Everyone Has a Weakness

I find few things more fascinating in life than superheroes, comic books and their storytelling. Imagining people who have been given amazing powers, abilities and opportunities to fight crime and live extraordinary lives has always been appealing and is a genre of media I will never get tired of. Characters like Ant-Man, The Flash and the Guardians of the Galaxy use both supernatural and cognitive gifts to stop other powered entities and figure out situations. These incredible abilities do not prevent characters from having weaknesses or blind spots that severely limit them. This helps these powerful characters have somewhat relatable story arcs and entertaining plot lines that do not get stale easily.

However, one aspect of superhero literature has always bothered me: Superman or other similar cases of “supermen/women.” Superman is an alien, despite having a human-looking body, who is granted incredible physical strength and abilities due to the Earth’s yellow sun, with very little being able to truly stop him other than kryptonite and red sunlight, substances that come from his destroyed planet of Krypton which are supposed to be rare yet incredibly lethal to him. 

What bothers me about Superman and similar characters is how limitless they often seem to be. Yes, the flight and superpowers are cool, but unless he’s fighting someone with the same powers or somehow has kryptonite, it's hard to find a real challenge for him or even be worried for him in a fight. That is not to say that Superman and his counterparts are without merit. The human characters that surround Superman often create interesting questions and dynamics. Still, even in my favorite interpretation of the character, the 2000s live-action television drama series “Smallville,” story writers often have to limit or make the character do stupid or questionable things (like sacrificing his adopted Earth father’s life for his ex-girlfriend) for the plot to be interesting.

For better or worse, regular human lives do not operate under the laws of a Superman comic strip or episode. Even in the not-so-super tasks that need to be addressed daily, unpredictable issues arise, or complications, sometimes self-inflicted, can make the “plot” of our lives more complex than we sometimes would like. There is no single weakness like kryptonite for us to avoid; it is often a multitude of things that can prove distracting and hazardous. However, the tendency for life not to be formulaic or straightforward, like Superman, gives each person more value and purpose. 

My three favorite superheroes provide good examples of the factors needed to overcome weaknesses. Awareness is the first factor, which is the start of acknowledging the existence of weakness that needs to be overcome. Spider-Man’s “spider-sense” helps him predict and be aware of incoming danger, allowing him to parry or dodge attacks. But even Spider-Man cannot cleanly avoid every attack or danger coming his way. Instead, he’s able to learn from the hits he takes and be better prepared for the future. We, too, can learn from the hits we take and can be better prepared to see attacks such as unreliable friends or costly personal habits before it is too late. 

But how exactly can we prepare for such dangers and hazards in our lives? We need to turn to the fictional king of preparation, Batman, to answer this question. Like all of us, Batman is a regular human being with no superpowers and largely does most of his fighting by hand without the help of overcomplicated suits. What makes him different, besides his super-wallet, is how he plans and prepares for a multitude of possible scenarios and conflicts. The same way Batman uses his time wisely to plan is the same way we ought to plan our time for both expected and unexpected situations. This can mean writing out a schedule to get assignments done throughout the semester or saving and spending wisely so that you have money to use for unexpected financial obligations. 

The final factor in overcoming weaknesses is determination. Although it is a simple term to define and explain, determination is often easier said than done. So, for an example of determination that can hopefully encourage and inspire, we must turn to one of the most complex and intricate characters of the superhero genre: Larry-Boy. In the VeggieTales direct-to-DVD episode “Larry-Boy and the Bad Apple,” our titular hero and several other powerful people in the city of Bumblyburg succumb to their temptations. However, Larry-Boy, who becomes trapped in a web of chocolate temptation, successfully frees himself through his determination to act how God wants him to and through the support he receives from his friends. We, too, can find ample determination by reminding ourselves of how prosperous God’s plan for us is and by surrounding ourselves with His messages and people who will support us in following his plan. 

Ultimately, you do not have to be a superhero to have a successful school year or life. But by avoiding too many similarities to someone as boring as Superman and by aligning yourself with the characteristics of awareness, preparation and determination from the far superior Spider-Man, Batman and Larry-Boy, you may find yourself with greater peace and less stress as we all try to live purposeful lives.