The superhero and the cyberpunk: transforming genres in Spider-Man 2099

Abstract

This article examines the intersection of the cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction and the postmodern comic book superhero, with a specific focus on the series Spider-Man 2099. Blending a traditional superhero narrative with the darker tone and thematic complexity of cyberpunk, Spider-Man 2099 represents, expands and challenges many fundamental qualities of the cyberpunk style. In particular, this article argues that the series explores the posthuman through its ambivalent depiction of genetic engineering, cybernetic enhancement and artificial intelligence, and discusses how the future society depicted reflects Orientalist cultural anxieties and regressive gender codes. Spider-Man 2099 thus represents an important cyberpunk text, in which the tropes of the traditional superhero narrative give way to the cynicism of technophobia.