Director: Sam Raimi

Date: 2002

Spider-Man 2: 2004
Spider-Man 3: 2007

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, William Dafoe, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris

Director: Bryan Singer

Date: 2000

X-Men 2: 2003
X-Men 3: 2006

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Brian Cox

Director: Tim Story

Date: 2005

Fantastic Four 2: 2007

Cast: Ioan Gruffud, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon

Superheroes in literature, film, and television have taken many different forms, but a few of the most popular, complex, and beloved heroes in fiction have been created with the intervention of science: genetic mutations.

The superheroes in Spiderman, X-Men, and the Fantastic Four are victims of chance, or fate, and transform from humans into mutants. Genetic mutations are sources of speculation as well as fear because they bestow humans with a new identity, including superpowers that can be helpful or destructive to humanity. This website provides an analysis how three unique heroes/groups of heroes choose to cope with the new responsibilities and burdens that come with having altered genes. Also, the implications that these popular, action-packed films have about human nature are profound in regards to how societies respond to the intervention of science and the human condition. This site will further explore the relevance of mutations being a source of transcending human capabilities to become "superheroes."

Last updated: May 4, 2006

Created by Javaneh Nekoomaram

javanehnekoomaram_2009@depauw.edu