The mass culture of the United States originates in the late nineteenth Century and early twentieth century In that time, politics was relatively stable, industrialization and urbanization gradually had great impact on daily life, and economy developed rapidly. All these contribute to the popularity of the mass culture. The continuous enrichment and perfection of the content and form of the mass culture, to a certain extent, further enhance its popularity.

It is known to all, the United States is a multi-ethnic country. This emerging country has rapidly become the most influential country in the world. In this country, all kinds of cultural projects have experienced exceptionally rapid growth by leaps and bounds. In this society, a strong competitive system has been formed deeply in the hearts of every Americans. In the United States, it can be used to measure a person's achievement by their material achievements and wealth, creating the strong sense of competition of the Americans. What’s more, the characters of the Americans directly determine American’s working style. As they almost have stronger independence, this determines that Americans are highly efficient in their work. Thus, these outstanding and distinctive characteristics of this country created the heroism of American mass culture.

Especially in the early twentieth Century, various modern media have been widely used in the United States.In the 1920s, American film industry was the fastest growing and the most influential film industry in the world.The American film industry has such a big influence that it is obviously related to its historical and cultural characteristics. American culture and American movies are inseparable, especially the films on the theme of the heroism, representing the unique cultural connotation. Besides, in the 1930s, the comics has also become popular.It was not until 1938 that the first comic superhero Superman was created and later lots of people’s favourite Captain American. Only by knowing fully about the culture of the United States, will people fundamentally have a clear understanding of comics or movies. What’s more, people also can get a stronger cultural resonance from these media.

This thesis is to focus on the film Captain American to explore the heroism of American mass culture on the basis of existing discovery made by predecessors. Captain American is chosen as a focus of American mass culture research for a few reasons. Firstly, Captain American series are closely related with American history. With the specific context, a lot meaningful studies could be made to contribute to the understanding of American culture. Secondly, as Hollywood movies in the United States are typical way of entertainment and even way of living. American heroism films have been the darling of the film market. Half of the world's films, have created hero images one after another. Consequently, these superheroes become the idol of young people. Captain American is one of those outstanding and experienced core superheroes. He has appeared in several films since his birth. Thirdly, it can be seen that American’s style of execution is also very obvious in American films. All dimensions of life permeate into the details in the American movies, where it is meant to help people all over the world understand people of the United state and its nation's character. The characters of the Americans in the heroism films are the most evident.

Therefore, American mass culture and American movies are complementary, especially the films on the theme of the heroism. Only by fully understanding the theme of the films, can people also have a better understanding of American mass culture and social atmosphere. This paper intends to make a thorough analysis on heroism in America and its interactions of contemporary and future influence on the development of America.  

2 Essence of American Mass Culture

After the World War II, the popularity of film and television set up a new mass culture - the consumer culture and the fashion of the Hollywood films. This kind of consumption oriented cultural form and usher people into the era of entertainment industry and pursuit of sensual pleasure. American Mass Culture express itself in several forms, such as comics and films.