Superheroes in mass-consumed media, specifically movies and television, have evolved a good deal from their on-the-page comic book roots. From early incarnations with largely comical natures to their modern counterparts that have the capacity to be dark and gritty as well as light-hearted and humorous, the superhero genre has seen a lot of change and growth. Not all of this growth turned out well, but that’s where the magic of rebooting a franchise could always be worked. Oscar wins for movies like Big Hero 6 speak volumes for the current state of these movies, and so it’s important to take a look back and see exactly what paved the way for the modern superhero epic, both in film and on television.