not explain why Prometheus wishes to benefit mankind: it is simply taken for granted that he has a special relationship with them.”
54. Dougherty (2006) 27–45, 47.
55. Dougherty (2006) 66.
56. Ruffell (2023) 159.
57. Dougherty (2006) 72.
58. Ruffell (2023) 161.
59. Dougherty (2006) 73.
61. Dougherty (2006) 75–7.
62. Ruffell (2023) 162.
63. See in particular Dougherty (2006) 46–64. Unlike other cities where Prometheus was neglected (Luc. Prom. 14), Athenians linked him in myth and in ritual to Athena and Hephaestus, associating him with the beneficial and destructive traits of fire. He also had an altar in the Academy which was the starting point for several processions (like the torch race of the Panathenaic Festival).
64. See Dougherty (2006) 71: “Aeschylus makes some striking changes to Hesiod’s version. Perhaps most conspicuous are the absences: no deceptive sacrifice at Mekone, no Pandora. Prometheus is no longer the son of Iapetos and Klymene but rather Gaia herself. While his brother Atlas is mentioned as a fellow sufferer, there is no Menoitios and no Epimetheus in Aeschylus’ play…”
65. Svinicki and McKeachie (2014) 191–202 and 213–6
66. I purposely tell a rather silly story from my elementary school days about how I used to trade collectible cards with friends. One day my best friend wanted to trade for one of my favorite cards (which I include on my PowerPoint), but I was unwilling to do so until he at last said that “if I were really his friend, I would be willing to trade it.” I try to show my students the many ways this story could be used by me within larger and different framing contexts. For example, perhaps I am looking to make one of the following points by telling this story: (1) valuing friendship is more important than possessing material goods; (2) Beware of people (even “friends”) who look to take advantage of you; (3) elementary children can be naïve and vulnerable; (4) overcoming a bad situation can make you stronger, etc.
67. These are readily accessible in The Batman Archives, volume 1 (1990) 7–13.
68. See footnotes 38 and 41.
69. Sometimes it is not immediately evident to students why they are watching a superhero film until a little later in the learning process, as suggested by the following student response: “I liked the assignments you gave us, including the Batman assignment, which asked us to look at something modern through a Greek myth lens. I wondered where you were going with this at the beginning of the course, but it became clearer as the course progressed.” At the same time, most students enjoy getting the opportunity to watch a superhero film for their myth class and make connections with ancient storytelling. Another student writes: “It was supercool how Mr. Phillips brought in some contemporary material that helped enhance my comprehension of some of the class content. For example, we were required to watch Into the Spider-Verse, which I enthusiastically enjoyed commenting on and writing about. I love to see when the past can be related to the present, as it makes difficult concepts more easily graspable, so this was a perfect addition to the class content.”
