Claude Levi Strauss' Binary Oppositions

Spiderman

Public Image and Private Image    

This is a feature of almost all superhero films,  as most of the protagonists attempt to live an apparently normal life as well as one in which their identity is a mystery.

Authority and Vigilantes

There is often conflict between the superhero and more typical authority figures.

Crime and Justice

Superheroes take justice into their own hands and deal with criminals as they see fit. Their less conventional form of justice could create conflict between them and the police, as mentioned before.

Futuristic and Old

Both old and new technology feature in ‘Prometheus’. This provides a contrast between the two planets feautured.

Light and Dark

This could be seen as a signifier of the known and the unknown and the two are often used as representations of good and evil..

Alien and Human

This is typical opposition between human and non-human that features in most sci-fi films, which could also include android and human.

Terrorism and Anti-Terrorism

This is a common opposition in the action genre, with one side representing law and order and the other crime and injustice.