Chapter 1: Superman from American Exceptionalism to Globalization

Chapter 2: All the President's Supermen

Chapter 3: With Great Power Comes Great Superhero Rhetoric

Chapter 4: Up, Up and ... Abroad: Iconographic Identities of Globalized Superheroes

Chapter 5: The World's Too Small: Globalization and Cultural Uptake of Superheroes

Chapter 6: Fight the Power: Safeguarding and Resistance to the Superhero Powers That Be

Chapter 7: Superheroes at Large: Uptake of Superhero Rhetoric in Real-life

Superhero Rhetoric from Exceptionalism to Globalization: Up, Up and ...Abroad examines superhero narratives through the lens of American rhetoric and globalization. Michael Arthur Soares illustrates how deeply intertwined superhero narratives are with American political culture by analyzing, on the one hand, the rhetoric of American exceptionalism and the representation of American presidents in superhero narratives and, on the other, the prevalence of superhero rhetoric in speeches by American politicians. Turning toward the global mobility of the superhero genre, Soares then offers further insight into the ways in which cultural contexts inform transformations of superheroes and their narratives around the world and how American filmmakers have adjusted their narratives to guarantee their global reach and ability to place films in the global marketplace. Finally, the author considers real-life examples of licensed superhero iconography embodied by individuals around the world who seek to make change in their communities. Ultimately, the chapters examine the journey of superhero rhetoric and how it reaches out to global audiences, across cultural borders and back again.