What are the conventions of the Superhero genre?

There are numerous conventions to the Superhero genre which we can gather from the many Superhero films out there. These conventions are what identifies the genre and are present in almost all of the Superhero genre films.

Here are some of the main conventions of this genre:

Typical themes:

• The idea of a superhero saving the city/town from the Supervillain (the Superhero's arch enemy) 
• Usually ordinary people gaining these superpowers by accident 
• Fighting crime using their extraordinary abilities 
• Will regularly be involved in in physical and strategic combat
• To combat threats against humanity or threats posed by supervillains
• Idea of the good v's the evil
• Usually contain a moral for us to learn by
• Usually we see their journey into obtaining their super powers

Way in which superheroes are portrayed:

• The style and appearance of the superhero is important for the audience/readers to identify the different superheroes clearly, so each main character superhero is significantly portrayed differently. However there are the expectations which superheroes still have when it comes to their appearance. 
• Those superheroes who have a secret identity will often wear a mask e.g. Spider-man and Batman. 
• They usually have a symbol on their chests e.g. Superman with the upper case "S" and the Bat emblem of Batman. 
• Tight fitting clothing
• When thinking of Superheroes many people imagine them wearing capes, however the vast majority of Superheroes don't actually wear capes, but the garment is still closely associated with them. This is mainly because the two main/well known Superheroes; Batman and Superman, wear capes. 
• Underpants worn over pants or lack of pants altogether. 
• Have the latest technology and usually have a headquarters

Other conventions include:

• A back story which explains the circumstances which gave the character their super powers. This element usually contains a tragic event or freak accidents that result in the development of the heroes powers.  
• Rogues gallery. Generally within the superhero genre, the superhero has to fight the rogues gallery of enemies on a regular basis. 
• Often, the superheroes personal relationships are complicated by their dual life. Sometimes the superheroes closest friend or relative may know about their secret identity and be made to swear secrecy. 
• Achilles heel, this is the weaknesses that the superhero may have. This can usually benefit the enemies and they can use it against the superhero.