(From top) Brandon Routh in Superman Returns; Christian Bale in Batman Begins; Hrithik Roshan in Krrish

Forget Gotham City and Metropolis, superheroes are now making a beeline for Hollywood. Green skinned rageaholics, crippled mutants or lovesick webslingers, there is space for all in tinsel town. They may wear their inner wear as outside wear, but these superheroes on celluloid sure mean box-office gold.

Yes, there have been some films that have been greeted with howls of derision (Barb Wire, Judge Dredd, The Fantastic Four and Catwoman immediately spring to mind), but most have tasted commercial success and some have even earned critical acclaim.

The immensely successful X-Men series and Spiderman franchise have raked in over $2 billion at the box office, a figure that?s more than the GDP of 51 African countries!

?You cannot dumb down a comic book. One has to stay true to the spirit of the story, maybe not necessarily to the minute details. The popularity of comic books stems from the fact that they act as security blankets when one is a child, and you get that same feeling of comfort when you watch it on the big screen,? pointed out Stan Lee, the creator of Spiderman, X-Men and The Incredible Hulk.

The popularity of comic book superheroes gone celluloid may stem from the fact that they represent modern day society?s cultural mythology. Add to the fact that comics are perfect for screen adaptation, being full of spectacle and adventure with an emotional arc for the hero.

Sam Raimi?s Spider-Man 1 and 2 had Peter Parker (played by Tobey Maguire) with endearing human characteristics, while the Batman movies had alter ego Bruce Wayne questioning his abilities and fighting his inner demons.

Hollywood has more often than not successfully managed to portray the ?human? side of the superheroes and capture their vulnerabilities, while not missing out on their crime-fighting exploits. No longer is it simply about the mask; it?s also very much about the man behind the mask.

As Christian Bale, star of 2005?s Batman Returns said: ?Batman is Travis Bickle with billions in the bank.?

Today, the process of movie making has gone into territories where it?s practically impossible to tell where cinematography ends and the blue screen begins. Special effects have revolutionised the art of movie making and proved to be a boon for the action adventure genre.

Spidey?s web slinging all over New York, Wolverine sinking his metal claws into Mystique, and Batman using his gadgets to get out of trouble seem more plausible than ridiculous thanks to F/X.

Country cousin Bollywood, too, has jumped onto the superhero bandwagon, with film-maker Rakesh Roshan about to release his magnum opus, Krrish, starring son Hrithik Roshan.

The film, sequel to the 2003 super hit Koi? Mil Gaya, has been made on a budget of Rs 50 crore, and promises special effects that haven?t been witnessed by Indian audiences, whose only exposure to ?superhero? films has been the ilk of the cringe-worthy Ajooba.

But then, Bollywood has more superheroes than heroes filling up the screen ? they jump like Superman, cast a web like Spiderman, zip around like Batman, fight like The Hulk and love like Don Juan?

Wonder what the likes of Roshan or Subi Samuel (who has produced the other superhero movie of the season Alag) would churn out if they had Hollywood budgets.

The budgets in the West are bolstered by ancillary profits through television, video and merchandising making this genre even more effective and attractive to studios and producers.

Most movies today recover almost their entire production costs through such avenues. Do some smart and aggressive marketing and Spiderman becomes as wealthy as a small European country!

Superhero films are here to stay. Films such as X-Men 3 have grossed close to $250 million on their opening weekends. The world now waits for Superman Returns, the fourth installment of the caped wonder?s adventures.

Starring a relatively unknown Brandon Routh, the film is not just about ?truth, justice and the American way?; it rather examines the fact that the world has changed and the need of a superhero has become somewhat diluted.

Directed by X-Men and X-2 director Bryan Singer, the movie is one the most anticipated ones of the year.

We have always adored our superheroes, those larger-than-life figures who rescue the weak, preserve the species, and fight evil in all its forms. And as long as there?s money to be made, superheroes will continue to rule our screens.