The need for Superheroes

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It does not seem logical does it? They are after all figments of imagination of some guy who’s probably had enough of this world, wanting to expand his horizons or just expose his frustrations at things that comes up with these larger than life characters. Many know it’s not possible but few want the drama that superheroes provide. Like many things around us, even this beautiful art of expressing one’s creativity eventually turns into an industry by itself, thereby creating groups, fan clubs, comic cons etc., But let’s not get into that today. Instead let’s focus on what superheroes really stand for.

 

To try and explain this, let me take you back a few years when my friend questioned the need for sprucing up the city rather than focusing on basic infrastructure. His point of view was that we could divert some of these funds to the needy and cut down on the extravagance. It’s definitely not so simple is it? I mean, you can’t just write off the money you had reserved for a project to help the poor. It’ll definitely not be enough. Isn’t it better to give a man a fishing rod than provide free food? Better infrastructure attracts investors, sets the right tone for development, help create landmarks, which directly fuel growth. I had once mentioned how the Formula 1 races in India are going to put us on the map and that people shouldn’t really be running around saying ‘Oh that money should have been utilized better!’ So there we have it, ambitious projects are required to fuel growth while their face value does not seem to invoke any encouragement from the masses.

 

Back to our topic then, superheroes. Fresh from a superhero movie, let me tell you, values and ethics or not, they are a lot of fun! There is no limiting your imagination when it comes to making these characters do what you want. On a more serious note though, larger than life characters/events are excellent means to reach out to people. Our minds are wired to appreciate such things. For example, all of us talk about values, ethical practices, etc., but when someone like Batman portrays them, the message sent out is a lot stronger and a lot more meaningful. Superhero movies provide an excellent platform to showcase these scenarios while leaving the characters adopt the righteous path. Theatrics are very powerful tools to influence the masses and that’s exactly what a superhero can be. He can tower above the ordinary under the toughest of circumstances and come out victorious in the most ethical way possible. Just like the over ambitious projects which put countries on the world map, we need these heroes who can time and again remind us that life can be extraordinary indeed.

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