Heroes and Superheroes
Article written by Jeph Loeb and Tom Morris
This picture is from steveenglehart.com
Heroes and Superheroes
A. Defining a Hero and a Superhero
Look and act different than an average person
2. Some have special tools, carried by a special belt
3. They tend to wear alot of spandex or tights
4. Most have a unique power that others do not
5. They tend to have much movement high above ground
6. Pursue Justice- helping those in need, defeating evil with good
1. People often think, the more "super", or having more super powers, a person is, the more heroic they could be
2. The truth is that the less super someone is, the more heroic they can be
example: What is so great about a person who can't die, stopping a robbery
A person who can die would be a much better example of being heroic because they have so much more to lose
1. man of super-human qualities, favored by the gods.
3. man admired for achievements and noble qualities.
no level of achievements can make someone a hero.
The concept of a hero is a moral category
Real Definition of a Superhero: An extraordinarily powerful person, with weaknesses as well as strengths, whose noble character guides him or her into worthy achievements.
Firemen, police officers, doctors, nurses, teachers
Their sacrifices and noble deeds benefit us
1. Heroes stand out because of their altruistic activism and dedication to what is good.
2. Those who stand for the good against the pull of forces that would defeat their effort are heroic. - stay at home moms, public servants, an engineer, a musician, an artist, cancer surviver, etc.
3. A superhero is a hero with human abilities that have been developed to a superhuman level
4. Not every person fighting crime in a costume is a hero, and not every person with superhuman powers is a superhero.
B. How to be a Hero
1. People often forget the meaning behind a sacrifice, and they only look at what we have to give up.
2. In order to do things heroic, you have to make sacrifices - sacrifices take self-discipline
1. For most average humans- the more power gained, the more they serve themselves
2. Heroes- as more power is gained- they realize that people have power in order to help others, and ourselves.
Heroes are so popular because they speak to our nature- our aspirations and our fear
C. Fear and the Superhero Stories
1. We all fear harm - part of what it is to be human
2. Superhero stories address fears that are in real life - harm, crim, terrorism, etc.
3. Many of us fear what we will have to do in order to stand up to evil
4. Many people are also afraid of using violence when not needed when having to resort to it when standing up to evil
What Superheroes teach us
1. Superheroes show us that these fears can be overcome- Superheroes are inspirational
2. They show us that nothing worth doing is easy
3. Show us how much people have to struggle in order to prevail - helps us deal with the fears that we face in the real world
4. Teach us when to use force, and that we can prevail to not using force when we aren't standing up to evil
D. The Example of the Superhero
Superheroes give us an example of commitment to truth and justice, and an example of what the human way should look like
We all have special gifts and talents - we all have a little "superhero" in us
Superheroes cans inspire us and be an example to us just as our parents, siblings and friends do
The Heroic Path
1. It is sometimes lonely
2. As heroes being a good moral example - easier to follow the human way, the moral road
3. It is always right - world could always use another hero