Today
I’m going to conclude my list of favorite superheroes. Last time, I listed numbers 10 through 6,
this time I will give my top five.
#5: Captain America
It’s
interesting that in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” when Ultron sees Captain America
for the first time, he actually calls him “God’s righteous man.” When a sworn enemy has to admit that you are
righteous, you are doing something right.
Ultron was on the mark on this point; Captain America is righteous. “Cap” (as he is often called) is pure, holy, and
upright. He commands respect, not
because he verbally asks for it, but just because of the way he carries
himself. I echo what so many others have
said over the decades since Cap was created: I want to be like Captain America.
#4: The Flash
It
was only a few years ago that I began to appreciate The Flash. It was thanks to two different TV series
simply called “The Flash”. The first
aired back in 1990, but only ran one season.
It starred John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen alias The Flash. I didn’t see it back then, but I was able to
watch it on DVD. This was the show that introduced
to me to Barry Allen’s heroic character.
While
I really enjoyed that series, this new series also titled “The Flash” (starring
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen) is the superior of the two shows. In the series premiere, Barry develops the
ability to run at incredibly fast speeds (for example, he can run so fast that
he can break the sound barrier, which occurs after you exceed 700 miles an hour,
I think it is). Barry decides he wants
to use his newfound ability to help people.
After a setback, he travels to Starling City to meet up with someone he
knows will understand: Oliver Queen, also known as Green Arrow (because “The
Flash” is actually a spin-off of the TV show “Arrow”). I love the conversation Barry and Oliver
have.
“So
why come to me?” Oliver asks. “Something
tells me you didn’t run 600 miles to say hi to a friend.” “I’m just not sure I’m like you, Oliver,”
Barry replies. “I don’t know if I can be
some vigilante.” “You can be better,”
Oliver responds. “Because you can
inspire people in a way I never could.
Watching over your city, like a guardian angel; making a difference;
saving people in a flash.” Oliver is
right. Like any great superhero, Barry
Allen/The Flash inspires me.
#3: Superman
I
have such respect for Superman. Not too
long ago, I purchased some Superman attire that has nothing but Superman’s “S”
emblem inscribed on it. Whenever I wear
it, I always feel like I have to stand a little straighter, and act in an
exceptionally upright manner. I say this
because Superman is good, moral, and honorable.
Simply put, he is the epitome of what it means to be a superhero. If Superman is anything, he is a yardstick to
gauge ourselves against. As Jor-El
(Superman’s Kryptonian father) told his son in the film “Man of Steel”, “You
will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards.” Some dislike that “Man of Steel” movie; even
so, you cannot deny that Jor-El is absolutely right.
Note: #2 and #1 on my list
are really, really close. I love each of
these final two characters so much. But
ultimately, I finalized my list in the following order…
#2: Spider-Man
If
I were asked to describe Spider-Man in one word, it would be the word
“relatable.” Why? How could it be that a
guy who has the ability to climb up walls, and shoot out webs is
relatable? Because Spider-Man (alias
Peter Parker) deals with problems that everyone deals with. He has trouble making enough money to
live. He strikes out with members with
the opposite sex. He battles with
insecurities and self-pity. He experiences
problems, frustrations, and disappointments.
I love
Peter/Spider-Man because he often gets fed up with the difficulties in his
life; he wants to quit being a masked hero and live a normal life. But he doesn’t. He continues to fight, no matter how
challenging his life becomes. He learned
the hard way that “with great power comes great responsibility.” If more people followed Peter Parker’s
example of persevering rather than quitting at the first sign of trouble, this
world would be a better place.
#1: Batman
Batman
is extraordinary. He can beat you in so
many ways. He can defeat you physically
in a fight (with dozens of different types of fighting styles, I might add). But he can also defeat you mentally. He is a brilliant strategist that can outsmart
any opponent, without ever having to resort to throwing a punch. And he also has that brilliant analytical
mind of his that can solve crimes (he is the world’s greatest detective, after
all). Essentially, Batman is Sherlock
Holmes, Jackie Chan, Rocky Balboa (a formidable athlete with a tremendous will
to never quit), Ken Jennings (the guy who won 70 something times on
“Jeopardy”), and Tony Stark all rolled up into one person.
Some
don’t consider Batman a superhero because he doesn’t possess powers. These people are mistaken. Batman has many special abilities that other
people simply don’t have. Did you notice
that I mentioned Tony Stark earlier? I
did so because I wanted to underscore Batman’s brilliance, but also because
Tony/Iron Man is a good case study in this discussion. Tony Stark doesn’t have any superhuman powers
per se, but he is a superhero because he possesses an incredible skill to do
what many cannot do: create all those amazing Iron Man suits. Therefore, if you want to claim that Batman
isn’t a superhero you have to conclude that Iron Man isn’t a superhero, either.
One
last thing: I also give Batman extra points for his alter ego. Technically, Batman is the true face; Bruce
Wayne is the facade. He pretends to be a
bored, spoiled, carefree billionaire, but his real face is the one who delivers
justices in the cape and cowl of the Batman.
He is such a great actor that few think there’s any connection between
Bruce Wayne and Batman. It’s a brilliant
cover!
Kevin
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