Alan Moore claims superhero movies are a “precursor to fascism”
Alan Moore is one of the most acclaimed comic book writers in history, known for his iconic works such as V for Vendetta and Watchmen, among others. During a recent conversation, Moore reflected on his role as a comic artist and the current state of popular culture.
In an interview with The Guardian, Moore said: “Hundreds of thousands of adults [are] lining up to see characters and situations that had been created to entertain the 12-year-old boys – and it was always boys – of 50 years ago. I didn’t really think that superheroes were adult fare. I think that this was a misunderstanding born of what happened in the 1980s – to which I must put my hand up to a considerable share of the blame, though it was not intentional – when things like Watchmen were first appearing.”
According to the writer, the current popularity of superhero movies is a worrying signifier for the things to come. Moore pointed toward the adult fandoms obsessed with Marvel and its competitors, claiming that such a cultural climate is perfect for the rise of fascism.
He commented: “I said round about 2011 that I thought that it had serious and worrying implications for the future if millions of adults were queueing up to see Batman movies. Because that kind of infantilisation – that urge towards simpler times, simpler realities – that can very often be a precursor to fascism.”
While talking about the election of Donald Trump in 2016, Moore said that some of the most popular films during that era were large-scale superhero productions. “When we ourselves took a bit of a strange detour in our politics,” Moore said of the Trump era and criticised the ever-growing adult fanbase of superhero flicks.
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