Capitán Latinoamérica

<p><b>Analyzes contemporary superhero-themed cinema television and web series in Latin America.</b></p><p><i>Capitán Latinoamérica</i> is the first study to examine the unique contribution of Latin American cinema television and web series to the global superhero boom. Through an analysis of superhero-themed media from Mexico to Argentina Vinodh Venkatesh argues that contemporary Latin American superheroes are a hybrid of regional tropes and figures such as the famed <i>luchador</i> El Chapulín Colorado and North American blockbuster characters from the DC and Marvel universes. These superheroes channel anxieties specific to their respective national contexts. In Chile for example Mirageman rehashes and works through the Pinochet dictatorship and its traumatic aftermath; in Honduras Chinche Man confronts neoliberalism and gang violence. In Colombia's <i>El Man</i> in turn rapid urbanization and drug cartels are the central concerns whereas corruption and the political machinations of the state feature most prominently in the television and web series <i>Capitán Centroamérica</i>. While the Latin American superhero genre may be superficially characterized by low budgets and kitsch aesthetics it also poses profound challenges to the social political and economic status quo. Covering a wide variety of media bookended by wrestling films from the early 1960s and multimedia productions from the 2010s <i>Capitán Latinoamérica</i> offers a comprehensive introduction to and assessment of the state of the superhero in Latin America.</p>