Now that we’ve all had a few weeks to process the passing of Marvel founder, Stan Lee, I wanted to take a step back to think about the impact that all of his work has had on my life as well as the lives of countless others. Aside from ripped guys in spandex and the precious cameos that we could rely on in every movie, Stan Lee created a world that welcomed so many with nowhere else to go. We can all learn something from the Marvel world to take away and leave it a better place than we found it radioactivity or super suits needed.
1. Fight for what you believe in
Fighting for what you believe is right can be hard, but these characters show us that it is still important to do so. Time and time again these characters overcome all sorts of adversity, sometimes even their own friends and family, to fight for justice and what they believe in.
2. Girls can and should be superheroes too
From Black Widow to Agent Carter to Captain Marvel (who is literally the most powerful superhero in the world and is supposed to be the only one who can save whatever mess happened in Infinity War), we are shown strong women time and time again who are integral parts to their teams. (For the moment we’ll just put aside the fact that it took Marvel until 2019 for its first stand-alone film featuring a female superhero. Another day.)
3. It’s cool to be smart
Who’s cooler than Tony Stark? Nobody. And his only superpower is science. Tony Stark, Peter Parker and Bruce Banner all are uniquely important to their teams due, in part, to just being really smart.
4. It’s okay to ask for help
You heard it a million times in your little league game, “there is no I in team.” There’s no shame in being a part of a group, in fact most of the time it’s light years better, and there’s no expectation for you to go through things all alone.
5. You aren’t defined by your mistakes
Everybody has flaws, and something really fascinating about the superheroes and villains portrayed is that they aren’t just one dimensional. The flaws of these characters don’t necessarily define their whole personality. These characters, like ogres and onions, have layers.
6. It’s okay to fight with your friends; They’ll still be there for you when you need them
If Steve Rogers can forgive and stand with his best friend after he went on a murderous rampage, you can probably find it in yourself to forgive your friend when she cancels on you for the 8th time this month. Obviously, use your judgment, but most friendships can weather pretty heavy storms, and when push comes to shove, your real friends will always be there for you when you need them.
Thank you, Stan, for everything you’ve taught us.