Here is what the superhero genre does, and it’s a common theme across Marvel and DC. That the powers are not what makes someone the hero, it’s what they do with the power they’re given. The heart within. It inspires people to stand up for others, to use with what they are given.

The grandiose level battles of superheroes are just metaphors for everything people struggle with or injustices they encounter in their daily life, whether it’s depression or micro-aggressions or someone around them needs help.

Even the ultra-powered heroes hit a point in the story where they’re battered and outgunned and knocked down and they just...keep...going. Superhero narratives also aren’t all ultrapowerful beings. The street-level fighters. The genius inventors. The scientists.

They get knocked down, they get overwhelmed, they experience despair, they don’t give up. Whether it’s a kid from queens or an orphan billionaire who decided to use his fortune to help others or a girl who could shatter the world but saves it

Superhero narrative elements carries across genres. It’s two regular guys from Kansas who have to stop an apocalypse. *stares into camera* Or a cheerleader who discovers she alone must stand against the forces of darkness. Or a farm kid who turns out to have space wizard powers.

It’s all about who is underneath the mask or the spandex or the metal suit or the gadgets. The power can corrupt or the power can be used to make the world better. With great power....