statement that superheroes have taken over mainstream cinema within the last few decades has become undeniable due to the popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the past decade. Now, much of America’s youth choose to wear outfits adorned with characters clad in colorful spandex such as the aforementioned Spider-man and Batman. These individuals, and many like them, claim to be an avid member of these fandoms, fandoms that not only include the mainstream films and tv shows, but a massive collection of stories and fictional histories in the form of comic books. Much of this source material remains untouched by most self-proclaimed fans, which raises the question: do these “fans” really know about the characters they proudly display all over their clothing and apparel?
Even with the rise in popularity of Marvel entertainment due to the MCU, one comic book character remains at the top of global recognizability and cultural significance: Batman. The infamous character recently became the subject of an experiment meant to test those that proclaim to take part in the Batman fandom. 25 Batman related trivia questions were created, meant to test one faculty member and four students. The faculty member was asked 9 questions with each student being asked four questions unless they had ample time and wished to partake in all 25 questions. In addition, all participants were asked what their personal connection to Batman is. All those that participated did so voluntarily, claiming various degrees of attachment to, and knowledge of, Batman.
The first participant was senior, Fay. Fay was one of the few to answer all 25 questions rather than only the designated 4.
“I’m a huge huge nerd. I thought I’d get one hundred percent”, Fay said. “Comic books allowed for a great deal of escapism.” Fay scored 11/25, or 44%, a failing grade. It is important to note that Fay claimed to be on the high end of Batman fans, granting, on a 1-10 scale regarding how much someone knows about Batman, a 9 to themselves.
While 9 is on the high end of the spectrum, many individuals estimated themselves to be at a 10, the top of the top of Batman fans. One of these individuals was sophomore Sunny Erkhembileg. It was assumed that Erkhembileg would easily earn a perfect score, due to that self-assessment. In the end, Erkhembileg scored 0/4, or 0%.
The faculty member that decided to participate in this experiment was math teacher, Kyle Draghi.
“I’ve enjoyed watching Batman series, Gotham, and the movies that follow along with that as well” Draghi said. Unfortunately, the 9 questions she was asked mostly did not pertain to the films and television series. WIth that disclaimer in mind, Ms. Draghi scored 2/9, or 22.22%.
The final student, sophomore Jacob Smith, did not score himself on the same scale the others used, nor did he claim any special attachment to Batman except for the Batman films. “I’ve loved Batman for as long as I can remember. I really enjoy the art direction of the Tim Burton Batman movies” Smith said. Smith scored the highest of the students with a 2/4, or 50%.
An anonymous individual outside of the student body was asked all 25 of the prepared questions. This individual refused to identify as a Batman fan, referring to himself as a “wannabe fan” several times. He is not an avid comic book reader, but has enjoyed several Batman video games, tv shows, and movies. However, he was the only participant with a passing score of 19.5/25, or 78%.
Those with the top scores were the individuals that did not identify themselves as Batman fans. Superhero’s domination of the pop culture scene of the 2010’s and 2020’s may be another simple fad that most choose to follow in order to fit in with those around them. Most that possess this motivation often disregard the stories from which these characters originate, choosing the path of least resistance. Or, perhaps, the work of Dunning and Kruger offers the most valuable insight. The Dunning-Kruger effect, a phenomenon in which an individual’s actual level of competence in a certain subject is disproportionate to what they perceive as their level of proficiency, commonly resulting in arrogance. Of course, these are only two of the many interpretations of this recent trend, but whether or not it will stick around long enough to find a definitive answer is still unknown.
