While watching Spider-Man 2 this evening I realized something. It wasn’t anything ground breaking or a new idea that hasn’t been thought of yet. That something happens to be the need for the male gender to be the hero. Think about it, we’ve got superheroes and action movies where one man saves the world as a secret agent of some covert agency. There are movies that depict real heroes like soldiers or first responders but when everything is stripped away there is one thing all the genre’s share; they all center on a hero. Be it human or superhuman we flock to theaters to see the next great adventure. Millions of dollars are spent on children’s toys and costumes as young children play out fantasies where they become their favorite superhero and take down the bad guy.
Grown men (me included) go see these movies. I have no children so I don’t have the excuse that I want to relive my childhood with my kids as Spider-Man slings across the big screen. Maybe part of it is a desire to be nostalgic but I don’t think that is all of it. It seems to me like we are just born with the desire to be the hero. Whether it’s a desire to be praised by the public for heroic deeds done or just wanting to be a hero. Some people consider it a savior complex. A lot of your superheroes’ fall under this category, the need to always be the hero, to save the day and put the bad guy behind bars. But I find it hard to lump Soldiers, Policemen, and Firemen into that particular category. They are just normal people wanting to do good things. What pushes them to do what they do goes far behind a label.
Honestly, I don’t think children have a savior complex. They emulate what they see and what they see is a man or woman, imaginary or real who helps people and the world loves them. That makes them feel good. Imagine being a five year old and watching your favorite superhero knock the bad guy out. What you see isn’t a cartoon, it is real. So far as you are concerned people can fly and throw cars like baseballs just as easily as they can walk. Besides superheroes always win, the bad guy always loses. Real life isn’t so black and white. People don’t fly and it’s a rare occurrence when a person can pick up a car. I’ve yet to hear of one being hurled like a ball, even when someone is full of adrenaline.
So why do men never really grow up? I’m twenty-four. I’ll be honest, if you haven’t already picked up on this fact; I very much enjoy superhero movies. Actually I enjoy movies where the hero always wins and justice prevails. I’m not five even if I spend a great chunk of my time with people around that age so there is not that excuse to lean on. I don’t have kids so I’m not really being nostalgic. I’m one of those guys who on some level desires to be the hero. Not so much to reap heaps of praise but to know that for one moment I wasn’t simply ordinary. Superheroes aren’t normal people; they’ve got powers and skills that enable them to be for lack of a better term super. They are extraordinary individuals who push the bounds of our finite human bodies and do things that we can’t.
Perhaps we are just wired that way, designed to want to save those around us as we were designed to lead. Maybe it is in our genes to want to save the day. Not as a source of pride or some selfish gain just a desire to be useful. For a single moment in time we gain the chance to reach deep within ourselves and summon the courage we never knew we really possessed. Every hero has an origin story, they all start somewhere. And maybe, just maybe we men seek that moment to prove to ourselves that we can change things, we can make a difference when given the chance. That without some super human ability we can be heroes. I’m certain there are probably professionals out there who would deem me a man who can’t let go of his youth. They’d likely say such thoughts are the desires of a man who doesn’t understand how the real world works. I promise I know how the world works. People don’t have super powers. I can also assure you that this is not me saying I want to be thrust into such a situation. Just an honest reflection on the male psyche. I feel pretty confident in saying such things because I am a male.
I’m surrounded by legitimate heroes who don’t happen to wear capes. I know what makes a hero. I just happen to be incredibly interested in why we as men are enamored with such things. There’s got to be a reason for it. I’ve already stated my opinion, it’s just the way we were made. We were created to lead families so it isn’t so far fetched to say that perhaps we were wired to want to be a hero for the simple fact that as a father or a leader you need the courage to sacrifice yourself, to do things you never dreamed of or thought possible for the betterment of those around you.
Sometimes that courage is quiet and is found in the day to day activity of a man providing for his family. Other times that courage roars as it faces gunmen or blazing fires.
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