Blog 8#- What does a ‘Hero’ mean to me?

I remember back when I was a simple-minded child and how the first 'superhero' I actually saw was Spider-Man.

Don't expect me to remember much of it now because I only saw it airing in the early 2000's. However, what I do remember about that animation was it's less goofy take on spider-man as a whole.

The origin story of Peter Parker wasn't any different than others and it was mostly generic, but what made the biggest impact on me at the time was watching how gaining superpowers wasn't really as great as it sounded.

When Peter Parker first gained his powers, he was hit with constant slip-ups and realised himself how he couldn't just tell others of his freakish powers.

It was through that animated series was I able to comprehend just what a 'heroes struggle' actually was.

This was especially true when Venom came along and showed just how dangerous his abilities can be in the hands of someone with less virtuous intentions.

'With great power comes great responsibility.' Actually resonated with me as it started to sound less cheesy.

So... How does this old animation have to do with what a Hero means to me now? Well, that's a complicated topic.

To iterate my perspective, I'm going to have to fast forward to present day and talk about My Hero Academia.

Immediately at the first episode of this Anime, I found someone completely different from the 'Hero' Spider-Man.

Both of them are similar in that they both started off as normal people.

Izuku and Peter were both studying at the time they gained their powers, but the story from there is completely different other than that.

Not only does both their 'worlds' have a different attitude towards ability users in general, but the way they obtained their powers was completely different as well.

Some of you might be thinking: "Well thank you for stating the obvious" now.

In fact, it may sound far-fetched to even think these two heroes are similar in any way. Yet I somehow disagree with that.

The reason I like Izuku so much is because both he and All-Might represent the most crucial aspect to being a superhero, or more, a 'Hero'.

The spirit of sacrifice is something I find to be admirable. To put your daily lifestyle and even 'yourself' in danger to help others is worthy of praise.

Yet... that's all I feel for heroes, just pure admiration and nothing else.

In Spider-man, the first 'true' villain for me was Venom. Not only was Venom creepy and eerie but he was practically everything Spider-Man was capable of, an embodiment of chaos itself.

I could feel sympathy for Eddie Brock because he felt so 'Human' to me. He was just an average guy who had one bad day that almost lead him to trying to commit suicide.

To me, Eddie Brock was a lot more Human than Stain from Hero Aca.

He was narrow-minded, Yes, but his story made him a lot more scarier than stain's killing intent could ever be.

When I think of the two and compare them a little. I find Venom, a walking symbiotic abomination, to be more empathetic than Stain's madness.

This isn't to say that Stain is a bad villain overall. In fact, he was a crucial villain in Hero Aca that really fought for what he believed to be the right thing to do.

It's just that for me, I found his 'mission' and his actions to be contradictory.

What does he aspire to do?

I guess... it's to form a cult of people who believe Heroes should be more like martyrs and sacrifice themselves for random people they don't know about.

Kidding, kidding... He's just a guy who wants to be heard by the populace.

Now, how does he make a difference?

I guess he kills heroes he doesn't like while shouting how unheroic they are...?

When you see it done, it might look okay, but how it sounds when written just makes you feel he's insane.

Normal people don't risk their benefits or themselves for others. Not because they're weak but because selfishness is just another part of human nature. You wouldn't value the life of a stranger over your best friend nor would you value a random person enough unhesitatingly sacrifice your life to save them from a nearby danger.

Superheroes are the same. They may place personal life at risk sometimes to save other people but most of them usually hesitate when it comes to risking their lives to save one person.

I feel it undermines the rarity of finding people who have the spirit of sacrifice to think that just anyone could do it.

You could see from just how Izuku was unable to save Bakugo despite his bravery that just having the guts to save someone doesn't always end well no matter how good your intentions are.

He fought hard but reality wouldn't change due to his brave actions.

This is why Heroes are usually portrayed as people who are normally stronger than your average mix martial artist.

They are bold and can take care of themselves while they help others.

To be a true Hero, one needs to have courage to go the extra mile when showing compassion to those in need.

Even Doctor Who can give a passionate speech about kindness. He too is a Hero despite not having a 'Hero Name'.

However, now that I brought him up. I now remember that he was only 'smarter' than a normal human. His physical capabilities were so negligent that his companions could kick his ass.

Speaking of them, weren't all his companions, who were only normal people (at least in the beginning anyway), able to help others in need without having great superpowers?

Aren't they considered Heroes as well?

Now look, I've went from Marvel to Hero Aca and lastly landed on Doctor Who.

Most would say that these three things have nothing in common, but is it true?

To put an end to this immeasurably long ramble, let me just some everything up.

To be a Hero, all you need is kindness.

You don't need to sacrifice your life.

You don't need some hidden superpower or some strong talent.

Just kindness...

Spider-Man had learnt how to be kind to others by calling his reason for saving the lives of other people as a form of 'responsibility'.

Izuku (Deku) had learnt that though courage alone won't give a hundred percent chance of success in saving others. It's the first step needed to be a true Hero.

As for the The Doctor? He's been changing so rapidly over the years that he is no longer the original old man he used to be. However, one thing that has never changed is the fact that he has two hearts filled with compassion.

And that's the end of my rambling. I hope you enjoyed this rollercoaster~ 😉