Material Culture: The Hollywood sign

 Deadpool is a clearly flawed character, but that's what makes the realism, and the realism is what made the movie so popular. Wade Wilson is more of an anti-hero than a superhero, but we still root for him and celebrate when he achieves the goal (which is typical for the hero myth) because we know that his journey is in many ways similar to our own. I've always preferred Batman over Superman because he's more realistic. Nowadays, we are already fed up with standard superheroes who are flawless goodies - saving the world by fighting evil with no personal interest. That story has worn out over time, and we’ve been able to get to know each other and our society that much that we’re aware of how unrealistic it is. Today's audience is looking for a turnaround, and turnaround is exactly what has been done in the Marvel industry by the creation of Deadpool. Flaws are what make humans human, and we've come to need those in the movie characters, even superheroes, so as for them to be relatable. Deadpool is not trying to save the world, he's trying to save himself from cancer. Although he's not doing this for selfish reasons but for the girl he loves, it's still not the typical generous heroic goal. The movie's archetype, in this case, a mad doctor Ajax did cure Wade's cancer but he also ruined his look and his chance for being with his girlfriend, since Wade started to see himself as some sort of a monster once Ajax gave him the power of immortality. What Deadpool wants is not the common good, but revenge. And wanting revenge, although more villain-like than superheroic, is human.  What's also human is Wade's whole personality, he's relatable because he's a regular loser whose life is no better than any of ours. He is depressed and sarcastic and imperfect, he curses and throws a variety of sexual jokes at us, and all of this contributes to his realness. Deadpool differs in many ways from the superheroes that we are used to, but that's exactly what made him interesting. His background story is something that could be lived by any of us, it's a story that connects and speaks to us all. In my opinion, this is the main reason for the popularity of Deadpool. Millennials are fed up with the stories of morality and perfection because society is becoming more and more immoral and imperfect, so we need heroes and stories that will mirror ourselves and our lives more.