As I find myself reaching the old age of 25, I’ve noticed myself drawn to classic Westerns. Firing up “Maverick” and other staples from the ’50s and ’60s, I wondered why these movies once captured the public’s imagination. It struck me that each dominant movie era reflects the cultural mindset of its time.
For the Western, it was about adventuring into the unknown, reflecting the same spirit of exploration that allowed us to send a man to the moon. If you compare the Westerns produced more recently to the older ones, you’ll notice that they’re entirely different, and I believe that’s because the culture is fundamentally different now.
2002 gave us one of the greatest comic book movies ever: Spider-Man. This marked the unofficial beginning of the superhero era, which peaked in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame. I believe a big part of this shift was due to the culture at the time being one that was waiting for a sort of “Superman.”
America had been attacked the year before, and suddenly, the whole world was turned upside down. Since then, crisis after crisis has occurred, and the situation has grown more intense than it was in 2002.
So why aren’t superhero movies doing as well anymore?
It’s because Superman isn’t coming to save us, and I believe Gen Z knows that better than anyone else.
Nietzsche once wrote about the “superman” who would transcend the limits of ordinary humanity to create a new society in a collapsing world. Superhero films, in a way, were Hollywood’s modern mythologizing (and complete misunderstanding) of that figure.
They reassured audiences that someone stronger, wiser and incorruptible could arrive to set things right. But Nietzsche never meant for the “superman” to be a literal savior descending from above. He meant that humanity itself must rise, must overcome.
This is where Gen Z’s shift becomes telling: unlike Millennials, who clung to the fantasy of the hero, Gen Z understands that nobody is coming to save us.
The question is whether or not we can step into that role ourselves. Will we retreat into short-term distraction, content to “slouch toward Gomorrah?”
Or will we accept the burden Nietzsche laid out, overcome ourselves and rise to the final frontier: toward the stars?
Self-written bio: Ryan Hurley is an Iowa State senior majoring in business administration with a minor in political science. He enjoys discussion and is currently working on a cookbook.
