Why do we enjoy gory TV shows?

The past few months we have seen new season releases of “Invincible,” “Daredevil: Born Again” and “The Boys” — some of the most gory shows on television right now. With all three falling into the superhero genre, there is plenty of fighting, destruction and blood that fills the screen.

These shows have millions of viewers per episode despite their violent tendencies. With each new episode released, I asked myself: “Why do I keep going back to a show that is so visually displeasing?”

A lot of people generally do not enjoy gore, as it has a lingering effect on the mind. Specifically, when violence is presented to children, it can cause them to feel anxiety for events they have no control over. As they mature, continued exposure to gore can desensitize them to violence and stunt the development of their sympathetic traits. Many parents have begun to monitor their children’s internet access and criticize the inclusion of gore in media in hopes to combat these damaging effects on their children.

In addition to negative effects on children, adults can also experience risky side effects. Adults with addictive tendencies are more prone to developing an addiction to consuming gore media, which can lead to nihilistic traits. Adults also risk the possibility of developing existential depression with negative outlooks on their lives due to violence and dread shown through violence.

Despite these effects, shows like “Invincible,” “Daredevil: Born Again” and “The Boys” maintain dedicated fanbases. Fans enjoy watching the disgusting blood splatter in “The Boys,” creative killings in “Invincible” and street-level crime in “Daredevil: Born Again.” The reasoning for this enjoyment is varied, but one can be due to the different personality archetypes of audience members. 

The first archetype are adrenaline junkies. Adrenaline junkies are those of us who seek new and intense experiences, and in this case, it is done through watching intense scenes of a TV series. Junkies enjoy the complex emotions and rush they feel when watching violence, which keeps them returning to this genre of media. 

The second archetype are white knucklers who use their willpower to continue through stressful situations. Oftentimes these fans do not enjoy the intense emotions felt from watching gory media, as it can lead them to develop nightmares and stress. As they watch, these audiences discover that they are learning things about themselves, fueling their consumption of this media. They learn how to challenge their fear and disgust and personally develop in a way they may benefit from overall.

The third and final archetype are dark copers who enjoy the mental sensations they experience when watching violent media. Dark copers believe that watching gore from the comfort of their home can help them prepare for a violent and dangerous world. They can learn from characters on TV and apply it to scary real-life scenarios. 

These three archetypes show how personal the interaction with gory media is. However, not everyone fits into one of these archetypes, some watch gore simply for its ability to provide escapism. Rather than focusing on their own individual hardcomings, they focus on the characters’ violent situation. When comparing a character’s problems, a viewer may forget the weight of their own. This can manifest into a reflection of the human condition. 

For example, “The Boys” presents mature themes through conflicting characters Homelander and Billy Butcher. Homelander’s desire for control contrasts with Butcher’s vengeful motive, causing both characters to make morally questionable decisions. This includes gory killings of key characters that often change the plot’s direction, as well as Homelander and Butcher’s course of action. Through their driving emotions of vengeance, anger and insecurity, the two characters reveal how human flaws lead to destructive consequences. This allows the audience to escape from their reality and instead focus on the difficulties of fictional characters.

Another reason for watching gore is the level of realism that these shows provide. Instead of small cuts and bruises on superhero’s faces, there are gashes and hematomas. In shows like “Invincible,” the gore has a purpose to move the story along, since the violence compliments the storyline. Mark is consistently struggling with his strength, as he does not want to become the ruthless killer his father, Omni-Man, was. His superpowers changed his relationship with his father, and as viewers we get to see the why through witnessing Omni-Man’s crimes. Mark does not want to become his father and holds back when crimefighting. Without the visual representation of what Mark is capable of living up to, the weight of his superpowers would not be as relevant. Because we see the atrocities of Omni-Man, it is understandable why Mark fights the way he does. 

The super power abilities exhibited by Mark and Omni-Man make it easy to kill a human in seconds, and without blood and brutality, all of the fight scenes would become distracting from being unrealistic. In other superhero media shows like, “Avengers: Endgame,” there is a lack of physical consequence from big action sequences. Characters will have a bloody lip or scratched face after almost nearly dying in the plot. When faced with this, I find myself questioning why they stray away from the realistics as it is purely unbelievable that after fighting Thanos, Spider-Man only has bruises on his face. 

To compare with “Invincible,” in the season one scene where Omni-Man is attacking the Guardians of the Globe, there is blood splattering because of the realistic depictions of the fight and narrative changes. Without the gore on the screen attached to Omni-Man’s change of character, viewers would not be able to understand the level of evil Omni-Man had just reached. In this scene, he switches from being a superhero to a villain, later creating a complex relationship between Mark, his father and his own abilities as mentioned earlier. A lack of gore on the screen would make the scene feel like it was missing something, which is why some people enjoy gore due to the realism. 

These are the reasons why people watch the shows themselves, but there are mixed opinions from fans on if the gore is necessary. Many fans believe that some gore included in the aforementioned shows is unnecessarily brutal without moving the plot forward. The graphic content becomes too central to the plot and its repetition can become exhausting. One “Daredevil: Born Again” critic even argues that new seasons of the show focus more on the violence than the actual characters.

On the contrary, many fans, including myself, believe that it is the violence itself that helps the story move forward. I think the violence and gore in these shows are designed to be attention-grabbing, giving me the excitement to return to each new episode. One critic says that without the violence in “The Boys,” the show’s satire would not be highlighted to the same extent. I agree with this since it is a highly satirical show that relies on the violence to fully portray its humor. For instance, The Deep — the character who has aquatic superpowers — is an unserious character who is constantly struggling with his relationship with the ocean world. There have been many scenes where he has been forced to eat sea creatures, adding humor to the show. Even though The Deep is often the object of ridicule throughout “The Boys,” his powers are strong and his killings, while often satirical through his use of fish, they still contain extremely graphic gore.

My original question on why I go back to these shows has been answered, but whether the inclusion of the gore is necessary is subjective. Although I do not find myself fitting into a particular archetype, I do believe I watch these shows for their realism. For example, I think that “The Boys” series finale would not have been as impactful or satisfying without the violence included. When I approach movies like “The Avengers,” I find myself dissatisfied with the lack of gore in comparison with the shows mentioned. “The Avengers” has characters with scrapes and bruises, but never shows the realistic bloody effect a fight has on a specific character. I do not get to see characters violently meet their end and there is a lack of fear I have of the villains as a viewer. 

The same applies to “Invincible,” “Daredevil: Born Again” and “The Boys,” all show these bloody demises I expect. I get to see the direct consequences of every battle, fight and wound from a character. I return to these shows to see how a character will use their abilities to stop a greater evil. So for me, the conclusion I have come to on why I enjoy gory shows is purely because of the plot attached to it. Although that might be an unpopular opinion, these unconventional stories help me reflect on my own life, even if there is gore attached. 

Carly Rattner is satisfied with the violent “The Boys” finale, but why?