What was the first live-action superhero movie ever made?
Due to Marvel’s monopoly over the film industry, many critics and cinephiles consider superhero movies to be symptomatic of a larger problem with the contemporary landscape. Especially after Martin Scorsese’s incisive critique of the Marvel phenomenon, the discourse surrounding superhero movies has become increasingly heated.
Recently, acclaimed comic book writer Alan Moore described the popularity of superhero films as a “precursor to fascism”. Although superhero movies have been made based on Moore’s work, he considers the fascination with the simplified fantasies of superhero movies to be a symptom of a deteriorating sociopolitical sphere.
In an interview with The Guardian, Moore explained: “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 the current state of the genre definitely deserves criticism for a multitude of reasons, it cannot be denied that superhero movies have played an important role in the evolution of cinema. While comic book adaptations surfaced a little later, the origin of superhero films can be traced as far back as 1916.
According to many film historians, the first live-action superhero movie was Louis Feuillade’s French serial Judex which revolved around the adventures of the eponymous character. A mysterious vigilante dressed in black, Judex takes matters into his own hands after a corrupt banker ruined his family.
Interestingly, Judex is a direct predecessor to Batman since he served as an inspiration for the American pulp hero called The Shadow, who directly influenced the creation of Batman. While Judex contains many of the thematic elements that are present in modern superhero flicks as well, the first proper comic book superhero movie came in 1941 in the form of Adventures of Captain Marvel.
While most modern superhero movies do not share Louis Feuillade’s enthusiasm for innovation, his legacy has been kept alive by scholars and film fans who honour his invaluable contributions. Arguably, the most prominent Feuillade-enthusiast living today is Olivier Assayas. He tackled the complex subject of adapting Feuillade’s art in his new TV series Irma Vep (a modern retelling of Assayas’ 1996 gem).
