The image above was taken from a movie poster advertisement for the 2017 film, Logan, which is based on the Marvel comic book character of the same name. According to IMDb, this movie ranks in the #4 spot under the category of the Best Superhero Movies as of 2020.
Using the Goffmanian Analysis to analyze this poster will prove to be practically impossible. As with the Spider-Man poster listed as #15 in the ranking, it is disappointing to see that there is only one character on this official film poster, and that it is a male. Knowing that this movie is centered around Wolverine’s character makes it a little easier to understand why there are zero females on the poster; however, it implies that the female character/s is/are not as important. With knowledge of the film itself, we know that there are more characters than just Logan, and that some of these characters are female. However, in order to analyze this poster, we must take away all prior knowledge of the movie.
We cannot analyze this poster in regard to relative size, feminine touch, function ranking, the family, ritualization of subordination or licensed withdrawal, as there is an absence of female characters. We can, however, identify this poster is stereotypical of male characters in that Wolverine is looking directly at the camera and that he is revealing his inhumane claws, which gives him a higher status than that of an average man without special powers/skills.
Shared by: Maddie Glosny
Image Credit: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71HCwLMPJVL._AC_SL1024_.jpg
