I will be using methods from the humanities for my topic because my research will primarily involve reading sources, watching films, and analyzing films in conversation with the sources I have read. At the same time, however, I will also be pulling sources from the social sciences that have to do with Implicit Leadership Theories (ILTs) and the Social Identity Theory of Leadership, which both involve psychology and actual social behavior. I will be generating my own theory about superheroes in relation to ILTs and social identity research, and although I will not be testing my theory via the social sciences, my theory would open the door for future experimentation.

The materials I will need for my research include academic books, peer-reviewed articles, superhero films, critic reviews, comic books, and websites (for gathering box office dataand superhero film/fanfare information). The superhero films–and possibly some comic books–will be my primary sources (i.e., the things to be analyzed and critiqued), and everything else will be my secondary sources (i.e., the things to be used for analyzing and critiquing).

In terms of topics, the specific kinds of secondary sources I will be drawing from include those on leadership studies, Implicit Leadership Theories (ILTs), social identity theory (of leadership), comic book history, American exceptionalism, American history, feminist theory, critical race theory, toxic masculinity and violence, superhero history, film psychology, superhero films, heroism, and superheroes as cultural icons. For my primary sources, the superhero films themselves, I will focus on the historically and presently most popular/watched, such as (though this is subject to change) Black Panther (2018), Wonder Woman (2017), Deadpool (2016), The Avengers (2012), The Dark Knight (2008), and Superman (1978).