What do superheroes do at Christmas?

What do superheroes do at Christmas?

Christmas is the perfect time to watch superhero movies, read comics and, of course, buy superhero merchandising.

But what do superheroes themselves do at Christmas? Are there any superhero Christmas stories?

Why do the creators associate superheroes with Christmas anyway?

Some of the possible reasons may be:

  • Commercial purpose: Christmas is a time when people often like to watch movies and TV shows. Filmmakers may intend to take advantage of this fact and place a superhero story in the Christmas season to increase audience interest in the film or TV show.

  • Symbolic meaning: Christmas is a season of love, friendship and cooperation, values that are often associated with superheroes. Filmmakers may intend to use Christmas time as a way to emphasize these values in a superhero story.

  • Atmosphere: Christmas is a time when people feel more positive and cheerful. Filmmakers may want to create a superhero story that takes place during the Christmas season to create a welcoming atmosphere for the audience.

  • Continuity to the original story: in some cases, placing a superhero story in the Christmas season may be part of an overall story or continuity that has been established in previous stories.

For example, if a superhero story takes place throughout the year and Christmas traditions or events have been mentioned in previous stories, it may be logical to place the next story in Christmas time to build on previous events and maintain story continuity.

Examples of Christmas superhero stories

  • Spider-Man: An example is the comic "Amazing Spider-Man: A Very Spidey Christmas" by author Paul Benjamins and artist Dave Wachter.

  • Superman: This superhero also has several stories that take place during the Christmas holiday or pre-Christmas season. For example, the comic "Superman: Christmas Special" by writer Paula Dini and artist Jose Luis García-Lopez.

  • The Green Lantern Corps: This team of superheroes appears, for example, in the comic "Green Lantern Corps: Christmas Special" by writer Gerard Jones and artist Pao Broderick.

  • Batman: Bruce Wayne can be enjoyed in the comic "Batman: The Long Halloween, No. 3: Christmas" by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale. Another example is the comic "Batman: Noel" by writer Denny O'Neil and artist Alex Ross.

  • The X-Men: This team of superheroes also has several Christmas stories. For example, the comic "X-Men: Christmas Special" by writer Chris Claremont and artist Salvo.

  • The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: an example is the comic "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Christmas Special" by writer Tom Waltz and artist Kevin Eastman. Or the short cartoon The Christmas Aliens by director Roy Burdin.

  • The Fantastic Four: For example, the comic strip "Fantastic Four: A Christmas Special" by writer Marv Wolfman and artist John Buscema. Another example is Fantastic Four Christmases, which is a crossover between Fantastic Four and Four Christmases.

  • Hawkeye, the hit Christmas comic series, can be recalled in greater detail:

    • In Hawkeye, the main character Clint Barton tries to spend the Christmas holidays with his family, promising them he'll be home.

    • However, he meets Kate Bishop, who needs his help to save the world from a dangerous evil.

    • Clint decides to help Kate, even if it means leaving his family and missing Christmas with them.

    • Throughout the story, Christmas symbols such as Christmas trees, ornaments, and presents appear to remind us that it takes place during the Christmas season.

    • Throughout the story, Clint tries to find a way to spend the promised Christmas holiday with his family while also helping Kate save the world.

    • The series also depicts the relationship between Clint and his family, who are disappointed that he cannot be with them for Christmas.

    • In an attempt to find a way to return home for Christmas, Clint and Kate encounter various obstacles and dangers that await them along the way.

    • Eventually, they manage to defeat a dangerous criminal and Clint returns home for Christmas to spend time with his family.

 

At the end of the series, Clint and his family meet Kate Bishop and celebrate the Christmas holiday together. This ending of the series shows that it is important for the characters to have family and friends to spend the Christmas holidays with and share happiness and love.

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Superhero Christmas hit Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Holiday Special is actually a bit of a fusion of a fictional superhero world with the reality of today. Part of the Guardians of the Galaxy team heads to Earth to "get" the best present for the Star Lord. That gift is actor Kevin Bacon, who is kidnapped, wrapped in a box and given to Star Lord as a Christmas present. The story is, of course, considerably more colorful; it is only briefly described here.

If you really know your way around comics, you can test your knowledge in a couple of special quizzes. Download the TerraHunt app, go to the "Virtual Games" section and play one of the quizzes: