The contemporary incarnation of Thai Superhero Insee Daeng: a divided figure in a divided nation

This chapter conducts a critical analysis of the 2010 Thai superhero film Insee Daeng (The Red Eagle), the remake and re-launch of a series of 1960s Thai films built around this character, who fights corrupt government officials and their shadowy underworld in 2013 Bangkok. Through close textual analysis of the film itself, plus an overview of the wider context in which it was produced and released, this chapter indicates that, while the film and the reincarnation of its central figure appears very much in keeping with the conservative ideological agenda of New Thai cinema, the “extreme” nature of its central figure and its depiction of Bangkok can be considered quite progressive in attitudes and approaches during a very divided period of political turmoil. The film’s close relationship to recent political events as well as its unusual status as an adaptation of an older superhero figure indicates how diverse social developments can affect the incarnation of the superhero figure.