Superhero stories are a reflection of humanity.
We didn’t discover these stories, we invented them. As a result, these fantastic tales carry our cultures, myths, and values.
Even if you’ve never read a single comic, seen a single MCU or Star Wars movie, or walked around a ComicCon event, I think everyone can learn something about themselves through the examination of some of the meta-concepts that exist across these amazing fantasies.
Today, I want you to reflect on your own greatness so you can discover the path you’re meant to walk.
The Genesis of Special Abilities
The most obvious aspect of superhero stories is the existence of superpowers.
While it’s easy to write these off as purely fiction, I think there is a direct connection to our lives on a daily basis.
I am of the belief that everyone has special abilities.
Most people have no idea what they are truly capable of and so one of the first things I do with many coaching clients, is remind them of their power.
Much like in the comics, some of our abilities may have more utility or applicability than others. This does not change the fact that everyone can do something better, or knows more about something, than most people they meet. It could be pattern recognition, verbal acuity, mathmatical ability, physical giftedness, or scores of other abilities and attributes.
But how do we know what our abilities are or whether they’re super? Further, we might want to know where these powers originate and how we might acquire new ones.
Find Your Powers
The way we come about developing these abilities can vary but usually fall into one or more of the following categories.
Some powers are inherited, others are awakened, and some are built—yet all of them are real. Understanding yours starts with knowing where it comes from.
To determine your abilities, it may help to think through these three categories to find your gifts.
Powerful Origin #1: A Birthright
Superman is from the planet Krypton. His molecular structure is different from humans, allowing him to soak in the radiation of our yellow sun and “leap tall buildings in a single bound,” or “move faster than a speeding bullet.”
Wonder Woman is sculpted from clay by her mother Queen Hippolyta and was given a life as an Amazon, along with superhuman powers as gifts by the Greek gods. (Wikipedia)
Many of the X-Men, are born with genetic mutations that cause the emergence of special powers. Wolverine has a healing factor that makes him practically immortal. Storm can control the weather using her psionic abilities. And Remy LeBeau, known as Gambit, is able to charge any object with explosive energy.
Each of us is born with an innate ability. I have a knack for recognizing patterns. Maybe you’re an above average rock climber, a naturally persuasive sales person, or have always been able to do math in your head. Whatever it is, we each have something that comes so naturally to us, it barely feels like work.
Powerful Origin #2: An Empowering Event
- Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider.
- The Fantastic Four were exposed to cosmic radiation.
- Bruce Banner was accidentally saturated with gamma radiation.
Each of these heroes was living a normal life until, the event. After the event, their lives would never be the same.
Each of us may have a moment in our lives that unlocks something inside of us. It could be the recognition of something we hadn’t known about ourselves. It could be the discovery of soemthing that changes how we see the world, and how we want to continue moving forward with this new knowledge.
Powerful Origin #3: A Commitment to Growth
Perhaps the best, and most well known example of this, is Batman. Bruce Wayne trained until he became the worlds greatest detective and a master of countless martial arts. Batman is a superhero due to his commitment to learning new skills, training to become the best, and his continued commitment to his mission.
Iron Man, who is kind of like Marvel’s Batman, is another human with no supernatural abilities, but who has trained and become a superhero through force of will. He has a genius level intellect for engineering paired with a drive to innovate in service of his mission.
Each of us has an opportunity to develop ourselves further. By committing to something larger than ourselves and placing our growth in service of that mission, we unlock a resilience that can only be found in those driven by purpose.
Finding your powerful origin
When I ask people where their super abilities come from, nearly everyone says that same thing: “a little bit of all three.”
This is because, as I mentioned at the top of this post, these stories are a reflection of humanity. We all have abilities we’re born with, ones that form later during an event, or that result from our dedication. This copmes to form the basis of our beliefs and our core identity.
But there’s another place to look in order to find the origin of your abilities, and why you may choose to use them in the ways you do.
Tragedy, Power, and Choices
“You have grown into someone who would have protected you as a child. That is powerful.” ~Unknown
Look at backstories for the top 3 superheroes on the IGN Top 100 Comic Book Heroes:
- Superman, had his entire planet blow up.
- Batman, parents killed.
- Spiderman, uncle killed.
Superheroes often have trauma happen to them, and that pain compels them to make sure that they do everything they can to protect others from that pain.
Superheroism appears to be born out of trauma.
But what’s interesting is that villains are often created under similar circumstances.
- Magneto, captured by Nazis as a child, watched his mother murdered in front of him decided to use his mutant abilities to fight for the rights of the oppressed…often in a violent way.
- Darth Vader, formerly Anakin Skywalker, was training to protect the galaxy from evil until he saw the love of his life die in the future dream and turned to the Dark Side to save her.
- Nearly all of the Joker’s back stories are tragic and steeped in abuse, pain, and loss.
Super Villains also appear to be born out of trauma.
We all will experience trauma during our lives.
- Sometimes it happens in the big picture, like 9/11 or the height of the COVID pandemic.
- Sometimes it happens as a result of unjust systems, such as poverty, police brutality, or violent crime.
- Sometimes it happens closer to home, like the unexpected loss of a loved one, a fractured relationship, or years of neglect or abuse.
Trauma happens to each of us. But it is our reaction to trauma that shapes us — just like I covered in Why I Care So Much About Becoming Superhuman.
Choose Your Path
Thus we arrive the question of how one deals with the powers they posssess.
This is important because we all have power and, at the risk of sounding trite: “with great power, there must also come — great responsibility.“
Power takes many forms and unfortunately, too often it is used to harm people.
- You have some power that you were born into. It may be your privileged position in society, or it may be an ability that gives you certain advantages. What will you do with that power? Will you choose the path of the hero or that of the villain?
- You have some power unlocked by an event or possibly by trauma, and you may have leaned into that and trained to become truly extraordinary in a given field. What will you use these gifts in service of? Who will you become with these powers?
Power can be tied to our abilities or our identities, but make no mistake, we all have power. Whether it is personal power, structural power, or situational power, the choice each of us must make is how will we use the power we have?
So, here is the question I’d like you to think about: What is the mission I will be in service of?
We need more heroes
Right now, we are in the midst of an ideological conflict.
There are a lot of communities being placed squarely in the crosshairs, both figuratively and literally.
If one side wins, then anyone failing to conform to the dominant group norms risks being sent off to prison or labor camps, robbed of their rights and bodily autonomy, or face possible extermination by the state or extrajudisciously — without consequences — by its citizens. We have seen this story before.
If the other side wins, then everyone will have to suffer through living in a tolerant society where we simply accept one another and live in peace without the threat of life-ending violence.
It’s a tough coin flip but I think one side is worth fighting for. If we’re going to do that, we need all of our heroes in the fight.
There is a Heroic Revolution happening.
Name your power. Choosing your mission. Step into the fight.
The world needs your heroism—now more than ever.
