Hero is such a broad term that so many people nowadays would be at an impasse on trying to agree universally on the definition of what a hero truly is. To me personally, a hero is someone that is selfless, and displays signs of altruism (giving and caring for others wellbeing). However, this might be different among different cultures and groups, and a hero can turn into something very subjective. For example, there are groups of people that would consider Donald Trump a hero, and there are some that would consider Greta Thunberg a hero, but are they really? It’s important to look at what makes someone a hero, and as we all know selflessness is a big factor, maybe even the idea that a hero goes out of their way to do what’s right is another factor, but the simplest way to accept someone as a hero is to look at their objectively good, and bad qualities and weigh in on them overall.
There are certain archetypes around heroes as well, and these are tied into their positive qualities in order to reinforce certain stigmas or to promote certain agendas. Take superman for example, the perfect archetype for what a comic book superhero is and look deeper into the types of messages he sends and why he does what he does and why he acts the way he does. In a sense, superman is godlike with his powers, and the idea of superman is a parallel to Jesus in some ways. For example, superman’s father sent his last son down to save Earth, he fights for truth and justice, two biblical principles, etc. We can all agree that superman is an objectively good hero because what he does benefits everyone regardless of race, orientation, social class, etc. and that’s what a good hero does.
This can also be tied to hegemony however, because many would consider superman a better hero as opposed to someone like Luke Cage, a bulletproof hero of color that seeks to help those in his struggling community in Harlem as well as battling corrupt politicians. It’s evident that the people who do the dirty work and stand up for the little guy are the ones that are overlooked in comparison to the glorified hero that everyone is familiar with. However, we should treat both with the same kind of gratitude since they’re both restoring peace and justice in different ways, for different groups. It isn’t necessarily fair to say one is more important than the other, but instead look at it as if someone is helping others in selfless acts and expecting nothing in return, they are by definition, a true hero.
The Retro Blog 