Why do they even matter?
I interviewed what one may call a close friend of mine, but they have asked for their name not to be revealed or used and so I will refer to them in this writing as Angel. Angel is a 22 year old male that has been an athlete most of his life, that now works and goes to school. He has pursued acting as a hobby and has been quite successful in the field for his age. I have known Angel since middle school I believe and I have seen not only how he has grown as an individual, and in every other realm or discipline he has grown in, but I have also had the pleasure to experience the joy of his growth and exploration of comics and the universe within.
Angel has been a superhero and comic fan since a young age can can remember reading them as a child, now, whether that be actually reading or just looking at pictures is up for debate. He has always liked superheroes and has been very fond of them for as long as he can remember. He loves the hero aspect, the anticipation of what is next, the action, the moral dilemmas between what is right and wrong, and so on. I think because me and Angel have become so close overtime, a lot of that bonding due to comics (mainly Marvel and some DC), I have seen how looking up to such a hero can sort of change a person. A hero allows a person to be more, shoot for more, be a bigger and better person. They are someone that people can strive to be and do little things everyday to gain such a victory. I think looking outside in on Angel, he uses comics to sort of morph his personality into something more, because they give us the ability to be more.
Angel feels that “there is something (which I do not know what that something is) about seeing a person we look up to, who is mighty with such grace and power, who also struggles with the same human problems that we do on an everyday basis.” I would agree, it is comforting, to know that no matter how big or strong, we all struggle, we are all flawed, we all have fears and insecurities. We ALL have weaknesses. “Even superman has a weakness,” he said, and “if he can have a weakness and still be all that he is, why can’t I?” In today’s society, “we are not allowed to be weak, we need to be perfect all the time, we cannot make mistakes.” Superheroes and comics serve the opposite and ensure that we can, that it is okay to do so, that it is okay to be human. They embody what we want to be, what we could be one day, just without all the amazing abilities.
Then again, maybe we just have different abilities. I cannot necessarily save the day and save thousands if not millions of people’s lives, but I can save one, everyday, just with some simple words and gestures. Maybe that is enough, maybe, just maybe, that is what gives us, as human beings, the ability to be superheroes. In our own way, yes, maybe not in as “cool” of a way, but yet, still an incredible feat to be able to do so. I think we have a lot more power that we call think or know, and beginning to understand that is, well, quite scary. On the other hand, it is an opportunity to do something we have never even thought we were capable of. Sounds to me like we are heroes and there could easily be comics written about every single one of us.
Stories as such have been prevalent throughout history, ie., the hero’s journey. One that we all go through or encounter sometime in our lives if not every single day. No matter how big or small we all must become our own hero at some point, and likely the hero of someone else whether we mean to or not. Superheroes, again, give us something to strive for. Nowadays it feel that we have nothing like that, no modern day heroes, no MLK or Malcolm X or Gandhi or Mandela (then again, maybe I am just not looking in the right places). Which I would assume that there are actually many people throughout the world and even in the states that act as amazing representatives and do great work throughout the world, but in our society we do not necessarily hear about it. It is not in the front running or the forefront. You do not see it in the media and people do not talk about such people, feats, and work all the time (which of course I believe should change but we can save that for another time). What people do talk about however is these superheroes and movies, their incredible feats and ways that we can be more like them. It is not everyday that we are reminded of the good in humanity, good in life, good on Earth, or good in each other. It is not everyday that we are reminded of the good in a smile or a simple and kind gesture. It is not everyday that we are reminded of the good and how “good” it is to be alive. Superheroes provide a platform for that recognition and that reminder — there is still good. They serve as a reminder for, what you feed will prevail. Should you feed evil, fear, and the dark, then they shall win, but if you feed the good, hope, and light, then WE will win.
