Heroes or superheroes?

Mother Teresa - a real hero?

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.  Christopher Reeve – one of the actors who played Superman

Every novel needs a hero especially children’s stories. 

Nick North is the hero of my novels.  He is just an ordinary lad, apt to get into trouble and with a mouth that works quicker than his brain. His life is transformed when he meets the Shepherd who invites him to fulfil a quest; an adventure that will change him. 

As the quest unfolds Nick discovers that there is often a very good reason why people are the way they are - a back-story.  People aren’t dysfunctional and unpleasant because they are born that way but often because things have happened in their family and lives that have shaped them.

Nick discovers that his father, a trouble-maker at school, came from a broken home where happy family was a myth.  Nick’s classmate Leone is another such person.  She is the girl with the biggest mouth, a person not to antagonize.  As Nick reluctantly befriends her he finds that she has been rejected and hurt by a horrible father and her wicked tongue is her best defence.

In the second book Nick North: War Zone Nick helps Leone start to reconcile her family by getting to the bottom of what went wrong with her great grandfather in the First World War and what caused her dad to be so nasty.

In both novels Nick is called to be heroic.  He has to fight odds and situations far bigger than normal and he finds the strength to conquer ‘overwhelming obstacles’.  He is just a lad who finds, fights and overcomes circumstances that might cause many to flinch or back away.

I love a good hero.  It makes a book for me.  What I am less comfortable about is the current cult of superheroes.  I find the desire of so many children, especially young children to be like Superman, Spiderman, Batman, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America and so on disturbing. 

At best it is probably harmless enough and something children will grow out of but at worst it give youngsters a totally unrealistic role model.

I agree with Josh Keaton the voice of Spiderman from the cartoon series: Being a superhero alienates you and separates you from humanity.  These must surely be the very qualities we don’t want for our children. We want our children to be relational, to know how to get on with all sorts and to be accepting of those different from themselves.

Superheroes are only heroes because of supernatural powers. They trust in things that no one else can.  They aren’t really heroic because it is not bravery, perseverance and character that overcome but abnormal abilities. They may save the world but they’ll never be your buddy in real life.

Timothy Dalton said: You can't relate to a superhero, to a superman, but you can identify with a real man who in times of crisis draws forth some extraordinary quality from within himself and triumphs but only after a struggle. That’s a real hero and a great role model.

I have a superhero – the Shepherd in my books.  He is never separate from humanity but always right there with everyone, from the rich to the poor, the famous to the completely unknown.  He is a real man with extraordinary qualities and character.  He overcame the most terrible odds to win the mightiest victory in the history of the planet yet he shows love and compassion to the lowest and the least.  He really did save the world.

He is a hero – a superhero.