Matt Lowry, LPP tells co-host, Dr. Angela Lauria, all about the Autistic origins and characteristics of popular superheroes. Topics include:
The mystical realms of Doctor Strange, the dark alleys of Batman's Gotham City, and the soaring heights of Superman's Metropolis!
Superheroes' unique abilities, struggles, and triumphs mirror the experiences of Autistic individuals. Examining their origin stories and the challenges they face, reveals how these beloved characters (and the Autistic celebrities and writers behind them) can inspire and empower Autistic children, teens, and adults.
The origins of superheroes, tracing back to early 20th century pulp fiction writers like Robert E. Howard, who created Conan the Barbarian. Howard had a strong moral compass and desire for justice—sound familiar?
Iconic superheroes created by Jewish writers in the 1930s-1940s, who often drew from their cultural heritage for story elements to create Superman, Batman, and Captain Marvel/Shazam.
Tim Burton's Batman film’s focused on Batman's need for order versus the Joker's chaos. Burton incorporated German expressionist influences.
James Gunn’s several Autistic-coded superhero characters, including ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ The Guardians form an Autistic “found family.”
How Superman appeals to Autistics with his monotropic focus on truth and justice. Jerry Seinfeld (himself, Autistic) is a huge Superman fan.
Quotes from this episode:
“Batman's real identity is Batman. He camouflages—he masks—as Bruce Wayne, in order to fit into the world around him.”
Matt: They did this study and they had autistic people and allistic people play a card game. In this card game, you could win fake money and there was a way to cheat to get more fake money. Inevitably, all of the allistic members cheated to get more fake money because getting money was the point of the game.
Angela: Maybe not all, science check.
Matt: Well, no, no, no, all actually, yeah. Legitimately, it shows in the study, all of the allistic people cheated and none of the autistic people cheated. And that's where the researchers came up with the conclusion that autistic people have, quote, ‘a rigid moral inflexibility that prevents us from succeeding.’
Which super hero best represents Autistic Culture to you?
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Superheroes are Autistic (Episode 28)