Superheroes Are American History At The Smithsonian

A handful of superhero films have not had the easiest time in theaters lately. Buzzy releases such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and of course The Flash are all perceived to have performed less than ideally in the box office and in the minds of audiences. So this pushes again questions that have followed this genre for a while now: Are audiences finally getting tired of superhero stories? Are they losing relevance?

Well, a trip to one of the Smithsonian’s newer exhibits may lead us to believe that these kinds of stories are timeless. And, further, that they are core to our modern American identity.

Entertainment Nation is an incredibly popular exhibit within the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. On even an otherwise quiet morning in the building, this particular 7,200 square foot space is bustling with chatter, movement, and wonder. And that’s because, while history is always familiar, the items on display here are perhaps more recognizable than most.

Near the entrance of the exhibit visitors are greeted by the famed ruby slippers which Judy Garland wore as Dorothy Gale in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. Further down they may look up at Elisabeth Moss’ striking red costume from the renowned television show The Handmaid’s Tale. And then again by the front, a popular selfie spot, stands R2-D2 and C-3PO themselves, the beloved droids from the Star Wars franchise.

The curators behind Entertainment Nation didn’t just want to make a room full of recognizable items, but sought instead to help visitors reflect over the trends of American history, culture, and ideals via its most consumed popular culture.

So true to that mission, superhero media is also represented here as crucial to the American story. As curator Eric Jentsch puts it, these heroes are just modern versions of the mythological stories that have captured imaginations since ancient times.

“You see them [superheroes] engage with real world problems like corrupt governments, terrorism, or metaphors for these things. And I think people are thrilled to see heroes fighting the fights that they want to see on the screen,” said Jentsch.

The exact fights or real world problems these stories engage with change, as the exhibit shows us, with the cultural focuses of the time. Far back in the exhibit, we can see actor George Reeves’ original Superman costume from the 1950s show Adventures of Superman. Jentsch points out how this incarnation of the character, playing during the Cold War era, showed Superman fighting for the “American Way” in a way that employed him in the anti-communist efforts of the time.

Jentsch also points out the exhibit’s very intentional inclusion of superhero women. In one case focusing on the stories of women in science fiction and fantasy we can see items from Julie Newmar’s Catwoman costume as seen in the 1960s TV show Batman. Nearby, another case holds Halle Berry’s Storm costume representing her X-Men role of 14 years. As Jentsch explains, these displays are intended as a response to online commentators criticizing the inclusion of women in more recent action titles. Counter to their claims, he says, this is evidence that women have been a part of these stories for decades in America.

However, near the front, one superhero artifact stands out most dramatically when considering the question of America’s identity. And that is the Captain America shield itself, as used by actor Chris Evans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The shield feels small here compared to other, larger items on display. In a way it almost feels hidden. But the stars and stripes invoke a long and complex American story.

“He [Captain America] is among the most principled and ethically-driven superheroes, specifically created and refined over the decades to represent a contemporary vision of the promise of America. It’s this symbolic value that makes the shield so powerful and contested,” said Ryan Lintelman, another curator for the exhibit.

With the hero essentially wearing the flag on his costume and shield, Americans over decades have looked to the fictional man to embody what they see as American ideals and values. This makes for an incredibly powerful symbol, but also a potentially divisive one. Because, as Lintelman goes on to explain, Americans from across the ideological spectrum have invoked this very shield in their visions of the country. Controversially, this included some insurgents from the January 6th, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol using the shield in their efforts.

Marvel itself has not shied away from the idea that this symbol, because of its sheer power, may be misused. In the recent Disney+ show The Falcon and The Winter Soldier this idea is directly explored when a seemingly illegitimate successor to Captain America wields the shield to carry out a violent abuse of his power. And to Jentsch’s points, this moment invited American audiences to reflect over what a scene like that may mean in the context of the current American moment.

So superhero stories have for decades helped Americans think through the challenges, ideals, and shifting identity of this nation. But if that has gone on so successfully for so long, what could be the reason for more recent superhero films not performing? Well, as Jentsch puts it, it may less be an issue with the genre and more be about the strategy behind its execution. While acknowledging that superhero stories have been retold for decades, Jentsch sees the entertainment industry’s aversion to risk and reliance on saturating the space with repetitive stories as potentially getting in the way of what audiences enjoy most.

“I think some of the fatigue has been just the overloading of the properties in a way that maybe producers have overestimated the desire from audiences to continue to spend money to see the same thing,” said Jentsch.

So originality, creativity, and stronger storytelling may be the antidote. And, to Jentsch’s points, some superhero movies have done incredibly well recently by leaning on these qualities. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 were both incredible successes from this year which both explored new ground and captured the American moment and imaginations just as so many prior superhero entries have in the past.

The fact that Captain America has a presence in a real life Smithsonian museum is an amusing bit of life imitating art, as the very movie the shield is taken from features the titular character exploring a fictional Smithsonian exhibit of his life story. But just as in the film Captain America observes these artifacts to reflect over his own history, the curators behind Entertainment Nation hope the exhibit can make the American public understand the importance of pop culture (and superheroes) as core to, not distractions from, the otherwise explored beats of their own national story.

“I hope that people reflect on the meaning and importance of entertainment in their lives. How the forms of entertainment they enjoy have shaped their identity, morality, and worldview. It’s vitally important for people to understand how powerful media is so that we can all be educated consumers,” said Lintelman.

Entertainment Nation is currently free and open to visitors at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Note that specific items on display are regularly cycled through to show the entire collection.

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