Behind The Superhero Façade : A Visual And Narrative Analysis Of Power And Genre In The Boys (2019)

This thesis aims to investigate how visual and narrative expressions are used to deconstruct the superhero genre and construct power structures in the first season of The Boys (2019). Through a qualitative analysis of nine key scenes, the study explores the contrast of superheroes heroic, public image and their underlaying corruption. The study uses three research questions to answer; 1) how power structures between superheroes and humans are constructed, 2) how gender is represented within hypermasculine structures and 3) how the superhero genre is deconstructed through visual and narrative contrasts. To address these questions, will the theoretical framework for this study consist of Jenny Kidd´s representation theory, John Frow´s genre theory and Jason Mittell´s poetic approach to narrative complexity. The methodological approach combines Gillian Rose´s visual methodologies, together with Jason Mittell´s narrative analysis of the nine key scenes. The result of the study shows that The Boys (2019) season one systematically utilizes visual tools, such as low camera angles shots, strategic lightning and scenography, to elevate superheroes as dominant beings while visually marginalizing ordinary humans. The series further constructs a hypermasculine power structure that subordinates female characters such as Starlight and Queen Maeve, who are positioned in a hierarchy that favors male dominance and diminishes female agency. The study concludes The Boys (2019) deconstruct the genre as a “trojan horse”, by first using traditional genre conventions to later deliver satirical critique of modern power structures. This study of The Boys (2019) offers a critical framework for understanding how visual and narrative expression shape meaning in complex television by deconstructing the superhero genre.