Photo: (Paramount/Marvel)
What's better than Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, and a team of secret world-saving agents all in one movie? Can't think of anything? Me neither. The world premiere of Marvel's latest big screen comic book adaptation, "The Avengers," lit Hollywood Boulevard earlier this week and the stars rocked the red carpet like no one's business. Sure, there was a ton of eye candy. But the excitement and anticipation for the movie totally outweighed that. That is, until Scarlett Johansson showed up, obvs.
The film doesn't come out until May 4 but I started to think about some similarities between the Marvel heroes and real-life heroes making a difference in the world every day. Check out how the Avengers are superheroes for good!
+Tony Stark aka Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr.)
Tony Stark is just your average genius billionaire playboy philanthropist -- NBD. But when lives are in danger, he powers up his bad-ass amour suit, gets his lasers ready, and blazes through the skies as the one and only Iron Man. Whoever said "geeks shall one day inherit the earth" wasn't kidding. A bona fide technology wizard, Iron Man is a lot like the people behind Change the Equation, a national initiative dedicated to increasing and improving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) education for students. We best be gettin' our STEM study on if we want to channel Iron Man.
+Thor, The God of Thunder (played by Chris Hemsworth)
When a powerful ancient artifact falls from Asgard, the magical realm of the Norse gods, and gets into the wrong hands, Thor returns to Earth to save mankind. While he's there, he joins The Avengers, and lends his powerful hammer, Mjolnir, to protect the world. Lending a helping hand to others to have a positive social impact can be done in many ways. The way Thor uses and loans Mjolnir to empower his team is like how the nonprofit Kiva empowers people to give microloans to entrepreneurs in developing countries. Giving a little definitely goes a long way. Just look at Thor's epic hammer!
+ Steve Rogers aka Captain America (played by Chris Evans)
You can't get much more patriotic and all-American than the iconic superhero Captain America, the first Avenger. He is OG! After being frozen for nearly 40 years, he is recruited by secret military law-enforcement agency S.H.I.E.LD, and uses his own indestructible Vibranium shield to guard his country and his planet. Like Captain America, our U.S. soldiers have made it their mission to protect our freedom. Through the organization Adopt A U.S. Soldier, you can send letters and packages to a soldier, who is currently deployed, as a gesture of thanks. Captain America would approve (insert an Emoji thumbs up)!
+Bruce Banner aka The Hulk (played by Mark Ruffalo)
After livin' life on the down low to avoid stress, Dr. Bruce Banner is called upon by S.H.E.I.L.D., to use his incredible strength to help The Avengers defend Earth. Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner and the Hulk in the movie, says the inspiration for how he performed came from his 10-year-old son. He told the LA Times, "I think that character was written for that 10-year-old child inside of us that is trying to fit into a very complex and rule-oriented world." This made me think of the organization, Create Now, which mentors young people in need through creative arts mentoring and education. We're all kids on the inside, and we're all misunderstood at times, just like the Hulk.
+Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (played by Scarlett Johansson)
Who doesn't love female characters who kick butt? Agent Natasha Romanoff (code name Black Widow) is a master at hand-to-hand combat, surveillance and martial arts. In her short career at S.H.E.I.L.D., she is already a key member of the security task force. Representing female empowerment, Black Widow is the first female among The Avengers, but she won't be the last girl to stand up for what she believes in. Her ambition and intelligence reminds me of the mission of She's The First, a nonprofit that empowers and educates women in the developing world to be the first in their families to graduate. Like Black Widow, every young woman has some special powers to show off.
We can all be heroes, even without huge movie budgets and special effects. So, which of the superheroes listed above are you most like? Which cause speaks to you the most? Let us know!
