I've become a Superhero

I’ve never really been into super heroes. They’ve never appealed to me. So I was a little surprised to find out that I am one.

It was my four year old who defined my powers. He’s a superhero nut. He loves superheroes, especially Spiderman. Wall climbing, shooting webs, catching bad guys- my four year old monkey boy loves it all. He and I often play that we are superheroes- I’m more of his sidekick really- he sets up the scenarios and tells me when I’m doing things wrong (frequently). The adventure usually involves a lot of jumping on the couch.

My powers are rather pathetic- but I won’t tell you about them just yet.

Now I am curious- why are some people so fond of superheroes, while others don’t care for them at all? And why is my four year old already one of those superhero lovers?

Is it because people long to have super powers? I suppose I’d like that too but it doesn’t seem likely to happen for me. So I have come to see myself as just a normal weak human- very likely to be killed in battle- perhaps that’s why I’d prefer to be a sniper. Sending an arrow or other projectile- seemingly from nowhere- into an unsuspecting enemy- it’s almost a super power.

Is it because super heroes are usually outsiders- not accepted as normal humans, because they are somehow different? Certainly a lot of us regular humans fall into the outsider category too- is it because we outsiders resent our status and long for a hidden power to make us envied by the ostracizing masses?

It has been suggested that perhaps there is a link between modern super heroes and Greek and Roman gods- they usually had one or two specialties and dressed in silly clothes -perhaps we need to feel that there is some hope, some control in our lives, anything at all besides the chaotic randomness of our spinning planet.

I have been reading much about people today who dress as superheroes and then go out and patrol the streets. Are we that trapped in our lives and identities that we need to become someone else in order to attempt to achieve fulfillment? Or is there hidden power in disguising oneself? Have we defined and limited ourselves to such a degree by conforming to accepted social definitions?

It seems to me that this modern superhero phenomenon is the manifestation of a too rigid judgmental society. Those that don’t fit in want to exist as an approved outsider, with some power that sets them above the mass of society. They want to be good and to do good, they want to be of value, they want to be heroes.

I believe that everything about humans is explainable in an evolutionary context. If I were a member of a hunter gatherer band, my desire to do good, to face danger and overwhelming odds – to be a “superhero”- would probably result in my death but the group itself would be able to run away while the bears were eating my struggling body.

The other group members would idolize me and be encouraged to do the same thing. Their resulting more aggressive stance in the face of predators would end up with them being bullied less and would help them to overcome their fear in the face of scary things- and sometimes they would beat the scary things. Over time the groups with members willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good would have a higher rate of survival that then ones that didn’t- ultimately passing their superhero inclined genes onto future generations- us.

So perhaps it’s a perfectly natural obsession after all. And the reason that not everyone has it is because any hunter gatherer group where everyone had it would eventually destroy itself with brave sacrifices.

Thinking this through has given me an idea about what’s behind this Superhero thing. Here’s my theory:
-desire of outsiders to be accepted and respected
-concept of sacrifice for the greater good
-hope- that terrifying things can be overcome and we can continue even when there is no apparent solution

According to my theory then there are superheroes- many of them- among us- just waiting for their time.

And I am already a superhero according to my four year old son. He has named me Super Rester- because after twenty minutes of jumping on the couch and rolling on the floor my old bones need a rest (and also I can pop a load of laundry in during my break period too). To him it must seem that I always need a rest. I know I’m tired all the time. I know being named Super Rester is laughable, but I’m kind of ashamed of myself too. But we’re not all cut out to be superheroes.

I’ve even designed a superhero outfit for myself. It’s like Superman’s, but instead of an S on the chest it has Zzzz. And the cape is flannel and doubles as a blanket. And the whole outfit is really pajamas.

Why do you like superheroes? Are you one?