Weekend Musings: The Superhero Skills for Simple Humans

The past few weeks, my Twitter feed of ideas and innovations have been hosting another guest as well. What has taken it (and the whole world perhaps) by storm is none other than the latest Avengers movie. And it isn’t even surprising. With so much hype, you are obviously going to snap half the world’s social media feeds!

Given the 10 on 10 entertainment factor of Marvel movies, they have been among my favourite respite from work life for quite some time. After catching up with the entire MCU through multiple streaming services, the fan in me finally awoke with Infinity War. And after catching the conclusion of the Avengers saga recently, I decided to write about it this weekend. But rather than talking about the superpowers those superheroes possess, I would like to talk about the simple powers they possess – powers that we all can improve our lives with.

For instance, how about the relationship between Thor and Loki? It has affected even my understanding of second chances and I have indeed wondered, is Loki worth it? But with time, what I have come to realize is that if you show enough trust in a person’s potential, sooner or later, your faith will turn them around. So perhaps if the person’s potential merits it, they do deserve more than two chances.  Apart from that, Thor is also a great leader – one who stands for his people and with his people in the face of all adversities. A great team leader, indeed!

Coming to Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Incredible Hulk - Hulk Smash isn’t exactly a power we could possess. But come to think of it, Hulk Smash alone has never been the answer in the movies either. All through the saga, the heroes have relied as much on Hulk’s power as on Bruce Banner’s intellect. The learning, for me, is clear here. In the quest for success, you need to be the master of both – power and intellect. If you have watched Endgame, you might know this middle ground is exactly what the character finally settles for.

Now the two brightest stars of the universe, starting with Captain America – perhaps the greatest leader of them all. And what makes him that? I feel it is his never-say-never approach to literally every adversity. Imagine how great it would be if we all had the courage to face our troubles head-on, even if the trouble was fearsome and we were alone. We may lose, yes, but I can’t help imagining how wonderful experience it will be. Trust your abilities, count on your team, stand up for your friends, never give up… The list is never-ending.

And at last, we come to the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Ironman. It’s impressive how the most self-obsessed hero in the saga is also the most selfless one, with perhaps the highest regard for the greater good. A billionaire genius philanthropist who, the moment he sees his weaponry at his captive site, knows his talent is being misused. Who realizes that innovation has the potential to change this world. Who knows how important the right mentorship is. Now imagine – what if the wealthiest people today took inspiration from him! If they realized that the true value of technology, talent, and money is to make this world a better place.

For now, I will stick to just these heroes. Not because they were among the main cast but because these are some of the qualities we all could start with. The next time Marvel assembles a team of superheroes, I am sure that I will be watching from the start because now, I know there is more than just entertainment in these movies. The education hidden deep in there is just as important, as it is something that completes the whole experience.