An archetype for the superhero : substitution and configuration of the personal world in Big Hero 6

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Abstract

This article examines the notions of substitution and archetypes in the film Big Hero 6, in both its narrative and audiovisual dimensions from the perspective of poetic possible worlds, exploring how these two notions shape the personal world of the film’s protagonist, Hiro Hamada. Our research makes a novel contribution to the field of Superhero Studies, offering an analysis of the audiovisual characteristics of a superhero film and exploring a work within the genre that has not yet received attention from researchers. The research identifies and explains several narrative strategies and their function: the role of the mediating substitute, the mimetic aspect of exemplary storytelling, and the mechanism of preserving the world’s structure through substitution. Camera position, framing and lighting all serve as audiovisual counterparts of these narrative strategies.