Posts Tagged With: Superheroes

I recently saw The Avengers (judging from it’s box office numbers, I’m not the only one), and I loved it. Not enough to go see it again (or at least not until it goes to the $3 theater), but I appreciated it’s epic-ness. It was non-stop. And I love movies like that. I love movies where you never know what point you’re at in the story because it’s just constant action. Constantly engaging. There’s no real beginning, middle, or end. I think it did a great job of bringing together all the different superheroes. I loved the whole cast and their dynamics together. (I think they’ve finally found a winner in Mark Ruffalo. No more changing Hulks.) Watching The Avengers makes me wonder just when DC Comics will be putting together a Justice League movie. I think they’ve got a ways to go seeing as I’ve only ever seen (that I remember) two Justice League characters in movies (Batman and Superman).

There is just something special about heroes, at least in my opinion. They’re a dying breed. Why is that so many guys basically worship these fictional characters, but yet none of them want to act like them? Why are there so many Situations and Pauly Ds in the world, but few Clark Kents or Steve Rogers’? I think it’s because it is hard to be a hero. It takes courage, and integrity, and selflessness. Sometimes doing the right thing does not make you cool, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it anyway. You don’t have to have out of this world powers to be a hero, you just have to have an out of this world heart.

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” – Christopher Reeve

Hats off to all those men out there who are heroes; the men who sacrifice so much to serve our country, who keep our streets safe, who rush into burning buildings, and those who adore the women in their life and who spend time with their children.  (Not saying that women are any better at being heroes, or that that is not something we should also strive for, that’s just not what this post is about.)

And now, to the real point of the blog: my top 5 favorite superheroes. Typically girls don’t have these lists because typically they don’t care. I, however, am no typical girl, and therefore do have a top 5 superheroes list (really I love most superheroes, I’m pretty sure I own ever superhero movie there is, but I do have my favorites).

1.    Superman (Clark Kent)

Superman will always be my favorite superhero, for obvious reasons. I mean, he’s freaking Superman. You don’t get much more heroic than that. He can do it all. He’s the man of steel. Faster than a speeding bullet. Supersonic hearing. Heat and x-ray vision. And he can fly. He’s the ultimate superhero.

I am sure that my love for him also comes from my love of the TV show Smallville. I faithfully watched that show all 10 seasons (and now I faithfully re-watch that show on dvd). I just love Clark Kent. He’s funny, smart, and kind. Clark always does what’s best. He’s a true gentleman, but at the same time he kind of has a bit of an ornery streak. And Tom Welling was seriously the best Clark Kent/Superman. I mean, he even had Christopher Reeve’s approval. I am a little frustrated with Warner Bros for not casting Tom Welling as Superman for the new Man of Steel movie after the Smallville finale. It would have worked so perfectly. (However, I did hear that Tom Welling turned down the role, so I guess I can’t lay WB with all the blame. I also heard that there may be a Smallville movie in the works, which would be ideal for me. Then I’d get to keep all my beloved characters.) I just really love Clark Kent/Superman.

2.    Captain America (Steve Rogers)

Captain America is my second favorite superhero simply because of his heart. He starts out as this little guy who gets beat up all the time, but in the end becomes a beacon of righteousness to everyone. He gets beat up, but he still stands up for what he believes in. Captain America/Steve Rogers never loses his moral center. He never thinks of himself and always does the right thing. He’s compassionate and just an all-around good guy. He is brave and chivalrous. And I love that. I’m sure it definitely doesn’t hurt that the very handsome Chris Evans plays him, either. Chris Evans must just have a superhero spirit about him. First he was in the Fantastic Four, now he’s a Captain America. It suits him.

3.    Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)

Now I know my love for this guy comes from Smallville. I’ve never even seen a comic with him in it (not that I’ve seen many comics at all), or a movie (I did hear that The CW has created a Green Arrow TV show though. No doubt trying to fill the Smallville void. Only, they didn’t cast the same Green Arrow, which is confusing, and disappointing to me). The only experience I have with him is Smallville. And that was enough for me. Green Arrow (on Smallville) is Superman’s (ehh— the Red-Blue Blur’s) right hand man, but he doesn’t quite have the same heart that Superman has. He has a bit of an attitude, which I kind of love about him (plus Oliver is very charming). I love that he’s not the perfect superhero. At his core he is a good guy, but sometimes his attitude gets the best of him and he doesn’t do the right thing. Sometimes he makes bad decisions, but he learns from them.  (Once again, I am sure that it doesn’t hurt that Justin Hartley, the guy portrays Oliver Queen, happens to be very good-looking.)

4.    Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)

Why does it seem like there are so many ‘green’ superheroes? Is there some kind of significance with the color green that I am just not geeky enough to understand? Anyways, Green Lantern is pretty cool. And for once, I’m not basing my love of him off the movie, which was kind of lame (except for the fact that Ryan Reynolds play Hal Jordan, that’s not lame at all). I’m basing my love of him off his powers. How cool is it that he can create anything with his mind? I think next to being Superman, this is the coolest power.

5.    Iron Man (Tony Stark)

I really just love Tony Stark. Or should I say, I love the Tony Stark that Robert Downey Jr. portrays. He is hilarious! He is sarcastic and arrogant and mean, and I am just greatly amused by him. He’s so quick-witted and snarky. And I love it. I don’t really have an opinion on Iron Man, I mean I suppose he’s okay, I really just love Tony Stark’s obnoxiousness, so that’s why he gets a place on this list.

Who are your favorite superheroes and why?