Villainous snakes and heroic butterflies, the moral alignment of animal-themed characters in American superhero comic books

Abstract

ABSTRACT People view animals through a framework of a negative to positive scale, with these views having wide-ranging implications including conservation programmeinvestment and success. Media can change public perception, and one media form that has largely been ignored in this regard is comic books. Within superhero comic books, characters are defined by use of animal monikers, traits, or resemblance. Superhero comic books are a unique medium due to characters existing on a hero to villain dichotomy. Examining animal representation on this hero/villain dichotomy can reveal public perceptions of various taxa. For this study, a total of 558 characters were categorised as heroes, villains, or morally ambiguous. Findings indicate vertebrate-themed characters outnumbered invertebrate-themed characters despite invertebrates making up the majority of fauna biodiversity. Additionally, male comic book characters outnumbered female comic book characters. Amphibians, fish, snakes, and lizards were more frequently portrayed as villains, while mammals, birds, butterflies, and beetles were more frequently portrayed as heroes. Exceptions to heroic mammals were even-toed ungulates and Primates which were more villainous than heroic in their depictions. Investigating animal depictions in media, such as superhero comic books, can help reveal where public perceptions originate and add further context to existing species bias research.