the superhero and the supervillain operate outside the law. The formerreplaceslawwithaformofsubstantivejusticewhilethelatterseekstoinvertoroverturnthe law in favour of a new grundnorm (or anti grundnorm) that best serves their visionfor how society should operate. In this paper I consider what this prefix ‘‘super’’ reallymeans in relation to these two classes, drawing on Nietzsche’s original definition of theubermensch (superman) and its relationship to legal concepts such as the state ofexception, sovereign power and substantive justice. These relationshipswill bemappedacross a number of examples from the Marvel Studios films—paying particularattention to the antagonists in these movies, both the state and the supervillains, arguingthat it is these antagonists who are most illustrative of these concepts in

EB00000004281K			Available
EB00000004282K			Available

• Beyond the Law: What is so ‘‘Super’’ AboutSuperheroes and Supervillains?