A generation without heroes

A generation without heroes?

I’m sure that many of you heard stories growing up that helped form your concept of right and wrong. You cheer for the good guys and boo for the bad guys.

When I was growing up, in the 70s and 80s…at least for me, superheroes were flawless champions of character. For a young boy growing up in America, superheroes exemplified sacrifice as they always did the right thing regardless of the cost. They unified and protected all the people of the earth. They stood in the gap to defend the defenseless against the forces of evil. They joined together against foes forming the Justice League. They maintained the victorious balance of good over evil. This idealistic character role model formed the absolute of good that I embrace to this day, part of my identity as an American and as a Christian.

My two favorite superheroes were always Superman and Captain America. I was attracted to the uncompromising character of each, the Christian morals by which they operated, and their acknowledgment of, reverence for, and humility to God.

Growing up, there were also people in my everyday life in whom I also saw superhero qualities: #1 Jesus who lived & died for all of humanity, next my dad, a tower of immovable strength willing to fight with superhuman strength against anything that would attempt to harm our family, my mom my moral compass & model of compassion, my martial arts instructors towers of discipline and persistence who could overcome anything through diligent efforts, my pastors always caring compassion and pointing toward God, my teachers inspiring and encouraging me to take risks and accomplish great things, Evel Knievel's fearlessness daring, and my elderly neighbor tirelessly caring for his aging wife emphasized enduring love and commitment. 

Today’s superheroes in contrast, are embraced for their “realness” of compromised flaws. Modern culture declares even superheroes should embrace bad character and compromised morals. They should justify bad behavior, glorify excessive use of force,  and become a rebel. They are fiercely independent and driven by pride/ego. Today’s heroes need no one else, that’s their greatest strength. They conspire secretly & fight against each other encouraging disunity. They serve only their own objectives.

New even more purposely flawed superheroes have popped up who blur the lines between good and evil so much that their clear motivation seems to be “the means justifies the end.”

Now… let’s talk about one of my favorites, Superman. Is he really “the man of steel” character who cannot be compromised?

In the Warner Brothers movie Man of Steel, Superman stands in a church with a stained glass window of Jesus behind him asking a priest the question, “If there is a chance to save the world by giving my life, isn’t it worth it?” I rejoiced at that symbolism. In the same movie, I was surprised that Superman found out about a child he had created by premarital sex with Lois Lane. I did however appreciate how the writers resolved that conflict by Superman apologizing for neglecting his duty to his son while he was away in space… granted he was unaware, he didn’t make excuses or justify. He also showed character respecting marriage and sacrificially backing away to respecting that institution of marriage that God created and showed admiration and respect for the type of man Lois married. This showed character and commitment in adverse situations. That was dicey for kids but still a very good message for adults who are also into this type of movie because it addressed a very real situation in our culture today and handled it correctly. I can respect that. The movie ends with General Zod sold out to evil intent upon the destruction of the human race. Superman resists Zod trying to change his objective and convince him to choose another option in one of the longest fight scenes that can be found in a movie. In the final scene, Zod attempts to use his laser vision to kill an innocent father & mother with their child. He expresses every desire to wipe out the entire human race. He is the Satan of comics. The movie ends as Superman does everything he can to avoid taking the life of Zod. Superman has no other choice than to kill Zod to protect “the higher good”, earth. You can see the pain in his eyes as he cries out in anguish. I love that scene. It’s painful but it speaks of the tough choices that must be made by heroes. It teaches a lesson that choices are not as simple as just choosing good over evil. But in the end, we must make the right choice regardless of the cost. This movie left me with an overall good feeling about my hero.

October 13, 2021, I read a news article from the BBC that truly disturbed me. It is an article about the future of my superhero that made my heart sink. The article is entitled “Making Superman bisexual is ‘bandwagoning not brave’- Dean Cain.” It appears one of our only Christian superheroes is under attack from the worst villain of all time, the modern writers. In this next Superman movie, to quote the article, “the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane will be in a same-sex relationship with his friend Jay Nakamura.”

Series writer Tom Taylor told the BBC he pondered “what Superman should be today.” Here is what he is quoted saying, “It struck me that it would be a real missed opportunity if we replace Clark Kent with another straight white savior.”

Missed opportunity? For whom? Kids needing an uncompromising example of character?

A missed opportunity to deconstruct one of our last uncompromised comic book heroes? 

A missed opportunity to completely alter a historic superhero?

Since I read this, I also understand that there are plans to make the next generation of Captain America gay. I don’t understand why a superhero must now be sexual in this generation and now compromise his moral stance and represent alternative sexual lifestyles. Why is this necessary in a comic book hero?

Ask yourself, why can’t there be a hero to represent straight people? Shouldn't we have examples too? 

The writer pointed out "white" as if it was a bad thing. Is there something inherently wrong with being caucasian? Doesn't his quote express reverse racism? Why can’t all races have people have a hero too? I was speaking with a man from South Africa the other day. He immigrated to America because of similar attitudes there. Post-apartheid things didn't become fairer for all citizens, instead it limited opportunities for white people. He had to leave the country so that his two boys would be able to have the ability to have successful careers. Americans shouldn't see color, black or white. Instead, they should have the ability to be and do whatever they set their minds to do, just like our superheroes.

This is a sad day… our children will no longer grow up with movie & comic book heroes of uncompromising character. That makes me sad.

There may still be some everyday heroes, but there are fewer and fewer of those too.

So who can the next generation look up to? I suggest Jesus and the heroes of the Bible.

These are timeless unchanging heroes unaffected by culture and its objectives. Jesus is flawless, the unblemished lamb, sinless, and perfect. Many other Bible heroes, flawed average people like you and I, but they did something superhero-like, they drew close to God, committed to living intentionally, defending the weak, protecting the vulnerable, save the lost. They get stronger every day in faith. They will remain timelessly unchanged.

We as parents and leaders need to point our children to these timeless heroes. Show them how cool they are. Make them come alive in the minds of our kids because of their dependence upon God and continually improving character. Mold young minds with the concept of what a true hero is like, what he or she does, what he or she gives up, how self-sacrificial life must be.

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Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (This shows an investment of time and intentionally teaching specific lessons)

Deuteronomy 11:19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

(This shows that the parent should be the #1 situational on-the-job trainer in a child’s life)

Deuteronomy 6:7 Impress them (God’s commands, laws, precepts) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.