【摘要】本論文从传统与当下角度为美国英雄及中国侠客定义，并从不同角度分析美国英雄和中国侠客的人物特征，系统对比了中美两国英雄情结的相似及不同之处并剖析其所形成的原因。旨在通过对两种人物的对比分析为中美两国跨文化交际做出微末贡献。
　　【关键词】美国英雄 中国侠客 情结
　　【Abstract】The thesis introduces the definition of superhero and Chinese swordsman， portrays American and Chinese hero traits from various angles， compares the similarities， differences and analyzes the reasons for hero complex in Chinese and American aiming to make contributions to studying the cross-cultural communication between two nations.
　　【Key words】American superhero； Chinese swordsmen； complex
　　Ⅰ. Introduction
　　Lu Zaorong and Wang Xiu point out “It is the responsibility and goal for every culture to create their own hero to keep its essential and inner parts of culture and protect it from going collapse.”
　　There are many superheroes in American， such as Superman， Batman， Spider Man， Captain America and so on. In Wikipedia superhero is “In modern popular fiction， a superhero is a type of heroic character who possesses extraordinary talents， supernatural phenomena， or superhuman powers and who is dedicated to a moral goal or protecting the public.” As a superhero， they carry out justice by fighting against unfair things， and not only stand for unique heroic phenomenon but also represent that American wants to show the most powerful nation image to the whole world.
　　Princeton's Word Net defines Chinese chivalrous swordsman “Skilled at fencing and ingrained in thoughts with tremendous dignity and fortitude out of a sense of patriotism， with skilled martial arts to beckon the harmonious justice to help the weak.” The classical image of swordsman is a righteous person who has the moral sense， acts courteously， highly valued on friends and loyal to country. As time goes by， the definition of Chinese swordsman also has been enlarged. Swordsman becomes common man and led a common life， greatness exists in ordinariness.
　　Two different countries definitely have different styles of hero influenced by social values and culture background. They are the product of society.
　　II. The Characteristic of American and Chinese Hero Figures
　　American superheroes usually display the following traits： they are with an extraordinary power and they use the related high-tech equipment， making them invulnerable and invincible. For example， Batman has superpower but prefers to use detective skill and high-tech equipment， just like a lonely dark knight to save others. Then，， they are more recognizable to public by distinctive costumes and powerful weapons. Varied costumes reflect different superhero’s personal style， and stands for a unique meaning. The last but not least， they have double identity and have full willingness to protect public. One is used to cover his or her secret justice identity and another is used to carry out the justice for public.