Long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there were comic books. I’m not sure what exactly made me start collecting Iron Man comics but I never wavered. For some reason, I thought that he was the best superhero. I can only retroactively express ideas that may or may not have contributed to my interest:
- He was a “self-made” super hero. It wasn’t luck, radioactive spiders or divine intervention. Tony Stark built himself into Iron Man.
- He was still very flawed. Self-serving, alcoholic, bitter, etc. He didn’t always do the right thing but was consistent enough as a “hero”.
- He was extremely wealthy and did not need to do any of it.
The great thing about heroes is that they give us an example to follow. The convenient thing about superheroes is that their abilities are so far from reality that they let us off the hook! We can watch in awe as they do their thing but then go home and do nothing to strive for that level of heroism.
This is not a call for people to develop super suits in order to fight crime or some impending alien invasion. It is a recognition of the opportunity that we all have. Everyday, we walk out into the world with persona that we’ve developed. That is our “Iron Man suit.” There is an opportunity to improve its capabilities. Inside, there is still a flawed human that doesn’t always get it right but there is the possibility of progress. And finally, you don’t need to do any of this. Most people don’t. They lament that the suit that they wear or how they didn’t get the luck, divine intervention or other break. It’s easier to lament.
So! You’re Iron Man! You have a suit to work with. What are you going to do with it? Is this the part of the story where your adventure truly begins? Or do you let the “call to adventure” go to voicemail? The choice is yours and it’s our choices that make us who we are.
Suit up!
Pete
Huryk Unlimited 